After nearly three decades with the Department of Defense (DOD), Bill Dunlap, the Pentagon’s acting principal deputy chief information officer (CIO), announced that he is leaving federal service.
Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the Department of War.
In a LinkedIn post, Dunlap said leaving government service “was not an easy decision,” but added that he is “excited for what comes next.” He reflected on his 26-year career with the DOD, which began in the Air Force as a Security Forces member.
“During my time at the Department, I had the privilege of working with the best and brightest and have witnessed their dedication to the mission,” Dunlap wrote. “I am deeply grateful for the camaraderie and the shared commitment to our nation’s security that I experienced every day.”
Dunlap joined the DOD CIO’s office about three years ago as the principal director deputy chief information officer for information enterprise. In that role, he helped develop and implement strategic direction and defense-wide policy guidance to modernize the DOD’s digital infrastructure, which enables the full range of defense operations.
Dunlap was named acting principal deputy CIO six months ago, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Over the course of his career, he also held roles with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
His departure marks the third recent exit among long-serving career technology leaders in the DOD. Dave McKeown, the acting chief information security officer, and Stacy Bostjanick, who led the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification initiative, also recently announced their retirements.