Tracking The TroopsTracking The Troops

The Defense Department's plans to become more efficient by moving the records of all military personnel to a single Web-based human-resources system are moving forward. This month, contractors--including Computer Sciences Corp., IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers (now IBM Business Consulting), Northrop Grumman, and Lockheed Martin Systems--will deliver a final blueprint for implementation. The system should make it easier for planners to identify people with particular skills, check availability, and deploy troops more quickly. The project, which will replace more than 70 legacy HR systems, is set to become operational in 2004.

PeopleSoft Inc. will represent about 80% of the software to be deployed, says a spokesman for the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, which is overseeing the project. In a new report, Morgan Stanley analyst Chuck Phillips notes that sources say PeopleSoft may be the "logical software partner" to help the new Homeland Security Department put a comprehensive employee-tracking system in place, because many of the agencies to be rolled into the department already use the company's HRMS system.