When did Katie Arrington become CISO of Department of Defense?

The appointment was announced in the week of February 17, 2025, per SecurityWeek Industry Moves. The record holds the announcement, not a start date.

Is Katie Arrington still the CISO of Department of Defense?

The newest source the record holds for this seat is the appointment announced in the week of February 17, 2025. It holds no later verification, so it does not state who holds the seat today.

Where did Katie Arrington work before Department of Defense?

Before the appointment, Katie Arrington was leadership roles at Exiger, according to the announcement (SecurityWeek Industry Moves).

Executive record

Katie Arrington

Career profile: Katie Arrington on CISO Spotlights ↗

Katie Arrington was named Chief Information Security Officer at Department of Defense. The appointment was announced in the week of February 17, 2025, per SecurityWeek Industry Moves.

Before the appointment: leadership roles at Exiger, per the same source.

The record holds no later verification of the seat.

1 tracked move on the Wire · Updated November 10, 2026

Career timeline

Every move the record holds for Katie Arrington, newest first, with the earlier roles the announcements name.

week of February 17, 2025· Appointment
Named Chief Information Security Officer at Department of Defense
Source: SecurityWeek Industry Moves (week of 2025-02-17) ↗ · Move record
Before February 2025· Earlier role
leadership roles at Exiger
Named in the announcement of the Department of Defense appointment · Source: SecurityWeek Industry Moves (week of 2025-02-17) ↗

The appointment

Announced week of February 17, 2025 · Source: SecurityWeek Industry Moves (week of 2025-02-17) ↗ · Move record

Katie Arrington has been appointed CISO at the Department of Defense. She previously served as CISO at the DoD between 2019 and 2022, and most recently held leadership roles at supply chain and risk management company Exiger.

A biography on docs.house.gov says Arrington served as Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, supporting the DoD CIO on all cybersecurity matters. In that post she was responsible for the DoD-wide cybersecurity program and partnered with industry on information sharing and cybersecurity, the biography says.

At Exiger, Arrington held the title of Senior Vice President of External Affairs and mobilized issues including national security, Artificial Intelligence and supply chain visibility, the Department of War biography says. Exiger announced Arrington as its Vice President of Government Affairs, noting that she had led the COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force for Acceleration at the White House. According to the Department of War biography, she was the first DoD CISO serving the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment and worked to enhance cyber security within the Defense Industrial Base. Exiger says that as the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment's CISO, Arrington launched the NDAA 889 Task Force, the Trusted Capital Program and the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification.

According to Exiger, she held a board seat at the Charleston Defense Contractors Associations and served two terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Exiger says Arrington started the consulting firm LD Innovations and was Dispersive Technologies' Vice President of Sales and Operations. The docs.house.gov biography says her more than 15 years of cyber experience came from positions at Dispersive Networks, Centuria Corporation and Booz Allen Hamilton. The Department of War biography says she ran in 2022 for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Exiger says its software and tech-enabled solutions help corporations, banks and government agencies navigate risk and compliance in their supply chains, customers and third-parties. Exiger says it has 550 customers across the globe, including over 50 government agencies and 150 in the Fortune 500.

The company: Department of Defense

Sector: Government & Public Sector
Region: North America
Company record: Who runs security at Department of Defense: 1 confirmed move on the record

Appointed in the same period

Other security chiefs in Government & Public Sector whose appointment was announced within 90 days of Katie Arrington's, nearest first. The Government & Public Sector bench

week of February 17, 2025
Robert Turney, Chief Information Security Officer at auDA
February 24, 2025
Marie Patane, Chief Cyber Security Officer at NSW Government
week of February 3, 2025
Mitch Kohlbecker, Chief Information Security Officer at City of Phoenix
week of March 17, 2025
Tabitha Craig, Chief Information Security Officer at Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
week of January 13, 2025
Steven Hernandez, CISO and Deputy CIO at United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
April 4, 2025
Jamie Norton, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
December 5, 2024
Bo Berlas, Chief Information Security Officer at Conference of State Bank Supervisors

Record facts

Moves on the record: 1 confirmed move, each with its source
On the record since: September 26, 2026
Government & Public Sector in 2026: 14 security-leadership appointments announced in the sector on the record

Questions about Katie Arrington

When did Katie Arrington become CISO of Department of Defense?: The appointment was announced in the week of February 17, 2025, per SecurityWeek Industry Moves. The record holds the announcement, not a start date.
Is Katie Arrington still the CISO of Department of Defense?: The newest source the record holds for this seat is the appointment announced in the week of February 17, 2025. It holds no later verification, so it does not state who holds the seat today.
Where did Katie Arrington work before Department of Defense?: Before the appointment, Katie Arrington was leadership roles at Exiger, according to the announcement (SecurityWeek Industry Moves).

Sources

1.SecurityWeek Industry Moves (week of 2025-02-17) ↗: the appointment at Department of Defense, week of February 17, 2025
2.CISO Spotlights career profile ↗: a fuller career profile on a sister site

This record begins with CISO Tribune's tracking in 2026.

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