Among the efforts DOD has underway to improve interoperability is the  migration to a family of overarching ground-surface systems, based on the  best systems already deployed and future systems. DCGS will not only  connect individual systems but also enable these systems to merge  intelligence information from multiple sources. They are involved in a wide range of military operations and  installed on a broad array of equipment. Currently, ground-surface-based systems process intelligence data and then  disseminate processed data to select users. DOD is also developing  an overarching test plan called the Capstone Test and Evaluation Master  Plan, which will define standards, test processes, test resources, and  responsibilities of the services for demonstrating that the systems can  work together and an operational concept for processing intelligence  information. DOD’s Process for Certifying Intelligence Systems As Interoperable Is Not Working Effectively

DOD has a process in place to test and certify that systems are  interoperable, but it is not working effectively for ground-surface-based  intelligence processing systems. In fact, at the time of our review, only 2 of  26 DCGS systems have been certified as being interoperable. The  certification process is important because it considers such things as  whether systems can work with systems belonging to other military  services without unacceptable workarounds or special interfaces, whether  they are using standard data formats, and whether they conform to broader  architectures designed to facilitate interoperability across DOD. DOD relies on the Joint  Interoperability Test Command (JITC, part of the Defense Information  Systems Agency) to certify systems. Because 21 systems that have not been certified have already been fielded,  there is greater risk that the systems cannot share data as quickly as  needed. Conclusions

Making its intelligence systems interoperable and enhancing their  capability is a critical first step in DOD’s effort to drive down time needed  to identify and hit targets and otherwise enhance joint military operations. But DOD has been slow to plan for this initiative and it has not addressed  important questions such as how and when systems will be pared down  and modified as well as how the initiative will be funded. Recommendations for Executive Action

To ensure that an effective Distributed Common Ground-Surface System is  adequately planned and funded, we recommend that the Secretary of  Defense direct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control,  Communications, and Intelligence to expand the planning efforts for DCGS  to include a migration plan or road map that at a minimum lays out  (1) current system capabilities and desired capabilities; (2) specific  initiatives, programs, projects and schedules to get DOD and the services to  their goal; (3) measures to gauge success in implementing the migration  plan as well as the enterprise architecture; and (4) mechanisms for  ensuring that the plan is followed.
Why GAO Did This Study

Making sure systems can work effectively together (interoperability) has been a key problem for the Department of Defense (DOD) yet integral to its goals for enhancing joint operations. Given the importance of being able to share intelligence data quickly, we were asked to assess DOD's initiative to develop a common ground-surface-based intelligence system and to particularly examine (1) whether DOD has adequately planned this initiative and (2) whether its process for testing and certifying the interoperability of new systems is working effectively.

What GAO Found

DOD relies on a broad array of intelligence systems to study the battlefield and identify and hit enemy targets. These systems include reconnaissance aircraft, satellites, and ground-surface stations that receive, analyze, and disseminate intelligence data. At times, these systems are not interoperable--either for technical reasons (such as incompatible data formats) and/or operational reasons. Such problems can considerably slow down the time to identify and analyze a potential target and decide whether to attack it. One multibillion-dollar initiative DOD has underway to address this problem is to pare down the number of ground-surface systems that process intelligence data and upgrade them to enhance their functionality and ensure that they can work with other DOD systems. The eventual goal is an overarching family of interconnected systems, known as the Distributed Common Ground-Surface System (DCGS). To date, planning for this initiative has been slow and incomplete. DOD is developing an architecture, or blueprint, for the new systems as well as an overarching test plan and an operational concept. Although DCGS was started in 1998, DOD has not yet formally identified which systems are going to be involved in DCGS; what the time frames will be for making selections and modifications, conducting interoperability tests, and integrating systems into the overarching system; how transitions will be funded; and how the progress of the initiative will be tracked. Moreover, DOD's process for testing and certifying that systems will be interoperable is not working effectively. In fact, only 2 of 26 DCGS systems have been certified as interoperable. Because 21 of the systems that have not been certified have already been fielded, DOD has a greater risk that the new systems will not be able to share intelligence data as quickly as needed. Certifications are important because they consider such things as whether a system can work with systems belonging to other military services without unacceptable workarounds and whether individual systems conform to broader architectures designed to facilitate interoperability across DOD.