Defense Information System Agency (DISA)

Agency in the Department of Defense responsible for designing, creating, acquiring, installing, and supporting [Page 188]computer information systems used by the United States government and military. Military commanders and national-security agencies rely heavily on computers to gather and analyze information, communicate with one another, and coordinate military and intelligence operations. The Defense Information System Agency (DISA) is charged with determining how best to use computer technology to accomplish those tasks and providing that technology to the agencies that need it.

The official DISA mission statement lists the agency's five core mission areas as communications, information assurance, combat-support computing, joint command and control, and joint interoperability support. The communications mission involves providing voice, data, and video information to the president, the secretary of defense, and military commanders using both military and commercially owned satellites. It also includes code breaking and cryptography to eavesdrop on opponents' communications while protecting the secrecy of U.S. communications. The goal of information assurance is to protect U.S. communications from cyber-attacks against computer systems and physical attacks against support infrastructure such as phone lines and satellites.

Combat-support computing uses technology to deploy, command, coordinate, and supply troops more quickly and effectively. Information about the identity and positions of enemy units gathered via satellite can be sent instantly to commanders who are in radio and computer contact with troops on the battlefield. This information can be used to plan and direct troop movements more effectively in a fast-changing battlefield environment. The DISA also employs computers to monitor the food, fuel, and ammunition needs of military units so that it can supply troops with the equipment they need in a timely fashion. Computers are even utilized to manage the evacuation and treatment of injured soldiers.

Joint command and control and joint interoperability support deal with using computers to coordinate the activities of different agencies. The goal of joint command and control is to ensure effective communications between the various branches of the military—Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—to facilitate joint (shared) military operations. Joint interoperability support develops common standards for computer technology across all agencies and branches of the military. These common standards ensure that the computers and other communications equipment in one agency will work smoothly with those in other agencies.

The DISA was founded in 1960 as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), responsible for managing communications for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Starting with a staff of 450, the DCA gradually took over the communications functions of several other agencies. By 1991, the DCA had grown to 12,000 employees and was providing many more services than simply coordinating military communications. In that year, the agency's name was changed to DISA to reflect its greater role in managing information. Although the agency currently employs only about 8,000 people, it envisions a greatly expanded future role for computer technology in information gathering and communications. It is working toward a seamless, real-time communications grid linking all top military commanders and government leaders, although this goal is still years from realization.