The big problem with so many military systems is that they were developed as vertically integrated "stovepipes" with at best ad-hoc integration. In Cheyenne Mountain, it isn't uncommon for operators to have to scan across 4 or more separate computer systems (all with different presentations, different user interfaces, and little or no data sharing) in order to make decisions. Some of these decisions have to be made in a matter of seconds. This results in extensive training requirements and all too frequent operator errors.

We're working to integrate space situation awareness into other military operations. It's a complicated task made even more difficult by decades old legacy systems that can't just be replaced (it can cost several hundred million dollars to build a single new space surveillance system like the S-Band Fence). We have to help direct future development that will always be incomplete due to funding constraints while maintaining current capabilities. It's like being an inflight missile repairman.

The future of military systems development is NetCentric Operations, as pushed by Rumsfeld's reformations. This is long overdue. We're working to establish data standards and define service responsibilities in a manner somewhat like an application programming interface (API). New systems will be able to access the data and services in the same manner as a programmer uses standard API calls to build new applications. These data and services will be accessable through the Global Information Grid (a private military Internet on steroids) that's under development. In the long run, this will have tremendous implications for systems development and military operations, but getting there is a decidedly "non-trivial" event.