Navigating the Maze
ARMY COMBAT SUPPORT SYSTEM ACHIEVES COMPLIANCE WITH EXPANDING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANDATES.
The Department of Defense and Department of the Army have mandated that all information management systems comply with a variety of federal, DoD and DA policies and regulations to assure information security, reliability, accuracy and affordability based on their acquisition category (ACAT) level designations.
The Global Combat Support System-Army (Field/ Tactical) (GCSS-Army (F/T)) has been designed as an ACAT 1D program by the Secretary of Defense, requiring the full range of compliances. This article outlines how the tactical piece of the Single Army Logistics Enterprise (SALE), the GCSS-Army (F/T), will meet the various mandates established to achieve these goals.
COTS SOFTWARE
To reduce development costs, DoD in 2002 directed its subordinate organizations to use COTS software applications for defense projects in cases in which such applications could replace custom design/ development of software applications. Up until that time, the Army had contracted for custom development of the GCSS-Army (F/T) project software.
With the DoD decision, the Army switched to researching availability of a suitable commercial product. Once the Army determined a suitable candidate existed, work ceased on the custom development. The commercial product, from SAP, is an instance of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. The GCSS-Army (F/T) project uses SAP, in compliance with the DoD mandate to use a COTS product.
ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURES
By direction of the Secretary of Defense, the service components have developed plans for enterprise architectures to streamline information technology, ensure interoperability and enable information exchange capabilities. GCSS-Army (F/T) fits into the Army’s enterprise architecture and meets the additional guidance to employ COTS products that have established functionality suitable for adaptation to military needs. In GCSS-Army (F/T)’s case, the Office of the Secretary of Defense has chosen SAP as the particular instance of the ERP solution to adapt for this project.
The Product Manager Enterprise Logistics System (PM ELS) manages the entire life cycle, from system development through system retirement for GCSS-Army (F/T). PM ELS has completed the blueprinting phase, in which either SAP has been adapted to Army logistics business processes or the Army’s business processes have adapted to conform with SAP’s.
Currently, PM ELS has moved the project forward toward a Milestone B decision, with a planned two-segment approach within the initial increment in the system development. Segment 1 is well along in development, with much of the planning and preparation for Segment 2 already completed. In the fourth quarter of FY 2007 and first quarter of FY 2008, current plans call for an operational assessment (OA) of Segment 1 functionality. The GCSS-Army (F/T) functionality will remain at the test unit after the OA is completed, and the PM will oversee system adjustments based on lessons learned during the OA. The Segment 2 development effort will begin in the second quarter of FY 2008. The current project schedule calls for the full fielding of the system to begin in FY 2010, with the fielding effort completed by FY 2013.
MIS REQUIREMENTS
The Defense Acquisition System’s policies contained in the DoD 5000 series document the overarching standards that information management systems must meet before receiving authorization to operate in the field. To facilitate meeting these standards, the department has created the Enterprise Transition Plan (ETP), which establishes a Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA) to guide the plan’s execution.
Additionally, management information systems must comply with various requirements of the following programs: Global Information Grid, Army Enterprise Architecture, DoD Information Technology Standards Registry, Army Net-Centric Data Management Program, DoD and DA information assurance programs, the public key infrastructure and DoD Reform Initiative Directive 54. PM ELS will comply with applicable requirements of each of these programs. There is also the DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF), which provides guidance for describing architectures for warfighting operations, business operations and processes. The DoDAF supports the development of interoperating and interacting architectures.
ENTERPRISE TRANSITION PLAN
DoD developed the 2005 Enterprise Transition Plan to further its transformation along several business areas. The plan lists GCSSArmy (F/T) as a business enterprise priority under materiel visibility, one of the six DoD business enterprise priorities.
GLOBAL INFORMATION GRID
The Global Information Grid (GIG) collects data from multiple sources to provide information on demand to warfighters, policy makers and support personnel. In the GCSS-Army (F/T) capability development document, the Army Combined Arms Support Command, the combat developer for the system, has incorporated the applicable GIG requirements, such as meeting the DoDAF architecture products requirement, using/reusing architecture data requirement of the Core Architecture Data Model, selecting DoD Information Technology Standards Registry (DISR) technologies and standards, meeting DoD net-centric intent, and meeting requirements in the GIG Capstone Requirements Document.
ARMY ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE
The Army Enterprise Architecture (AEA) serves as the Army’s portion of the GIG. The Army Business Enterprise Architecture (ABEA) is one of three components of the AEA. The SALE falls under the ABEA, and PM ELS is a subordinate element of PM SALE. All SALE components will access the GIG through the Army’s LandNetWar, including GCSS-Army (F/T).
DOD INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS REGISTRY
The DISR contains the DoD chief information officer-prescribed standards for interoperability and net-centricity. The PM ELS has ensured that GCSS-Army (F/T) has a standards profile entered into the DISR online repository to facilitate compliance verification as the system matures in development.
ARMY NET-CENTRIC DATA MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The Army Net-Centric Data Management Program ensures interoperability for exchanges of information among Army information systems. The GCSS-Army (F/T) Data Performance Plan addresses compliance in the following areas: interoperability, NR KPP compliance, DISR compliance and Core Architecture Data Model compliance. PM ELS is developing GCSS-Army (F/T) to meet domain requirements and, therefore, to be net-centric.
CONCLUSION
The soldiers of the 21st century will employ cutting edge technology on current and future battlefields to give them every possible advantage to successfully accomplish their critical missions. The initiatives already underway in the logistics information management arena will ensure that these soldiers always have what they need, when they need it and where they need it. Commanders will have real-time, accurate data on which to base decisions on battlefields that will assure victory in the most efficient and effective ways. GCSSArmy (F/T) will revolutionize the tactical part of this initiative and will meet all of the information assurance policies mandated by DoD and DA.
A retired Army officer, Jim McDonough currently serves as the operations and acquisition management officer for Product Manager Enterprise Logistics System. Ken Ricci is the deputy director for the Army Information Systems Engineering Command’s Fort Lee Engineering Directorate. He serves as the lead government systems engineer for the GCSS-Army program. ♦
