Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) Supporting Agile Sea Basing A Study on Improving Embarkable Integration Onboard Amphibious Flagships

Abstract

Given the deliberate planning and effective practice of seabasing in support of the DoDs broadening Range of Military Operations (ROMO), the U.S. Navy (USN) has found itself playing host to a litany of disparate organizations working together in highly dynamic environments. No USN platform is better suited to meet the challenge of organizational integration than our amphibious units. Designed for and well-practiced in the embarkation, deployment, and debarkation of a two-thousand-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), amphibious leadership and supporting personnel are still hindered by inefficient IT integration processes, hardware incompatibilities, and resulting security measures. Network integration for embarkable personnel and their deployed equipment has been identified as a priority requiring improvement. Changing institutionalized architectures and their supporting processes cannot deliver sufficient agility. Re-engineering calls for a technology insertion as well. Virtual Desktop Infrastructures (VDIs) may prove a viable option for enhanced interoperability onboard amphibious ships in the near future.