Building IT Infrastructure – DOD and the Intelligence Community Map the Foundation

In the past two months, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Intelligence Community (IC) have released Information Technology (IT) strategies, including roadmaps. Both stress the modernization of IT infrastructure, data and network security, and investment in a digital workforce. The IC centers its roadmap around data, while DOD centers its approach around the user experience. Infrastructure, interoperability, integration, and robust cybersecurity are common themes as well as innovation and partnering with outside organizations to achieve their strategic advantages.

Fulcrum: The Department of Defense (DOD) Information Technology (IT) Advancement Strategy was released on June 24 as a guide to building an “interoperable, integrated, digital platform.” An implementation plan with detailed steps to build technology infrastructure will be released in the future.

Fulcrum provides a roadmap for “aligning information technology usage to advance Department priorities.” The strategy builds on National Strategies on Security, Defense and Cybersecurity; DOD strategies on software modernization, Cyber, records, Zero Trust, Cyber Workforce and Cyber Industrial Base, among others. But the heart of the approach is the user experience, ensuring intuitive and adaptable experiences.

A robust technology infrastructure forms the foundation for critical Departmental operations.

DOD IT Advancement Strategy,
June 24

The DOD roadmap is organized around four lines of effort (LOE):

LOE 1 – Providing Joint Warfighting IT Capabilities to Expand Strategic Dominance of U.S. Forces and Mission Partners

This LOE focuses on user experience and uses warfighter requirements as a guide for accessing data. Addressing current system configurations to reduce manual workarounds, switching between different systems, and improving system speed should lead to increased productivity.

To facilitate more data-sharing, LOE 1 addresses the move from proprietary data interfaces to Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) built to commercial standards. Securing APIs through monitoring user access and behavior should reduce cyberattacks and data theft. Additionally, increasing encryption, using enterprise identity, credential and access management (ICAM), and adoption of Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMMC) requirements in the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) should also increase protection.

The application of AI/Machine Learning (ML) to the warfighter decision making process adds speed and accuracy. Protecting data with advanced cryptographic compliant tools, and cryptographic-modernizing command and control systems as well as supply chains allows the warfighter to access data sooner and more securely.

Command, Control and Communication (C3) capabilities are essential to the warfighter. The roadmap supports these capabilities by focusing on assured Positioning, Navigation, & Timing, integrated spectrum infrastructure, and modernizing and enhancing Nuclear C3 (NC3). Included in modernizing NC3 are infrastructure, continuity of operations planning and continuity of government requirements.

LOE 2 – Modernize Information Networks and Compute to Rapidly Meet Mission and Business Needs

The network must be resilient, survivable, scalable and secure to be able to process and transport large volumes of data reliably and rapidly across the globe. Decreasing legacy technology programs saves money, improves interoperability, and increases network performance.

One way to expand the network and data through-put is to expand enterprise commercial multi-cloud environments across all classification levels, allowing global compute and hyperscale networking.

LOE 3 – Optimize IT Governance to Gain Efficiencies in Capability Delivery and Enable Cost Savings

Increasing the speed of decision making in the DOD IT portfolio could be a strategic advantage. Eliminating legacy systems, consolidating resources and using Developer Security Operations (DevSecOps) to move from requirement to deployed capabilities more rapidly.

LOE 4 – Cultivate a Premier Digital Workforce Ready to Deploy Emerging Technology to the Warfighter

The digital workforce of DOD covers many functions within the DOD Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF). They include IT, cybersecurity, cyber effects, and intelligence with DOD expanding the definition to include data, AI, and software engineering.

DOD BUDGET

Some of the initiatives identified are existing programs with robust funding as shown in Chart I.

Chart I. Note: FY24 enacted levels aren’t available but are presumed to be at the requested levels. Source: FY2025 Budget Request Overview Book.

In President Biden’s FY25 Budget, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) Systems receive 7% of the Investment budget request, a total of $21.1 billion, a 45.5% increase (due in part to reclassification of funding categories). Included are cyberspace activities, data processing equipment, Information Systems Security Program (ISSP), crypto devices and key management infrastructure, as well as AI, CJADC2 and NC3.

In the May 2024 release of Vision for the IC (Intelligence Community), An Information Technology Roadmap, the Director of National Intelligence and the Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer not only want to fix the current system, they want to “…advance our IT until it represents a strategic advantage over our rivals.” Reshaping the Intelligence process with new technologies, the IT Roadmap “informs future investment and drives intelligent change.” The IC developed recommendations organized into five Focus Areas. Annual updates are planned, especially in areas of innovation, AI, and procurement and acquisition.

The DOD workforce serves as the backbone of our digital infrastructure, possessing the expertise to develop, maintain, and secure the technology systems that drive efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage in today’s modern battlefield.

Fulcrum: The Department of Defense Information Technology Advancement Strategy

Focus Area 1.0: Fortify the Mission with a Reliable and Resilient Digital Foundation

Focus Area 1.0 calls for modernizing the foundational infrastructure, which includes essential enterprise services and capabilities such as the IC’s cloud environment; computing power, storage and transport services; and regional edge nodes.

The roadmap seeks to customize the IC Cloud environment, moving from a single provider to multiple cloud providers. The goal is to allow IC elements to choose a capability, service, or computing solution for a given mission area.

Another highlight is increasing the ability to advance and scale “compute, storage, and transport” to support a data-centric architecture and AI at scale. For FY26-FY29, milestones include increasing IC high-performance computing, storage, coverage and capacity of the IC network, and “reinforce and engineer,” the infrastructure of the IC network, and routing.

Focus Area 2.0: Assure the Mission with Robust Cybersecurity

Focus Area 2.0 acknowledges adversaries’ cyber operations will continue to exploit classified remote work and software development, the importance of cybersecurity to mission success and moving towards protecting “data at the source.” Initiatives in areas of Zero Trust, IC Enterprise Risk Management, security coordination, DevSecOps software delivery, quantum resistant (QR) cryptography and securing cross domain solutions.

The Zero Trust milestone goals are to achieve basic Zero Trust maturity by the end of FY25 and begin moving towards advanced Zero Trust by the end of FY29. Similarly, QR cryptography milestones target FY27 for QR Cryptography solutions for IC networks and transports services, with FY29 as a target for IC services.

Focus Area 3.0: Enable the Mission with Modern Practices and Partnerships

Focus Area 3.0 emphasizes the need to collaborate inside the IC and with external partners such as DOD, Five Eyes Enterprise, Federal, State, Local, Territorial, and Tribal (FSLTT) government partners, other foreign partners and the private sector. Creating virtual “commons” for IC elements in FY30 and extending services to the Five Eyes Enterprise in FY26 are some of the initiatives to combining technology with partnerships.

One highlighted area interoperability among IC elements to move towards a Multi-INT environment with intelligence missions becoming more multi-element and multi-INT. Interoperability is essential for Multi-INT scenarios on IC element’s networks, data services, compute and storage platforms, as well as workflows within the IC architecture.

Focus Area 4.0: Enhance the Mission with Data-Centricity

“The IC must shift from an organization- and system-centric paradigm to one that is data-centric; preserves organizational equities, authorities, and rights; implements legal/compliance frameworks; and enforces security. This is of paramount importance in the next five years if the IC is to position itself to accelerate the mission with AI and other advanced technologies.”

Accessibility, interoperability, and reusability of data would be facilitated by a data-centric organization through initiatives such as end-to-end data management, implementing a Data-Centric Architecture and moving data siloes to data-centric enclaves designed to allow appropriately cleared personnel to search and discover data across multiple enclaves.

Focus Area 5.0: Accelerate the Mission with Advanced Technologies and Workforce Readiness

“Increased human and machine teaming is the current frontier for intelligence.”

IC elements will need to pursue the successful delivery and adoption of emerging techniques to assure future mission success.

Success depends on implementation of the first four focus areas; they provide the foundation for using Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, even with a modern IT environment, enterprise guidance for IC-wide AI services will be need to be able to deliver AI enabling services at scale. The goal is to develop the guidance and deliver services by FY30. Additionally, preparing for quantum and other over-the-horizon technologies, as well as the identifying future IT workforce critical skillsets now to influence workforce policies for recruiting and retention.

IC BUDGET

The annual budget for the Intelligence Community is classified. The overall appropriated total is released retroactively. However, the IC IT Roadmap sends a strong signal for investment in the IC IT enterprise. “The roadmap presents a unified vision for investments the IC must make to continue to provide the United States with unmatched decision advantage at a time of unprecedented technological change,” said IC Chief Information Officer Dr. Adele Merritt. “Adversaries are not standing still and neither are we. The time is now for strategic and substantial investment in the core IT infrastructure of the IC.”