How the JIE will solve DoD’s IT problems

Brigadier General Brian Dravis, director of the Joint Information Environment Technical Synchronization Office, says he was skeptical of the JIE initiative at first...

It’s a big job but someone’s got to do it. The Joint Information Environment is one network that will put everyone at the Defense Department on the same page and meet the agency’s IT needs with better security, effectiveness and efficiency.

Brigadier General Brian Dravis is director of the Joint Information Environment Technical Synchronization Office at the Defense Information Systems Agency.

On this week’s Agency of the Month he tells Federal News Radio’s Lauren Larson he was skeptical of the initiative at first but, after four months on the job, he’s now very confident the department is getting it right.


GUEST BIOGRAPHY:

Brigadier General Brian T. Dravis is director of the JIE Technical Synchronization Office (JTSO) at the Defense Information Systems Agency located in Fort Meade, Md. In this role, he is responsible for leading architectural engineering and design to develop the Department of Defense’s Joint Information Environment (JIE).

Courtesy of DoD

JIE will synchronize current and future architectures, engineering designs, enterprise services, information capability enhancement, and applications. It is a secure joint information environment, comprised of shared information technology (IT) infrastructure, enterprise services, and a single security architecture to achieve full spectrum superiority, improve mission effectiveness, increase security, and realize IT efficiencies.

Prior to assuming his current position, Brig Gen Dravis was Commander of the 194th Wing, Camp Murray, Wash. He was responsible for command and control oversight, training and equipping of 16 numbered units comprised of 1,053 Airmen and civilians serving at four locations within Washington State. As Commander, he was the senior officer responsible for providing mission-ready forces to support national defense requirements worldwide, and emergency response, relief, and recovery operations throughout Washington.

Brig Gen Dravis was commissioned through the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at San Jose State University in 1983. His operational assignments include several F-111 fighter squadrons both in the United Kingdom and United States, as well as tours in the RF-4C and F-4G “Wild Weasel.”

In 1995, Brig Gen Dravis joined the Kansas Air National Guard, 184th Bomb Wing, flying the B-1B. In 2002, he was selected as the inaugural commander of the 177th Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron. In 2005, Brig Gen Dravis served as the National Guard Bureau (NGB) Division Chief, Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance with responsibility for standing up initial MQ-1 and MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Systems capability in the ANG. Later, he was selected as Deputy Director, NGB/A2, and he also served as Deputy Director of NGB/A3, Air, Space, and Information Operations Directorate.

Brig Gen Dravis is a Master Navigator with more than 3,000 flying hours, primarily in F-111, F-4, and B-1 aircraft. His combat flying experience includes Operation SOUTHERN WATCH.

Dravis has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from San Jose State University.

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