Initiated way back in 1997, the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) program is slated to top $37 billion in costs before it is brought to full realization in 2011, when low-rate production of JTRS radios is expected to begin.

Recently, the program has been undergoing restructuring. Central to the changes under way is a plan to develop and field capabilities in increments — rather than attempting to field new capabilities, all at once.

As part of the restructuring, the JTRS Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) has reduced the requirements for the radios from 32 waveforms to 11. Each of the waveforms represent a signal that combines the frequency, modulation type, message format, and/or transmission system.

The JTRS waveforms are being implemented as a reusable, portable, executable software applications so that each is independent of the JTRS operating system, its middleware and its hardware. Previously, the JTRS JPEO had announced that it had reorganized the JTRS program, transforming it from the original five separate clusters of radios into centrally managed program management offices.

Given the importance of JTRS to DoD's objectives, Congress has wisely directed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to continue its ongoing review of the JTRS program. In a report released in September, the General GAO appraised the restructuring program, making a number of recommendations, many of which the DoD has already adopted. This latest report assesses whether a recent restructuring puts the program in a better position to succeed and identifies risks that challenge the successful fielding of JTRS.

In the report, released in September, and entitled "Restructured JTRS Program Reduces Risk, but Significant Challenges Remain," Document GAO-06-955, the GAO recommended that JPEO first complete the details of the restructuring, including formal acquisition strategies, independent cost estimates, and test and evaluation plans. Then the report goes on to urge the DoD to develop migration and fielding plans for just how the new JTRS networking capabilities will be used.

As an aside to all this, as JTRS has advanced along its slow and changing development path, DoD has had to continue buying non-JTRS tactical radios— currently estimated to cost $11 billion—to support the military's on-going communication needs.