Washington, D.C. – A leading member of the House Armed Services Committee is challenging how the commanding officer of Army Special Operations Command has explained inconsistencies regarding the decision to move forward with the Distributed Common Ground System.

The Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) is a computer network used to process and disseminate intelligence, such as targeting images. Each service, including special operations forces, uses its own version of DCGS.

The system has brought conflict to Congress and in the courts, however, as the Army has been accused of overspending to develop the system when a commercial solution has existed for years. In October, a federal judge ordered the Army to reconsider commercial platforms.

In a Dec. 15 letter to Lt. Gen. Kenneth Tovo, the commanding officer of USASOC, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) asked the lieutenant general to explain why his command reported that intelligence officers requested DCGS, when leading intelligence officers supporting Operation Inherent Resolve stated they did not plan to use the system. Rep. Hunter uncovered the discrepancies during his investigation of the matter.