The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) was established in Washington, D.C., as the Defense Communications Agency (DCA) with 450 employees on May 12, 1960, by Secretary of Defense Thomas B. Gates. Its mission was to manage the Defense Communications System (DCS), a consolidation of the independent long-haul communications functions of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

In the 1960s, DCA moved to Arlington, Va., and took on several major organizations. The Air Force Office of Commercial Communications Management (now the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization), White House Signal Agency (now the White House Communications Agency), and the Department of Defense (DoD) Damage Assessment Center (now the Joint Staff Support Center) all became a part of DCA. DCA also established six regional communications control centers and two area centers for operational control of the DCS.

In the 1970s, DCA picked up the Minimum Essential Emergency Communications Network and the Military Satellite Communications Systems Office. It also became responsible for engineering and operating the Worldwide Military Command and Control System.

In the 1980s, DCA absorbed the Joint Tactical Command, Control, and Communications Agency, improving its ability to manage and enhance the interoperability of command, control, and communications systems. The Joint Interoperability Test Command was formed within DCA to provide interoperability compliance testing and certification.

On June 25, 1991, DCA was renamed DISA to reflect its role in providing total information systems management for DoD. DCA implemented several Defense Management Report Decisions (DMRD), most notably DMRD 918, which created the Defense Information Infrastructure, now known as the Global Information Grid. DISA consolidated several information processing centers into 16 Defense megacenters and, within a few years, consolidated them further into five mainframe-processing centers. The Joint Spectrum Center and the Defense Technical Information Center also became part of DISA. Employment peaks at more than 12,000 military and civilian members.

Today, DISA is in the process of consolidating computing services even further; by September 2005, DISA computing services will consist of one headquarters component, four production system management centers, and several optimally staffed processing sites. Approximately 8,000 military and civilian employees work in DISA, and with the consolidation of computing services that number will be reduced by another 1,200.

DISA has been awarded five Joint Unit Meritorious Service Awards and continues to offer DoD information systems support, taking data services to the forward-deployed warfighter.

For more information, contact the DISA Public Affairs Office at (703) 607-6900.