Due to Technicial Difficulties...$2.7 Billion Army Cloud-Based Computer System Not Working

The on-going debate about the comparative benefits of 'off the shelf' versus ''sole-sourced' technology just got a little more data. The Army has spent $2.7 billion on a sole-sourced contract for a cloud based system that is designed to collate convergent data and distribute to the appopriate troops in the field. Works in theory, but apparently not so well in practice.

The problem with these sorts of technologies is that they get overloaded by demands from various users:

intelligence, operations, logistics, etc, all of whom have good reasons for wanting what they want, ego reasons for wanting to see their demands surfaced and budgetary reasons for wanting to share costs by combining their needs in one mythical 'we can do it all' system. That is the nature of military contracting. Given the speed, power and effectiveness of 'off the shelf' systems designed for commercial or consumer usage, it appears that forcing competing military users to adapt their needs to existing technologies rather than vice versa will increasingly be the most cost-and-operationally effective procedure. JL

Robert Johnson reports in Business Insider:

"The U.S. Army's $2.7 billion dollar cloud based computer supposed to be helping troops in Afghanistan and Iraq doesn't work and may be doing more harm than good.

Designed to relay real-time intelligence to commanders from multiple sources, the system known as DCGS-A is meant to enable a battlefield officer to search for an insurgent by collecting and relaying information from multiple sources. Instead, analysts say the system is unable to perform "simple analytical tasks," has trouble finding reports, and the mapping software is incompatible with the search software

According to a former Army intelligence officer, "You couldn't share the data." And sharing data is what the computer was designed to do.

The system is also known for going off-line and frequently crashing.

The analysts, who asked their names not be used say it couldn't be any worse.

“Almost any commercial solution out there would be better,” the first said. And the second added: “It doesn’t work. It’s not providing the capabilities that they need.”

If intelligence analysts and commanders had a system that worked, he said, “I can’t comprehend the amount of success that would have happened here or could have happened here.”

Images: Public Intelligence