02/12/2013 12:27 PM CST
Increase in Use of Collaboration Tool
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - Use of a Web-based application designed to offer an information exchange environment for Defense Department users has grown markedly as defense spending cuts loom, Defense Information Systems Agency officials said.
Since 2007, Defense Connect Online has been the "go-to" mechanism among several new enterprises within DOD's networks that entrust remote services with a user's data and software through cloud computing.
Defense Connect Online is the designated enterprise tool allowing DOD partners to collaborate on either classified or unclassified networks, said Alfred Rivera, DISA's director of enterprise services.
"It's been the department's way of providing collaborative solutions ... for online meetings, document sharing, white-boarding and voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) capabilities, to include chat," Rivera said.
John Hale, DISA's chief of enterprise applications, said DCO is the Web-based solution fielded within DOD's private cloud so information can be exchanged among mission partners. "It really has been a facilitator of collaboration, ... including the ability to chat live with each other while you're doing it," he said. DCO users should note common access card requirements, with the option for non-CAC holder guest participation, Hale said.
As DOD faces an austere budget climate, DISA officials said, DCO and similar enterprise ventures have shown growth by virtue of cost savings. "We're starting to see a large increase in the use of Defense Connect Online, and in the last 60 to 90 days, there's been unprecedented growth," Hale said.
DISA officials continue to address technology solutions to meet increasing customer demands, Hale said, adding that programmers took necessary steps to ensure data security both at rest and at use within the system.
"The solution was built ... with security in mind, [and] that's one reason it leverages our current DOD private cloud as its native platform, ... because a certain amount of security comes with that environment," Hale said. "As [information technology] increases in complexity and users demand more and more instant capabilities, security is ... at the forefront of everything we do to ensure our nation's defense information is kept safe."
A maximum capacity of 2,000 users in 2007 has since increased to 4,000 concurrent users, Hale noted, but recent demands have accelerated capacity expansion.
"Under normal circumstances, that would be a good model; however, DCO capacity requirements have significantly increased by 33 percent during the last 60 to 90 days," he said.
To address the increased demand, DISA officials expedited a previously planned expansion project, and will double current capacity within the week.
"We will make several system upgrades within six to eight weeks which will allow us to add additional capacity beyond 8,000 in a streamlined fashion, as dictated by mission partner usage," Hale said.
Rivera said Defense Connect Online was DISA's first large endeavor as part of the agency's emergence into enterprise services. Another is enterprise email service. The Army was the first adopter of DOD Enterprise Email (DEE), said Alan Lewis, DISA's program executive officer for enterprise services.
"We currently have over 800,000 users on that system and are growing rapidly," Lewis said. "In the next two months, we'll have 1.5 million users on that system." Users include members of the Army, the Joint Staff and various combatant commands, among other military agencies, Lewis added.
DISA is the main service provider of high-end applications to DOD, its senior leaders said.
"What you're seeing is large growth across the board in terms of the service offerings from DISA to the entire department," Lewis said, noting plans to integrate mobile capabilities into all platforms.
Rivera said collaboration with the Army to determine whether or not the ventures were fiscally sound were worthwhile. "The results indicated that the Army would save around $74 million annually when moving to DEE versus them doing it themselves," Rivera said.
With an expected 1.4 million Army users taking advantage of DEE, other enterprise services such as the DOD Enterprise Portal Service and DCO consolidate common usage applications into large-scale platforms to bring cost savings to taxpayers, Hale said.
"Every organization is trying to save as much as possible to meet their mission needs," Hale said. "By offsetting the cost for these common services that everybody expects [and] using enterprise services, it allows organizations to focus their dollars back into their mission."
Rivera expressed confidence that Defense Connect Online and similar enterprises will weather the fiscal storm.
"It is one of those efficiency applications that the department can recognize as we look at ... strong budget cuts going on," he said. "This is one of our key enterprise applications that will continue to be a critical element as we move forward in this budget-constrained environment."
Rivera said he expects mission partners to use the enterprise not only for meetings, but also for operational discussions, distance learning and other capabilities.
Related Sites:
Defense Information Systems Agency
Defense Connect Online
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The longest-running U.S. military exercise
02/11/2013 09:35 AM CST Mon, Feb 11, 2013 at 9:10 PM
Exercise Cobra Gold 2013 Kicks Off in Thailand
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 - The commander of U.S. Pacific Command kicked off the longest-running U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in Thailand today, calling the 13,000 multinational participants guardians of future peace and prosperity.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III marked the opening of the 32st iteration of Cobra Gold hosted by Thailand and the United States since 1980.
Cobra Gold began as a bilateral U.S.-Thai exercise, but expanded more than a decade ago to include other regional partners to advance their common goals and security commitments in the Asia-Pacific region, officials said.
Cobra Gold 2013, which runs through Feb. 21, brings together the militaries of United States, Thailand and five other Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Twenty additional nations have sent observers, including, for the first time, Burma.
"Whether you are a participant or an observer, or whether you have been here for 32 years or this is your first year, your being here demonstrates your country's resolve to peace and stability in this region and in the world," Locklear said at the opening ceremonies. "It is critical to building our multinational coordination, our interoperability with all of our partners in the region and to allow us to collectively respond to crises and protect the peace and prosperity of all our people."
This year's exercise will be demanding, as it prepares participants "for a broad spectrum of challenges we are going to face together," the admiral said. The ambitious training schedule includes a staff exercise, senior leader engagements and "humanitarian and civic projects we will do together, field training we will do together, [and] live-fire events we will do together," he said.
Highlights will include an amphibious assault demonstration that includes attack jets, helicopters, landing craft and small boats; small-boat and helicopter raids; a multilateral noncombatant evacuation operation; a combined arms live-fire exercise; and jungle warfare and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training.
All are designed, Locklear said, to "replicate the dynamic environment we find ourselves in today and [expect] in the future." He challenged the participants to take advantage of the training opportunities at Cobra Gold to build the bonds and capabilities that ensure they will be prepared.
"Working together, we will meet the challenges and forge a brighter future for the region and the world," he said.
Marines with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force's Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, arrived in Thailand last week to partner with Royal Thai Marines to build a schoolhouse at Ban Nam Chiao Elementary School in Lam Ngob district. Another civic project planned during the exercise is construction of a one-story multipurpose building for the Baan Hua Wang Krang School in Thailand's Muang district.
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III
Exercise Cobra Gold 2013 Kicks Off in Thailand
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 - The commander of U.S. Pacific Command kicked off the longest-running U.S. military exercise in the Pacific in Thailand today, calling the 13,000 multinational participants guardians of future peace and prosperity.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III marked the opening of the 32st iteration of Cobra Gold hosted by Thailand and the United States since 1980.
Cobra Gold began as a bilateral U.S.-Thai exercise, but expanded more than a decade ago to include other regional partners to advance their common goals and security commitments in the Asia-Pacific region, officials said.
Cobra Gold 2013, which runs through Feb. 21, brings together the militaries of United States, Thailand and five other Asian countries: Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Twenty additional nations have sent observers, including, for the first time, Burma.
"Whether you are a participant or an observer, or whether you have been here for 32 years or this is your first year, your being here demonstrates your country's resolve to peace and stability in this region and in the world," Locklear said at the opening ceremonies. "It is critical to building our multinational coordination, our interoperability with all of our partners in the region and to allow us to collectively respond to crises and protect the peace and prosperity of all our people."
This year's exercise will be demanding, as it prepares participants "for a broad spectrum of challenges we are going to face together," the admiral said. The ambitious training schedule includes a staff exercise, senior leader engagements and "humanitarian and civic projects we will do together, field training we will do together, [and] live-fire events we will do together," he said.
Highlights will include an amphibious assault demonstration that includes attack jets, helicopters, landing craft and small boats; small-boat and helicopter raids; a multilateral noncombatant evacuation operation; a combined arms live-fire exercise; and jungle warfare and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training.
All are designed, Locklear said, to "replicate the dynamic environment we find ourselves in today and [expect] in the future." He challenged the participants to take advantage of the training opportunities at Cobra Gold to build the bonds and capabilities that ensure they will be prepared.
"Working together, we will meet the challenges and forge a brighter future for the region and the world," he said.
Marines with 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force's Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, Marine Aircraft Group 36, arrived in Thailand last week to partner with Royal Thai Marines to build a schoolhouse at Ban Nam Chiao Elementary School in Lam Ngob district. Another civic project planned during the exercise is construction of a one-story multipurpose building for the Baan Hua Wang Krang School in Thailand's Muang district.
Biographies:
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III
Related Sites:
U.S. Pacific Command
Special Report: U.S. Pacific Command
U.S. Pacific Command
Special Report: U.S. Pacific Command
Sunday, February 10, 2013
PUCL Statement on the Hanging of Afzal Guru
PUCL statement on execution of Afzal Guru deathpenalty |
270-A, Patpar Ganj, Opposite Anand Lok Apartments (Gate No. 2),Mayur Vihar-I, Delhi 110 091
Phone: (011) 2275 0014 PP FAX: (011) 4215 1459
Founder: Jayaprakash Narayan; Founding President: V M Tarkunde
President: Prabhakar Sinha (Bihar); General Secretary: V Suresh (TN & Puducherry); Treasurer: Ritu Priya, Delhi.
Vice-Presidents: (all names in alphabetic order) Binayak Sen (Chhattisgarh); P. B. D’Sa (Karnataka); Ravi Kiran Jain (U.P.); Sanjay Parikh (Delhi). Secretaries:Ch
Vice-Presidents: (all names in alphabetic order) Binayak Sen (Chhattisgarh); P. B. D’Sa (Karnataka); Ravi Kiran Jain (U.P.); Sanjay Parikh (Delhi). Secretaries:Ch
N. Delhi, 09.02.2013
The PUCL condemns the hanging of Afzal Guru in Tihar Jail early in the morning (9.2.2013) today.
The tearing hurry with which Afzal Guru was hanged, accompanied by the flouting of all established norms by not giving his family their legal right to meet him before taking him to the gallows, clearly indicates that there were political considerations behind taking this step. More shameful is the explanation of the Home department that the wife and family of Afzal Guru were intimated of the hanging by a mail sent by Speed Post and Registered Post. Decency and humanity demanded that the Union Government give prior intimation to the family and an opportunity to meet him. Such a surreptitious action of the government also deprives the family of Afzal Guru to right to seek legal remedy.
PUCL also condemns the repressive stand of the Delhi police in not allowing a group of people who were protesting against the hanging and detaining them in police stations. We are equally concerned by reports that right-wing goons were permitted by the police to use violence against the protestors. PUCL asserts the right of citizens to dissent and express their opposition to capital punishment in a peaceful manner.
PUCL reiterates its demand for the abolition of the death penalty. PUCL is of the view that India must not retain in its statute book something so abhorrent to human rights as the death penalty. More especially, when more than one hundred and fifty countries have banned or put a moratorium on it. PUCL feels that as the land of Buddha and Gandhi, death penalty has no place.
PUCL feels that starting with Kasab, now with Afzal Guru, the country is going to witness a spate of executions. We give a call to the nation to break this spiral of executions.
Prabhakar Sinha (President) V Suresh (General Secretary)
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