Agile and Adaptive IT Ecosystem, Results, Outlook, and Recommendations
Abstract
The missions of the U.S. military require great operational adaptability and depend critically on obtaining information support via networks. The information technology (IT) that enables these networks typically takes the form of single, large, "releasable to US only" systems that are difficult to adapt during a mission. This will present a growing problem in the expected operating environment for U.S. forces, which will feature coalition actions in which all partners operate at the same security and releasability levels and share information and data as equals. In a 2012 ICCRTS paper1 the authors proposed that the military adopt an "Agile and Adaptive Ecosystem (AAE)" approach to IT development. The system engineering process for AAE uses Multi-Party Engineering, featuring Shared Agreements that capture roles and responsibilities when components such as widgets, gadgets, or plug-ins are independently developed, delivered, and assembled into capabilities. The present paper builds on those findings and reports the results of efforts to create an AAE throughout the Department of Defense. It describes the challenges posed by aspects of the component lifecycle for business, information assurance, licensing for assembling capabilities, and federated markets over a variety of technology. It then examines the relevance of the AAE to networked environments such as the Joint Information Environment Mission Partner Environment Tier 1, which represents persistent information exchange among specific sets of partner nations, and Tier 2, which features Joining, Membership, and Exiting Instructions for federating "partner nation contributed IT" into a Combined/Joint Task Force (C/JTF) "mission network." The C/JTF federated mission network represents a larger grained analogy to Shared Agreements, federated markets, and assembled capabilities. Finally, the paper presents initial recommendations on guidance, policy. and material development for AAE.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- AD1107750
Entities
People
- Fred Stein
- Harvey Reed
- John T. Nankervis
- Jordon T. Cochran
- Rajeev Parekh
Organizations
- MITRE Corporation