Government James ‘Aaron’ Bishop Tapped to Serve as New Pentagon CISO Bishop replaces David McKeown, who will take on a role in the private sector after 40 years of government service. By Eduard Kovacs | March 6, 2026 (6:44 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Whatsapp Email The Department of Defense (referred to by the current administration as the Department of War) has named James ‘Aaron’ Bishop as its new deputy chief information officer for cybersecurity and chief information security officer, or DCIO(CS)-CISO. Bishop, a Navy veteran, officially assumed the role in an acting capacity on February 27, the Office of the Department of War (DoW) Chief Information Officer announced on Thursday. “The DCIO(CS)-CISO is a critical position, responsible for providing expert policy, technical, program, and Department-wide oversight support to the DoW CIO on all cybersecurity matters,” the DoW CIO’s office said. Bishop previously served as the CISO for the Department of the Air Force and held private-sector executive roles at Microsoft and SAIC. He succeeds David McKeown, who is retiring from the federal government following a career spanning more than four decades. McKeown is set to take on a role in the private sector. Bishop’s nomination comes shortly after Nick Andersen was appointed acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Andersen, who has served as the executive assistant director for cybersecurity at CISA, is replacing Madhu Gottumukkala, who has been named director of strategic implementation at the DHS. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. To stay informed on key personnel changes across the cybersecurity sector, explore SecurityWeek’s People on the Move section. Related : Former CISA Director Jen Easterly Appointed CEO of RSAC Related : Tim Kosiba Named NSA Deputy Director Related : Casie Antalis Appointed to Lead CISA Program Written By Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is senior managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. 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