Army DTMS

Name

American Public University System

On the previous assignment, Army Digital Training Management System (DTMS) was the

selected Information System. Going by the previous definition, DTMS is a web-based system that is

purposely meant for training of the U.S. Army in terms of scheduling, managing, and creating calendars

for training. The system records all the physical training of the soldiers, their armory qualifications, and the

courses planned for the soldiers to undertake. It is a system that replaced the formally utilized analog

books that were prone to getting lost or damaged, making the training information to disappear hence

inconveniencing the soldiers’ time and government resources because they had to start all over again.

This system has, nevertheless, transformed the training system of the Army by making it easier to access

and set training schedules for the soldiers and their commanders.

Networking, Communications, and Security

that include servers, clients, transmission media, network interface card (NIC), other hardware and

software resources, and network operating system (NOS). Servers are computers that hold shared

programs, files, and the network operating system. There are various types of servers and each provide

different functions. For the Army DTMS, it makes use of file, mail, database, and web servers. Basically,

these servers, otherwise known as host computers, are powerful computers purposely used to store data

or application and connect resources that are shared by the user of a network (War College, 2019). For

clients, the Army DTMS consists of computers that access and use the network and the resources

provided by the servers. Basically, these are the personal computers owned by the soldiers such as

laptops, tablets, smartphones etc., and can be used on their non-network applications. For each computer

utilized in the network, there is a special expansion card known as the network interface card (NIC) that

prepares and sends data, as well as receiving and controlling data flow between the network and the

computer. On the side of the transmission, the NIC passes frames of data on to the physical layer, which

then transmits the data to the physical link. On the side of the receiver, the NIC processes bits that are

received from the physical layer and processes the message based on the content inside it. As for the

transmission media, these are facilities that are used to interconnect computers in a network, for instance,

optical fiber cable, twisted-pair wire, and coaxial cable. The Army DTMS utilizes the twisted pair cable, the

most widely used transmission media in the United States. Particularly, shielded twisted pair (STP) is the

most utilized because it has better performance at a high comparatively faster.

There are several security measures that the Army DTMS utilizes to secure the valuable and

sensitive data. These includes data backup, data encryption, use of stronger passwords, and

incorporation of antivirus software (Lo & Gilbert-Knight, 2012). Army DTMS takes the process of data

backup as the most significant type of data security measure. It involves copying or archiving data files

which can be accessed in the event that the data is lost. Through data encryption, the IS is able to

encrypt the content of a data object, file, and network packet or application. While strong password is

basic, the system utilizes it to protect access to the database, hence, hackers will have a hard time

penetrating the system.

Impact of the System

whole especially after the launch of the new version of the system. The improvements brought about the

changes that the commanders and Soldiers wanted enabling them in each step of the training

management process from plan and prepare to execute and assess. The improvements incorporated a

new calendar drag and drop feature that enables the scheduling of training events, a quick link shortcut to

regularly used functions such as reports, and a job and leader book function that supports small unit

leaders in handling individual Soldier training and small unit joint training (Dugger, 2016). When a Soldier

moves to another unit, the information on their digital DTMS move with them and is updated digitally

through automated interfaces hence does not require beginning of another training. In general, the

system reduces manual data entry when new Soldiers are recruited or when they are moved to other

units. Finally, DTMS provides an easily accessible record of training for commanders and training

managers while replacing the old mission essential task list crosswalk with a digital version known as

Combined Arms Training Strategy (War College, 2019). This allows commanders to come up with training

plan and match it with Army policy. They can also question records to track the status of any individual or

unit training, to include physical training, weapons qualification, mandatory training, and other information

on training completion. Nevertheless, the system requires some form of training to enable the

commanders use the system. This means that they are supposed to take up courses to learn about it and

the improvements in it. Therefore, more resources are required to offer training support and development

programs. Furthermore, overreliance on the system will bring about problems when the system is down.

Competitive Analysis of the System

countries’ military. For instance, when soldiers in other countries are training, they feel the training is

burdensome but that should be the case. Utilization of technology such as DTMS enables the leaders and

trainers in the U.S. military to make training management easier and effective at achieving the desired

goal (Dugger, 2016). While the system is mandated to help in the planning, preparation, execution, and

assessing of training, it breaks down training into smaller more manageable phases that makes training

more fun. The other competitive advantage of DTMS that makes it outstanding is its ability to capture the

entire training history of a Soldier from the time they are recruited to their retirement period. The impact of

learning is, therefore, achieved when the commander or training officer understands the skills a Soldier

has learned, practiced, and mastered. This makes it easier for the training managers to allocate each

individual to the areas that best suit their skills. Hence, the reason why U.S Army is one of the best

militaries in the world.

Recommendations for Improving the System

With the right hardware upgrade, the performance of the system is bound to increase. Therefore,

it is important for the military to purchase the newest, fastest personal computers in the market. Each

year, the military recruits new Soldiers, which means that their number increases. As a result, the system

information becomes bigger and having a device that probably crushes is not reliable. Therefore, the

personal gadgets need to be upgraded in terms of RAM and hard drive size, graphics card, and the

processor. Instead of poking inside the computers, the military would rather purchase new gadgets.

Similarly, the user interface of the graphical user interface of the system needs to improve mostly

after a period of five years. With a generation that hates boring UI design, it is important for the system to

upgrade to one that is attractive and appealing and avoid what actually seem to be masculine.

Furthermore, the content posted on the UI needs formalization for purposes of influencing the user to

make use of the system. Lastly, the system needs to be simple and convenient for the soldiers. This is

because most soldiers, when joining the military had little computer knowledge. Therefore, having a

sophisticated interface might give them a hard time learning and interacting with it.

Conclusion
 In conclusion, the Army Digital Training Management System (DTMS) is a system that is of great

importance to the United States Army. Like any other computer system, DTMS is composed of

networking, communications, and security components that enable its functionality. Without these

components, the system is bound to fail due to vulnerabilities to attacks and failure. Furthermore, the

report has discussed the impact that the system has on users who are the military personnel. In a big

way, the system has influenced the way training is conducted in the army. The commanders, training

officers and the soldiers themselves, are given an opportunity to enjoy and follow up their training

activities through their recruitment to retirement. Furthermore, with all the information recorded on the

system, it becomes easier for the commanders to allocate each Soldiers to the area of their interest. The

competitive analysis of the system has also been provided highlighting the aspects that make the system

different from the rest of the world militaries. Actually, in comparison to many other military groups around

the world, the United States Army is considered to be the best as a result of many other factors including

the Army DTMS. Finally, the paper highlights recommendations that can improve and enhance the

system. The software and hardware components as well as the User Interface program have been

outlined. There needs to be upgrade in every area of the system to correspond with the changes that

happen everyday in the current technological world.

Dugger, A. A. (2016). A Step Towards an Intelligent Digital Training Management System (I-

DTMS). (n.p.): Columbus State University.

War College, U. S. A. (2019). How the Army Runs: A Senior Leader Reference Handbook, 2017-2018

(31st Edition). United States: Lulu.com.

Lo, K. & Gilbert-Knight, A. (2012). Upgrading Computer Components. Retrieved from,

https://www.techsoup.org/support/articles-and-how-tos/upgrading-computer-components