And just like that…2021 comes to a close

By: Katie Olson
Acting Director

Katie Olson penned a letter to the DDS team and family members, paying tribute to our work during another year in uncharted territory.

Katie and team traverse a U.S. Marine Corps obstacle course during the team offsite.

Dear DDS Team Members & Families: 

As we near the end of 2021, I want to thank you, our DDS team and family members, for your unfailing commitment to our national security this past year. Together, we faced a contentious national election, an ongoing pandemic, the end of a 20-year conflict in Afghanistan, and more cyber attacks than I can recall. I am proud to say we not only survived, but we contributed to the Department of Defense’s response to all of these events and grew stronger as a team.

In the beginning of the year, we supported the Inauguration of President Biden with counter-drone support. In spring, we completed a project with the Joint Pathology Center to digitize the world’s largest collection of human tissue samples. We also transitioned some of our counter-drone technologies to the Air Force Research Lab for ongoing research and development. This summer, as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan, DDS worked to streamline employment data to help our allies exit the country. 

Throughout the year, we continued supporting COVID-19 interventions, ranging from our MyStatus symptom-tracking app deployed throughout the world through the conclusion of Operation Warp Speed, the effort to deliver a safe and effective vaccine to the American people. Hack the Pentagon, DDS’ flagship bug bounty program, turned five. We have run over 40 bug bounties across DOD, bringing over 3,000 hackers to spend more than 25,000 hours of time and identify more than 2,500 vulnerabilities. Just this past week, we spun up a bounty to address the log4j vulnerability. The DDS team undertook other critical activities which I can’t share at this time, but please know we made our country safer.

The real highlight of the year for me was meeting the entire DDS team in person for the first time during our Team Offsite in November. Belly-crawling through the mud on the Quantico Endurance Course in the cold, wet woods while still somehow having a blast perfectly symbolizes my DDS experience. Hilarious, potentially destabilizing, hard as hell, and awe-inspiring when I think about the work our men and women in uniform do every day. 

I want to acknowledge that 2021 has been another challenging year, both personally and professionally, with so much political, economic, and health insecurity. Yet I am amazed at our team’s output and collaboration. I am always so impressed with the way DDS team members take care of each other, bring new people up to speed, and quickly integrate new talent to deliver on our mission. 

These are the moments that define our history and shape our future. I am proud of the work the team is doing, and grateful for everyone on the DDS team and the sacrifices you have made. We are playing a part in getting the country through this challenging time and preparing for what the new future will hold. Thank you again for your contributions. Best wishes, stay safe, and have a wonderful holiday season. 

Katie Olson, Acting Director, Defense Digital Service