DATA AMMUNITION: Data and information feed the targeting systems, order the spare parts to maintain mobility and allow for the dissemination of commander’s orders to communicate and maneuver the force. (Photo courtesy of OCIO)
The U.S. Army Office of the Chief Information Officer is refocusing digital efforts in the Army for a successful future.
by Patrick Scott Seybold
The United States Army is navigating a period of tremendous external and internal change. After nearly 20 years of fighting the war on terrorism, the Army is reevaluating its role throughout the world and its ability to influence national interests, and in doing so, the Army of 2030 has become the focal point for modernization across the force.
Data and information are the new ammunition that will be used to dissuade, deter and fight future conflicts. To maximize the flow and use of information and data, the Army requires a robust, resilient, responsive and efficient network. It also needs the ability to collect, analyze, interpret, associate and store data and information to help support advanced capabilities such as Joint All Domain Command and Control and communications in multidomain environments.
MULTIDOMAIN COMMUNICATION: The Army needs the ability to collect, analyze, interpret, associate and store data and information to help support advanced capabilities such as Joint All Domain Command and Control and communications in multidomain environments. (Photo courtesy of OCIO)
To set the conditions for the Army to create advanced capabilities, the Army is working to refocus digital efforts by conducting capability portfolio reviews and business process reviews. The capability portfolio reviews and business process reviews will give the Army the data it needs to make the necessary changes to acquisition processes.
The Army’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and the deputy chief of staff, G-6, are conducting a series of capability portfolio reviews in conjunction with a digital resource management overhaul that will result in a refocusing of digital efforts across the enterprise.
Also, the OCIO is conducting business process reviews to evaluate how the Army “sees and understands” digital investment decisions leveraging the planning, programming, budgeting, and execution process to determine what should be managed by the enterprise versus the force. The desired outcome is to place the resourcing decisions for the Army’s digital capabilities at the appropriate level to maximize the application of limited financial resources to achieve the digital capabilities needed to support the Army of 2030.
BUYING IT: Refocusing how the Army buys IT will help to increase the availability of limited resources that can be applied to digital transformation and deploy technologies needed for the future fight. (Image by Getty Images)
Building processes to understand how the Army buys information technology (IT) and cyber activities will have a direct and positive impact on the Army of 2030 and the digital capabilities it has available. The current information technology landscape is a system-of-systems that must work in concert to be effective and secure. On the other hand, information technology is procured and deployed in a disaggregated manner under a common set of architecture, operational and security standards. Because these two aspects are not synced, the overall IT budgets increase and potential cyber security risks are introduced through the increased surface area.
The OCIO understands that it must learn and make the appropriate changes to how the Army buys and consumes information technology resources to ensure the Army is postured for the standardized delivery of services, increased awareness of potential threat vectors and elimination of redundancies and inefficiencies. The refocusing of how the Army buys IT will help to increase the availability of limited resources that can be applied to digital transformation and deploy technologies needed for the future fight.
By securing and unifying our digital footprint, the Army ensures the warfighter has the ability to shoot, move and communicate. These abilities are dependent on universal information technology throughout our formations and a key enabler of the Army’s mission. Data and information feed the targeting systems, order the spare parts to maintain mobility and allow for the dissemination of commander’s orders to communicate and maneuver the force. Our digital footprint will be contested by our competitors, so having a resilient and effective digital capability increases force protection and ensures the future of a stronger Army and successful nation.
For more information, contact the OCIO Strategic Initiatives Group (SIG) at usarmy.pentagon.hqda-cio.mbx.sig@army.mil,
PATRICK SCOTT SEYBOLD serves as the Resources Division chief in the U.S. Army Office of the Chief Information Officer. His tenure with the Army includes successfully managing multiple challenging and complex projects. He holds a M.A. in procurement and acquisitions from Webster University and a B.S. in electronics management from Southern Illinois University.
