Army Plans to Complete UDRA Implementation by March

The U.S. Army is currently implementing a new data architecture designed to deliver data mesh networking across all programs and enable more effective and efficient service-wide data utilization.

Speaking at the AFCEA Army IT Day on Jan. 11, Jennifer Swanson, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for data, engineering and software and a past Potomac Officers Club speaker, said the unified data reference architecture effort would allow the Army to view and use data as a product and take advantage of data usually locked in systems. According to Swanson, the Army is halfway done with the UDRA implementation plan and is expected to complete the phase by March.

She said that completing the implementation plan would allow the Army to ensure that UDRA meets the service’s requirements and start integrating the architecture into some programs of record within 2024.

The first UDRA iteration was completed in partnership with the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.

Swanson introduced the UDRA baseline concept during an interview in December 2022, touting it as a paradigm involving data-as-a-product and self-serve data infrastructure. According to Swanson, data mesh is a requirement for accessing data needed for decision-making.