[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 237 (Wednesday, December 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65069-65070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-32308]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Information Systems Agency


Notice of Availability of the Consolidation and Regionalization 
Plan, Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and Associated 
Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Defense Information Systems 
Agency (DISA) Defense Megacenters (DMCs) and Related Facilities

AGENCY: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing 
that it has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issued a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to the consolidation 
and regionalization of its 16 Defense Megacenters (DMCs) and related 
facilities in response to recommended action from the Quadrennial 
Defense Review (QDR). This action will result in reduced costs to the 
Department of Defense (DOD) and improved operational efficiencies 
without compromising service quality. This notice announces the 
availability of the final EA and FONSI to concerned agencies and the 
public.

ADDRESSES: Requests to receive a copy of the EA or FONSI should be 
mailed to Defense Information Systems Agency, Public Affairs Officer, 
701 S. Courthouse Rd., Arlington, VA 22204-2199. The documents may also 
be picked up at the same address between the hours of 9 AM and 4 PM 
EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays, by contacting Ms. 
Betsy Flood at (703) 607-6048/6900. Arrangements must be made in 
advance to pick up the documents, due to facility security 
requirements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Betsy Flood, Public Affairs 
Officer, at (703) 607-6048/6900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is a Department of 
Defense (DOD) combat support agency under the direction, authority and 
control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, 
Communications, and Intelligence (ASD[C31]). One of DISA's mission 
functions is to provide information processing support to the DOD, 
services, and agencies. In response to the QDR and continuing pressure 
to reduce federal spending, DISA has developed a proposal to 
consolidate and restructure operations and reduce operating costs. As 
input in the decision process of whether or not to implement this 
proposal, an EA has been prepared, as required by the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The following provides a summary of 
the proposal, the results of the EA and conclusions.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action consists of the following:
    a. Consolidate mainframe processing from 16 existing Defense 
Megacenters (DMCs) into six facilities, five plus one Unisys legacy 
processing site,
    b. Establish self-sustaining, regional support centers at each of 
the existing DMC sites with the exception of Sacramento, which is being 
closed as part of a Base Closure & Realignment (BRAC) 1995 action,
    c. Establish self-sustaining, regional support centers at four of 
the remaining CONUS Storefront locations, closing others that are not 
transferred back to the Services through other initiatives, and
    d. Reduce overhead staffing and allow for consolidation of overhead 
support functions.
    These initiatives will hereafter be synonymous with the term 
Proposed Action.

Purpose and Need

    With implementation of the Proposed action, DISA intends to:
    a. Implement the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) recommendation,
    b. Reduce costs to DOD by improving operational efficiency, while 
still providing equivalent or better service,
    c. Consolidate mainframe processing into six standardized 
processing sites, located at existing DISA occupied facilities, through 
a transparent workload migration process,
    d. Reorganize and reduce the management infrastructure needed to 
manage computer operations under the Defense Working Capital Fund, and
    e. Realize savings from more efficient operations already reflected 
in FY98 and outyear budgets and most recent Program Objective 
Memorandum (POM) submission.

Result of Action

    Under the proposed action, mainframe processing will be performed 
at the following six sites: DMC Columbus, OH; DMC Mechanicsburg, PA; 
DMC Ogden, UT; Oklahoma City, OK; DMC St. Louis, MO and DMC San 
Antonio, TX (Unisys legacy processing site).
    The above sites and 13 additional sites would serve as regional 
sites, with the requirements that workload fully supports the costs to 
operate each site. The 13 additional sites are the following: 
Bremertgon, WA; Chambersburg, PA; Charleston, SC; Dayton, OH; Denver, 
CO; Huntsville, AL; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Montgomery, AL; 
Norfork, VA; Rock Island, IL; San Diego, CA and Warner Robins, GA

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Two alternatives to the proposed action were assessed in this 
study: The Outsourcing Alternative and the No-Action Alternative.
    The outsourcing Alternative is based upon the Coopers & Lybrand 
study titled `Strategy Options for Defense Information Services' 
(February 1996) which represents a potential industry response to 
outsourcing the mainframe processing workload of the 16 DMCs. This 
alternative assumes that all DMC technical support and computer 
operations functions would be contracted to a single commercial firm. 
Each of the 16 DMCs would be contracted out in order to allow the 
contractor to consolidate to six sites and achieve efficiencies. The 
ten remaining sites would be closed.
    The No-Action Alternative is considered to be continuation of 
current

[[Page 65070]]

DISA management of all existing DMCs, storefronts and other associated 
facilities. This alternative includes the completion of optimization 
and BRAC initiatives that are currently underway as well as actions 
that are within the purview of DISA management, such as contract 
consolidation and software standardization.

Summary of Environmental Impacts

    The Proposed Action is unlikely to have significant impacts on the 
environment, because DISA activities associated with each site 
generally occur indoors in computer, data processing or office 
surroundings. The operations have little, if any, interaction with the 
human or natural environment. Analyses of potential economic impacts 
demonstrated no meaningful change to the economic areas surrounding 
each of the sites from the increase or decrease in DISA employment.

Findings and Conclusions

    The analyses conducted for this EA support the determination that 
there are no direct or indirect environmental impacts which should 
preclude DISA from implementing the Proposed Action. The potential for 
impacts resulting from DISA employment loss or gain is negligible in 
each of the economic areas associated with this action. Therefore, no 
mitigation is required or planned for the Proposed Action. Based on the 
EA, a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is issued. Preparation 
of an Environmental Impact Statement is not required for the Proposed 
Action. This FONSI and the supporting EA fulfill the requirements of 
NEPA, DOD directive 6050.1, and the Council on Environmental Quality 
regulation implementing NEPA.
Beverly Sampson,
Chief Protocol Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-32308 Filed 12-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-03-M