R&D in Support of DoD Enlistment, Testing and Evaluation

Mission— Office of People Analytics (OPA), Testing and Assessment

The primary mission of Office of People Analytics (OPA) Testing and Assessment Division is to test and implement more accurate methods of assessing aptitudes required for military enlistment, success in training, and performance on the job. Also, it includes implementing methods that are useful in the identification of persons with the high aptitudes required by today’s smaller and more technically demanding military, and the identification of persons compatible with military core values, to include administering testing programs, which enable the Armed Services to select highly qualified military recruits. The DoD aims to deliver a single noncognitive assessment to complement the existing Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), toward a more holistic assessment of recruits. The Joint-Service Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System (JS-TAPAS) has been developed and will be administered to approximately 360,000 applicants for Military Service as part of the DoD Enlistment Testing program. Similar noncognitive assessments are under review to support officer candidate assessment across 5 Services.

Mission— Identity Credential Management (ICM)

DMDC executes DHRA’s responsibility to provide a central source of identification and authorization of people throughout their affiliation with DoD for identity protection, security, and entitlements and benefits verification. This funding will support the evaluation and testing emerging technologies that will develop more robust and secure capabilities for the Department’s ICM program. The ICM program supports research, development, test, and evaluation efforts to deploy new identity and credential management technologies, including modernization of RAPIDS Suite and DoD Self-Service Logon (DS Logon) products, and to meet business system compliance standards, including cybersecurity. ICM will continue with the development of its modernized identity and credentialing capability, reaching initial operational capability (IOC) during this fiscal year. ICM will begin development on a pilot with a commercial authorization capability provider to meet key business functions of the DS Logon product. This pilot, called ‘myAuth’ is intended to provide a higher rate of availability.

Mission— R&D in Support of DOD Enlistment, Testing and Evaluation

The Department of Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA) is a DoD-wide Field Activity chartered to support the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD (P&R)). This PE includes application of R&D to expedite prototype development and mission support efforts to sustain and/or modernize operations required for general RDT&E. Project 1: Identity Credential Management (ICM). DMDC executes DHRA’s responsibility to provide a central source of identification and authorization of people throughout their affiliation with DoD for identity protection, security, and entitlements and benefits verification. This funding supports evaluation and testing of emerging technologies that develop more robust and secure capabilities for the Department’s ICM program. ICM will also research capabilities such as improved self-service solutions, and reusable-services that will enable more efficient credential delivery. Project 2: Office of People Analytics (OPA) Testing and Assessment Division administers testing programs, which enable the Armed Services to select highly qualified military recruits. The DoD uses a single test, the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), to determine eligibility of military applicants and students (high school and post-secondary) and to report recruit quality data to Congress. The ASVAB is administered annually to approximately 360,000 applicants for Military Service as part of the DoD Enlistment Testing program, and the ASVAB is administered to over 700,000 students in more than 13,000 high schools and post-secondary schools via the ASVAB career Exploration Program. Each Service also uses ASVAB test forms developed in this program as part of their in-service testing programs. This allows DoD to make measurement improvements as well as decreasing the likelihood of test compromise. Ongoing RDT&E efforts include development and evaluation of procedures which (1) reduce or eliminate threats to the validity of the ASVAB test scores generated; (2) improve the efficiency of the test development, calibration, and validation process; and (3) improve selection and classification decisions made by each Service through more effective use of test score information. In addition, periodic assessments are required to provide DoD manpower planners and Congress with information on aptitude trends in the population from which recruits are drawn. Project 05: The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) administers many of the federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986 and other federal military voter registration and assistance laws. FVAP works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so from anywhere in the world. FVAP works to increase the level of awareness of available DoD voting assistance resources among Active Duty Members, in order to increase the likelihood of returning their absentee ballots. Utilizing a repository that maintains the record of 50 million military personnel, FVAP regularly reaches out directly to 1.3 million active duty service members, and attempts to assist the estimated 700,000 military spouses and dependents of voting age. FVAP also attempts to reach out to and assist the estimated 2.8 million overseas citizens of voting age. FVAP conducts voting research projects with States, local election jurisdictions and private entities to assist UOCAVA voters to register to vote and submit their absentee ballot and improve federal, State and local election processes and procedures. Project 6: Enterprise Data Services (EDS) is a streamlined methodology for sharing data with external partners. It will allow a real-time or batch broker service to any major DMDC database, including the Person Data Repository (PDR), Uniformed Services Human Resource Information System (USHRIS), and eventually most other DMDC data holdings and some DoD data holdings outside of DMDC. Authorized customers will be able to receive automated, real-time updates directly from these databases. This project supports data Application Programming Interfaces (API) necessary to realize Zero Trust (ZT) requirements and supply identities and credential assurance levels that meet security requirements and digital identity guidelines set by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It also has the potential to improve customer service and transaction efficiency for data processing throughout the DMDC enterprise. DDS supports specific external customer use cases, improves DMDC internal data processes, supports Zero Trust for the Department, and aligns DMDC’s data access and sharing with the DoD Data Strategy objectives. Project 7: The Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) is the DoD’s authoritative eligibility and enrollment repository for manpower, personnel identity, affiliation data on military, civilians, retirees, family members, and other populations. VLER programs provide support for evolving efforts to modernize medical records that can be used across the Federal enclave to support care in facilities managed by DoD, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and other Federal partners. DEERS administers medical and other benefits seamlessly as individuals move through a “virtual lifetime” in the Uniformed Services and VA. VLER is designed to reduce the administrative burden on Service Members and Veterans when seeking benefits from DoD, the VA and other Federal partners. SOES is the automated solution that allows Service members to submit updates and request changes to their SGLI and Family SGLI (FSGLI) online. SOES centralizes SGLI/FSGLI data into one authoritative system capable of providing consistent SGLI/FSGLI information to Service members and their leadership. A technology refresh of the VLER and SOES programs is required to respond rapidly to congressional changes in policy. Current technology limitations impede delivery of benefits to Service members, and veterans and their families. Project 08: Defense Travel System (DTS), within Personnel Support Programs (PSP), is the department’s authoritative travel system. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2024 Sec 1551 required an in-depth analysis on the future of DoD Travel. The result of the capability assessment was a DoD CIO certified plan to reinvest in DTS to deliver an efficient, audit-clean travel program that processes an estimated 1.8 million vouchers annually and serve approximately 2.9 million travelers across the department. The reinvestment in DTS aligns with overall DoD efforts to have audit ready financial management systems by FY 2028. Project 09: Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative is helping DoD evolve its digital learning systems, including web-based, mobile, instructor-led, on the job, and virtual classroom training across DoD-wide enterprise systems for training and education. These improvements benefit DoD in several ways: (1) EFFICIENCY: Increase business systems’ efficiency, saving time and resources, by eliminating duplications and developing shared services for digital learning technology and data. (2) EFFECTIVENESS: Improve the quality and efficiency of training/education delivery by developing and fielding modern technologies, integrated data systems, associated learning science, ultimately impacting personnel readiness; and (3) INTEROPERABILITY: Strengthen interagency interoperability by developing shared digital learning capabilities and policy and through leadership in DoD and Federal communities of practice. This program was originally established in response to Section 378 of Public Law 105-261, the NDAA for FY 1999. The ADL program directly supports all DoD Components, and as a leader in the field of digital learning technologies, also coordinates with other federal agencies, and partners. The program’s work falls into two categories: (A) Modernization and (B) Governance. The Modernization work involves advanced technology development in technical areas related to digital learning. These efforts inform the program’s Governance work, including transition and adoption of Enterprise Digital Learning Modernization (EDLM) technologies and the authoring and upkeep of technical guidance and policy documents, such as DoD Instruction 1322.26 governing Distributed Learning, and Total Learning Architecture (TLA) standards including but not limited to the experience API (IEEE 9274.1.1), cmi5 (IEEE 9274.3.1), Shareable Competency Definitions (IEEE 1484.20.3), Learning Metadata Terms (IEEE 2881), and Enterprise Learner Records (IEEE 2997) . This program’s modernization investments are vetted through the Defense ADL Advisory Committee (DADLAC), a working group of military personnel and DoD/Federal civilians who formally represent their organizations’ digital learning interests. They are also considered against emerging industry trends and technologies.

Mission— Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS)

The DEERS is the DoD’s authoritative eligibility and enrollment repository for manpower, personnel identity, and affiliation data on military, civilians, retirees, family members, and other populations. DEERS includes identity and personnel data for roughly 60 million persons, including current, retired, and former members of the Uniformed services and their family members. In addition, DEERS maintains records for Veterans and their caregivers. DEERS interfaces with other federal agency systems to share service members’ Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER) for veterans’ benefits determination. The VLER and SOES applications have not been modernized since their inception. The applications still rely on manual data-sharing processes that result in incomplete and untimely data that does not meet current cybersecurity standards. Current solutions use outdated technologies that prevent agile change, the ability to accommodate timely policy changes, or to meet modern compliance or availability standards. Specific elements will position DoD data to more flexibly support evolving DoD benefits; improve support of PACT Act data needs; update sharing of DD214 data, as well as contact information gathered in the Transitional Assistance Program (TAP), as required under the NDAA for FY 2020 and DoDI 1336.01; refine data sharing with the Department of Labor to better support unemployment compensation for those separating from service; and refresh technology for VLER and SOES applications to reduce technical footprint and comply with security and modern programming standards. The scope of VLER and SOES share similar business requirements, beneficiary bases, and a common customer in the VA.

Mission— Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL)

The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) initiative is helping DoD evolve its digital learning systems, including web-based, mobile, instructor-led, on the job, and virtual classroom training across DoD-wide enterprise systems for training and education. These improvements benefit DoD in several ways: (1) EFFICIENCY: Increase business systems’ efficiency, saving time and resources, by eliminating duplications and developing shared services for digital learning technology and data; (2) EFFECTIVENESS: Improve the quality and efficiency of training/education delivery by developing and fielding modern technologies, integrated data systems, and associated learning science, directly impacting personnel readiness; and(3) INTEROPERABILITY: Strengthen interagency interoperability by developing shared digital learning capabilities and policy and through leadership in DoD and Federal communities of practice. The ADL initiative directly supports all DoD Components, and as a leader in the field of digital learning technologies, also coordinates with other federal agencies and partners.

Mission— Personnel Support Programs (PSP)

Personnel Support Programs (PSP) is comprised of the various programs that support personnel throughout the department, including personnel accountability and travel mission space. The Defense Travel System (DTS) provides an automated, end-to-end travel management system that enables DoD travelers to create authorizations and travel orders, prepare reservations, receive approvals, generate travel vouchers, and receive reimbursement. This initiative supports the development and deployment of modernized travel management services.

Mission— Enterprise Data Services (EDS)

This program is focused on Data as a Strategic Asset, recognizing its value for reporting, analytics, insights, decision-making, and Zero Trust. Having quality data that is accessible, trustworthy, and interoperable helps improve operations, promotes innovation, reduces risk, and improves stakeholder relationships. Efforts in this area support: the National Defense Strategy goal of Dynamic Force This program is focused on Data as a Strategic Asset, recognizing its value for reporting, analytics, insights, decision-making, and Zero Trust. Having quality data that is accessible, trustworthy, and interoperable helps improve operations, promotes innovation, reduces risk, and improves stakeholder relationships. Efforts in this area support: the National Defense Strategy goal of Dynamic Force Deployment; the National Defense Business Operation Plan goal for reforming business practices for greater performance and affordability; the DoD Data Strategy for Visible, Accessible, Understandable, Linked, Trustworthy, Interoperable, and Secure data; the Personnel and Readiness (P&R) Strategy for achieving data-dominance; the Joint DoD VA Data Strategy; and the DoD Zero Trust Strategy. Supports research and development projects to provide “data as a service” and “analytics as a service” and improve data access through Data Delivery Services (DDS) Application Programming Interface (API).

Mission— Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP)

FVAP administers many of the federal responsibilities of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) of 1986 and other federal military voter registration and assistance laws. FVAP works to ensure Service members, their eligible family members and overseas citizens are aware of their right to vote and have the tools and resources to successfully do so – from anywhere in the world. FVAP works to increase the likelihood of interested Active Duty Members to use available FVAP resources to increase their level of awareness of available DoD voting assistance resources, which will increase the likelihood of returning their absentee ballot. FVAP conducts voting research projects with states, local election jurisdictions and private entities to assist UOCAVA voters to register to vote and submit their absentee ballot and improve federal, State and local election processes and procedures. FVAP regularly reaches out directly to 1.3 million active duty service members, and attempts to assist the estimated 700, 000 military spouses and dependents of voting age. FVAP also attempts to reach out to and assist the estimated 2.8 million overseas citizens of voting age.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (7)