Delivering IT Solutions

MIT 2010 Volume: 14 Issue: 1 (February)

PEO EIS Enables the Enterprise By
Connecting People with Platforms.

Another fact to chew on: If the one million registered users of the Navy eLearning system were compared to the number of students enrolled at distance learning giant University of Phoenix’s online campus, they would outnumber them almost seven to one.

Finally, consider the size and scope of the recently launched Navy enterprise resource planning (ERP) program, which when fully implemented will manage $85 billion of the Navy’s total obligation authority, making it one of the largest ERP systems in existence.

The organization lewading the way behind these impressive statistics is the Department of Navy’s Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS). These examples represent the breadth and depth of the tremendous programs within the PEO EIS portfolio, which together are responsible for identifying and implementing leap-ahead technologies.

Established in 2006 and led by Rear Admiral Charles E. “Grunt” Smith and Deputy PEO Randy Delarm, the PEO EIS portfolio provides timely and cost-effective enterprise-wide network, business, fleet and information technology support to the Department of the Navy.

PEO EIS is one of the DoN’s most wide-reaching organizations. Not only is it responsible for providing standard information technology capabilities to the honorable men and women who serve the Navy and Marine Corps, but it also provides acquisition support to IT programs that affect every platform and person in both services.

ASSISTING THE WARFIGHTER

As an acquisition program executive office of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), part of PEO EIS’s responsibilities involve contract work with private industry, which means it acts as a conduit between the DoN, other Department of Defense organizations and the private sector companies that build the IT platforms or systems needed for the warfighter. PEO EIS continually works with its portfolio of programs to ensure that each one maximizes its value to the DoN and its warfighters by providing them with consistent program-level support and unparalleled acquisition expertise.

PEO EIS performs several key functions to fulfill its mission. One of its primary functions is delivering standard, interoperable warfighter and business enterprise IT systems through its programs. NMCI and OCONUS Navy Enterprise Network (ONENET), for instance, provide network and e-mail connectivity to 733,000 users worldwide.

The executive office also builds collaborative relationships between operators, advocates and the acquisition community, as in the case of Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), the DoN’s next step in building an integrated naval network that will provide IT services to Navy, Marine Corps and civilian personnel.

PEO EIS also develops partnerships with key stakeholders that enable the delivery of capabilities within the wider naval enterprise, and provides life-cycle assistance, including acquisition expertise and technical guidance, to programs that deliver capabilities to the naval enterprise. Another example of this is the Sea Warrior program’s large portfolio of solutions that touch active and reserve sailors daily in support of recruiting; personnel pay and management; distribution and order writing; career and deployment of shipboard non-tactical business systems.

Here’s a closer look at each of the programs currently in the PEO EIS portfolio:

Navy Marine Corps Intranet

At its inception in 2000, NMCI was a revolutionary approach for obtaining voice, video and data communications and computing capabilities within the DoN. Today, NMCI is the U.S. government’s largest IT outsourcing program and is the biggest intranet in the world. Through a partnership with industry, NMCI provides mission-critical IT services to nearly 700,000 military and civilian users on 360,000 workstations and laptops in more than 3,000 locations. It also accounts for 70 percent of all naval IT operations.

NMCI is DoD’s most secure enterprise network, meeting and exceeding all DoD and Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations security mandates, including full compliance with the cryptographic logon and “data at rest” encryption mandates. Additionally, NMCI successfully transports 3.4 terabytes of data each day, all while providing round-the-clock enterprise-level service sustaining an availability level of 99.8 percent or higher. NMCI also maintains 38 classified and unclassified server farms, 28 micro-server farms, four Network Operation Centers and three Enterprise Service Desks.

OCONUS Navy Enterprise Network

ONE-NET, a government-owned and operated network that evolved in 2005 from the Base Level Information Infrastructure Modernization Program, delivers comprehensive end-to-end information and telecommunication services to Navy shore commands outside the continental United States (OCONUS) through a common computing environment for both the classified and unclassified enclaves. ONE-NET currently supports more than 33,000 users, and is expected to support 40,000 at its end state. It encompasses approximately 25,000 seats, of which nearly 18,000 are deployed, and maintains 78 OCONUS locations. It also supports three Theater Network Operation and Security Centers and 14 major Local Network Support Centers.

Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN)

NGEN, the next step in the evolution of the Navy and Marine Corps enterprise network, will build on lessons learned from NMCI to provide secure, net-centric data and services to DoN personnel. The future network will give the government increased command and control and provide the DoN with the ability to implement new solutions more efficiently. NGEN will also lay the foundation for the DoN’s future Naval Networking Environment-2016, which will connect and transform existing DoN enterprise and legacy networks, afloat and ashore, into a secure, reliable and globally integrated net-centric computing and communications system.

Navy Enterprise Resource Planning

Navy ERP is an integrated business management system that modernizes and standardizes Navy business operations, increases effectiveness and efficiency, and provides unprecedented management visibility across the enterprise. By implementing Navy ERP, the Navy will be able to achieve the highest standards for secure, reliable, accessible and current information.

Navy ERP has been implemented at three Echelon II commands: Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Supply Systems Command and SPAWAR. It consists of two releases: 1.0 Financials and Acquisition, and 1.1 Single Supply Solution. Upon full deployment, the program office will support 64,000 users at 121 sites worldwide; when fully implemented, it will manage 53.8 percent ($85 billion) of the Navy’s total obligation authority. Navy ERP’s release is already improving logistics, which increases fleet combat readiness, as well as improving financial reporting and compliance at all deployed locations.

Global Combat Support System-Marine Corps (GCSS-MC)

GCSS-MC is a portfolio of systems designed to support the physical implementation of the Marine Corps Logistics Operational Architecture. GCSS-MC provides secure information interoperability and cross-functional access between the combat support and command control functions that are necessary to support warfighters.

GCSS-MC will provide operational forces, as well as the overall establishment, with the capability to support current and emerging DoD and Marine Corps war fighting concepts while deploying a single integrated capability to those elements that support common logistics processes in garrison and austere/ immature environments. Upon deployment, GCSS-MC will support 56,000 users on every continent except Antarctica, and enable leaders to effectively plan, manage, execute and monitor logistics operations.

Sea Warrior Program

Sea Warrior provides integrated ashore and afloat IT products and services that deliver cost-effective capabilities for fleet readiness and Navy career services. The program’s diverse portfolio of more than 30 technology projects supports the business operations of Navy manpower, personnel, training and education, as well as distance support. The capabilities delivered by the program are essential to sailors and their respective careers, as well as their ability to effectively execute Navy missions. In this regard, the program is unique among Navy IT providers, as its software applications touch every sailor every day. Sea Warrior’s stakeholders span multiple resource sponsors and echelon chief information officers.

Joint Air Logistics Information System-Next Generation (JALIS-NG) and DoN Criminal Justice Information System (DoN CJIS)

JALIS-NG is an operations scheduling system used to coordinate operational support aircraft and Navy unique fleet essential airlift. PEO EIS is leading the acquisition of a new JALIS system with one consolidated database, modernized architecture and standardized functionality.

DoN CJIS is envisioned to become the DoN’s “cradle to grave” law enforcement and criminal justice information system, and will be able to incorporate data from criminal investigations, legal proceedings and correctional records. DoN CJIS is expected to provide an improved informational picture, thereby enhancing NCIS’ ability to protect Navy and Marine Corps people, families and assets worldwide.

The newest programs in the portfolio, PEO EIS assumed acquisition oversight of these programs in July 2009.

Enterprise Solutions (ESol) Project Office

PEO EIS was chartered by the assistant secretary of the Navy for resource, development and acquisition to provide oversight to assigned information technology system programs. The ESol Project Office was formed to act as the strategic arm for standing up and transitioning new enterprise IT capabilities to the PEO EIS portfolio. The priorities and initiatives of ESol will be based on DoD and Navy goals and objectives, and will be executed in accordance with DoN chief information officer and DDCIO (Navy) and DDCIO (Marine Corps) guidance.

The ESol Project Office’s initiatives are introductory steps that represent the Navy’s readiness to embark on new enterprise ventures. New ventures benefit the enterprise by improving productivity, reducing costs or increasing warfighter capabilities.

ESol serves as an incubator, and champions initial planning for enterprise initiatives to support maturity to program of record designation and transition into PEO EIS portfolio. All initiatives that come to the ESol Project Office follow a formal project life cycle.

THE WAY AHEAD

PEO EIS is committed to upholding the DoN’s vision of maintaining war fighting readiness while building the future force and defining the next generation of enterprise networks. PEO EIS continues to discover ways to better support the warfighter and strives to achieve goals that are critical to the department’s present and future mission objectives.

Moving forward, PEO EIS will continue to provide worldclass life-cycle support to its programs, enabling each to achieve their respective missions and meet their goals. By devising and implementing an enterprise transition plan, it will align and unite its programs both individually and with the rest of the DoN enterprise. It will establish business-, enterprise- and IT-level governance and institute programs of record to drive substantial enterprise solutions.

Finally, PEO EIS will ensure its program management offices are properly staffed and aligned in conjunction with the SPAWAR competency aligned organization model. In partnership with its programs, PEO EIS provides the DoN and its warfighters with unsurpassed opportunities, immeasurable capabilities and endless possibilities. ♦

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