Stryker symposium tests collaboration tools

The Army held a worldwide conference of more than 300 Stryker brigade elements last week using the Defense Department’s new collaboration software. The conference was the first large-scale test of the new capability, officials said.

The conference, held Oct. 18 and 19, included participants in the Pacific region, Europe, Iraq and the United States, said John Garing, chief information officer at the Defense Information Systems Agency. Stryker brigades have different operational methods and configurations, mandating the need for independent coordination of tactics and procedures, he said.

Garing and other DISA officials spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the Milcom conference today in Washington, D.C.

The Stryker conference “was a structured conference that had some expectations,” Garing said. DISA had to address issues including delineating speaking priorities, implications for the network and firewalls, he said.

A review will be conducted Oct. 26 to glean lessons learned from the exercise, Garing said.

IBM’s Lotus Sametime Suite was added to DISA’s Defense Knowledge Online Web portal in July, following the award of a $17 million contract. DISA plans to award a second contract for collaboration tools in November, officials said.

That program will operate alongside Sametime on the DKO portal, and both tools will compete for use across DOD.