A major initiative in DoD's communications transformation is Global Information Grid Bandwidth Expansion (GIG-BE), which will provide the robust network foundation to enable worldwide network-centric operations, supporting multiple transformation objectives.

GIG-BE will create a ubiquitous "bandwidth-available" environment to improve national security intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and command and control information-sharing. To implement GIG-BE, DISA is aggressively enhancing its current end-to-end information transport system, the Defense Information System Network (DISN), by significantly expanding bandwidth and physical diversity to selected locations worldwide. The program will provide increased bandwidth and diverse physical access to approximately 100 critical sites in the continental United States (CONUS) and in the Pacific and European theaters. These locations will be interconnected via an expanded GIG core. Specifically, GIG-BE will connect key intelligence, command, and operational locations with high bandwidth capability over physically diverse routes, and the vast majority of these locations will be connected by a state-of-the-art optical mesh network design.

GIG-BE fully supports DoD's continuing investments in surveillance assets, reach-back, sensor-to-shooter integration, collaboration, and enterprise computing. Removing current bandwidth limitations provides the catalyst for self-synchronization, shared situational awareness, sustainability, and speed of command and action, allowing those closest to the reality of combat full access to a rich and enabling set of information assests.

In fiscal year 2002, DISA completed the required report to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, detailing validated requirements, technical design, analysis of alternatives, economic analysis, and implementation strategy for the GIG-BE. DISA also completed development of the GIG-BE Functional Requirements Specification, which will be used for acquisition of required transport media and equipment. DISA continues to work with DoD components to develop specific implementation details, including site surveys and operational responsibility assignments. In addition, DISA is also working with the intelligence community to identify opportunities for community asset-sharing in GIG-BE implementation, and DISA has participated in joint business case analyses to determine where partnership would result in efficiencies for both communities.

DISA continues to plan for the transformation and optimization of DISN subsystems (voice, data, and video) via the GIG-BE, both in terms of physical topology and technology evolution, with the goal of providing multimedia service delivery (converged services) by the end of the decade.