Session Three: Defence Authority for C4ISR

Editor's Notes

• #20: We have updated the Defence ICT Strategy ready for publication in early Oct 13 (3 years after the current one was published).  As an expression of how the Department must procure and use its ICT to gain maximum advantage from its investments, this new version describes, in outline, the enterprise user requirement and calls upon the user community to raise its game in the expression of information needs and ICT requirements.  It also sets out the key principles that must be applied to the supply of ICT and the controls necessary to ensure the coherence of ICT solutions. We have matured the Defence Information Reference Model (DIRM) and Defence Applications Register to the point where they are now suitable for widespread use.  These artefacts will allow planners, delivers and users to understand where ICT solutions can be made more efficient and more coherent over time, driving out duplication and unnecessary costs.  The DIRM has already been used in conjunction with the Cap Audit to highlight where the Department lacks key ICT enablers (such as Identity and Access Management). We have worked with the Network Authorities, DSAS and the Engineering Group to ensure that the ‘coherence community’ is able to add a value to MOD ICT procurement and use greater than the sum of its parts; workshops continue to refine and simplify working practices. I have taken on the MOD co-Chair of the Joint Information Group (under the Defence Suppliers’ Forum construct).  This group was previously chaired for MOD by Dir JSC but there is widespread recognition that the information issues MOD shares with Industry extend beyond logistics and acquisition and a more enterprise approach will allow us to work better with industry partners to resolve secure information sharing issues. All Spectrum policy and release work has recently been centralised under CTO. Together with Head Network Technical Authority in ISS and Head CST(Land), I am supporting transition to 3* CIO with a study developing principles that will inform decisions on what elements of DE&S (ISS and others) should transfer to JFC
• #21: We are establishing ‘target architectures’ for IF2015 and FF2020 in order to reduce complexity.  This will allow programme boundaries to be better defined and encourage the re-use of existing capabilities where appropriate. As part of the policy review, CTO will work with ISS colleagues to agree how the Technical Controls Framework of the new Government Security Classifications policy can best be applied in MOD; the aim will be to maximise utility of the ICT (especially at Official) while retaining a satisfactory cyber posture. We are working with TLBs to develop a network of ‘trusted agents’ to compliment the existing CTO and Network Authorities.  Once established, these ‘trusted agents’ will provide MOD with the wherewithal to balance better the MOD desire to delegate authorities in pursuit of greater agility and the Government goal to centralise ICT approvals to reduce Govt ICT spend.  We will, over time, gain a better understanding of what it is important to manage centrally, for coherence, and what can be done on a federated basis. We are developing the Network Authorities so that they can play a greater role in the management of inter-programme dependencies.  Individual programmes are well governed but inter-dependencies between them remain poorly understood and neglected.  CTO is well placed to ‘arbitrate’ where programmes see their mutual dependencies differently and where resolution is important to coherent outcomes and minimised costs. We are embarking on an extensive programme of ICT policy rationalisation and simplification, in order to reduce costs and to increase compliance with that which is truly important. The exposition of gaps in key ICT enablers through application of the DIRM to Cap Planning and Delivery will allow the CTO routinely to ‘champion’ those enabling services that are essential to the success of the information architecture (and Defence outputs) but for which no one user is likely to expose a need.  These already include the services necessary to enable secure access and the use of mobile, wireless devices and applications. Using DIRM and the Defence Applications Register, CTO is well placed to drive MOD applications’ rationalisation; there is an extant goal to reduce the portfolio by 20% this FY.
• #22: CTO is leading for DAfC4ISR on the improvement of Innovation in MOD ICT and C4ISR capabilities, including the pull through of relevant MOD and industrial S&T. The biggest challenge to the satisfaction of the Defence ICT Strategy remains our ability to adopt an procurement model (including commercial practices, scrutiny and approvals) that is aligned to Government ICT Policy and better suited to the procurement and use of modern ICT solutions (be they products or services).  Introducing such a transformation must be a key goal of the recruitment of an external MOD CIO. In standing up the new CTO function, there was no new investment of SQEP in the core team, which has only 6 desk officers drawn from the pre-transformed CIO.  This is inadequate for the pace of work required and size and complexity of the enterprise that we are attempting to architect.