Q&A: Gary L. Winkler

Written by Harrison Donnelly

MIT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 2 (March)

Prior to his assignment as PEO EIS, Winkler was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in May 2003, working in Army Headquarters under the chief information officer/G6, as the Army’s first chief knowledge officer (CKO). As CKO, he was responsible for IT policies, programs and systems supporting the Army’s war fighting and business missions. He also led the Army’s IT human capital development efforts.

Before beginning his government career, Winkler worked in private industry with large defense manufacturers on the Army MLRS and ATACMS programs, and with smaller companies providing technical services to Army programs. He holds electrical engineering and mathematics degrees from Virginia Tech and an MBA from William and Mary.

Winkler was interviewed by MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly.
 
Q: What role is your organization playing in the development and implementation of the Army’s Global Network Enterprise Construct [GNEC]?

A: As the Army’s acquisition arm for commercial information technology and communications capabilities, we are heavily involved in fulfilling major GNEC requirements. If you think about it, GNEC is really about implementing cloud computing in the Army, where users have global secure access to their data, applications and network services. The main components of GNEC are long-haul satellite communications, terrestrial communications, data centers, network enterprise services and tactical communications. Our program managers in PEO EIS are implementing all aspects of GNEC except for the tactical communications, which are done by PM WIN-T in PEO C3T.

In coordination with the Army CIO/G-6, I recently made some task-organization changes for our GNEC implementation efforts. Specifically, we organized our GNEC efforts into three areas: (1) long-haul or satellite communications infrastructure and services, (2) land-based or terrestrial communications, and (3) network enterprise services, including data centers and services like those on Army Knowledge Online. We consolidated our terrestrial efforts by having a single PM for all Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program efforts worldwide instead of having three separate PMs for Pacific, Europe and CONUS. Additionally, we migrated our Land Mobile Radio and Command Center Upgrades Special Project Offices from our satellite PM to our terrestrial PM. Lastly, to synchronize our efforts between PMs throughout the various continents, we put PEO integration officers in Europe and in the Pacific, co-located with our project management offices in those regions.

All of these changes are really geared toward quickly meeting customers’ requirements and doing as much integration as possible in-house, before capabilities are fielded, instead of fielding stove-piped capabilities that ultimately would cause consternation with users who have to make multiple products function in an end-to-end manner to accomplish their mission. Our PMs and their industry partners are great at developing and fielding capabilities, but we have to make sure our end-users are not stuck with integrating those great products in order to accomplish their mission. A major focus of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology [ASA(ALT)] and all Army PEOs is to do integration of products and capabilities within each PEO and between PEOs. In fact, the ASA(ALT) just stood up a System of Systems, System Engineering Office, a two-star flag officer position, specifically to address this integration requirement to better serve our warfighters.

Q: What are some of the key accomplishments of the PEO EIS in supporting warfighters in Southwest Asia?

A: I am proud of the support we have provided the warfighters in Southwest Asia. We have a strong presence in Southwest Asia, with more than 950 military, civilian and contractor staff working to deliver capabilities and train and support soldiers in their use. During the past year, we have provided systems to hundreds of thousands of users.

Our Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care system was deployed to 5,800 users, and the PM provided 10,000 blocks of instruction to medical staff, commanders, systems administrators and medical logisticians, enabling the successful capture of more than 3.5 million electronic patient records in Iraq, Afghanistan and 12 other countries. All Army combat support hospitals in theater are now armed with these new life-saving technologies, which facilitate rapid medical treatment and stateof- the-art care to our wounded heroes.

The Defense Wide Transmission Systems office, under Lieutenant Colonel Tony Sanchez, fielded nearly 17,000 Combat Service Support Automated Information Systems Interface and 945 Very Small Aperture Terminals [VSAT] to hundreds of tactical units supporting more than 70,000 warfighters. Medical professionals use VSATs with their JTMN to transmit graphic intensive X-rays, CT scans, and MRI films; the Defense Contract Management Agency routinely transmits contracts to procure material and services in theater; and military personnel transactions are transmitted via VSAT. In the force protection area, biometric data on third party nationals is transmitted via VSATs to and from checkpoints, helping to secure our facilities. In addition, information on IED attacks is transmitted over the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal VSAT network, making it safer for our troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In February, I attended a ceremony commemorating the roll-out of the 3,000th VSAT, a testimony to its success.

Our Vehicular Intercom Systems [VIS] office under PM, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems, delivered 16,900 intercom radios for Humvees, MRAP [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected] and other military tactical vehicles. VIS enables clear communications in the high-noise environment of tactical vehicles and also prevents soldiers’ hearing loss from vehicle noise and IED blasts.

The Movement Tracking System (MTS) supports warfighters in Southwest Asia with systems that track and manage logistics assets and enable communications between vehicle operators and convoy commanders over great distances. In 2009, MTS fieldings in Iraq and Kuwait exceeded 8,000 units, and MTS systems are being shipped from Kuwait to Afghanistan with the intent of having more than 800 systems employed in theater by the end of fiscal 2010.

Colonel Ted Jennings, the PM for Department of Defense Biometrics, fielded hundreds of tactical biometrics collection systems in Iraq and Afghanistan that, when entered into the biometrics matching system that was also upgraded in 2009, resulted in the identification of 3,500 known or suspected terrorists, and denial of more than 500 individuals from entering U.S. facilities. Army Knowledge Online/Defense Knowledge Online [AKO/ DKO] provides AKO Forward for servicemembers in theater for enhanced connectivity and better local performance. In addition, AKO/DKO is providing support for multinational forces in theater, with the goal of enhancing the exchange of information, collaboration and unity of command through supported Websites.

In Southwest Asia, commercialized communications requirements have increased by 400 percent. PM NSC completed 57 projects worth $110 million, and has 43 more projects underway that will meet those requirements. One of them is a joint project with Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic to design, procure and deploy containerized technical control facilities to 13 sites in Southwest Asia over the next two years. These containerized facilities will provide deployed warfighters with robust secure communications to support the troop surge.

Q: How would you describe the budget outlook for your office in the next few years, and what is your strategy for responding to changes ahead?

A: The Army defends our nation in a global security environment that is more challenging than at any time in the recent past— not just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but throughout the world. At the same time, we are dealing with new funding challenges and resource concerns.

Fiscal 2008 was the peak funding year for Army materiel systems, and funding for systems both in the development pipeline and out there in the field has fallen off dramatically. There are two reasons for this change: a significant reduction in supplemental war funding as we draw down in Iraq, and the need for money to pay for personnel as we grow the end-strength of the Army. There is about a $30 billion annual shortfall between the existing Army funding requirements (programs and personnel), and the most recent president’s budget. Consequently, our PMs and our industry partners will have to be creative to figure out how to keep providing needed critical capability in the current fiscal environment. Programs will have to provide an almost immediate return on investment, or operational capability, instead of waiting years to see those investment benefits. That being said, we still anticipate that PEO EIS will be executing between 30 percent and 40 percent of the Army’s IT budget, or approximately $3 billion/year. Information technology is an enabler that today’s operations cannot live without.

Q: How would you evaluate progress in implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, both by your office and the military as a whole? What approach do you think is most effective in this area?

A: Our ERP efforts—the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS), Logistics Modernization Program [LMP], Global Combat Support System-Army [GCSS-Army], Army Enterprise System Integration Program [AESIP], and former DoD Defense Integrated Military Human Resource System [DIMHRS]—are progressing and on schedule.

In 2009, GFEBS deployed to over 1,500 users and successfully completed FY 2009 year-end closeout at the locations where it was deployed. LMP successfully completed its second major deployment, adding another 6,000 users at the Army’s Aviation Missile Command, Corpus Christi Army Depot, Letterkenny Army Depot, and Army Materiel Command’s National Maintenance Program. GCSS-Army is finalizing its product development to prepare for a Milestone C decision in 10 months and final testing before fielding starts. Finally, AESIP is providing hub services, master data management, and business intelligence reporting capabilities that are synchronized with all deployment and development activities of the ERP programs I just mentioned. Our PM for AESIP, Colonel Pat Flanders, is charged with the very challenging responsibility of integrating these ERPs to optimize crossfunctional business process operations and the Army’s investment in SAP.

Army-DIMHRS, currently referred to as Integrated Personnel/Pay System-Army, has just formulated its program strategy, which will result in this capability being deployed to the Army within a couple of years.

One of the primary reasons the Army has adopted COTS applications is to integrate Army business processes and rectify the traditional problems associated with knitting together domain specific solutions and systems. Our biggest challenge is the sheer size and complexity associated with what this entails— it’s a very big Army. The ERP approach we are taking is to drive functionality into an integrated ERP landscape. To do this, we are aligning our ERP programs under a single project manager, PM AESIP, to create the optimal structure to work integration issues. Additionally, we have incorporated an industry best practice by standing up an Army ERP Center of Expertise within the Army Materiel Command, which will provide a more robust internal government capability for solution development and sustainment. Lastly, we are working closely with the under secretary of the Army and chief management officer, Dr. Joseph Westphal, and the new Army Office of Business Transformation to ensure that we are defining optimal business solutions and processes.

Q: How are new legislative and administration mandates relating to contracts and competition changing how your organization operates? What types of procedural changes do you see as most effective in increasing competition and getting better value for the taxpayer?

A: I am a staunch supporter of the competitive acquisition process in order to get the government and taxpayer the best value in our program solutions and products. The new mandates, including those in the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act, the presidential guidance provided in the March 4, 2009, White House Memorandum and subsequent OMB guidance, as well as guidance provided in National Defense Authorization Acts, are all intended to ensure competition and reduce costs and risks. Some of the contract guidance and changes are also intended to prevent conflicts of interest, which all of us support.

That being said, contracting is tough in this environment. If we don’t quickly get contracts in place, and quickly obligate funds, our industry partners cannot quickly deliver the capabilities we need. Our contracting workforce is undermanned and overworked, but they are doing their best to keep up with the requirements. When our needs can be met by existing contract vehicles, we use those to expedite the process. When such vehicles do not meet our requirements, we go out with a new contract solicitation, which typically adds anywhere from three to six months to the procurement timeline. To address the workload challenges in our contracting offices, much of the Army’s in-sourcing requirements are geared toward hiring contracting professionals.

Q: Speaking of the push for federal “in-sourcing” and closer internal management of programs, how is your office impacted by that?

A: I look at in-sourcing as a way to right-size our government workforce. I was actually in-sourced as a support contractor back in 1989, right before a government hiring freeze was implemented. In-sourcing really isn’t about stealing good employees from private industry. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2008 focused on in-sourcing positions that are inherently governmental or closely associated with inherently governmental functions: functions such as finance, contracting and requirements development that would otherwise potentially present a conflict of interest if performed by contractors.

DoD’s goal is to in-source 33,400 positions, 10,000 or 30 percent of which are acquisition positions. The Army is looking at 11,100 positions, with 4,000 or 36 percent being acquisition positions. I have in-sourced 60 positions to date and have a plan that identifies another 175 positions that could be in-sourced over the next couple of years. However, we are not going to blindly in-source. Each in-sourcing decision is considered with a host of qualitative and quantitative data in mind so that the best value for the taxpayer is achieved. I consider PEO and PM operations to be overhead, and we really want to maximize the amount of money that is put into the products we develop, not the offices that acquire these systems.

Q: What is your vision for the role of biometric technology for the future? What is the role of the PM DoD Biometrics in working with other DoD organizations in this area?

A: Biometrics is an exciting and fast moving field where there are many operational possibilities to leverage the technology. Biometric technology was first implemented in the Army after the September 11 terrorist attacks to identify and isolate known and suspected terrorists. Significant advances have been made since then, resulting in the detention and removal of thousands of individuals from the battlefield, primarily using fingerprint and iris biometric modalities. Technology is rapidly advancing and we’re developing tools to capture and manage facial images, voice, and palm prints. Research is continuing in areas of covert and distance identification captures, which will be a tremendous asset in the future.

The Army Biometrics Task Force is the primary advocate for enterprise biometrics systems within DoD. Colonel Jennings, PM DoD Biometrics, works closely with OSD, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and civilian government agencies in several governance boards to ensure biometrics requirements and projects are synchronized. The DoD Biometrics Program is headed toward a Milestone B decision late this calendar year for the objective capabilities related to biometrics capture devices and the enterprise system that correlates and fuses captured biometric data to identify our enemies. Biometrics will enable and simplify solutions to many of our security and identity management challenges.

Q: What is coming up next for AKO/DKO?

A: AKO/DKO is always evolving to keep up with technology and to put new capabilities in user’s hands. In addition to upgrading AKO/DKO capacity to handle 3.5 million users, the latest effort is centered around securely extending AKO/DKO services to commercial smart phones and PDAs. This initiative is called AKO Go Mobile, and it stems from the Chief of Staff of the Army’s vision to put a PDA in the hands of every soldier to support mission requirements. Recently, AKO/DKO partnered with the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command for Go Mobile prototypes and pilots of digital applications. These pilots will start this spring and be ongoing for the remainder of the year. The idea behind these PDA pilots is to enable soldiers to write their own PDA applications and to share them across the global enterprise in a manner that is analogous to the Apple Digital Applications Store. AKO/DKO would host the Army’s version of a digital applications store where users can access and share PDA applications.

Currently, AKO/DKO has the Go Mobile capability operational with HTC Touch Pro and Palm PDAs on the Windows Mobile Operating System, and we are working to add the Apple iPhone and Google Android to the list of devices that can be securely operated with AKO services. We are coordinating with DISA, NETCOM and CIO/G-6 to ensure we can securely operate these commercial PDAs via PKI certificates and biometrics capabilities, and to accredit and share digital applications. This is a really exciting initiative, and we hope to be able to show off our some of our accomplishments at the AFCEA LandWarNet Conference in Florida this August.

The biggest challenges in the rise of mobile technology are not technical, but rather cultural and process challenges. The Army’s senior leaders recognize that the new generation of soldiers and civilians are very technology savvy, and we have to provide them with the tools they have in their private lives in order to leverage their intellects to accomplish the Army’s mission. Security accreditation of commercial PDA devices and user-written digital applications is a new area for the Army and DoD, and internal governance processes must be quickly established to adapt to this new environment.

Lastly, we are upgrading the AKO/DKO portal to provide new and better services for soldiers and their families. A new graphical user interface will improve the look of the portal and will allow users to configure the content view. Other features include guided or automated common access card registration, video messaging, an integrated portal calendar channel, files “lassoing”/multiple files selection, drag-and-drop within the portal and a wiki channel. In the near future, AKO/DKO will deploy a new Webmail 2.0 platform that merges e-mail, calendar and address book into a single Web-based application.

Q: What is your office doing to keep pace with the growing demand for collaborative technology and social media?

A: We offer several collaborative and social media capabilities. Simply by logging into the AKO/DKO portal, a user is in a position to collaborate with other logged-in users, as well as share information. AKO/DKO allows users to build groups for sharing information through the portal. Organizations can build folders and share information with users they select. AKO/DKO has a robust presence awareness feature, which is leveraged through the AKO/DKO Instant Messenger [IM]. Additionally, the AKO/DKO IM chat feature is also available on our Go Mobile devices.

AKO/DKO serves effectively as the Army’s virtual thumb drive, and the latest Web 2.0 functions—including IM, myProfile and blogging—are increasingly popular with users. A myProfile page is automatically created for every portal user; these customized sites provide an extensive database of skills held by those across the Army. MyProfile gives users an opportunity to communicate professional and personal details about themselves, including their certifications, skills, education, career history and interests. Because all content is accessible only through the portal, information is shared in a secure environment.

PM AcqBusiness also provides collaboration services. The PM, Lieutenant Colonel Maurice “Mo” Stewart, has introduced AcqTech, a new suite of tools using the Oracle Collaboration Suite and Microsoft SharePoint. The Army Rapid Equipping Force Office now uses AcqTech decision support tools to build and plan project requirements, track shipments and manage finances. The AcqTech workspace uses SharePoint to allow users to share, control versions and store documents. AcqTech’s built-in Web-conferencing and workflow classification tools make collaboration easier when organizations are geographically dispersed.

Q: What are your top priorities for 2010?

A: That’s a funny question! Everything we are doing is a top priority; the hard part is getting it all done. I’ve already talked about most of the system and program priorities, but the other looming priority is that of the drawdown in Iraq and buildup in Afghanistan. Many of our systems support soldiers moving in and out of deployments, so we are the first to go into a country and the last to leave, and we must seamlessly support all operations from beginning to end. Because of the nature of our systems, we are also providing support to the Haitian humanitarian relief effort. We have personnel, medical and transportation systems and communication satellites deployed to Haiti, as well as system experts here in the U.S. providing remote support to the military’s relief efforts. We are contributing wherever we can to lessen the hardships of this disaster.

Another top priority is developing our workforce to ensure we have a steady pipeline of superb employees and leaders that will continue to meet the Army’s current and future missions. My senior leaders and I personally mentor and develop our highest-performing, high-potential employees for future leadership assignments. Within the PEO, we internally reassigned over 70 people last year to develop their skills and capabilities for future leadership positions. I discussed in-sourcing and how that will bring some expertise in-house, but we are also tapping into college students and graduates.

I significantly expanded our Student Career Experience Program [SCEP], bringing nearly 30 students in from universities near some of our offices to work while attending school. These students work part time during the school year and full time during breaks, gaining real-life, hands-on experience. In addition, they learn how the Army operates and receive acquisition training through the Defense Acquisition University. When they graduate, they are eligible for a non-competitive position with PEO EIS. We recently attended Virginia Tech and George Mason job fairs, where more than 1,200 students attended, and we conducted 150 interviews, of which 42 look really promising. Also, we just transitioned four SCEP graduates into full-time employees, and it’s great to see them excited about the work they are doing and their new Army career.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: I would really love to sit here and add more, but I’ve got to get back to work on all of those top priorities! ♦

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