Intranet Snafu

The Navy Marine Corps Intranet program is an $8 billion behemoth-the largest intranet system in the world-and it is a lighting rod for criticism.

Texas-based Defense contractor EDS is developing the secure network to link all Navy and Marine Corps personnel and has connected 360,000 service members and civilians so far. According to Navy officials, 340,000 more workstations are being incorporated. But opinions on the project diverge sharply. Depending on whose view you seek, the emerging network is either making good progress or is severely crippled.

Technology officials from the Navy and Marine Corps, along with an array of Defense technology contractors, converged in New Orleans in June to discuss NMCI, its problems and its future. The group was supposed to lay out a road map for NMCI but instead exposed a wide rift between user dissatisfaction and the outward confidence the Navy wants to project. Navy Secretary Gordon England set an upbeat tone by praising EDS and describing NMCI as an essential tool for the modern Navy. He acknowledged schedule delays, but said they were largely the result of overly optimistic projections. England dismissed what he called a "few bugs" in the system, saying, "That's the way it is with my own personal [America Online] account."

The feel-good mood was shattered when Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Edward Hanlon Jr. delivered a speech several hours after England and lashed out at NMCI's failings from the same podium. He described the network's progress as "rocky and problematic."

"It is not going as smoothly as we hoped and expected," said Hanlon, the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He said the system is being rolled out too slowly and suffers from unreliable connections and other "unacceptable" deficiencies.

"I believe that EDS was not prepared to handle the implementation," he said.

His speech surprised many at the New Orleans conference for its bluntness, but it struck a chord-Hanlon was given a standing ovation. Kevin Clarke, an EDS spokesman, said the company appreciates the general's candor, but he noted that Hanlon had described a "good working relationship" with EDS.

"We know there are challenges with the Marine Corps implementation," Clarke said. "We are working with the Marine Corps to mitigate those." The next day, however, a senior admiral agreed with Hanlon's criticism, saying technical problems with NMCI are sapping the enthusiasm of his workforce.

"It's hard when they come into work and the system is down," said Rear. Adm. Anthony Lengerich, vice commander at the Naval Sea Systems Command. "It's hard when they don't get the [NMCI-compatible computer] on their desk on the day we say we are going to deliver it."

While users complain about the system and point fingers at EDS, the contractor is not faring well.

EDS agreed to pay many of the upfront costs involved in developing NMCI, with the understanding that the company would receive a financial windfall as more users are hooked up to the system. Because the network has faced delays, EDS is now suffering under a significant burden. At the New Orleans conference, England suggested the Navy might renegotiate payments to EDS considering the unexpected complexity of the project.

"EDS has gone through some hard times on this program with us," he said. "EDS has gone the extra mile . . . we will negotiate in good faith. We do want to pay people for the work they have done."

Officials at EDS would not comment on the possibility of a restructured financial arrangement. Several NMCI users who requested anonymity suggest that top Navy officials should worry less about EDS' financial health and more about the quality of the system that is being rolled out. Users complain about slow delivery, poor planning and restrictive boundaries in the network. Some say they are forced to have two computers on their desks because their older systems perform more functions. Others say it is difficult to establish NMCI workstations for Navy personnel who do not work at Navy facilities. One Navy civilian branch head says he has heard nothing but complaints about the new network.

"If you mention NMCI, there is an automatic groan," he says. "I think the phrase is, 'I've been NMCI'd.' "

A Navy captain with a background in procurement questions whether the new network is even necessary. Before NMCI was adopted, he says, existing technology and the Internet met all his needs.

"I don't know why you replace something that is free, simple and easy with something that is expensive, complicated and shackled," he says.

Top officials insist the Navy will see a range of benefits, including vastly increased security. Some users, however, say the new network is inflexible and is stifling their jobs.

"I would say it is the perfect communist system. It wants to be all things to all people, but it doesn't allow any tailoring," the civilian branch chief says.

Despite the vocal complaints, the Navy says the overall user satisfaction rate for NMCI is approaching 80 percent, a number that officials concede is still too low. Capt. Craig Madsen, the Navy's program manager for NMCI, says problems are bound to occur as people are integrated into the system, and he expects satisfaction rates to increase as more users are connected.

Top officials-even program critics-say the service is clearly committed to NMCI and the most important thing is to ensure the system succeeds. Some, however, have said NMCI will fail if the top brass does not take an objective look at the network's problems. With the future of Navy and Marine Corps communications at stake, along with the $8 billion investment, some users have said officials must ditch the rose-colored glasses.

"The Marine Corps is deeply committed to the success of NMCI," Hanlon said. "Like Caesar, we have crossed the Rubicon, and now we have to get to the final objective. We realize how much is riding on NMCI."