DoD Collaboration and Chat Systems: Current Status and Way Ahead

The Department of Defense (DoD) has committed to global distributed operations as the primary method to engage in assigned missions worldwide, including crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and stability operations. In order to "command and control" (C2), this large body of dispersed personnel, DoD uses a variety of electronic methods for managing and updating its forces. This paper provides a broad overview of the major collaboration and chat systems prevalent in the DoD C2 sector (as opposed to other DoD communities of interest). Variables unique to distributed computing environments impact a user's success at effectively using collaboration tools in dispersed operations. Workforce globalization-our evolution towards a fully-netted force-where distributed personnel have the ability to execute their collaborative missions, supported by the right information in a timely manner, drives research, development, test and evaluation activities within the SSCSD laboratory. This has givenus unique insight into determining effective Web3.0 strategies.