PEO Perspective: January 2021

Happy New Year!

I hope the calendar year transition finds you invigorated and ready for a rewarding year in 2021!

2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

Following tradition, I’d like to take a look back on 2020.

Despite the challenges of a worldwide pandemic and the monumental transition of most PEO EIS staff to full-time telework and virtual events, the EIS team made clear progress in our efforts to achieve our vision of becoming the recognized leader in delivering integrated and cost-effective information systems and information technology solutions across the Department of Defense (DOD). I could not be more proud of all that we have accomplished; here are just a few of the highlights:

Business Mission Area:

• Within our Army Data and Analytics Platforms (ARDAP) portfolio, our Army Vantage data analytics platform went into full production mode and quickly made a huge impact on the Army and broader DOD community. Thanks to the platform’s ability to help users visualize and analyze data, commanders were able to make informed strategic and operational decisions in the battle against COVID-19. Command teams across the Army started using the newly integrated Commander’s Risk Reduction Toolkit to assess unit readiness. And contracting officers were able to free up more funds for high-priority projects.


• Our recently renamed Defense Integrated Business Systems or “DIBS” portfolio also had a big success this past summer. In collaboration with many public and private partners, we successfully migrated our General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS) enterprise financial management system to the cloud over Independence Day weekend — a full seven months ahead of schedule. This success has set the stage for the future migration of our logistics ERP programs to the cloud and represents an important step in the Army’s overall ERP modernization effort. Our Business Mission Area team has made tremendous strides in cloud migration, closely aligning with the Army’s Enterprise Cloud Management Office (ECMO). And given the pivot and demand for virtual capability this year, our Army Training Information System (ATIS) Army e-learning system registered over 21,000 new users and completed over 700,000 courses.  


• In March 2020, Integrated Personnel and Pay System ­– Army Increment II (IPPS-A Inc. II) successfully rolled out on schedule to the entire Army National Guard (ARNG) in all 54 ARNG states and territories. The online system provides modernized HR capabilities to over 350,000 personnel and over 8,000 HR professionals. Most recently, IPPS-A celebrated its one millionth transaction! Next year at this time, we’ll be recognizing the success of Release 3, which is on schedule for deployment in December 2021 to bring all Army soldiers into one single talent management system. I’d also like to recognize the MC4 team for supporting 72 Army and Navy units located here and abroad to aid COVID-19 response efforts.

Networks, Cyber & Services:

• Instrumental in supporting Army network modernization efforts, Defense Communications and Army Transmissions Systems (DCATS) had a busy year here and abroad. The Land Mobile Radio (LMR) program completed infrastructure upgrades on the Korean peninsula a year-and-a-half earlier than projected. The upgrade included 10 main sites and four geographic areas. The new LMR system will greatly enhance communications within U.S. Army Korea’s area of responsibility, providing efficiencies and economies of scale regarding operations and maintenance.


• Also, Power Projection Enablers (P2E) Pacific completed the final of four phases of its asynchronous transfer mode/synchronous optical network replacement project in Korea on Sept. 30, resulting in a high-speed and redundant multiprotocol label switching network spanning the country. This effort sets the stage for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to assume ownership of transport in Korea -- a task which was impossible until now. P2E’s work also provided direct cost savings to the Army by spreading the total bill across military departments.


• Meanwhile, here at home, our Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (I3MP), responsible for modernizing the Army’s networked information infrastructure, recently completed a tech refresh for the 101st Airborne Division’s home station mission command center (HSMCC) at Fort Campbell, seven weeks ahead of schedule. The 101st Airborne Division’s HSMCC was the twelfth site that I3MP has updated since 2017. And just last month, I3MP responded to the legacy voice system that crashed at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis McChord, affecting nearly 8,000 phone lines. The team responded and migrated the medical center to a modern voice over internet protocol system.


• Within the Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) portfolio, Cyber Platforms and Systems (CP&S) delivered 86 Deployable Defensive Cyberspace Operations System-Modular (DDS-M) kits and 48 upgrade sets at an approximate cost of $1.8 million. This initiative helped equip multiple cyber protection teams to conduct real-world defensive missions. DDS-M now allows Soldiers to travel with their kits in airplane overhead carry-on space and to operate in various unique deployment scenarios. DCO is also the only Army organization selected to participate in the DOD Software and Technology Budget Activity 8 (BA8) pilot. This effort enables the project office to use one appropriation type to fund research and development, procurement, or operations and maintenance activities. This effort focuses on simplifying programming and budgeting for rapidly changing efforts using an agile development model.


• Moving over to our Enterprise Services (ES) portfolio, our Enterprise Content Collaboration and Messaging (EC2M) program assumed a high profile earlier this year when the COVID-19 crisis forced the Army to adopt a virtual work posture. EC2M launched a three-sprint effort to roll out Microsoft Office 365 to  more than 1.4 million Army users worldwide. This modernization initiative aims to increase the Army’s productivity, collaboration and data security. Additionally, demonstrating our ability to adapt in a virtual posture, our team at Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Enterprise Systems and Services (ALTESS) continued to serve as the primary Army Enterprise Data Center, ensuring 100 percent availability to over 70 customers and 123 applications and systems.


• What we do here at PEO EIS has a direct impact on readiness and the attention of our most senior leaders. Earlier this year, I realigned the Accessions Information Environment (AIE) program as a direct report to me, and we are on track to deliver the wave 1 pilot next April. This pilot will provide recruiters with the ability to perform lead generation, prospecting, interviewing and processing of enlisted recruits. The Army met its end strength goal this year of 485,000 Soldiers, and I’m proud that our team will provide a critical capability that has a direct impact on recruiters’ ability to do their jobs assessing future Soldiers.


• The Enterprise IT as a Service (EITaaS) team was able to award the modifications for implementation of technical solutions for all three EITaaS industry partners at a total value of $184 million on the last day of FY20. This was the culmination of more than three months of successful problem-solving and work by the EITaaS team — re-phasing the program so that the first-year costs could be more evenly spread over the five-year acquisition schedule. Their efforts will allow the EITaaS pilot to continue to shape the future of Army IT services. 

A LOOK AHEAD

What will 2021 bring across PEO EIS? For the most part, we will be executing on all the groundwork begun on long-term projects mapped out in 2020 and previous years.

We have the cloud migration efforts and all that will entail (an enormous undertaking but critical to our modernization goals). We also will oversee the initial operating capability rollout for contract writing, as well as more capability jobs for Global Combat Support System – Army (GCSS-Army).

As Abraham Lincoln said: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

I look forward to a successful future alongside our workforce teammates, stakeholders and industry partners in the New Year, creating tools, systems, teams and projects that make a difference in our world and in the lives of every Soldier.

I am proud to lead this team as PEO, and I look forward to all that 2021 brings.

I hope your time with family, friends and loved ones this holiday season was filled with many blessings, and I look forward to jumping back into the critically important work of Connecting the Army and Working for Soldiers.

Better days are ahead. Thank you for all you do, and Happy New Year!

Ross R. Guckert, Program Executive Officer, PEO EIS

Connecting the Army. Working for Soldiers.