The Army is rarely thought of as an organization relying on IT. We're more apt to associate the Army with mortars and guns and basic training, but the truth is that today's Army is a huge purchaser and user of Information Technology. Whether it's campaign coordination by the generals or real-time data updates to the soldiers on the ground, the increasing use of IT has become a definite advantage in the Army's war fighting ability.
Recently the LT. Gen Jeff Sorenson, the Army's Chief Information Officer, put out a memo announcing the Army's new policy on procurement and implementation of software solutions. The focus is around ensuring compatibility of systems across all Army units. The memo spells out a Common Operating Environment (COE) for the entire US Army. The memo states "Implementation of COE will decrease the time it takes to deliver relevant applications to the war fighters who need them, and decrease the cost of doing so."
The COE policy is part of a larger Army policy called Army Software Transformation (AST) that aims to move the Army's software procurement, implementation and management policies to the cutting edge and make our war fighters even more effective. Other aspects of AST include improved email (a move to Exchange Server), Active Directory, Enterprise Network Operations, Data Center Consolidation, and a move toward Agile development.
From General George Casey, US Army Chief of Staff: "We're building an Army that is a versatile mix of tailorable and networked organizations operating on a rational basis...to provide a sustained flow of trained and ready forces for full spectrum operations...and to hedge against unexpected contingencies...at a tempo that is predictable and and sustainable for our all-volunteer forces".
The new IT policies are helping to improve today's Army and make our soldiers more effective in fighting the new kinds of conflicts we're seeing in Afghanistan, Iraq and around the world. I'm confident our soldiers can rise to the occasion and create a world class IT organization.
Good Talk,
Tom
Sources:
http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=35&sid=2116410
http://ciog6.army.mil/ArmyEnterpriseNetworkVision/tabid/79/Default.aspx
http://ciog6.army.mil/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=j4DkCajsfGQ%3d&tabid=79
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