Radha Plumb
Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer
Radha Iyengar Plumb received an undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned a master’s and Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.
She began her career as an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Scholar at Harvard. She was the director of Research and Insights for Trust and Safety and the Global Head of Policy Analysis for major internet and social media companies. She has been an economist and podcaster. She has served in senior staff positions in the Departments of Defense and Energy as well as the White House National Security Council.
President Biden nominated Plumb as Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment in June 2022. He renominated her in January of 2023 after the original nomination expired. The Senate confirmed Plumb in April 2023. In April of 2024, she transitioned to her current role as Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Plumb is married to John, who also serves in the Department of Defense.
In the News…
Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Radha Plumb partnered with the Under Secretary of Defense Research and Engineering and the Defense Innovation Unit to hold the first Global Information Dominance Experiments (GIDE) Industry Insights Forum. The event explored the opportunities for private industry to supply the artificial intelligence needs of the U.S. Defense Department.
“The GIDE Industry Insights Forum is a crucial event to communicate with government and industry leaders the needs of the Department of Defense to spur innovation and scale AI and digital capabilities,” Dr. Plumb said.
She added, “Working with our industry leaders allows for quicker innovation by identifying the best industry solutions and technology to bring into our enterprise infrastructure to support the warfighter.”
