Joint Military Operations: DOD's Renewed Emphasis on Interoperability Is Important but Not Adequate

Highlights

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to overcome persisting interoperability problems associated with DOD command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) systems.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected	Recommendation	Status
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that guidelines are established, including time-driven goals, for the development of a joint C4I architecture.	Closed – Implemented DOD agreed to establish new architecture guidelines and is evaluating the requirement for new policy guidelines.
Joint Chiefs of Staff	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that guidelines are established, including time-driven goals, for the development of a joint C4I architecture.	Closed – Implemented DOD agreed to establish new architecture guidelines and is evaluating the requirement for new policy guidelines.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that a joint program management office be established with directive authority and funding controls for C4I system acquisitions.	Closed – Implemented DOD recognized that additional action was required to ensure effective interoperability enforcement and established additional controls in the form of procedural guidance.
Joint Chiefs of Staff	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that a joint program management office be established with directive authority and funding controls for C4I system acquisitions.	Closed – Implemented DOD recognized that additional action was required to ensure effective interoperability enforcement and established additional controls in the form of procedural guidance.
Department of Defense	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that consideration is given to assigning the U.S. Atlantic Command primary responsibility for: (1) assessing C4I requirements for the potential effect on the joint task force operations; (2) providing guidance to the Defense Information Systems Agency on the development of a joint C4I architecture; and (3) ensuring continuous C4I interoperability assessments through joint training exercises.	Closed – Implemented DOD agreed to continue to evaluate where additional policy and actions are needed to enhance interoperability.
Joint Chiefs of Staff	The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should take additional actions to ensure that consideration is given to assigning the U.S. Atlantic Command primary responsibility for: (1) assessing C4I requirements for the potential effect on the joint task force operations; (2) providing guidance to the Defense Information Systems Agency on the development of a joint C4I architecture; and (3) ensuring continuous C4I interoperability assessments through joint training exercises.	Closed – Implemented DOD agreed to continue to evaluate where additional policy and actions are needed to enhance interoperability.

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Topics

National Defense

Command control communications computer systemsMilitary interoperability agreementsProgram managementSystems designInteroperabilityMilitary forcesComputersCommand control communications systemsSystems interoperabilityInformation systems