QUESTION: In DOD Directive 8320.2, the technology of Web services is defined in the definitions section. Can we assume this has been chosen as the technology to be used, or is DOD open to other forms of information sharing?
TODD: We have emphasized Web-based technologies—Web services and Web-enabled for human or machine-to-machine exchanges. But we are open to other technologies that support exposing the data as a service, making it visible, accessible and understandable.

QUESTION: In environments where there are multiple levels of security, will data at rest be protected with encryption or some other method?
TODD: The appropriate protection scheme, whether the data is at rest or in transit, will depend on the information assurance policies for the data’s protection within that operating environment. In some cases this may include encryption while the data is at rest.

QUESTION: Currently there are many, many different kinds of networks installed on naval ships. How do you see data being shared between separate networks? And do you ever see combining all these separate networks into a single network? Is that really necessary, and is redundancy a good thing? Is net-centric also involved with control versus data, as in remote control of systems, as we’ve seen in the Iran Predator unmanned aerial vehicle?
TODD: Information-sharing strategies will continue to evolve in cases where we might collapse networks or employ gateways connecting them as permissible. The balance between connectivity for performance and, say, redundancy as a contingency for a loss of a capability in the primary network, are factors we are required to consider. Improvements in the networking, computing and enterprise services infrastructure will enable increased operational capabilities when coupled with improved data sharing, such as the Predator example cited.

QUESTION: In your assessment, what is the effect of wireless and time critical radio frequency communications on the net-centric model?
TODD: The means of moving bits—whether wireless, RF, landline or satellite communications—are part of the network communications infrastructure or foundation layer for the net-centric model.

A data producer or consumer with knowledge of the available bandwidth and latency for their link to the enterprise network can subscribe to the data service that best meets their needs. An example would be someone using a handheld device with low-bandwidth wireless access—the user could then subscribe to an alert messaging service providing summary data or awareness of the availability of large-file updates of interest to be downloaded when more robust communications and processing capabilities are available.

QUESTION: What is the latest status in the development of the DOD’s core enterprise services (CESs), and have actual metadata repositories been built yet?
TODD: The primary effort of developing CESs is still working its way through the requirement and acquisition process to ensure the right investment of resources to meet a validated set of requirements and to support our transformation to a net-centric environment. However, some of the CESs have piloted capabilities at various stages of maturity available to other DOD developmental efforts. This allows us to leverage the lessons from these initial pilots rather than repeat similar efforts. This also provides feedback to the initial activity for future consideration.

QUESTION: Does DOD have a data registry, such as where database and application or service developers can go to find existing metadata, data models and authoritative data sources used to develop new databases and applications or services? If DOD has one, how closely is the registry tied to DOD’s enterprise architectures, and what percentage of DOD data is using the registry or has its metadata registered?
TODD: We have a policy directing the registration of structural, semantic and discovery metadata in the DOD Metadata Registry. We expect to see increasing use of the registry for run-time and build-time use as an authoritative source of the different forms and uses of metadata.

QUESTION: How does CJCSM 3170 (JCIDS)—the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s manual on the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System—play into all of this?
TODD: The plan is to use the JCIDS process to enforce the use of published schemas and data services rather than allow duplication as new requirements surface for consideration.

QUESTION: There are two pressing implementation issues regarding net-centric operations. First, current acquisition programs have never budgeted for the deployment, operation and support of the potentially petabyte storage units that will be needed to accommodate the management of the enterprise and community-of-interest data. How will the ownership of storage services be allocated? Second, role-based access controls are difficult to administer at the LAN level. What is the plan for management of access to global, enterprise and COI net-centric services?
TODD: We have been working on strategies to meet the need for enterprise storage needs as well as a balanced strategy between enterprise and domain storage solutions.

We are developing an enterprise security service with basic authentication and role-based authorization capabilities specified by statute, policy and regulation. In some cases, COIs may define additional protections needed as extensions to the enterprise service or as supplemental capabilities.

QUESTION: Can you provide any additional information as to the COI pilot projects? I’m interested in real-time scenarios.
TODD: We are in the early stages of establishing COI pilots to implement our net-centric data strategy. Each will define a specific information-sharing problem to be addressed by the pilot. Some of the pilots will involve real-time scenarios. Give us a few months to get some these COIs under way, and we can take a closer look at how we are addressing the real-time scenarios.

QUESTION: What significant accomplishments have been made thus far in how information is shared across DOD? What milestones would you like to see reached in 2006?
TODD: We have a piloted proof of concept that demonstrates browser-based use of Web-based services to expose data from multiple sources through the use of a common vocabulary rendered as a schema.

By the end of the year, we expect to see several communities-of-interest pilots addressing information-sharing challenges faced by DOD and, in some cases, with non-DOD partners.

Not to minimize the technical challenges, but the most difficult issues are cultural. Once we have additional successful pilots to discuss and exploit, we expect this transformation to start to take off. Success should inspire increased adoption of the repeatable processes being piloted in 2006.

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