Letter to the editor

Working as a contractor test and evaluation team member, I've had the opportunity to see the Navy's current state of IT affairs and found that if it continued on the same track, it would cost billions to maintain itself in the long run.

Everyone with an idea on how things can be better and brighter — although it may not necessarily be so — can write or buy an application for their division, apply it and then spend to keep it updated. One of the main issues with this is that there is no control. If the developer leaves, the application is useful until it breaks. This has occurred so many times across the Navy that now it's creating a nightmare to sort out.

NMCI is in its infancy, but as it matures, it will bring order to an otherwise piecemeal infrastructure.

In an earlier letter to the editor, someone mentioned that the Army is going wireless. Great — that technology is also in its infancy and has been proven that unless meticulously scrutinized on a minute-by-minute basis, can be hacked easily ("Wireless hacking kits cheap to compile").

NMCI provides the base for an ever-expanding realm of technologic capability. There is no reason that the Navy can't add wireless technology later on when the technology is ready for departmentwide presentations, videoconferencing and so on.

I've seen firsthand at companies such as General Electric Co. and Motorola Inc. where seat management has succeeded and cut the tremendous maintenance costs that rule the unruly. There are, as in all new things, issues to be worked out; the only way to get them worked out is through deliberate cooperation, knowledge sharing, patience and a positive spirit between the Navy and the Information Strike Force team.

Rod Rosado