Global Force Management Data Initiative (GFM DI)

Overview
The GFM DI entails creation of authoritative data sources for all authorized Department of Defense (DoD) force structure data, facilitating the unique identification of organizations, billets, crews, and chain of command links. It provides a common reference and net-centric exchange format for authorized force structure across all DoD warfighting, information, and business systems.

In June 2006, the Deputy Secretary of Defense signed Joint Planning Guidance VII, assigning GFM DI implementation responsibility to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel & Readiness (P&R). The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff oversees overall GFM DI execution. The GFM DI Implementation Plan received approval in June 2006.

Two sub-initiatives support successful GFM DI implementation: Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Organizational (Org) Server and Organization Unique Identifiers (OUIDs). The OSD Org Server and OUID sub-initiatives involve concurrent facilitation of force structure data sharing, ensuring unique information exchanges between enterprise systems on the Global Information Grid (GIG) and mitigating data collision issues across the DoD Enterprise.

The two GFM DI phases involve the development and deployment of seven Component Org Servers, and the exchange of authorized force structure data in the GFM format with consuming systems, respectively.



OSD Org Server
Currently, each of the seven GFM DI Components (OSD, Intelligence Community (IC), Joint Staff (JS), US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, and the US Marine Corps) is developing an Org Server. The OSD Org Servers will collect authoritative authorized force structure data and organizational relationship information for the fifty-eight OSD offices, Defense Agencies Defense Field Activities, and non-DoD organizations maintaining DoD force structure data, such as the Department of State, White House, and various civilian organizations. The OSD Org Server initiative entails documentation of applicable standards and technical documents, identification of requisite points of contact and authoritative data sources for initial data load onto the servers, and definition of data maintenance processes and procedures. Ten of the twenty-four OSD organizations that perform position management functions, as well as the remaining fifty-eight organizations will use the OSD Org Servers to maintain their respective authorized force structure data.

Organization Unique Identifier (OUID)
An OUID is an OSD Org Server-generated number that uniquely identifies organizations maintaining DoD force structure data. An OUID is the primary key for machine-to-machine GFM DI organizational data exchanges. DoD Directive 8320.03, Unique Identification Standards for Net-Centric DoD, directs OUID use for future net-centric exchange of organizational information. As a result, the Human Resource Management Business Enterprise Architecture includes OUIDs.

A primary objective of the OUID effort is to develop and maintain an OUID Registry, a Google-like directory that will provide quick access to organizational information. The OUID Registry will hold information for DoD organizations, enabling other business enterprise or warfighter domains to identify appropriate OUIDs, facilitate system-to-system mapping, and determine the Component Org Server(s) that best meet their needs. This critical system crosswalk, or central repository, will validate data and reduce identification errors. Thus, the OUIDs are integral to the GFM DI goal of enabling consumption of authorized force structure data to support a variety of business processes across the DoD.



P&R IM's Role
P&R leads OSD Org Server implementation. P&R IM supports the functional requirements and organization data support aspects of the initiative. More specifically, P&R IM provides requirements determination, task management, testing, and functional and data requirements validation to support OSD and IC Org Servers and OUID Registry development. Additionally, P&R IM collaborates with all OSD Offices, Defense Agencies, and Defense Field Activities to establish system interfaces and gather data for OSD and Org Server development.

P&R IM facilitates the OSD Org Server Working Group that meets periodically to discuss the status of OSD Org Server development. Along with the Joint Staff (J-8), P&R IM provides briefings to the Standard Financial Information Structure (SFIS) Forums on OUID effort progress. These updates inform subsequent plans to electronically link the funds-flow to programs aligning under authorized force structure, for auditing capability and financial reporting.

For more information on the GFM DI, please contact the P&R IM Representative.