Defense approves new info framework

John Stenbit, the Defense Department's chief information officer, recently approved version 2.0 of the Global Information Grid architecture which incorporates the latest lessons learned from military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The information grid connects warfighters around the world. All planned defense and national security systems must comply with the grid's architecture, said John Osterholz, director of architecture and interoperability in Stenbit's office. The framework includes guidelines for tying together major systems and a set of largely commercial standards.

The latest version of the GIG architecture describes "capabilities-based, net-centric operations and warfare information management and assurance requirements for military operations worldwide," Osterholz said.

Osterholz said the grid's earlier version looked only at Central Command's operations in southwest Asia, and was not a net-centric architecture. Version 2.0 covers Central Command, Northern Command and Combined Forces Korea and includes continuity of operations, force allocation, and a fully net-centric design. And, incorporating lessons from Afghanistan and Iraq, the information grid now lets units in the field directly access ISR and strategic weapons systems, provides more support to platforms on the move, and allows cooperative use of sensor data and use of tactical units as reporting sensors, Osterholz said.