The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) announced on Oct. 24 the appointment of Army Senior Officer Gen. Joseph A. Papenfus as the newest assistant to the agency’s director.
Papenfus started his new job nearly two months ago, on Sept. 1, and he comes to DISA having already received high praise for his work in strengthening interoperability of Defense Department and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) networks.
In his new role, Papenfus helps leads a global organization of over 20,000 employees who deliver joint, interoperable, command and control, and global enterprise infrastructure. His work is in direct support of the president, secretary of defense, joint chiefs of staff, and many Defense Department partners.
The veteran has more than 30 years of military experience, having served in a variety of leadership positions within Army signal, space, and cyberspace organizations.
Most recently, Papenfus spent almost three years as the chief information officer of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, where he handled three main responsibilities:
- Improving the U.S. Army’s network infrastructure and capabilities in Europe and Africa;
- Building relationships with allies; and
- Enabling a coalition network to be able to communicate with allies.
Papenfus said he doesn’t expect to deviate much from the primary areas his predecessor focused on, but he plans to spend his first few months in his new position figuring out how to best support DISA’s director and the agency’s strategic plan.
“I am delighted to welcome Brig. Gen. Joseph Papenfus to the DISA family,” said Director Lt. Gen. Robert Skinner.
“He brings a wealth of experience from a long and distinguished military career. We look forward to seeing him take his relationships formed at U.S. Army Europe and Africa into our problem sets to deliver joint, interoperable command and control capabilities in a very dynamic and complex strategic environment,” Skinner said.
