The DoD Joint Technical Architecture (JTA) provides the minimum set of standards that, when implemented, facilitates the seamless flow of information among DoD’s sensors, processing and command centers, shooters, and support activities to achieve dominant battlefield awareness and move inside the enemy’s decision loop. The JTA:

• Provides the foundation for interoperability among all tactical, strategic, and combat support systems.
• Mandates IT standards and guidelines for DoD system development and acquisition that will facilitate interoperability in joint and coalition force operations.
• Communicates to industry DoD’s preference for open system, standards-based products and implementations.
• Acknowledges the direction of industry’s standards-based development.

The goals continues to be to “reach a consensus of a working set of standards” and “establish a single unifying DoD technical architecture that will become binding on all future DoD C4I acquisitions" so that "new systems can be born joint and interoperable, and existing systems will have a baseline to move toward interoperability."

The JTA is considered a living document and is updated periodically as a collaborative effort among the DoD components (Commands, Services, and Agencies) to leverage technology advancements, standards maturity, open systems, commercial product availability, and changing requirements.