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The U.S. Army at long last has placed the y2k problem high up on its list of priorities. But it announced this only on the last day of March, 1997. This is very, very late. This much is certain: the y2k problem is real. Anyone who tells you that the problem is trivial, or that solving it is trivial, is in denial. He does not know what he is talking about. Listen to him at your own risk.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20310 March 31, 1997
MEMORANDUM FOR SEE DISTRIBUTION
SUBJECT: Year 2000 Fixes -- Top Priority
Our Army's ability to shoot, move and communicate effectively -- both within our Service and in conjunction with Joint and Combined forces -- has come to rely heavily on automation. The increasing importance of information dominance, with its continual introduction of more sophisticated technological weaponry to the inventory, has made this reliance critical. Consequently, the year 2000 (Y2K) problem must not be allowed to pose any risk to the warfighter. This is a matter that affects the credibility of the Army with its soldiers and the public that we serve.
We must deal with Y2K now so that our soldiers can continue to place well-founded confidence in their weaponry and automation tools through the change in millennium. To this end, each Army organization responsible for system development and maintenance should ensure that Y2K is a high systems resource priority. Therefore, effective immediately, all nonessential sustainment requirements and enhancements will be postponed until systems have been analyzed, fixed, tested, and certified Y2K compliant using existing resources.
As part of this process, each system will be seriously considered for elimination. Only those automation systems which truly assist in mission accomplishment should remain in your inventory. Ensure that you are not spending any resources on fixing systems that are no longer essential, or , that will not be in use past January 1, 2000.
Contact MAJ Ron Spear ((703) 275-6084, DSN 235-6084, e-mail: spearr@hqda.army.mil)
or Ms Debie Francis ((703) 275-6519, DSN 235-6519, e-mail: francisd@hqda.army.mil), if you have questions or concerns.
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