The Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) was designated by
the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the authority that certifies whether
critical information systems used by the Defense Department meet
interoperability requirements for joint military operations.
JITC, which is part of the Defense Information Systems Agency,
has provided on-site technical support, throughout the past decade,
during military exercises and contingency operations. JITC’s
commander is Air Force Col. Terry Pricer. Denis Beaugureau is his
deputy.
The command conducts operational testing for all DISA-managed programs,
as well as for other Defense Department agencies that do not have
dedicated test resources. JITC also serves as a Major Range and
Test Facility Base (MRTFB) activity, which means it can extend its
test resources and certification processes directly to other federal
government agencies, private industry and allied nations.
Until recently, JITC’s test operations were located at Fort
Huachuca, in Arizona, a facility best known for evaluations of tactical
data links, strategic switches, high frequency systems and theater
missile defense systems.
As requirements for compatible and interoperable systems increased,
JITC expanded. In 1993, it established the Messaging and Information
Systems Division (MISD) in Cheltenham, Md., which then moved to
the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Indian Head, also in
Maryland, in 1998.
The MISD, managed by Michael P. Mangan, tests, evaluates and certifies
critical information systems, such as the Defense Message System
(DMS), the Global Command and Control System (GCCS), information
assurance, military logistics and intelligence interoperability.
The MISD serves as the DMS test coordinator and is responsible
for the oversight and execution of all product testing and developmental
testing events. Product testing is conducted at the Lockheed Martin
Federal Systems facility in Manassas, Va. The DMS developmental
test laboratories are located at Fort Detrick, Fort Huachuca, and
Indian Head. Connectivity established between these three test labs
allows testing of system interoperability and performance, to assess
DMS readiness before operational testing.
GCCS serves as an automated crisis management and planning system
for the Joint Staff and the commanders in the field. The MISD conducts
functional testing and assessments of GCCS and ensures that tasks
outlined in Joint Vision 2010 are satisfied. The current GCCS laboratory
environment involves both Solaris and Windows NT architectures.
The MISD uses a database as a repository for information formatted
and collected during GCCS tests. It is the only database that tracks
requirements throughout the life cycle of the system.
In March 2001, the MISD built an information-assurance laboratory,
to test network vulnerabilities and systems’ reactions to
unauthorized intrusions. The laboratory has various operating system
platforms, including Windows NT, UNIX and Linux. The Joint Intrusion
Detection System, originally developed for the Department of Energy,
is an example of an information-assurance product that has recently
gone through stringent testing by MISD. The MISD also provides assistance
during the Defense Department Information Technology Security Certification
Process (DITSCAP) and the National Information Assurance Certification
and Accreditation Process (NIACAP).
JITC supports several logistics programs and initiatives. It also
performs developmental testing, operational testing and interoperability
certification of logistics systems such as the Standard Procurement
System (SPS), Financial and Air Clearance Transportation System
(FACTS), Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS), Transportation
Coordinator’s Automated Information for Movement System II
(TC-AIMS II), and the Defense Logistics Agency’s Fuels Automated
System.
The Joint Logistics Warfighting Initiative (JLWI), sponsored by
the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Logistics and Material
Readiness (DUSD/L&MR) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s
director for logistics, was designed to experiment and test commercial
products and business practices.
In December 2000, the JLWI laboratory was established at the Indian
Head facility. It is used to demonstrate new commercial business
practices and to test the integration of emerging web-based requisitioning
and interoperability technologies.
There is often a disparity between the testing environment and
the operational environment, which results in a major interoperability
risk. To help mitigate this risk, the MISD developed the Advanced
Technologies Testbed (ATT).
MISD has incorporated advanced switching technology and wireless
communications systems to support connectivity between multiple
laboratories. The testing capabilities provided by the ATT will
move the MISD test environment closer to the operational environment,
reducing much of the interoperability risk. The MISD will be able
to support network-centric programs such as the Navy’s IT-21,
the Army’s Force 21 and Joint Vision 2010/2020.
MISD currently is adding approximately 1,300 square feet of laboratory
space to support testing and subsequent interoperability certification
of intelligence systems.
The JITC Intelligence Laboratory (JIL) will be established to evaluate
the Defense Department Intelligence Information System (DoDIIS).
The lab will help JITC ensure that the intelligence community complies
with the Defense Department’s guidance to “bring Intelligence
in line with the rest of the command, control, communication and
computers community.”
MISD will build a Defense Counterintelligence Information System
(DCIIS) laboratory to serve as one of the distributed test nodes
of the DCIIS architecture.
The new Command Test Center (CTC), covering more than 1,500 square
feet, provides an interactive environment for distributed test events
and the conduct of meetings, video teleconferences, multimedia presentations,
training sessions and virtual tours. Designed in a theater setting,
the CTC is equipped with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system,
modular conference tables, and two 128-inch high-definition display
screens.
MISD will add another 4,500 square feet of test-bed space by December
2001.
Chris Watson is a telecommunications project officer at the Joint
Interoperability Testing Command. His e-mail address is watson1c@ncr.disa.mil.