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Highlights from the GAO report: * Pilots, maintainers, and administrators at three of the five sites we visited are concerned about ALIS’s ability to deploy an

Highlights from the GAO report: * Pilots, maintainers, and administrators at three of the five sites we visited are concerned about ALIS’s ability to deploy and function in forward locations. For example, users are concerned about the large server size and connectivity requirements, and whether the system’s infrastructure can maintain power and withstand a high-temperature environment. * ALIS users at three of the five sites we visited are concerned that a failure in the system’s current infrastructure could degrade the system and ground the fleet. Currently, ALIS information, including data from all U.S. F-35 sites, flows from the Standard Operating Units (SOU) to a single national Central Point of Entry, and then to the lone Autonomic Logistics Operating Unit (ALOU).26 This data flow process has no back up system for continuity of operations if either of these servers were to fail. * Maintainers and pilots at three of the five sites we visited were concerned that ALIS does not have much interoperability with legacy aircraft systems... The ability to share information between ALIS and these legacy systems is vital due to the way the services operate. * Maintainers at four of the five sites we visited told us that the current Action Request (AR) process does not allow for the effective reporting and resolution of F-35 aircraft and ALIS issues. * ALIS users at all five sites we visited are concerned with data accuracy issues within the system, including missing or inaccurate data and inaccessibility of raw data within ALIS. http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/676576.pdf http://www.gao.gov/assets/680/676576.pdf Description of ALIS risks starts on page 15.

alphapapa 10y ago
That is amazing: > ALIS does not have redundant infrastructure: ALIS’s current design results in all F-35 data produced across the U.S. fleet to be routed to a Central Point of Entry and then to ALIS’s main operating unit with no backup system or redundancy. If either of these fail, it could take the entire F -35 fleet offline. That sounds like a movie plot [Independence Day] (or Battlestar Galactica)! So, the enemy jams comms or shoots down satellites, and a F-35 squadron deployed to a base on the other side of the world can't do maintenance? An aircraft carrier is attacked and its antennas are destroyed, and they can't do maintenance? The enemy breaks into or takes offline the Central Point of Entry over the Internet (oh, but it's airgapped, of course...), and the entire F-35 fleet around the world can't do maintenance? (Or can't do it at the level required to maintain combat readiness.) Am I misunderstanding something here?
- jjn2009 10y ago
  Nope that sounds like the ramifications of having a single point of failure.
- TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
  Yes, yes, and I don't think so. Where was the oversight? It's beyond incompetent. If I was paranoid I'd wonder if procurement and architecture had been taken over by hostile agents. Short of putting a remotely controlled logic bomb and/or actual explosive device on every plane, it's hard to imagine how the F-35 could possibly have been made more vulnerable and less fit for purpose.
- engi_nerd 10y ago
  > So, the enemy jams comms or shoots down satellites, and a F-35 squadron deployed to a base on the other side of the world can't do maintenance? This makes it sound as if ALIS does maintenance. ALIS does not do the maintenance. Human beings still do the maintenance.
  - btbuildem 10y ago
    From the article it seems like they need to drive around with ALIS CD-ROMs to do maintenance..
    - engi_nerd 10y ago
      That's not supposed to happen, but...
  - alphapapa 10y ago
    > This makes it sound as if ALIS does maintenance. ALIS does not do the maintenance. Human beings still do the maintenance. Well, obviously, ALIS is not a robot with mechanical arms that do the physical work (although with its name, it wouldn't be surprising if some people expected "Alice" to do just that; and the personification is creepily reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey). But from what I've read in these articles and part of that GAO report, it sounds like ALIS is part of the designed maintenance protocols. For example, Action Requests are entered into ALIS and uploaded to the contractor (!) who triages them (!) and collates data across multiple sites (noted in the GAO report are problems such as a software update preventing contractors from receiving ARs while the on-site personnel are waiting for an answer--eventually they call and ask, hey, what about those ARs? and the contractors respond, what ARs? because they didn't know they were failing). And technical manuals are accessible through ALIS instead of having to refer to paper manuals. Of course, these are all so vague and general that it's hard for laymen to figure out what it would mean in practice. The terms used in the GAO report for expected functionality are so non-specific that it seems nearly useless to even use them. Having said all that, the GAO report does mention (buried in the middle of a paragraph, not prominently like a major vulnerability should be) that ALIS can be used in an offline capacity: > DOD officials told us that they recognize this issue and, for short-term losses of connection, ALIS users are able to work offline. (page 17) But that doesn't sound very reassuring to me. In wartime, all sorts of bad things happen, and lost connectivity and communications should be at the top of the list of expectations. If maintenance is severely degraded and aircraft can't fly sorties at the needed rate, well, in a war....
Analemma_ 10y ago
One other highlight from the report: the total lifetime cost of the program is now estimated at 1.3 trillion dollars, or $1300000000000 if you prefer longhand (up from the 1 trillion dollar estimate of a few years ago). Other things we could've done with that money besides spending it on this useless garbage heap of a plane are left to the reader's imagination.
- venomsnake 10y ago
  Interesting question - at what price will it be cheaper just to hire some country to bomb the #$%^ out of some other.
- rodgerd 10y ago
  > the total lifetime cost of the program is now estimated at 1.3 trillion dollars But the would-be US presidential candidate suggesting free higher education is the fiscally irrespomsible fantasist, apparently.
  - kristopolous 10y ago
    I've seen numbers floating at 70 billion/year for that. So that would be 18.5 years. I've seen estimations of about 1.7 trillion for the wars since 9/11. That'd be another 24 years. Peter Dale Scott wrote a book about something he calls "The Deep State" which at least, to me helps explain how seemingly regardless of who gets elected, such unpopular expensive programs continue without elected officials people having any discussion of legislation to stop it.
    - NoMoreNicksLeft 10y ago
      Have you ever noticed that whenever government gives a bunch of money to higher education to operate, the cost to operate those universities goes up to match whatever extra was given?
      - mikeyouse 10y ago
        The government has been dramatically scaling back direct funding of higher education which has to then be made up with higher tuition. Often times, yes, the tuition is then paid for with government-backed loans but the cost-per-student in most areas hasn't budged in 30 years.

alphapapa 10y ago

That is amazing: > ALIS does not have redundant infrastructure: ALIS’s current design results in all F-35 data produced across the U.S. fleet to be routed to a Central Point of Entry and then to ALIS’s main operating unit with no backup system or redundancy. If either of these fail, it could take the entire F -35 fleet offline. That sounds like a movie plot [Independence Day] (or Battlestar Galactica)! So, the enemy jams comms or shoots down satellites, and a F-35 squadron deployed to a base on the other side of the world can't do maintenance? An aircraft carrier is attacked and its antennas are destroyed, and they can't do maintenance? The enemy breaks into or takes offline the Central Point of Entry over the Internet (oh, but it's airgapped, of course...), and the entire F-35 fleet around the world can't do maintenance? (Or can't do it at the level required to maintain combat readiness.) Am I misunderstanding something here?

jjn2009 10y ago
Nope that sounds like the ramifications of having a single point of failure.
TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
Yes, yes, and I don't think so. Where was the oversight? It's beyond incompetent. If I was paranoid I'd wonder if procurement and architecture had been taken over by hostile agents. Short of putting a remotely controlled logic bomb and/or actual explosive device on every plane, it's hard to imagine how the F-35 could possibly have been made more vulnerable and less fit for purpose.
engi_nerd 10y ago
> So, the enemy jams comms or shoots down satellites, and a F-35 squadron deployed to a base on the other side of the world can't do maintenance? This makes it sound as if ALIS does maintenance. ALIS does not do the maintenance. Human beings still do the maintenance.
- btbuildem 10y ago
  From the article it seems like they need to drive around with ALIS CD-ROMs to do maintenance..
  - engi_nerd 10y ago
    That's not supposed to happen, but...
- alphapapa 10y ago
  > This makes it sound as if ALIS does maintenance. ALIS does not do the maintenance. Human beings still do the maintenance. Well, obviously, ALIS is not a robot with mechanical arms that do the physical work (although with its name, it wouldn't be surprising if some people expected "Alice" to do just that; and the personification is creepily reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey). But from what I've read in these articles and part of that GAO report, it sounds like ALIS is part of the designed maintenance protocols. For example, Action Requests are entered into ALIS and uploaded to the contractor (!) who triages them (!) and collates data across multiple sites (noted in the GAO report are problems such as a software update preventing contractors from receiving ARs while the on-site personnel are waiting for an answer--eventually they call and ask, hey, what about those ARs? and the contractors respond, what ARs? because they didn't know they were failing). And technical manuals are accessible through ALIS instead of having to refer to paper manuals. Of course, these are all so vague and general that it's hard for laymen to figure out what it would mean in practice. The terms used in the GAO report for expected functionality are so non-specific that it seems nearly useless to even use them. Having said all that, the GAO report does mention (buried in the middle of a paragraph, not prominently like a major vulnerability should be) that ALIS can be used in an offline capacity: > DOD officials told us that they recognize this issue and, for short-term losses of connection, ALIS users are able to work offline. (page 17) But that doesn't sound very reassuring to me. In wartime, all sorts of bad things happen, and lost connectivity and communications should be at the top of the list of expectations. If maintenance is severely degraded and aircraft can't fly sorties at the needed rate, well, in a war....

Analemma_ 10y ago

One other highlight from the report: the total lifetime cost of the program is now estimated at 1.3 trillion dollars, or $1300000000000 if you prefer longhand (up from the 1 trillion dollar estimate of a few years ago). Other things we could've done with that money besides spending it on this useless garbage heap of a plane are left to the reader's imagination.

venomsnake 10y ago
Interesting question - at what price will it be cheaper just to hire some country to bomb the #$%^ out of some other.
rodgerd 10y ago
> the total lifetime cost of the program is now estimated at 1.3 trillion dollars But the would-be US presidential candidate suggesting free higher education is the fiscally irrespomsible fantasist, apparently.
- kristopolous 10y ago
  I've seen numbers floating at 70 billion/year for that. So that would be 18.5 years. I've seen estimations of about 1.7 trillion for the wars since 9/11. That'd be another 24 years. Peter Dale Scott wrote a book about something he calls "The Deep State" which at least, to me helps explain how seemingly regardless of who gets elected, such unpopular expensive programs continue without elected officials people having any discussion of legislation to stop it.
  - NoMoreNicksLeft 10y ago
    Have you ever noticed that whenever government gives a bunch of money to higher education to operate, the cost to operate those universities goes up to match whatever extra was given?
    - mikeyouse 10y ago
      The government has been dramatically scaling back direct funding of higher education which has to then be made up with higher tuition. Often times, yes, the tuition is then paid for with government-backed loans but the cost-per-student in most areas hasn't budged in 30 years.