The Department of the Navy Chief Information Officer, Robert J. Carey, is one of a group of high-level DON leaders planning for the implementation of the Next Generation Enterprise Network, or NGEN, the name used for the follow-on network to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. The DON will transition to NGEN when the NMCI contract ends Sept. 30, 2010.
A well-recognized advocate of innovative technology tools and process models, Carey was among the first government executives to establish a blog and among the first to embrace the use of Web 2.0 tools to improve communication and collaboration within the DON CIO team and across the DON.
In a policy memo, Carey wrote that IT tools, including wikis, blogs and Web feeds, will give warfighters seamless access to critical information. The memo, issued Oct. 20, 2008, is available on the DON CIO Web site at www.doncio.navy.mil.
When CHIPS asked Mr. Carey to discuss NGEN, he responded to the top 10 questions that he is most often asked.
Q: Why are you going with a segmented approach to NGEN implementation?
A: The acquisition strategy for NGEN is still under development and hasn't been approved yet by the Department of the Navy, but we are aligning the work necessary to manage NGEN by segments. This means we may have one or more contracts to deliver the services needed to support the department's mission. This will be decided once we complete the Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), the output of which will feed the acquisition and subsequent contracting strategy.
We studied the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) process and believe it is the most logical way to proceed. Our research indicates that a segmented approach has become an industry best practice over the last few years. Segmenting the work provides greater flexibility for the government and increased opportunities for industry to compete to provide NGEN services.
Q: How did you decide on what functions to keep in house and what to outsource. Is security outsourced?
A: We have developed notional schemes of what functions will be directly performed by government personnel and those that will be accomplished by contractors. All of those final decisions will be informed by the AoA and the acquisition strategy selected.
Q: What are some of the major lessons learned from the NMCI, and how will you apply those lessons in NGEN?
A: Some of the most important lessons learned were the things that worked well with NMCI. For example, NMCI provided the department with a true enterprise network. It eliminated the 'haves and have-nots,' and provided nearly 700,000 DON users the necessary IT capabilities to perform their critical missions and functions. In addition, it provided an interoperable capability across our enterprise, facilitating the sharing of data, information and services. Most importantly, it allowed us to gain consistent control of the information assurance/computer network defense posture of our largest enterprise IT network.
On the downside, the contract language for NMCI did not allow us to respond as quickly to emerging requirements; making changes became a contract negotiation. We've learned that lesson, and NGEN will take us to where we'll have ownership of the network. We also learned that we can't treat this network as if it were a weapon system; we must treat it as part of the critical infrastructure necessary to execute our mission.
The threat to IT networks has changed significantly over the last eight years and the world of IT changes at a rapid pace. This means that the NGEN design and operations must be flexible enough to keep pace with the ever evolving security threat and flexible enough to adapt to the reality of rapidly changing IT.
Q: How will the changeover to NGEN be accomplished?
A: The transition from NMCI to NGEN must be accomplished in such a way as to ensure continuity of service across the enterprise. Therefore, the transition will be performed in a well thought out and executed manner.
The highest levels of the DON have been fully engaged in development and approval of the plans for NGEN, and the department recently established a System Program Office to coordinate the activities associated with bringing NGEN to fruition. The establishment of this new organization demonstrates the DON's commitment to making the transition to NGEN successful, with no opportunity for a gap in this critical service.
Q: How difficult will it be to extend NMCI/NGEN to warships at sea?
A: The scope of the initial block of NGEN will be identical to that of NMCI. It will provide network and computing services to more than 700,000 DON users located within the continental United States and at select locations overseas. It will not provide services directly to afloat users.
Afloat users will be provided services by the Integrated Shipboard Network System, ISNS, and its follow-on, the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES).
We want to make sure CANES and NGEN are interoperable through implementation of common technical standards, business processes and well-defined interfaces.
Q: What training will be needed for NGEN use and maintenance?
A: From the end-users' perspective, the transition from NMCI to NGEN will be almost transparent. As you know, network security is paramount to the success of the Navy-Marine Corps team, so we can expect each user to become a cyber warrior, armed with the knowledge of what it takes to protect and defend information.
The government personnel required to control network operations of NGEN will undergo function-specific training initially, and periodically as required, to maintain proficiency in their particular position. The major areas of training will include network operations, security operations and service life-cycle management.
Q: What other aspects of Navy IT will be affected by the move to NGEN? What upgrades to hardware and software will be needed?
A: As the department prepares for the transition to NGEN we will focus on three areas: (1) continuing to make necessary improvements to the capabilities provided by NMCI; (2) continuing to eliminate redundant legacy network environments; and (3) moving toward the procurement of software and hardware as an enterprise commodity. This will better prepare us for NGEN to be the true DON enterprise-wide network.
NGEN will inherit the NMCI capabilities at the end of the NMCI contract; therefore, no new hardware or software will be required as part of the initial rollout of NGEN. But similar to NMCI, NGEN will undergo a continuous process of technology refresh, for both hardware and software.
As we implement subsequent 'blocks' of NGEN and as we head toward our vision of a future Naval Networking Environment (NNE), it is likely that new hardware and software will be required to achieve these capabilities. We are in the process of defining a roadmap for achieving the future NNE to include what improvements need to be made in what years, and developing the resources to accomplish these interim goals. This roadmap will identify the convergence and alignment of IT investments across the department to support this vision and strategy.
Q: Will NGEN provide a mechanism to find personnel in the other services via e-mail to really connect a joint force?
A: A limited version of this capability already exists across the Department of Defense, with the Joint Enterprise Directory Service. NMCI today, and NGEN in the future, will be fully compliant with the JEDS standard, which allows the DoD to continue to migrate toward a true enterprise e-mail and directory service capability.
Q: Will the NGEN be structured so that users can take advantage of new technologies, like Web 2.0, when they come along?
A: The department embraces the use of Web 2.0 collaboration and working from anywhere we can connect to the network. Web 2.0 does not use new technologies; it is primarily different applications of current technology. Web 2.0 tools present many opportunities for collaboration and information sharing that support becoming a transparent organization, and they are becoming vital to keeping pace in today's environment. So yes, the NGEN infrastructure will support it, just like the NMCI infrastructure today supports it.
My hope is that commands will come onboard and fully exploit the use of Web 2.0 commensurate with necessary security requirements. I mention security because the implementation of any new tools in the DoD requires a cautious risk management approach for ethical use and to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the data.
Q: Will the DON be able to take advantage of the DoD-wide Enterprise Software Initiative and federal SmartBUY licensing agreements or other cost-saving strategies that support large volume buys to acquire software and services for NGEN?
A: Yes, all DoD Enterprise Software Initiative and SmartBUY Enterprise Software Agreements are available for use under NGEN. The scope of the ESAs, as well as regulation and policy, are all written to enable and encourage their use regardless of the NGEN strategy.