Colonel James M. Harrington is the Deputy Director, Communications Systems (J6) and Deputy Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. He is responsible for developing USSOCOM’s Information Technology strategy, as well as executing the Command’s C4 acquisition program. Colonel Harrington is also responsible for operating and maintaining USSOCOM's global SOF Information Enterprise, providing support to more than 70,000 special operations personnel. Most recently, Colonel Harrington was a National Security Affairs Fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, California.  

Colonel Harrington entered the Air Force in 1998 at the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated and received his commission in 2002 with a degree in Computer Science. While at the Air Force Academy, Colonel Harrington was a freefall jumpmaster and member The Wings of Blue parachute demonstration team, completing over 440 freefall jumps. He is a Master Cyberspace Operations Officer and Joint Qualified Officer with extensive training and experience in deployed communications, network engineering, information operations, cyberspace operations, and joint planning. He led SCOPE EDGE teams around the Air Force and has led Airmen through major contingencies in Europe and the Pacific. Colonel Harrington is a two-time graduated squadron commander who has served within each of the Operations, Plans & Programs, Cyberspace and Communication Directorates at the MAJCOM, COCOM and Strategic Multi-National Headquarters level. He deployed several times supporting OIF, OEF, JTF-HOA and various other named operations.  

Colonel Harrington is married to the former Catherine Bolger of Panama City, Florida and has an eleven-year-old son, named James.