Resistance from the Air Force will slow progress on the creation of a Defense Knowledge Online Web portal for the Defense Department’s 4 million-plus computer users. The service has decided not to join DKO for at least the next two years because it wants to continue investing in its own portal.
Lt. Gen. Charlie Croom, director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, and Lt. Gen. Steven Boutelle, Army chief information officer, envisioned DKO as a model for joint program development and speedy acquisition of information technology at DOD. But Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, the Air Force’s chief information officer, said the service’s portal, which is part of the Global Combat Support System-Air Force (GCSS-AF), is better suited to help the Air Force perform its mission.
Army Knowledge Online (AKO) is focused on user services, such as connecting deployed soldiers with family members, he said.
Peterson based his assessment on the priorities, design and architecture of the Air Force portal, he told reporters at an Air Force IT Day last week, sponsored by AFCEA International’s Northern Virginia chapter.
“We’ve already migrated many of our systems” to GCSS-AF, Peterson said. The Air Force drives down the costs of maintaining its systems by using GCSS-AF’s technical framework, he said. And the service continues to build new systems according to that model.
In two years, however, the GCSS-AF contract will expire. By that time, Peterson said, the Army and DISA will be ready to consider a departmentwide contract for a DKO portal that the Air Force would be willing to join. Such a contract would address all of the services’ needs.
“Until that contract comes out, we are not going to move to DKO/AKO,” Peterson said. “We can’t.” The Air Force would be paying too much for an unneeded capability if it moved to DKO now, he added.
Several sources said the Navy is also hesitant to begin transitioning its portal users to DKO. Navy officials could not be reached for comment.
Development continues DISA and the Army will push ahead on developing DKO, despite a lack of funding contributions from the Navy and Air Force, said Col. Jim Barrineau, AKO’s director. DKO will be based on the AKO portal infrastructure.
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