No More Computer Integration - 12

With all of the hub-bub about Halliburton contracts and other big contracts being debated and decried, it's amazing to the Sniper that the most ridiculous and expensive and needless defense contract out there receives no media attention. If you work in the Department of the Navy, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. NMCI. 4 little letters that mean huge profits for EDS and wasted defense dollars for the Navy.

I honestly believe that Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) came about for good reasons. Many naval and Marine Corps commands, because of budgetary concerns, placed computer hardware and software as low priorities. Therefore, many of these commands had outdated computers and software. NMCI was intended, as can be seen by its name, to remedy that.

But, some 'well-meaning' muckety-muck within DoN decided that it was such a good idea that they should apply it across the entire DoN. Problem was that almost all of the engineering and design activities within DoN have cutting-edge technology because of the nature of their work. NMCI is several steps backward for them. It has impeded many of these activities from doing their jobs. So where NMCI may have been a boon for it's intended clients, it has been a bane for it's 'unintended' clients.

I'm sure whoever made that decision is retired now and draws a nice paycheck from EDS these days. If he didn't manage to get a post-retirement stipend after awarding a $9 BILLION contract, then he's even stupider than I thought. Just think, Congress argued over sending $80 billion to rebuild Iraq. Here was a huge chunk of that change that could have gone toward that effort.

And the loss of technological edge on the civilian side of DoN doesn't end with the computers. As noted by Rear Adm. Anthony Lengerich, of Naval Sea Systems Command, the glitches could lead to job losses.

"We will lose the government workforce if we don't very soon start to produce the same level of efficiencies that they've had before."

Furthermore, the publication Government Computer News has warned,

"Navy and Marine Corps workers will begin leaving in droves if the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet doesn't begin to drive up efficiency and user satisfaction."

Of course, with leaders like Adm. Michael Mullen, vice chief of naval operations, declaring his opinion about NMCI and the workforce's dissatisfaction with it, we can expect engineering professionals to leave DoN hastily.

"If you don't like it, leave. Because we're going to do this. Resistance to it is costing me money and costing me time, and I won't stand for it. I'll plow through or over anybody and do whatever it takes. We're not doing NMCI because it's a cute idea, but because it will provide a bridge - a road - to the efficiencies we want to achieve."

Admiral, you couldn't be more more wrong. Maybe if you relied on your computer to do your job, you would be far more sympathetic. But I'll wager that you have a secretary or a staff member that does those kinds of things for you. I ask you, Admiral, would you ask a surface warfare sailor what systems to put on a submarine? Would you ask a submariner what systems to put on aircraft? I would hope not. So why would you make a blanket statement about NMCI improving efficiencies when you have the majority of the professionals under your command telling you what a waste of taxpayer dollars it is and how it has cost productivity? It sounds to me like someone is either sticking his head in the sand or has no clue what he is talking about.

More to the point, Admiral, making threats to those professionals to "like it or leave" only makes employees leave. And it isn't easy to replace that experience because most of your engineers and scientists in DoN got that experience on the job. So hiring a bunch kids out of college isn't going to help you until they can gain that experience first-hand. And they won't have the benefit of working with the experienced professionals first to head in the right direction. So there'll be more lost efficiencies.

So, who's resistance is causing the lost efficiencies and lost money, Admiral? Plow through this: pull the plug on NMCI. Don't let EDS do to the Navy what the terrorists dream of (shutting down our networks!) Pull the plug! Before it's too late.