Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems

Mission — Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems source

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) is the sole joint interoperability certification agent for the Department of Defense (DoD). JITC provides test and evaluation (T&E) services to the Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems (DCGS) Family of Systems (FoS), a major component of the Defense Intelligence Enterprise (DIE). The DIE enables the joint intelligence process and the planning and direction, collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and production, dissemination and integration, and evaluation and feedback of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) needed to answer priority intelligence requirements (PIRs) across military operations. Answering PIRs enables leaders to take decisive military action. DIE components are improving battlespace awareness (BA) through the modernization and evolution of how intelligence is delivered to commanders. Part of this evolution is the development of modernized DIE test, evaluation, and assessment concepts to improve senior leader Military Intelligence Program (MIP) management and investment decisions. The goal is to develop real-time, continuous, metrics collection combined with interactive health and status visualization methods to provide quality data for leadership decision making at the speed of need. Operational testing addresses critical operational issues of a system's effectiveness in combat-like environments. Additionally, operational testing provides key stakeholders and decision makers an independent evaluation of a system’s operational effectiveness, suitability, and cybersecurity posture. Interoperability testing directly contributes to the DoD’s success by ensuring that Military forces, units and/or systems, along with U.S. mission partners, can share the data, information, materiel, and services required to operate collaboratively and effectively. Decision makers must understand the capabilities and risks of new technologies and systems as they are fielded onto warfighters’ hands at an increasingly faster pace. The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S)) sponsored a Capabilities Based Assessment that resulted in an Initial Capability Document (ICD) and Joint Requirements Oversight Council Memorandum ICD for the DCGS Enterprise. These form the foundational evaluation framework for the DIE.

Mission — Distributed Common Ground/Surface Systems source

JITC coordinates with Military Services and Combat Support Agencies (CSA) to conduct DCGS Family of Systems (FoS) and follow-on capabilities testing and analysis, including event coordination, configuration, and instrumentation through the operation of the Enterprise Integration and Test Capability (EITC) and the Test and Evaluation Focus Team (TEFT). The TEFT predominantly executes three functions: • The EITC Focus Function (Lab), which provides and sustains DIE T&E requirements analysis to advance instrumentation and automation of metrics collection. • The Strategy Focus Function, which evaluates DIE T&E methods and capabilities to meet modern software acquisition practices development, integration, and continuous delivery of capabilities. • The Execution Focus Function, which supports DIE demonstration events, such as ENTERPRISE STORMFORCE (aka Enterprise Challenge, STORMFORCE), which is the DIE demonstration series to promote joint interoperability and integration between the Military Services, Defense Intelligence Agencies, Five Eye (FVEY) Allies and select Coalition Partners. Additionally, the TEFT: • Advocates, coordinates, and synchronizes with Military Services and CSAs for the use of existing DoD test facilities, such as the Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), to advance common science, technology, modeling, and simulation that improve DIE test capabilities, capacity, and integration. • Supports data collection activities on secret, top-secret, and Coalition and Partner networks to characterize the state of DIE capabilities. • Teams with JITC DCGS FoS, ISR Platforms, and Command and Control (C2) interoperability testers to advance integrated data collection for DIE capabilities. • Supports DIE-wide acquisitions to advance digital transformation objectives and integrate with Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) initiatives. • Supports ENTERPRISE STORMFORCE T&E. These efforts help close Joint capability gaps, promote enterprise interoperability, and enable DCGS and like capabilities integration. This enables improved data sharing between DIE components. • Supports demonstrations and evaluation of capabilities relying on the Defense Intelligence Agency’s data broker (known as the Common Data Fabric, or CDF). The CDF is an enterprise modernization initiative to enable automated machine-to-machine transactions in accordance with data sharing policies to increase the speed of delivery via one-to-many sharing agreements.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)