Maj. Gen. Nickolas Justice shares insights about taming new technology
When describing the collection of technology projects under his command, Army Maj. Gen. Nickolas Justice likes to joke that “if it’s got electricity running in it, they probably blame me for it.”
The quip understates the complexity and importance of the systems Justice runs at the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications Tactical (PEO-C3T) at Fort Monmouth, N.J. They include the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, the Army Battle Command System, Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below, and a mobile electricity program that supplies ruggedized power generators for the Defense Department.
In his six years as commander and several more as deputy of PEO-C3T, Justice has learned a few tricks that other government information technology executives would do well to follow, including how to get the most from the resources one has, knowing what risks are worth taking and shaping new technology to serve a mission’s needs, not the other way around. He has also become a vocal proponent of open-source software because of its flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Justice spoke with Federal Computer Week contributor David Perera about putting those lessons into practice and the opportunities he’s pursuing for using open-source technology.
