Joint Military Operations: Weaknesses in DOD's Process for Certifying C4I Systems' Interoperability
NSIAD-98-73
Published: Mar 13, 1998. Publicly Released: Mar 13, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) whether Department of Defense (DOD) organizations are complying with interoperability testing and certification requirements for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) systems; and (2) what actions, if any, are needed to improve the current certification process.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To ensure that systems critical to effective joint operations do not proceed to production without due consideration given to the need for interoperability certification, the Secretary of Defense should require the acquisition authorities to adhere to the requirement that C4I systems be tested and certified for interoperability prior to the production and fielding decision unless an official waiver has been granted. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD concurred with recommendation and stated that documents requiring certification existed but their clarity needed improvement. DOD has drafted revisions to Reg. 5000.2-R which clarify that Joint Interoperability testing of C4I systems must be tested and certified by JITC prior to Milestone II.
|
| Department of Defense | To improve the process for certifying C4I systems for interoperability, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, should direct the service secretaries, in collaboration with the Director, DISA, to verify and validate all C4 data in the Defense Integration Support Tool and develop a complete and accurate list of C4I systems requiring certification. |
Closed – Implemented
Interoperability certification fields have recently been added to the DIST. The content options of the field include full certification, limited certification, and no certification. In addition, there is a "certification comments" field where information relating to why the system did not achieve full certification may be entered. The DIST also provides "certified by" and "certification date" fields. The Joint Interoperability Test Command has provided DIST personnel with the past four years of certification information for entry into the DIST and is providing quarterly reports of new systems certified in order to maintain accuracy of the DIST.
|
| Department of Defense | To improve the process for certifying C4I systems for interoperability, the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should direct the Director, DISA, to ensure that the status of system's certification is added to the Defense Integration Support Tool and that this database be properly maintained to better monitor C4 systems for interoperability compliance. |
Closed – Implemented
Interoperability certification fields have recently been added to the DIST. The content options of the field include full certification, limited certification, and no certification. In addition, there is a "certification comments" field where information relating to why the system did not achieve full certification may be entered. The DIST also provides "certified by" and "certification date" fields. The Joint Interoperability Test Command has provided DIST personnel with the past four years of certification information for entry into the DIST and is providing quarterly reports of new systems certified in order to maintain accuracy of the DIST.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should request that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff direct the Joint Staff (in collaboration with the commanders in chief, the services, and the Director of DISA) to develop a process for prioritizing C4I systems for testing and certification. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD agrees with need for prioritization. JITC will test and certify in accordance with priorities established by the process. JITC can raise test scheduling and resource conflicts to the Interoperability Test Panel (ITP) for resolution.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should request that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff direct the Joint Staff (in collaboration with the commanders in chief, the services, and the Director, DISA) to develop a formal process to follow up on the interoperability problems observed during exercises, report the problems to the relevant DOD organization, and inform organizations that the systems are required to be tested for interoperability. |
Closed – Implemented
The Interoperability Improvement Panel (IIP) process will establish procedure for identification, coordination, and resolution of C4I interoperability issues. The IIP will follow up on C4I interoperability problems identified during exercises, determine an initial "lead," and support activities and identify actions required to reach issue closure or resolution. The Joint Staff J-6 and J-7, JITC, and C4ISR Joint Battle Center are key sources in identifying and defining issues and recommending solutions. The IIP charter has been amended to reflect that CINCS, SERVICES, AND AGENCIES will identify C4I interoperability issues resulting from exercises for consideration by the IIP.
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| Joint Chiefs of Staff | To improve DOD's information on the status of waivers from interoperability certification, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff should establish a system to monitor waivers. The system should inform DOD organizations when waivers expire and request that they either seek an extension of the waivers or test their systems for interoperability. |
Closed – Implemented
The Interoperability Test Panel (ITP) charter has been amended and requires the panel to approve or disapprove requests for Interim Authority To Operate (IATO) and track IATO expiration dates, notifying the responsible service or agency ITP members representatives approximately 90 days prior to expiration date.
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Topics
Command control communications computer systemsInformation systems certificationManagement information systemsMilitary communicationNoncomplianceTestingWaiversInteroperabilityCommand and control systemsSystems interoperability