New Innovations, Lasting Connections

Every year, the Department of Defense Intelligent Information Systems (DoDIIS) conference convenes leaders from across government and industry to discuss the latest technology trends, needs, and solutions for warfighters and national security.

James Harris has been at the heart of these conversations for years. He’s attended DoDIIS in various roles, including as the chief technology officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), deputy director of intelligence for U.S. Cyber Command, and most recently with Booz Allen, helping intelligence community (IC) leaders navigate emerging technical capabilities, including zero trust, post-quantum cryptography, and AI.

James shares more about his career journey, what he sees as the biggest priorities for IC leaders right now, and how he is helping to shape the future, both through emerging technologies and enduring relationships.

James’ civil service career spans nearly four decades—and started early. “I began my work with the government when I was 16 years old, as an engineering student aid for the Naval Sea Systems Command,” he remembers. “It continued from there. I've worked for the Navy, the Air Force, the Army, and then the last 21 years, I was at DIA.”

Starting at DIA as a cyber threat intelligence analyst, James used his engineering knowledge to support intelligence analysts. By 2021, he had ascended to the upper ranks of leadership, and while he was ready to retire from the IC, he was far from done shaping the future of national security innovation.

“I was looking for a place where I could do more technical work,” he recalls. And one company in particular came to mind.

“I had worked with Booz Allen for years. My first introduction was with a cyber war gaming effort that the firm was leading in 2000,” James says. “I had been very impressed.”

James recalls starting this new chapter with the same excitement he had felt during a brief early-career stint at a small private-sector startup. But the professional development resources this time were far more extensive: FlexEd benefits, training, certification programs, and more.

“I even got Security+ certification to qualify me for a new contract—after 39 years of civil service,” he notes.

Booz Allen is the number one provider of AI solutions to the federal government. “All of that takes the right skill sets, the right labs, the right talent, and focusing on the right technologies,” James points out. “As a former cyber threat intelligence analyst, I understand the challenges from a mission perspective. I'm excited to be on the industry side now, leading agencies to the best solutions.”

From this multifaceted perspective, what does James see as the top tech priorities in national security today?

Zero trust is one. He says implementing zero trust at scale to protect increasingly complex digital systems from attacks of escalating scope and sophistication is crucial.

As for the topic that’s dominated headlines in both the commercial and government worlds: artificial intelligence? “AI is front and center,” he confirms.

“Generative AI (GenAI) is at the top of everyone's minds because it has direct applicability to the defense intelligence mission—specifically inverting the intel bathtub curve,” says James.

He explains how analysts spend too much time looking for relevant information on the front end and formatting their findings into reports on the back end, which leaves little time in the middle for fresh thinking, which is what analysts are hired to do.

GenAI can reverse that curve. “With large language models, automation, generative AI, and more that take the time and labor out of collecting information and presenting the findings, we’re creating time for the important part: human analysis,” he says.

The chance to work on the cutting edge of government innovation is just one reason James came to Booz Allen. Building communities is another.

He remembers a pivotal conversation during the interview process. “As a government employee, I was working on a research initiative with a historically black college,” says James. “I asked the hiring manager if I could continue to stay involved with it as a Booz Allen employee. ‘Absolutely,’ she said. Then she shared her own work leading Girls Who Code and other initiatives at Booz Allen like the Black Analysts Group.”

James soon received an invitation to a gathering for Unstoppable Together, Booz Allen’s global, employee-led diversity, equity, and inclusion movement. “Just joining that event and seeing all the programs that Booz Allen was talking about solidified my decision,” he says.

James was soon leading community-building initiatives of his own. “When I first started, I was asked to stand up a cyber capabilities team,” says James. “I was on the ground floor of establishing that technical experience group (TXG).”

TXGs are firm-sponsored, member-led communities focused on specific technology areas, such as cyber, AI, cloud, and more. These communities are open to all employees to facilitate networking and professional development and help them stay abreast of technological advances.

In the Cyber TXG and James’ everyday work, “I welcome the opportunity to collaborate across different areas and reach out to people across the entire company,” he says.

At DoDIIS 2024 and beyond, he’s forging and renewing even more bonds outside of the firm. This includes longstanding contacts at federal agencies, peers who’ve taken the opposite path by moving from industry to government, and those who are seeking what’s next.

For James, the firm offers the best of both worlds. For technology solutions, “Booz Allen has the best interest of the government in mind and the best interest of the mission in mind,” James declares. And for career growth: “It’s a full spectrum of opportunities for people to go where they want and need to go.”