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TESTIMONY OF
MR. GARY L. WINKLER
PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR
ENTERPRISE INTEGRATION, CIO/G-6
UNITED STATES ARMY

BEFORE THE
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, UNCONVENTIONAL THREATS AND CAPABILITIES
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

REGARDING DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION EFFORTS

 March 31, 2004 

 
Today, we are an expeditionary Army supporting our Nation in the Global War on Terrorism.  Our Army is in the midst of massive transformation to create a more agile, deployable, and lethal force.  Business transformation is a critical part of this transformation.  We must work to achieve seamless "foxhole to factory" continuum of operations to support our deployed forces.  Our processes and systems must be transformed to improve timeliness, accuracy, quality, and relevance of information critical to decision-makers at the point of decision.

INTERNAL ARMY INITIATIVES

The Army leadership has embraced business transformation.   Among the 17 Army Focus Areas are Resource Processes, Logistics, and the Network.  The Army Campaign Plan, now in draft, will go even farther, designating the development of an end-to-end business architecture as critical to Army Operations and Transformation.

We have Army Knowledge Management Strategic and Implementation Plans that will blaze the path for transforming the Army into a Network-Centric, Knowledge-Based Force.  We are working to create the Army Enterprise Infostructure through server facility consolidation, web-enabling of IT applications, improving network security, and adopting best business practices.

To facilitate business transformation, the Army has undertaken many initiatives.

1.  We have developed an Army Information Technology Registry, to provide a single inventory of Army IT Systems to help us better manage our existing assets.

2. We have developed a comprehensive Capital Planning Investment Management (CPIM) program to prioritize IT spending across the Army functional proponents, to achieve horizontal and vertical integration of IT resources, and to support the continued development of an Army enterprise system in support of the Joint Force.  The Capital Planning and Investment Management process' core purpose is to advise the acquisition and execution communities when and where to start, stop, slow, maintain, or accelerate funding of an IT capability based on that capability's value to the Army enterprise and its missions.

3.  We established an Army Architecture Integration Cell (AAIC), which is working to tie the DoD Business Enterprise Architecture to LandWarNet, the Army's portion of the Global Information Grid, and to provide the architectural guidance to transition the Army's business IT portfolio to the joint DoD Business domains.  Additionally, we recently established the position of Systems Engineer to work with DoD to ensure sound systems engineering is applied within our programs and to comply with OSD policy.

4.  We established the Army Enterprise Integration Oversight Office (AEIOO) in January 2003 to kick-start business process transformation within the functional domains and Major Commands.

5.  We have institutionalized the Army Knowledge Online (AKO) as the critical enabler for Army Knowledge Management.  It is improving decision dominance by warfighters in the battlespaces, and by business stewards in the Army's institutional organizations.  AKO provides single-sign-on to web-enabled applications and uses knowledge management principles and techniques to improve organizational performance.  It has fundamentally changed the way the Army applies computing and information technology to its mission and business needs. Through AKO, the Army's Enterprise Portal, we are providing a single point of entry for Army Business.  With over 1.6 million active user accounts, nearly one million stored documents, and links to over 500 applications, AKO has been a huge success with our soldiers and civilians and has won numerous industry awards.

6.  We have retired more than 100 business IT systems.

THE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT MODERNIZATION PROGRAM.

The Army fully supports DoD's Business Management Modernization Program (BMMP).  As that program is currently configured, the six DoD business domains directly govern their Army counterparts.  The Army Enterprise Integration Oversight Office works closely with the DoD Comptroller to guide and integrate Army BMMP efforts across the domains.   Our Army Architecture Integration Cell (AAIC), is actively involved in the DoD Business Enterprise Architecture (BEA), and works directly with the architects in the Army's business domains to integrate their efforts into both the BEA and LandWarNet, ensuring a delivery of effective and efficient capability to the warfighter.

We are piloting the General Fund Enterprise Business System for DoD's BMMP and will choose a commercial Enterprise Resource Planning system to replace several major legacy systems.  The resultant system will comply with the DoD Business Enterprise Architecture and will go a long way towards bringing us into compliance with the 1990 Chief Financial Officer's Act.

In the personnel arena, the Army will be the first Service to completely implement the joint Defense Military Integrated Human Resources Management System (DIMHRS).

As the BMMP produces the joint business framework, we will link the Army capabilities into this joint architecture and ensure Army business system review processes are in place.  We will apply governance and oversight to our acquisition process to ensure that developing systems are BMMP compliant.  We will fully support the Deputy Secretary of Defense's recently released IT Portfolio Management Guidance by incorporating it into our Capital Planning Investment Management process.  For example, we are already in the process of aligning our IT portfolios along BMMP lines.   In this way we can do what is best for the Army and DoD.

CHALLENGES

We see two major challenges as we move towards a transformed Army business environment.  First, we know we cannot transform in a vacuum - we must ensure our new systems can interface in a Joint and International environment.  Close cooperation with DoD and our sister services is essential.

Second, and most importantly, we are simultaneously an Army at War and an Army Transforming.  As we improve our business processes and systems, timing and cost must always be weighed against what is required to support our deployed forces and accomplish our current warfighting missions.

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