REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. - The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command recently completed successful inspections of its Redstone Arsenal and Colorado Springs, Colo., unclassified network systems.
The Defense Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process, or DIACAP, inspections were performed Feb. 18-22 for Colorado Springs and March 4-8 for Redstone Arsenal, and resulted in the expectation that both networks will retain their full authority to operate.
"There were zero Category I (greatest risk) findings out of 177 possible in both locations, and the security posture and processes were found to be fully implemented and well defined," said Michael C. Redman, Command Senior Information Assurance manager, G-6.
DIACAP is a process by which information systems are certified for compliance with Department of Defense security requirements and accredited for operation by a designated official. It provides visibility and control for the secure operation of DoD information systems.
An Agent of the Certifying Authority team performed the validation of all assets, which included multiple technical scans, a physical walk through, documentation reviews and personnel interviews.
"We expect a recommendation for a full three-year Authority to Operate," said K. Belle Sandlin, Command Information Assurance program manager, G-6, and the command's lead action officer for this project.
Networks must be certified every three years, so this is the maximum Authority to Operate issued. Other possible decisions the teams can make are: Interim Authorization to Operate or Denial of Authorization to Operate, both of which require additional work for the network owners.
"It was an outstanding collaborative effort by motivated G-6 team members from across the SMDC enterprise working together through a very difficult process of readying the command, " said Erbin Troutman, chief, Information Assurance and Security Division, G-6.
Col. Bennie Pokemire, deputy chief of staff, G-6, said he was pleased with the outcome.
"The ACA team was extremely impressed with the complete information assurance program, and highlighted the master documentation set that SMDC has developed and implemented," said Pokemire. "The ACA said that we were one of the most compliant commands that they have inspected."
"SMDC has a worldwide operational mission supporting deployed Warfighters, and we must approach everything we do with that same operational mindset," Pokemire said. "The G-6 staff provides, maintains and protects network infrastructure to enable mission command and productivity. We have some amazing workers in the G-6 who are maintaining our networks to the highest standard."
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