The lawsuit argued the army should be stopped from moving forward on an unlawful and riskprone software development project that would. System administrator dcgs weapons system silent professionals. The army turns to a former legal opponent to fix its intel. Soldiers overwhelmingly reject equipment and systems which are difficult to employ. Jul 01, 20 the command, which oversees operations involving navy seals and other elite troops, last year added the software to its version of a military wide intelligence system called the distributed common. All military branches and their special operations forces use dcgs to share intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, supporting the department of defenses need to share policy, adopted in the wake. Dcgsa does not provide the functionality needed by deployed intelligence soldiers, according to the document, a copy of which was obtained by military. Army announces longawaited dcgs contract defense systems. Employer is seeking a senior systems administrator for fulltime contract employment at otis air national guard base massachusetts. Lessons learned drive dcgsa forward signal magazine. This is accomplished through a scalable, modular, open architecture that enables interoperability for the collection, processing, exploitation, dissemination and archiving of all forms of intelligence. Apr 01, 2017 the dcgs a program relies on sprs to discover software glitches and develop remedies. The tenets, components, and philosophy of this aspect of.
Mar 27, 2019 while the dcgsa contract marks palantirs only deal with the military big enough to have its own line item with congress, the company does have existing military ties. Peo digital soupsup intel sharing software hanscom air. Applying agile techniques to all aspects of the redesign, we rebuilt dcgs with an open architecture and commercialofftheshelf hardware and software. Feb 28, 2020 the dcgs a ipcv1 provides the infrastructure to host storage and compute capacity for dcgs a mission software, as well as providing networking, searchretrieval capability through access to the dcgs integrated backbone dib, and data management. Distributed common ground system army dcgsa increment 1. Dcgsa is fielding new software and hardware across the army. The armys must refocus on usability if it truly wants to maximize the. Another piece of software that has seen its share of tribulations is known as the distributed common ground system, or dcgs. Improve reliability by tracking and correcting software faults. The senior systems administrator will provide network, mission and maintenance support for the usaf and us government agency operators for the dcgs angsq272 sentinel weapons system.
The motion also requests that the court order the army which is nearing a contract award for dcgsa inc. Sprs provide details of the malfunction so engineers can develop software patches inserted via monthly and quarterly cecom software updates. The army brings the cloud to the battlefield fedtech. Palantir who successfully sued the army has won a major. The distributed common ground system, dcgs, is designed to meet the isr needs. Dcgsn makes maximum use of mature commercial governmentofftheshelf and joint services software, tools and standards to provide a scalable, modular and extensible multisource capability that is interoperable with the other service and agency dcgs systems. The distributed common ground system, dcgs, is designed to meet the isr needs of commanders.
Distributed common ground systemarmy dcgs a is the united states armys primary system to post data, process information, and disseminate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr information about the threat, weather, and terrain to echelons. Raytheon is the incumbent integrator on the dcgsa contract. The capability integrates, visualizes and analyzes led threats to us, coalition, and isaf forces. Hardware includes user laptops and desktops, fixed, portable and vehiclemounted servers, and ground stations to receive, share and store collected intelligence. Software tools allow users to select and pull from dcgsas 700plus data sources, perform analysis and share intelligence products. The war over soontobeoutdated army intelligence systems. It was to be the armys primary and allencompassing system for intelligence processing, analysis, and dissemination. Dcgsa tactical ground station general dynamics mission.
Software tools allow users to select and pull from dcgsas 700plus data. Army posts pm dcgsa rfi intelligence community news. Jun 04, 2019 rsam will improve the resiliency and software assurance for global positioning system receivers until military code mcode and pnt solutions are fully implemented. As the service spent billions to develop dcgsa, actual users of the system. Oct, 2015 the air force distributed common ground system af dcgs, also referred to as the angsq272 sentinel weapon system, is the air forces primary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr planning and direction, collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and dissemination pcpad weapon system. Interoperability software based on international military messaging standards. The vehiclemounted tactical ground station tgs is part of the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgs a, the armys primary capability for posting, processing and distributing real time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr information to intelligence analysts and commanders. The distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is an intelligence system that was designed for intelligence analysts to access full spectrum intelligence and produce analytical intelligence products. The vehiclemounted tactical ground station tgs is part of the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa, the armys primary capability for posting, processing and distributing real time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr information to intelligence analysts and commanders.
Development work on the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa began in 2000. Mar 23, 2014 dcgsa does not provide the functionality needed by deployed intelligence soldiers, according to the document, a copy of which was obtained by military. The army has chosen palantir technologies to deploy a complex. During an otherwise uneventful congressional hearing this past april, us army chief of staff. Dcgs mc is working to migrate all of its inherent legacy program baselines into a common hardware and software baseline. Palantir wins competition to build army intelligence system the. Providing enhanced force protection, quick distribution of orders and messages, faster coordination, and shared situational awareness. Agile software development will be key for the military. Aug 21, 20 dcgs is a suite of software tools and applications, supplied by multiple vendors, for intelligence processing and dissemination to troops, coalition partners, and intelligence agencies. Distributed common ground system army in the brigade combat. Improve the cybersecurity posture in all army tactical networks.
The new technology tools will be part of an existing intelligence system, the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa, which the army is updating and moving to a private cloud. From strategy to operations to tactics, from reachback facilities to the tactical edge of the battlefield, palantir defense gives the warfighter immediate access to the latest critical information, removing the technical barriers to better datadriven decision making. Rsam will improve the resiliency and software assurance for global positioning system receivers until militarycode mcode and pnt solutions are fully implemented. The washington post reports that the silicon valley data analytics company was tapped over traditional defense contractor raytheon on the project, which tasks palantir with delivering a. The department of defenses response to this need is a global network in which both military and government agencies have access to timesensitive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr data. Palantir has argued that its software platform is preferable to a multiproduct intelligence system that includes a mix of commercial tools and bespoke military software. Successful employment of dcgs a enables commanders decisionmaking process. Successful employment of dcgsa enables commanders decisionmaking process.
The distributed common ground system dcgs is a system which produces military intelligence for multiple military branches. Mar 29, 2019 the armys previous internal development path for its intelligence software suite has long been marred in controversy. Oct 16, 2017 applying agile techniques to all aspects of the redesign, we rebuilt dcgs with an open architecture and commercialofftheshelf hardware and software. We realize that a brigade commander is going to deal with tons of data, especially with the nextgeneration sensors that will be at the forward edge of a. The distributed common ground system dcgs is a system which produces military. Another unit reported using arcgis rather than dcgs similar tools, as well as using palantir, a commercial intelligence software that has supporters within the military including the marine corps and special forces and congress, but which the army has resisted incorporating into its system. These efforts will result in a common geospatial intelligence geoint server and workstation baseline that will replace the existing individual teg, tpc, tmp, and vipmc systems, that provides equal or greater capability. Air force use, the system produces intelligence collected by the u2 dragonlady, rq4 global hawk, mq9 reaper and mq1 predator. In todays modern battlespace, intelligence is the driver of operations. The army announced on march 8 that palantir and raytheon were both winners in the commercial competition for work on the armys distributed common ground system. Palantir, as a commercial option that has been discussed alongside dcgs, competes with several of the dcgs applications rand board of trustees member michael e. Robert collins, the armys program manager for dcgsa.
The dcgs software system enables interoperability for dataintelligence collection, processing, exploitation, dissemination and archiving. May 01, 2016 the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is designed to serve the need for analysis and fusion of all the armys intelligence products. Distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is a systemofsystems that supports the intelligence warfighting function to assist the commanders visualization and understanding of the threat and other relevant aspects of the operational environment. Dcgs integrates new and emerging capabilities into an open architecture that is network agnostic and will enable seamless data management from tasking to collection to near realtime dissemination to the. Part of the problem with dcgs, alleges palantir, is that the armys system consists of too many contractors producing too many software products that are all. Dcgsa is a system of systems and consists of more than 60 components.
Palantir claims army misled to keep it out of dcgsa program. How software is eating the military and what that means. Taking this approach with dcgsa, the army looked at a variety of systems in an evaluation and then ultimately chose both raytheon and palantir to provide offerings, which army intelligence. Successful employment of dcgsa enables commanders decision. The command, which oversees operations involving navy seals and other elite troops, last year added the software to its version of a militarywide. Distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is a systemofsystems that. The vehiclemounted tactical ground station tgs is part of the distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa, the armys primary capability for posting. Robert collins, the armys program manager for dcgsa, said in the statement. The worlds most comprehensive professionally edited abbreviations and acronyms database all trademarksservice marks referenced on this site are properties of their respective owners. It incorporates the common hardware solution known as the mounted family of computer systems. The intelligence staff will use dcgs a increment 1 to provide a persistent and dynamic view of the operational environment to the commander. The armys previous internal development path for its intelligence software suite has long been marred in controversy.
As technology improves, capabilities within the program also improve. Dcgs is a suite of software tools and applications, supplied by multiple vendors, for intelligence processing and dissemination to troops, coalition partners, and intelligence agencies. How software is eating the military and what that means for. The army called the system dcgsa software baseline 1. Successful employment of dcgsa enables commanders decisionmaking process by cw2 bryce e. Joint battle commandplatform jbcp, fielded to the first unit equipped in may 2015, is the armys nextgeneration, friendly force tracking system, equipping soldiers with a faster satellite network, secure data encryption and advanced logistics. Distributed common ground system raytheon intelligence. The previous system of similar use was the deployable ground station dgs.
Dcgs a increment 1 fuses data for integration into a common operational picture and supports a prediction of enemy intent based upon an understanding of actions. Palantir just landed a landmark contract with the u. Distributed common ground system army in the brigade. The distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is designed to serve the need for analysis and fusion of all the armys intelligence products. Dcgsa assists in the application of the intelligence core competencies intelligence synchronization, intelligence operations and intelligence analysis through the ability to apply the intelligence process and to leverage the intelligence. Dcgsmc is working to migrate all of its inherent legacy program baselines into a common hardware and software baseline. Us special operations forces are clamoring to use software from silicon valley company palantir. Contract term is 6 months with the potential to convert to ft employee. Military and naval science commanders employment military aspects decision making decisionmaking. A portion of the software, a distributed data framework for the dcgs.
Mission the air force distributed common ground system af dcgs, also referred to as the angsq272 sentinel weapon system, is the air forces primary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr planning and direction, collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and dissemination pcpad weapon system. Calling for a timeout in the army intelligence software. Dcgsa provides commanders the ability to task battlespace sensors and receive intelligence information from multiple sources. The contract would require palantir to build an intelligence system to aid soldiers in remote environments, called an army distributed common ground system, known as a dcgsa. While the dcgsa contract marks palantirs only deal with the military big enough to have its own line item with congress, the company does have existing military ties. Distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa increment 1. The dcgsa program relies on sprs to discover software glitches and develop remedies. Dcgsa tactical ground station general dynamics mission systems. Army wrestles with competing intel analysis software tools. Mar 26, 2019 in march 2018, the army chose palantir and raytheon to vie for the next phase of the distributed common ground system or dcgs a, for army, which lets users gather and analyze information about. Raytheon is the incumbent integrator on the dcgs a contract.
Throughout the history of armed conflict, military commanders have wrestled with the difficulties of what we currently call mission command. Sep 07, 2017 the dcgs software system enables interoperability for dataintelligence collection, processing, exploitation, dissemination and archiving. Dcgs is designed to meet the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs of joint and combined task force commanders. The dcgsa distributed common ground system army is meant to be the one resource that army intel analysts can use to find links between events, build dossiers on highlevel targets, and. In recent years, the system has received scrutiny from members of the united states congress due to its perceived lack of effectiveness. In march 2018, the army chose palantir and raytheon to vie for the next phase of the distributed common ground system or dcgsa, for army, which lets users gather and analyze information about. All military branches and their special operations forces use dcgs to share intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, supporting the department of defenses. Distributed common ground system army dcgsa software baseline 1. Us special operations forces are clamoring to use software. Peo digital soupsup intel sharing software air force. The dcgsa ipcv1 provides the infrastructure to host storage and compute capacity for dcgsa mission software, as well as providing networking, searchretrieval capability through access to the dcgs integrated backbone dib, and data management. Program executive office digital is helping services share intelligence by updating software for the distributed common ground system, or dcgs.
Dcgs n makes maximum use of mature commercial governmentofftheshelf and joint services software, tools and standards to provide a scalable, modular and extensible multisource capability that is interoperable with the other service and agency dcgs systems. Dcgsa increment 1 includes the portable multifunction workstation pmfws, the fixed multifunction workstation fmfws, the geospatial intelligence geoint workstation gws, the intelligence fusion server ifs, the cross domain solution suite cdss, the tactical intelligence ground station tgs, the operational intelligence ground station ogs, and the intelligence processing center ipc. It comprises hardware, laptops, servers and storage, along with software for analysis. Mar 09, 2018 the first capability drop directly addresses the soldiers feedback for improving usability, will enhance the tactical military decision making and intel processes, and support situational understanding at the tactical level, col.
The ipcv1s currently support five mibs globally three conus and two oconus in accordance with. The first capability drop directly addresses the soldiers feedback for improving usability, will enhance the tactical military decision making and intel processes, and support situational understanding at the tactical level, col. Distributed common ground system army dcgsa increment. Pnt is developing rsam solutions for the defense advanced gps receiver dagr and variants of the groundbased gps receiver application module gbgram. Distributed common ground systemarmy dcgsa is the united states armys primary system to post data, process information, and disseminate intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isr information about the threat, weather, and terrain to echelons. In theory, this is a piece of militarygrade enterprise software. The dcgsapalantir debate unintentionally highlighted the problem of usability in major dod software systems.