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Gurpreet Bhatia
Acting Deputy Department of Defense Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity
Acting Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
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Mr. Gurpreet Bhatia serves as the Acting Deputy DoD Chief Information Officer for Cybersecurity (DCIO(CS)) and the DoD’s Acting Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) per 44 USC 3544. In this role he provides expert policy, technical, program, and defense-wide oversight support to the DoD CIO on all cybersecurity matters. He is responsible for leading the DoD-wide cybersecurity program and associated governance processes. He partners with industry to improve cybersecurity and information sharing through the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) and represents the Secretary of Defense and DoD CIO in international discussions and negotiates cybersecurity topics in both bilateral and multi-lateral (alliance and coalition) channels. He leads the development of the cybersecurity investment priorities for the Department and provides planning guidance to Components.
Prior to assuming this position, Mr. Bhatia served as the DoD Principal Director for Cybersecurity / Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Before joining the Office of the DoD CIO, Mr. Bhatia served as the Chief of Partner Engagements in Foreign Engagements at the National Security Agency (NSA), where he was responsible for the day-to-day management of NSA's foreign cryptologic partnerships including technical guidance, management, and implementation of cryptologic foreign partner strategies, and representing NSA positions to foreign partners.
Mr. Bhatia’s 28 years of experience spans the Department of Defense and private industry, including three years at the Navy Public Works Center (PWC) in Washington and three years in the private sector. Over his 22 years with NSA, he led the incubation of joint secure chip technology with private industry focusing on fostering U.S. manufacturing, built foundational GIG authentication and policy reference architecture, and overseeing development of authentication technologies for DoD key management infrastructure. While detailed to the Pentagon, Mr. Bhatia served as a Senior Information Assurance (IA) Representative to the Joint Staff, J6 and to the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Cyber Policy. In this role he supported requirements and delivery of warfighter IA capability, was an integral part of the United States Cyber Command standup team, and a co-author of the 2011 DoD Strategy for Operations in Cyberspace. Upon returning, he led the organization responsible for development and delivery of the initial NSA cloud platform, analytics, and data stores.
After returning from an overseas assignment, Mr. Bhatia was selected to be a 2016 Brooking LEGIS Congressional Fellow. He served in a member office in the U.S. Senate, where he raised cybersecurity awareness writ large, advised on cybersecurity and privacy legislation across healthcare, Internet of Things (IoT), and business IP theft, and supported legislative efforts to update the right of individuals to serve in the U.S. Armed forces while retaining their articles of faith. He was then detailed as the Deputy Director, Legislative Liaison, and principal advisor at United States Cyber Command, where he advised on all legislative matters and secured crucial legislative wins. In 2019, Mr. Bhatia served as a member of the NSA cybersecurity strategy team which recommended the standup of the Cybersecurity Directorate (CSD) and then led the CSD implementation team.
Mr. Bhatia is a Certified Information Security Systems Engineer (CISSP), a two-time recipient of the Joint Meritorious Civilian Service Award, and a recipient of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government, Vice President Gore's Hammer Award. Mr. Bhatia holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, a Master's in Science in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a Master's in Business Administration from Georgetown University.