Aviation proof of concept : the transition of Marine Corps aviation maintenance computer assets and systems into the Navy Marine Corps Intranet

Abstract

The Navy Marine Corps Intranet began planning to transition Marine Corps aviation computer assets to the NMCI network in 2004. Despite the preceding years of transferring other Navy and Marine Corps IT assets, NMCI offered no assurances that the transfer of Marine Corps aviation maintenance computers and systems would transition to NMCI without service interruption. Marine Corps aviation units use the Naval Tactical Combat Support System (NTCSS) every day in garrison and while deployed to document and track maintenance actions; it is the mandatory element necessary to enable Marine Corps aviation units to maintain aircraft operational readiness. The Marine Requirements Oversight Council concluded that a proof of concept would be conducted to ensure NMCI computers would meet the requirements for Marine Corps deploying units. Contract line item number 0004AC (CLIN 4AC) was selected as the most effective and affordable CLIN from the NMCI products. Marine aviation was chosen as the test element since IT connectivity in garrison and while deployed is crucial to maintain aircraft readiness. This thesis followed the Aviation Proof of Concept (APOC) from its requirements phase to final implementation. It started with developmental testing to identify issues in relation to transitioning the Marine Corps aviation NTCSS network into NMCI. The issues discovered during the development test were brought foreword for the APOC's Test Integration Working Group (TIWG) to analyzed and mitigate. The APOC's operational test used actual Marine aviation units to operate NMCI deployable computers in a real-world environment. The thesis concludes with the current APOC status and future research.