Emerging Technology: Trends in Digital Modernization

Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Joe Rhodes is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Defense Commissary Agency, with headquarters at Fort Lee, Va. He is responsible for formulating strategy to incorporate emerging technology into the organization as well as directing the daily operation of the Agency’s technical infrastructure, network, data centers, service desk, desktop support and sustainment of the major applications.

Mr. Rhodes assumed the position of Chief Technology Officer in 2022 after serving with the Defense Logistics Agency, where he was program manager for the major operational technology pillars, commonly referred to as Facility Related Control Systems (FRCS). These technology groups included building controls, utility controls, as well as automated material handling. He managed several innovative capabilities such as warehouse robotics and automated ground vehicles (AGVs).

From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Rhodes directed the Program Management Office Director with the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA). He directed several portfolio managers as well as managed an annual budget of $50 million. He provided oversight and direction to multiple Defense Business Systems (DBS) to include Mechanization of Contract Administration Services (MOCAS) and multiple Agency-level workflow management systems as well as other IT capabilities. Major accomplishments in this position include transitioning the Agency to Defense Enterprise email, migration to Cloud data centers and Enterprise VoIP adoption. Before assuming the directorship of the Program Management Office, Mr. Rhodes served as DCMA’s collaboration portfolio manager. This role included program management and oversight of the Agency’s SharePoint infrastructure, email, as well as the records management platform.

As a Department of the Army Civilian from 2006 to 2013, Mr. Rhodes served in multiple capacities in the Fort Lee Engineering Directorate. As the lead integration engineer for the Global Combat Support System-Army (GCSS-A), he successfully established policy for integration and implementation of this multi-billion dollar, ACAT-1AM logistics program. This effort was critical to deploying GCSS-A, which is an SAP-based, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package to Army commands across the globe. In 2006, Mr. Rhodes served as the logistics automation chief for the product manager, Movement Tracking System (PM MTS), a $1 billion satellite-based vehicle and cargo tracking capability program. In this role, he managed technology enhancement and development as well as Information Technology (IT) resource management. He also delivered and sustained a range of network and communications solutions, to include satellite communications connectivity and encryption protocols, in support of the PMO mission and its commitment to the DoD warfighter. In this role, Mr. Rhodes spent multiple years deployed in support of Central Command, CENTCOM, Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC), Multi-National Corp-Iraq (MNC-I), and various other major commands, to correlate milestones and DA/DOD priorities to formulate a synchronized approach to development and implementation of project objectives.

Prior to his civil service career, from 1998 to 2006, Mr. Rhodes was a contractor for multiple companies that worked closely with DOD. As a team lead for the Computer Sciences Corporation, he deployed as chief of the Automated Logistics Assistance Team (ALAT) for the CFLCC-C4 Logistics Automation Cell. Mr. Rhodes served as the advisor and senior subject matter expert (SME) supporting over 2,000 Standard Army Management Information Systems (STAMIS) users in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In this position, he managed a team of SMEs, which integrated all STAMIS servers and workstations in Southwest Asia during OIF.

In addition to his civil service and contractor career, Mr. Rhodes served in uniform. He was an Army active-duty noncommissioned officer from 1992 to 1998, serving at Fort Hood, Texas. During this tour, he primarily worked in the Combat Service Support Automation Management Office. He led major projects such as the logistics system computer upgrade across the 1st Cavalry Division. He also deployed numerous logistics systems software upgrades throughout the subordinate brigades. He supported the logistics systems as well as their end-to-end information flow requirements for the 1st Cavalry Division throughout several National Training Center (NTC) deployments.