Data Management: DOD Should Redirect Its Efforts To Automate Technical Data Repositories

Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed: (1) certain aspects of the Department of Defense's (DOD) technical data repository automation efforts; and (2) how technology sharing between DOD and the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) relates to these automation efforts.

Recommendations

Matter for Congressional Consideration

Matter	Status	Comments
Congress should delay any further funding of the technical data repository automation efforts until it receives the DOD evaluation. After reviewing the evaluation and determining appropriate funding levels, Congress should ensure that these funds are restricted to the centrally directed effort.	Closed – Not Implemented	The House and Senate appropriations report, which relates to delayed funding, was not released. Since this recommendation was meant as an option for Congress pending DOD action, no time limit was, or should be, placed on it.

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics, in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), to expeditiously evaluate the appropriateness of continuing any or all of the current technical data repository automation efforts, considering the Secretary's goal of standardization and interoperability.	Closed – Implemented The Navy and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) have combined projects. DOD has placed all projects under the CALS Program Office. Actions were completed.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics to designate oversight responsibility to a central office within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to manage and control any continuing efforts to automate military department and DLA repositories. This central office should have planning, coordination, budget review, and approval authority over the remaining military department and DLA repository automation efforts and should obtain delegations of procurement authority from the General Services Administration, as required by law.	Closed – Implemented The Navy and DLA have combined projects. DOD has placed all projects under the CALS Program Office.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics to require the responsible office within OSD to identify and consolidate military department and DLA requirements for the automation of the technical data repositories, and develop a related DOD-wide economic analysis. These efforts should be performed regardless of the approach chosen as a result of the Secretary's evaluation and congressional actions, and should be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Mission Analysis/Project Initiation phase of the Automated Information System Life Cycle.	Closed – Not Implemented DOD placed all project economic considerations under the CALS Program Office, thereby making this recommendation no longer applicable.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to conduct a Major Automated Information Systems Approval Process review for the automation of DOD technical data repositories. This review, at a minimum, should include the life-cycle management documentation and decision papers prepared for the automation of all DOD repositories.	Closed – Implemented The Navy and DLA combined projects were reviewed by the Major Automated Information System Review Council during July 1987.
Patent and Trademark Office	The Secretary of Defense and the Commissioner, PTO, should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics and the Administrator, PTO, for automatic data processing, to formally coordinate and, when appropriate, perform joint studies, including testing, of optical-disk storage devices.	Closed – Implemented Commerce is coordinating plans with various DOD agencies.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense and the Commissioner, PTO, should direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Logistics and the Administrator, PTO, for automatic data processing, to formally coordinate and, when appropriate, perform joint studies, including testing, of optical-disk storage devices.	Closed – Implemented Commerce is taking action to coordinate an optical-disk storage device.

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DatabasesData collectionData transmissionInformation systemsInteragency relationsSystems compatibilityElectronic data processingInteroperabilityData automationMilitary forces