Updated global information grid would bring web 2.0 to the Defense Department.

• Author: Jacks, Jason
• Position: Technology

Frustrated that the different communications networks deployed by its four branches aren't always able to speak to one another, the Defense Department is moving forward with a major overhaul of its global information grid.

The grid is the network of computer systems and intranets used to securely store, process and move electronic data among Defense Department personnel around the world.

The major problem with the grid, though, is that many of the servers and applications powering it were built to address the specific needs of the different military services, which means they don't always link up. These are known as "stovepiped" systems. It has been a Iongtime goal of the military to rid itself of these systems and become network-centric, where information is immediately and seamlessly available to everyone in all services.

"We need a flatter, faster and more collaborative information environment," Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael Basla, vice director of command, control, communications and computer systems at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a recent IT industry conference in Vienna, Va.

More so than ever, he added, U.S. troops who are accustomed to communications technology demand reliable ways to share data. "Some soldiers would rather leave without their weapon than leave their PDA behind," he said.

He was addressing defense contractors and members of the northern Virginia chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. He was there, in part, to drum up help from information technology companies in developing the military's next version of its grid--GIG 2.0.

"We don't need another box," Basla told the crowd, adding that he currently has about 40 different communications networks at his disposal. "We have enough boxes. Help us make those boxes talk to each other."

He said the goal of the GIG 2.0 program is to create a single network that the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and allied forces can all plug into. Software, servers and applications for GIG 2.0 will be unified and overseen and maintained by a single command. These changes, Basla said, will make for a more "versatile" and secure grid.

He also said GIG 2.0 will incorporate technology from Web 2:0, or the second generation of the Internet characterized by social-networking sites, data sharing and sites that allow more...