ARMY ACQUISITION: Contract for the Reserve Component Automation System

Abstract

Since 1979, the Army has tried, with only limited success, to field an automated information system for its reserve component-the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. The Army's first attempt at an integrated automated system for the reserve component was called the Continental Army Management Information System. In 1985 the Continental Army Management Information System was suspended, and in 1986 it was replaced with the Reserve Component Automation program. This program was intended to provide automation to a broader range of reserve component functions, adding telecommunications to unit administration and mobilization planning. All of these automation attempts were funded with active component appropriations In July 1987, the Reserve Component Automation program ended, and the Department of Defense initiated planning for the RCAS program. The fiscal year 1988 Defense Appropriations Act and congressional guidance mandated the RCAS program and provided directions for the system's acquisition. The act put management control of the RCAS program under the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The RCAS will be an automated information management system to support reserve component forces using state-of-the-art computer workstations to provide timely and accurate information for (1) mobilization planning and execution and (2) unit administration. When fielded, the RCAS is expected to be capable of exchanging data with over 100 other Army information systems. The funding for the RCAS came from Army reserve component appropriations, which Congress set aside exclusively for this use. Through July 31,1992, about $270 million had been expended, and $454 million had been appropriated. In fiscal years 1988 and 1989, the RCAS Program Management Office could not spend all the money appropriated because the RCAS contract had not yet been awarded. Additional funding of about $1.1 billion has been programmed by the Army through fiscal year 1999.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 1992
Accession Number
AD1149633

Entities

People

  • Henry L. Jr Hinton

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Business Administration
  • Computer Science
  • Control Systems
  • Cost Estimates
  • Economic Analysis
  • Governments
  • Human Systems Integration
  • Information Systems
  • Life Cycle Costs
  • Life Cycles
  • Logistics
  • Maintenance
  • Management Information Systems
  • Management Personnel
  • National Guard
  • Organizational Structure
  • Personnel Management
  • Program Management
  • Risk Analysis
  • Standards
  • Training

Readers

  • Defense Financial Management and Audit.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting