Defense releases IT reference models

The Defense Department plans to simplify information technology processes and investments to achieve better use of hardware and software militarywide and to better communicate IT needs and projects to White House officials.

DOD issued last month a framework to describe, analyze and improve IT governance to better serve warfighters and citizens. The new reference models will let officials achieve internal and external regulatory compliance, interoperability and network-centricity, according to department documents.

"The lack of a DOD Enterprise Architecture Reference Model set to support cross-DOD collaboration is a key barrier to the success of the secretary of Defense transformation goals and the initiatives approved by the President's Management Council in October 2001," defense document states.

The framework consists of five reference models:

• DOD Enterprise Business.
• Service-Component.
• Technical.
• Data.
• Performance.

Department officials want the models to align architecture with their mission, lower cost of compliance with Office of Management and Budget requirements, decrease the cost of IT and reduce redundant systems.

"The DOD Enterprise Architecture Reference Models will also assist DOD architects by promoting the sharing of a common taxonomy that will facilitate improved IT decisions by the mission area executive and managers," according to the April 29 memorandum, "Department of Defense Enterprise Architecture Reference Models,"

The reference models follow DOD, Army and Air Force initiatives during the past 10 months to update their enterprise and logistics architectures. For more information on the reference models, go to: http://www.dod.mil/nii/entprsarch/DoD_EA_Executive_Summary.htm.