TAMPA, Fla. –
In May, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) hired Mr. Cyrus Jabbari to serve as the organization’s Chief Data Officer (CDO). As the CDO, Mr. Jabbari succeeds Dr. Michael Foster, who departed CENTCOM in December 2024, and will oversee the strategic integration of data-driven solutions to enhance operational effectiveness across CENTCOM’s area of responsibility.
“Joining CENTCOM is both a professional honor and personal calling. This command stands at the forefront of operational experimentation and complexity – where decisions must be made faster, with greater precision, and under immense pressure,” said Mr. Jabbari. “I am humbled to join such a forward-leaning team to help ensure that our data works as hard as our warfighters, for live, connected, trusted, and operational warfighting.”
Since 2023, Mr. Jabbari has served as the inaugural Chief Data Officer of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)). He previously spearheaded initiatives across the Department of Defense’s research and engineering headquarters, defense agencies, and field activities, using data analytics and modeling to drive insight-based, results-focused policy development, program assessment, and decision-making. In early 2024, he led a Department of Defense advisory group responsible for overseeing capability delivery processes.
“I am thrilled to welcome our new Chief Data Officer to the team, and I am confident his expertise will be a game-changer in our efforts to harness the power of data to drive warfighter-centric innovation across United States Central Command,” said Ms. Joy Shanaberger, CENTCOM Chief Technology Officer. “Mr. Jabbari epitomizes servant leadership, and this strategic addition to our leadership team will enable us to enhance our operational effectiveness, further accelerate our digital transformation, and ultimately deliver greater value to our warfighters and the nation.”
Mr. Jabbari earned a Master of Arts in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies with Farsi language study from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Southern California. In 2020, he won the Integrated Discovery of Emerging and Novel Technologies (IDENT) research competition, which discovers emerging or disruptive technologies that support the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction mission space.
“I’m proud to bring my experience supporting our nation’s most advanced technology office to the point of need, where it matters most,” Mr. Jabbari added. “CENTCOM is where data must drive action and where data is valued as a warfighting asset. A lot of great leadership has put CENTCOM on the right path, and I am honored to carry us into our next phase of accelerating data capabilities for ever-pressing missions.”