Stovepipe Dreams

摘要

"The day of stovepiped systems and propri- etary systems is over," Vice Adm. Nancy Brown declared at a military communications conference. Such proclamations have become common at industry forums during the past decade. The stovepipes are the communications or data sharing systems built by different agencies, armed services or coalition partners that cannot link to each other. Unblocking these barriers is necessary if the military will achieve its longtime goal of becoming a network-centric force. In a net-centric world, every soldier who needs information has it, and the information can be shared among military services and allies.