AKO

AKO
Name	Army Knowledge Online
Abbreviation	AKO
Established	2001
Dissolved	2017
Type	Web portal
Jurisdiction	United States Department of Defense
Headquarters	Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Parent agency	United States Army

AKO

AKO served as a centralized web portal and collaboration platform used primarily by members of the United States Army, associated personnel from the United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, United States Navy, contractors affiliated with the Defense Contract Management Agency, and civilians employed by the Department of the Army. Designed to provide access to official doctrine, personnel systems, and collaborative tools, it connected users to resources from institutions such as the National Guard Bureau, United States Military Academy, United States Army Medical Command, United States Army Materiel Command, and installations including Fort Bragg and Fort Hood.

Overview

AKO functioned as an enterprise portal integrating services similar to commercial offerings like Microsoft SharePoint and Google Workspace but tailored for the needs of users tied to the United States Department of Defense. It consolidated links to personnel management systems such as Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, training systems like Army Training Requirements and Resources System, and information from commands such as U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The portal provided single sign-on capabilities, e-mail via Army Knowledge Email, calendaring, and access to publications from organizations like the Army War College and the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.

History

Development of AKO began in the late 1990s and early 2000s amid modernization efforts from leaders including the Secretary of the Army and initiatives associated with the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Early deployments were influenced by lessons from operations in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, where commanders in formations such as I Corps and III Corps sought improved information sharing. Throughout the 2000s AKO expanded features, incorporating lessons from programs like the Net-centric Enterprise Services and coordination with agencies including the Defense Information Systems Agency and the National Security Agency on identity and access management.

By the 2010s alternative enterprise services and cloud initiatives from vendors and agencies—such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure proposals—prompted reviews of AKO’s long-term viability. Decisions by senior leaders at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) and the Army Chief Information Officer led to migration plans and eventual decommissioning, with many services transitioned to enterprise cloud and service offerings used across organizations including the Defense Health Agency and U.S. Cyber Command.

Functions and Services

AKO aggregated many mission-support tools and databases. It provided access to personnel records linked with systems like Defense Finance and Accounting Service and promoted training and readiness via portals tied to Army Training Support Center and courseware from institutions such as United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. Collaboration features enabled document sharing, team sites, and messaging used by units from 1st Infantry Division to 82nd Airborne Division. It offered secure e-mail, file storage, and web hosting for unit pages and was integrated with accreditation and credentialing systems used by organizations such as American Council on Education for military education equivalencies.

AKO also served as a conduit for doctrine and publications, linking users to manuals from Field Manual 3-0 authorship and updates from commands like United States Army Pacific. It hosted resources for family readiness programs connected with the Army Community Service and facilitated access to benefit information produced by entities such as the Veterans Benefits Administration and Soldier for Life initiatives.

Organization and Administration

Administration of AKO involved coordination among the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Army CIO/G-6, and contracting organizations including private-sector vendors and integrators. Operational responsibilities were shared with the Army Network Enterprise Technology Command and support provided by the Defense Information Systems Agency for network connectivity and hosting. Policy oversight came from offices responsible for information assurance and identity management, including coordination with the Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) initiatives and standards promulgated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology for credentialing.

Management included program offices that interfaced with commands such as the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command for content curation and with the Army Human Resources Command for integration of personnel services. Contract vehicles and prime vendors were overseen in conjunction with acquisition authorities like the Defense Contract Management Agency and guided by procurement regulations set by the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Security and Privacy

Given its role handling personally identifiable information and operational data, AKO implemented multi-factor authentication and public key infrastructure standards in collaboration with the National Security Agency and Defense Information Systems Agency. It used Common Access Cards issued by the United States Department of Defense and followed identity credential guidance influenced by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 standards and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act compliance frameworks. Security measures addressed risks from cyber threats identified by organizations such as United States Cyber Command and the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center.

Privacy protections considered statutes and oversight from bodies like the Privacy Act of 1974 and coordination with the Office of the Inspector General (United States Department of Defense) for audits. Incident response procedures interfaced with military criminal investigative bodies such as the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command when warranted.

Legacy and Impact

AKO’s legacy includes influencing later enterprise portals and cloud migrations across the United States Department of Defense, informing designs adopted by services and agencies including the Defense Health Agency, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy. Its practices for identity management, collaboration, and secure access shaped subsequent programs like the Joint Enterprise Directory Services and contributed to doctrine on information sharing used by formations from Third Army (USARCENT) to U.S. European Command. Lessons learned from AKO deployments influenced acquisition approaches, cloud adoption strategies, and policy decisions affecting digital services across the federal landscape, resonating with initiatives led by figures in offices such as the Office of Management and Budget and the Chief Information Officers Council.

Category:United States Army information systems