"BlackBerry-like" services for the soldier — Lt. Gen. Sorenson says it’s possible

Right now, LandWarNet is fragmented and lacks standardization. Those are the critical factors holding back the move to an enterprisewide system that gives soldiers the Holy Grail of interactivity—the ability to use a BlackBerry like device with a single phone number and single email address that stays with soldiers as they transition from the continental United States to the [operational area], and lets them access the data they need to prosecute their missions.

That’s the vision of Army chief information officer/G6 Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, who outlined his ideas during a luncheon speech at LandWarNet on Monday.

“An enterprise approach gets a holistic view of the organizational objectives and processes to act cohesively for the good of the organization to achieve the required output,” said Sorenson, adding that the enterprise approach must ensure a secure and seamless LandWarNet, it must work with joint forces, and the soldiers that run it must develop the proper information technology management skills.

Not an easy goal, Sorenson told the LandWarNet audience, but a doable one by addressing four areas: the Network Service Center construct, cyber operations and warfare; knowledge management and the implementation of a data czar; and following through on Program Objective Memorandum 2010-2015.

“The networking challenge is that email addresses are always changing, telephone numbers change, collaborative tools change and file storage systems change,” said Sorenson. “What you have is a constant adjustment and reconfiguration of everything that takes place.

“The ideal end state is universal e-mail, one telephone number, universal file storage and a standard collaboration tool set…you want something like a BlackBerry.”

So how does the CIO/G6 office do that? By combining regional hub nodes, area processing centers, and theatre network operations and security centers into individual Network Service Centers, of which there will be five around the world.

“We are going to create that BlackBerry state for units — not individuals,” said Sorenson. “We will transform LandWarNet and build out the Network Service Centers to provide a network that is continually on. Soldiers will have that BlackBerry experience that we enjoy as individuals.”

It won’t happen with in a year, or even two, but the process of federating by consolidating and standardizing has begun. The Army Enterprise Campaign Plan, in essence the roadmap for the project, is scheduled to be released in October. It will include decision points, milestones and cost. ”