Defense Message System AN/TYC-243 tactical message system

Army Communicator, Fall, 2007 by William Righter, Kris Nicholas

The Department of Defense has mandated the Defense Message System to replace AUTODIN and become DoD's organizational message system of record. The Defense Information Systems Agency is the lead DoD agency for the managing the global DMS program. Each service has the responsibility to extend the DISA provided global DMS services to their strategic and tactical organizations. Defense Message System--Army is the Army's program for extending the sustaining base DMS services into tactical environments.

DMS provides functionality, security, survivability, and availability of organizational messaging services throughout DoD. Army Regulation 25-1 dated July 15, 2005, paragraph 6-5(f) defines organizational messaging as correspondence that is used to conduct the official business of the Army. Any message that commits resources, directs action, clarifies official positions, or issues official guidance is considered an organizational message. Department of the Army Pamphlet PAM 25-1, dated Oct. 25, 2006 paragraph 10-6 b. (1), states that DMS is the only authorized electronic medium for the exchange or organizational messaging within the DoD, other government agencies, and allied nations.

Characteristics of the DMS include:

Accountability--message delivery is traceable and auditable;

Authentication--guarantees the identity of senders and recipients with the assigned organizational PKI certificates;

Confidentiality--messages are encrypted between the releasing organization and the receiving organization;

Interoperability--based on established international standards and protocols; Interoperable with combatant commands, services, agencies, joint staff, allies and coalition members that conform to the same standards.

Non-repudiation--protects against users denying that they participated in a message exchange when, in fact, they did; digital signature and a traceable audit trail provide non-repudiation of the originator, i.e. only the originating organization could have sent the message.

The tactical message system is the Army's solution for extending DMS services into the tactical environment. TMS provides users access to the DMS global address directory and the capability to exchange signed and encrypted messages using a class four public key infrastructure hardware token.

The TMS acts as a messaging gateway to the joint task force, joint staff, other services, federal agencies, and sustaining base organizations. The TMS uses the existing tactical network transport infrastructure for intra-theater tactical connectivity and the Defense Information Systems Network for reach connectivity to the sustaining base.

The TMS uses DISA developed software that is loaded on approved operating systems platforms. Each TMS is comprised of two transit cases containing laptop computers, routers, cables and ancillary devices, two cargo high-mobility multipurpose-wheeled vehicles, one shelter (modular command post system) or deployable rapid assembly shelter, and one 2KW generator.

The Product Manager Defense Message System--Army, Fort Monmouth, N.J., has completed fielding the TMS to the U.S. Army Signal Center School of Information Technology, all corps, divisions, and select signal battalions.

PM DMS-A is currently working to upgrade the fielded TMS suites to provide deployed users the ability to conduct organizational messaging using the same web browser interfaces and technologies as in the sustaining base. The intention is to simplify the DMS user interface and eliminate the administrative overhead of maintaining class four tokens (e.g. FORTEZZA) on messaging client platforms. The heart the modernized TMS is the automated message handling system. The AMHS provides the capability to:

* Correctly route or profile military messages for delivery to the right desktop based on message content

* Provide discretionary access controls for added security

* Provide straightforward tools for searching and retrieving archived messages while protecting against unauthorized access

* Provide an easy way for staff members to draft, staff, and release outgoing messages

* Provide a built in United States message text format editor to facilitate proper formatting of military message traffic

For further information on DMS-A, contact William Righter or Kris Nicholas, Training and Doctrine Command Capabilities Manager Networks and Services, (706) 7912721/,7939 respectively. DSN prefix is 780. Email addresses are william.righter@us.army.mil or kris.nicholas@us.army.mil

ACRONYM QUICKSCAN

AMHS--Automated Message Handling System

AR--Army Regulation

DA--Department of the Army

DAC--Discretionary Access Controls

DISA--Defense Information Systems Agency

DISN--Defense Information Systems Network

DMS--Defense Message System

DMS-A--Defense Message System--Army

DoD--Department of Defense

DRASH--Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter

HMMWV--high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles

JTF--Joint Task Force

MCPS--Modular Command Post System

OS--Operating Systems

PAM--Pamphlet

PKI--Public Key Infrastructure

PM--Product Manager