EXIT CLEMINS. Adm. Archie Clemins, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet and the originator and chief backer of the Navy's IT21 project, plans to retire Dec. 1, according to an email message he sent to his friends and staff. President Clinton has nominated Vice Adm. Thomas Fargo, currently serv
EXIT CLEMINS. Adm. Archie Clemins, commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet and the originator and chief backer of the Navy's IT-21 project, plans to retire Dec. 1, according to an e-mail message he sent to his friends and staff. President Clinton has nominated Vice Adm. Thomas Fargo, currently serving as deputy chief of naval operations for plans and policy, as the new CINCPACFLT. Clemins said he anticipates a change of command on Oct. 8. The Interceptor has not yet been able to determine if Fargo has the same enthusiasm for IT-21 - which has moved from a concept to an undertaking that will command more than a half billion dollars in funding in fiscal 2000 - as Clemins. But I certainly hope so, as I just love covering IT projects that require trips to Hawaii and WesPac.
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OUT OF THE BOTTLE. Art Money - probably the longest-running unnominated senior civilian official in history - who serves as the ASD/C3I, wanted to set the record straight on plans to evolve the Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment (DII COE) as part of the ongoing Global Networked Information Enterprise (GNIE). Money, in a memo sent to practically every assistant secretary in the free world, said an article in FCW earlier this year "implied" that DOD "is walking away from the DII COE. That is not the case," Money wrote.
He added that he continues to "strongly support" the DII COE but then followed with, "As an integral part of the GNIE initiative, we intend to evolve the COE rapidly to meet the minimum essential needs of the broader DOD enterprise for a unified, protected and modernized networking and computing information base for all warfighting and support needs."
I think the operative bit here is "evolve" and not the phrase "walking away." Now all I have to do is figure out how to interpret this very obscure pile of bureaucratic leaves. Anyone want to help?
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WHY NOT A-76? That's the question asked by John Stone, one of the Army systems programmers who could be displaced by the Army's plans to outsource and privatize software centers as part of the planned Wholesale Logistics Modernization Program. Stone, in an e-mail message to Intercept Central, asked why the Army - which obtained a waiver on conducting A-76 studies for WLMP - is "afraid of A-76?" He said the aging Army systems that WLMP would replace "are currently being converted to state-of-the-art [graphical user interfaces] and COTS databases, and our burden rate is $65 an hour."
In a related matter, I have picked up strong signals that the amendment offered by Rep. James Talent (R-Mo.) to the House DOD authorization bill, which would have derailed WLMP, still has life but is flipping like a catfish on a hot dock.
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DISN DELAYZZZ. My Courthouse Road antenna site has picked up strong signals that the multibillion-dollar DISN-PAC award will not occur until at least July, as Peter Smingler and his contracting pals are engaged in an extensive Q-and-A with the only bidders I can identify, MCI WorldCom and Sprint.
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POWER POINT RANGER PATCHES. Thanks to all the folks out there in Fedland who have responded to my request for designs for a patch for the most highly valued techno-warrior of the turn of the millennium: the PowerPoint Ranger. I have decided to empanel an OIPT (Overarching Integrated Patch Team) to judge the entries, and a winner will be selected later this summer. I have asked Microsoft Corp. to provide at least one person for the OIPT.
To access the PP Ranger Creed, go to www.fcw.com/extra.