Dave Wennergren on the future Defense CIO

Teri Takai, the chief information officer of California, could still become Defense Department CIO despite having had her nomination recently withdrawn, said Dave Wennergren, former deputy DOD CIO.

The DOD is still determining how to implement Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ proposed reorganization plans, including the closure of the assistant secretary of defense (Network and Information Integration), which houses the CIO position.

But Wennergren, who was just named assistant deputy chief management officer in the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, said in an exclusive interview that that's not necessarily the end of the story.

“There’s a lot of public discussion that’s causing some consternation…but the guidance is clear, there will still be a DOD CIO, and it will be a strengthened CIO,” Wennergren said. "It’s still our hope that Teri Takai will come be our DOD CIO."

We will post more of the interview on Friday.