Information is the lifeblood of modern military organizations. But managing a variety of data needs from battlefield sensors to base scheduling and logistics systems is a delicate balancing act. It falls on system administrators and their commanders to keep communications networks running and connected while following strategic operational goals.
These challenges will be examined at the Director of Information Management/Army Knowledge Management (DOIM/AKM) conference, taking place August 30 through September 3 at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Called “Securing Information Enterprise for Battle Command,” the event is sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Chief Information Officer (CIO/G-6), and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command (NETCOM/9th ASC).
The goal of the conference is to gather the Army’s DOIMs in one place to discuss issues, share information and hear from the Army G-6, Lt. Gen. Steven W. Boutelle, explains AFCEA International Executive Vice President Lt. Gen. John A. Dubia, USA (Ret). The event serves as a forum with keynote speakers, specialized technical tracks and presentations.
A major difference between this year’s conference and its predecessors is that, it combines two events: the DOIM and Army Knowledge Management conferences. Gen. Dubia notes that this is the first time that this has taken place. He explains that Gen. Boutelle wanted a greater return on investment for conference attendees by having them gain new perspectives on information technology issues by meeting other DOIMs and knowledge management experts in one forum.
Although it is an Army event, the conference also stresses joint and coalition interoperability. For example, some of the European DOIMs will discuss coalition operations and the challenges associated with them. The general notes that the DOIM/AKM conference is also a place for industry representatives to contact their military and government counterparts. AFCEA International is bringing together more than 300 industry exhibitors to display solution and capability sets at the event. “It provides a great opportunity for industry to talk with individual customers and to have users talk directly to industry. This enhances the return on investment for both parties,” he says.
Conference speakers include Lt. Gen. Steven W. Boutelle, USA, the Army’s chief information officer; Dr. Linton Wells II, acting secretary of defense, Networks and Information Integration; Joe Capps, director, Enterprise Systems Technology Activity, NETCOM/9th Army Signal Command; Vernon M. Bettencourt Jr., U.S. Army deputy chief information officer; Maj. Gen. Dennis C. Morgan, principal director for information operations, networks and space, Office of the Army CIO; Gary L. Winkler, Principal Director of Enterprise Integration, Office of the Army CIO; Marlin Forbes, vice president, MCI Defense and International Markets; Joe Logue, vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton; and Michael Dell, chairman of Dell Incorporated.
The conference features 10 separate tracks for panel discussions. Topics include service management, Web services, enterprise systems, architecture and operations, information assurance, knowledge management and training, and e-government transformation.
Additional information about the DOIM/AKM conference is available at
www.afcea.org/doim2004.
