Further Reading

Joint Deployable Intelligence Support System [JDISS]

The Joint Deployable Intelligence Support System (JDISS) program provides a family of hardware and software capabilities that allow connectivity and interoperability with intelligence systems supporting forces, in garrison, and deployed during peace, crisis, and war. It provides the Joint Intelligence Center (JIC), Joint Task Forces (JTF) and operational commanders with on-site automation support and the connectivity necessary to execute the intelligence mission. JDISS and the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS) together comprise the joint standard and foundation for commonality among intelligence support systems. JDISS provides joint intelligence centers, joint task forces (JTFs), and operational commanders with on-site automation support and the connectivity to make the best use of the Intelligence Community's resources. JDISS is also the technical baseline for DODIIS client-server environment (CSE).

JDISS provides automated support for the following:

• transmitting and receiving specific requests for intelligence
• Accessing Theater, Service and National intelligence databases
• Supporting digitized imagery exchange
• Accessing automated record message processing systems, indications and warning systems, and collection management systems
• Inputting intelligence data into a variety of operations/intelligence systems, and
• Performing multi-media functions, such as voice electronic publishing and video teleconferencing.

The core software for JDISS is:

• E-mail/chatter
• Word processing/message generator
• Imagery manipulation
• Communications interfaces/map graphics
• Briefing tools/utilities, and
• Desktop video/voice

JDISS can be utilized in any context which requires the connectivity and interoperability with the intelligence systems.This product has been accepted as part of the GCCS suite of products. This means that the experts from the GCCS Executive Agent have created and evaluated the quality and applicability of this product for use within the GCCS domain for the Department of Defense.

Prior to 1991 military commands and services were pursuing a variety of initiatives to migrate from stovepipe mainframe-based national intelligence systems to COTS and more open systems environments. National intelligence systems had traditinoally been garrisoned, fixed mainframe-terminal architectures, with distant-end systems either teletypes or other mainframes. In the Air Force, USAFE replaced old OJ terminals with DEC 5000s, while EUCOM and others used Sun SPARCstations.

JDISS grew out of LANTDISS, a USLANTCOM (now ACOM) national intelligence workstation. In 1992 the gulf Operation Southern Watch LANTCOM deployed the Sun SPARC 1+ and 2 workstations running Word Perfect and Open Look, and connected either to DSNET 3 or using tactical low-speed comms. The goal was to bridge the gap between tactical and national intelligence systems. This LANTDISS supported chatter, e-mail, and ftp using over the Top Secret backbone, and reach back to national mainframes like the SAFE IDB and imagery servers using simple terminal emulators.

This first forray into open systems within the intelligence community was generally successful, and the initiative's name was changed JDISS as part of a successful marketing strategy

In June 1992, the DoDIIS first draft of the Client Server Environment (CSE) Specification was issued, to bring the commands, services, and agencies together though COTS and open systems to replace existing independent hardware and software which had resulted in non-interoperability. DIA identified the various components of the CSE and allocated responsibility for their implementation.

• CSE Specification--AF
• Security and Systems Services, AF--CSE-SS
• Commercial Software and Hardware, DIA--SASS
• Workstation Component (Common Desktop Look-and-Feel), USN--JDISS
• Deployable Tactical Systems Support, USN--JDISS
• COTS-CSE-SS integration, USN--JDISS
• -Life Cycle Management, Testing, and Integration of DoDIIS Migration Systems, AF
• Rome Labs Common User Baseline for Intelligence Systems (CUBIC) now called Intelligence Systems Integration Support (ISIS) and Joint Integration and Test Facility (JITF)
• Security Policy and Accreditation, DIA--Site-Based Accreditation and System Integration Management Office (SIMO)
• Long haul network, Joint World-wide Intelligence Communications System (JWICS)
• Network Management, DIA--JWICS Network Management Center

Various users were reluctant to embrace COTS purchases, given promised SASS savings. By 1993 there were a few hundred workstations configured as JDISS while EUCOM's number was in the 500+ range [even now DoDISS has more than 20,000 workstations world-wide, less than 2000 are JDISS].

JDISS 2.0 was integrated with GCCS as the "Intelligence segment" -- however, JDISS is not an intelligence system, it's an intelligence support system. It has no intelligence database, no strictly intelligence applications, no DoDIIS migration systems, no correlator, no map graphics, and no capability to process NRT intelligence. The JDISS 2.0 configuration is still a stove-pipe, designed to act alone with all the software loaded on each workstation, and not operable in concert with other local systems.

JDISS 2.01.2

JDISS BASELINE SEGMENTS:

JDISS Account Group
JDISS License Manager
JDISS Security Segment
JDISS Communications
JDISS Utilities
JDISS Documents
IRC Chatter Client (DII COE)
 

JDISS STANDARD SEGMENTS:

IXI X.Desktop
Crosswind Synchronize Calandar
Paragon ELT/1000
Paragon ImageXChangePix
Paragon ELT/4000
Paragon Desktop Chatter
Interleaf World View
IXI Premier Motif
IXI Premier Motif Maintenance
Applix Word
Applix Mail
Applix Spreadsheet
Netscape
Adobe Acrobat Reader
 

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