ENCLOSURE A

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. The Joint Staff, J-6, will:

     a. Conduct an interoperability requirements certification of MNSs, CRDs, and ORDs, regardless of ACAT level.

     b. Conduct supportability certifications of C4I support plans, regardless of ACAT level.

     c. Conduct interoperability system test validation of all NSS and ITS regardless of ACAT.

     d. Coordinate interoperability and supportability policies, procedures, and programs.

     e. Advise OSD on NSS and ITS interoperability and supportability in the areas of military requirements, research and development (R&D), security assistance, and force planning in concert with J-2, J-3, J-4, J-7, and J-8.

      f. Monitor R&D and acquisition of NSS and ITS in collaboration with J-8.

     g. Convene the MCEB consisting of the senior Service and agency officials responsible for communications-electronics matters and act as chairman (reference f). The MCEB will consider interoperability and supportability matters referred to it by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The board will:

          (1) Act as the senior resolution body for issues related to NSS and ITS, standards, and interoperability testing issues.

          (2) Obtain coordination for issues presented to the board among DOD components, between the Department of Defense and other governmental departments and agencies, and between the Department of Defense and representatives of foreign nations.

          (3) Coordinate and furnish advice, guidance, direction, and assistance among components for NSS and ITS interoperability and supportability matters.

          (4) Establish the following subpanels whose duties in regards to this instruction are as defined:

               (a) The IPTP will oversee conduct of the interoperability certification process, resolve testing issues, and waive requirements for interoperability certification.

               (b) The information assurance panel (IAP) will resolve information assurance (IA) interoperability issues. This includes IA interoperability requirements between US NSS and ITS and those of allies.

               (c) The data systems interoperability panel (DP) will resolve issues involving procedures for tactical information exchange.

              (d) The standards coordinating committee (SCC) will resolve standards issues that arise in the MCEB process.

     h. Designate a POC to act as the J-6 assessment tool executive agent (see Appendix A, Enclosure D).

2. Joint Staff, J-2, will:

     a. Perform intelligence interoperability assessment of MNSs, ORDs, CRDs for all ACATs and forward to the J-6.

     b. Designate a J-2 document assessor POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). There is only one document assessor POC for each organization. The document assessor POC is responsible for identifying who in his/her organization should review a document and for providing the individual the "document assessor" username and password so they can access the J-6 assessment tool. The document assessor username and password are obtained from J-6I.

3. DOD Chief Information Officer (CIO) will:

     a. Ensure the interoperability of NSS and ITS throughout the Department of Defense.

     b. Prescribe NSS and ITS standards that will apply throughout the Department of Defense.

     c. Eliminate duplicate information technology within and between the Military Departments and Defense agencies.

4. US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). As the joint force integrator, USJFCOM will review and confirm the sufficiency of interoperability KPPs and IER matrices for all CRDs and ORDs regardless of ACAT. This evaluation will be based on the warfighter's perspective using a universal joint task list (UJTL)/joint mission-essential task list (JMETL) based assessment process.

5. CINCs will:

     a. Review and comment on all ACAT I/IA and JROC special interest documents that are validated and approved by the JROC. CINCs also are provided the opportunity to review and comment on ACAT II and below documents during the J-2 and J-6 certification processes.

     b. Designate a CINC document submitter POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization will have only one document submitter POC. The document submitter POC identifies the individual within the organization who is authorized to submit documents on-line, and provides that individual the username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document submitter username and password are obtained from J-6I.

     c. Designate a CINC document assessor POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization will have only one document assessor POC. The document assessor POC identifies the individual within the organization who should review a document, and provides the individual with the document assessor username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document assessor username and password are obtained from J-6I.

     d. Participate, as appropriate, in NSS and ITS interoperability testing programs by planning, programming, budgeting, and providing resources IAW agreed-to schedules and test plans. Required interoperability testing and certification will have some impact on schedule and cost of programs. These cost and schedule impacts will need to be added to POM and project cost estimates.

6. Military Services and Defense Agencies will:

     a. Designate a Service or agency document submitter POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization will have only only one document submitter POC. The document submitter POC identifies the individual authorized to submit documents on-line, and provides that individual with the document submitter username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document submitter username and password are obtained from J-6I.

     b. Designate a Service or agency document assessor POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization will have only one document assessor POC. The document assessor POC identifies the individual who reviews a document and provides that individual with the document assessor username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document assessor username and password are obtained from J-6I.

     c. Identify all Service or agency systems that require external joint and combined interfaces with other Service or agency programs and systems.

     d. Ensure ORD interoperability KPPs along with other KPPs and critical technical and operational issues are used to develop the C4ISP and the TEMP.

     e. Ensure the PMs design includes user required external joint and combined system interfaces when modifying systems through coordination with all DOD components and allies.

     f. Participate in configuration management (CM) of interface standards.

     g. Participate in DOD efforts to influence development of non-government standards for supportability of all NSS and ITS. Implement standards in candidate systems and test those implementations for conformance with the standards.

     h. Participate in the MCEB and appropriate subpanels.

     i. Develop, in coordination with DISA (JITC), interoperability test and evaluation criteria for inclusion in acquisition documents, TEMP, and other test plan submissions. Prior to a Milestone III decision approval for all new or modified NSS and ITS, the Services and Defense agencies will ensure those systems undergo interoperability certification testing IAW these criteria. This includes any limited or prototype IOC fielding.

     j. Participate in NSS and ITS interoperability testing programs by planning, programming, budgeting, and providing resources in accordance with agreed-to schedules and test plans. Resources include the Service systems, equipment, and personnel necessary to accomplish interoperability testing. Required interoperability testing and certification will have some impact on schedule and cost of programs. These cost and schedule impacts will need to be added to POM and project cost estimates. The amount of this funding will be coordinated with the sponsor by DISA (JITC) prior to the initiation of DISA (JITC) efforts.

     k. Provide direction to acquisition managers to ensure that all weapon systems that have or depend on NSS and ITS capabilities are tested for interoperability.

     l. Provide guidance to all program managers to ensure that information assurance hardware and software capabilities (tools) are assessed for and meet interoperability requirements as established by the IAP.

7. Director, DISA, will:

     a. Participate in the technical assessment of requirement documents and C4ISPs.

     b. Exercise DISA's role as executive agent for coordinating and integrating the DOD defense information infrastructure (DII) common operating environment (COE) activities.

     c. Exercise DISA’s role as executive agent for coordinating and integrating the DOD ITS standards activities.

     d. Manage the NSS and ITS Standards Program and administer the process to ensure that appropriate standards are available and used, including defining standards requirements and planning, prioritizing, and resourcing standards projects.

     e. Provide guidance, assistance, and information on appropriate use of standards, the applicability of standards to functional areas (e.g., networking), system domains (e.g., intelligence), and program phases (e.g., use of existing standards for imminent acquisitions and use of emerging standards for long-range program planning).

     f. Provide an assessment of the suitability of standards identified in MNSs, CRDs, ORDs, and C4ISPs submitted under this instruction. Standards issues that cannot be resolved will be forwarded by DISA to the SCC of the MCEB.

     g. Provide systems engineering and developmental interoperability testing assistance to system developers to help ensure maximum interoperability and minimum duplication.

     h. Forward interoperability system test certification results to the J-6.

     i. Review all available TEMPs and provide acquisition managers with recommended interoperability test and evaluation criteria for inclusion in acquisition documents and test plans.

     j. Establish and conduct, in collaboration with other DOD components, an interoperability-testing program for NSS and ITS systems.

     k. Certify interoperability and standards implementation or compliance to the MCEB IPTP and to the developmental and operational testing organizations of DOD components.

     l. Submit an annual report to the Joint Staff J-6, USD (AT&L), ASD (C3I), DOT&E, and USJFCOM containing a by-system executive summary of systems tested for interoperability with relevant information regarding certification.

     m. Serve as executive agent for the MCEB IPTP (reference f).

     n. Coordinate with DIA in matters of networking and communications services for the DOD Intelligence Information System (DODIIS).

     o. Facilitate joint interoperability across the global, theater, and tactical network boundaries.

     p. Provide system engineering, planning, and program guidance to the other components to implement solutions and to facilitate joint interoperability.

     q. In coordination with the National Security Agency (NSA), review, coordinate, and define tactical signals intelligence (SIGINT) standards and processes and promote security, integration, interoperability, and data sharing among systems.

     r. Provide test tools and support systems in support of interoperability and standards compliance testing.

     s. Designate a central office to act as a J-6 assessment tool system manager (see Appendix A, Enclosure D).

     t. Designate a document assessor POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization has only one document assessor POC. The document assessor POC identifies the individual within the organization who should review a document and provides that individual with the document assessor username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document assessor username and password are obtained from J-6I.

     u. For systems processing classified information, coordinate with the designated accrediting agent to ensure security testing considerations are addressed in interoperability testing.

     v. Establish and maintain an automated process to schedule testing, monitor certification status, document IATO information, and track uncertified systems as identified.

     w. In coordination with NSA, ensure that there is an adequate level of information assurance to meet the information threat identified.

8. Director, National Security Agency (NSA), will:

     a. Approve all Service and USSOCOM tactical SIGINT investment programs and provide standards compliance and interoperability assessment reports to assist MDAs in production decisions.

     b. Ensure DOD cryptologic programs and US Signals Intelligence Directives (USSIDs) comply with interoperability and supportability policy.

     c. Ensure, in coordination with other DOD components, that requirements for cryptologic systems interoperability are satisfied through the design and development of technical, procedural, and operational interfaces between NSS and ITS systems and those intelligence systems processing foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence information.

     d. Perform CM for cryptologic systems and jointly with DISA perform CM for the interface between cryptologic systems and the NSS and ITS systems.

     e. Designate a document assessor POC for the J-6 assessment tool (see Appendix A, Enclosure D). Each organization has only one document assessor POC. The document assessor POC identifies the individual in the organization who should review a document and provides that individual with the document assessor username and password needed to access the J-6 assessment tool. The document assessor username and password are obtained from J-6I.