Joint Military Operations

DOD's Renewed Emphasis on Interoperability Is Important but Not Adequate Gao ID: NSIAD-94-47 October 21, 1993

GAO has for years been reporting on the Pentagon's efforts to achieve command, control, and communications systems interoperability--the ability of systems, units, or forces to exchange services, enabling them to work together effectively. This report discusses the Defense Department's (DOD) efforts to overcome persistent interoperability problems. GAO focuses on system (equipment) and operational (doctrine, tactics, procedures, and training) interoperability associated with command, control communications, computers, and intelligence.

GAO found that: (1) DOD has experienced interoperability problems for at least 25 years; (2) achieving effective C4I interoperability continues to be a difficult matter for DOD to resolve; (3) DOD renewed its emphasis to better ensure interoperability success in 1992; (4) the new C4I initiative faces several obstacles, including a prolonged schedule for achieving interoperability that extends into the next century; (5) the C4I initiative involves unknown costs and relies on unavailable technology; (6) DOD success in achieving interoperability will depend on the availability of a comprehensive, integrated, and useful joint C4I architecture; (7) interoperability success could depend on whether mechanisms are available for effective enforcement at the highest levels, including a joint program management office with directive authority and funding controls; and (8) interoperability effectiveness could be strengthened by assigning primary responsibility to the U.S Atlantic Command for assessing C4I requirements for joint task force operations, providing guidance to the Defense Information Systems Agency on the development of a joint C4I architecture, and ensuring continuous C4I interoperability assessments through joint training exercises.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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