Case Study: Fielding One of the Largest DoD IT Systems, the Reserve Component Automation System (RCAS)
Challenge:
The U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve units have a unique dual mission. The primary mission is to serve as a Federal reserve force. The Guard has an equally important role in support of the states, serving as the first military responders within states during emergencies.
In addition to carrying out more missions in the United States in relation to natural disasters, the Guard has been mobilized for overseas missions, supporting Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and, more recently, peacekeeping in Bosnia, which included deploying and commanding a multinational force.
Facing an expanding role in domestic response and an uncertain national and global security environment in the future, the U.S. Army wanted to administer, manage and mobilize Army National Guard (ARNG) and Reserve forces more effectively. A system was needed to support faster, more efficient mobilization and improve the quality and timeliness of information while reducing the administrative burden. The challenge was especially daunting because such a system would be one of the largest Department of Defense (DoD) information technology systems ever fielded.
Solution:
To improve the operational readiness of the U.S. Army National Guard and Army Reserve units, SAIC is helping develop and manage the Reserve Component Automation System (RCAS). A next generation information network, RCAS provides voice-over-Internet Protocol and has helped improve mobilization by, among other things, speeding up the processing of orders and enhancing communications for overseas deployments as well as disaster relief efforts.
The RCAS program's infrastructure provided through wide area network inter-connectivity, COTS office automation software, and classified capable and unclassified workstations was first approved for fielding in September 1996. Today, with the RCAS infrastructure now fully deployed, the system links approximately 10,000 Guard and Reserve units at more than 4,600 sites located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Europe, and the Pacific Rim. SAIC continues to provide outstanding software development and integration support to 11 functional areas for the U.S. Reserve Component.
RCAS uses state-of-the-art office automation, telecommunication, confederated data bases, and a distributed processing capability to provide timely and accurate information to plan, prepare, and execute mobilization, and to improve the accomplishment of routine daily administrative tasks. It is intended to be a self-sufficient system capable of exchanging data with related information systems.
Benefits:
RCAS has significantly improved the transmission of mobilization data through the chain of command, reducing the time to publish orders and reducing mailing and printing costs by 40 percent. In one example, a total of 1,900 ARNG soldiers were issued orders in four days versus 30 days and were paid for their service in record time: seven days versus 30 days.
RCAS also improved overseas deployment operations. Units in Bosnia used e-mail to quickly correspond with home and State Area Commands. E-mail also provided command and control of disaster operations during Midwest floods.
Total program return on investment is estimated to be 6.8:1.
The RCAS Program is the very first DoD Information System to receive the Clinger-Cohen certification for CIO compliance via the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. In addition, SAIC recently received Earned Value Management System (EVMS) certification on the RCAS program. Developed by industry, EVMS is an international commercial standard for program management.
