The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency. Its core mission is to provide, operate, and assure command and control (C2), information-sharing capabilities, and a globally accessible enterprise information infrastructure. This is accomplished through the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) and other services that directly support joint warfighters, national-level leaders, and coalition partners. The description in the question is a near-verbatim representation of DISA's official mission statement.

A. DARPA: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the DoD's research and development arm, focused on creating and preventing strategic surprise by developing breakthrough technologies, not operating current infrastructure.

B. DTIC: The Defense Technical Information Center is the central repository for research and engineering information for the DoD. Its role is information dissemination and archival, not operational command and control.

D. DIAP: The Defense-wide Information Assurance Program was a policy and coordination program, not an operational agency that provides enterprise infrastructure and command and control capabilities.

1. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). (n.d.). About DISA. Retrieved from disa.mil. The official mission statement on the DISA website states: "DISA provides

operates

and assures command and control and information-sharing capabilities and a globally accessible enterprise information infrastructure in direct support of joint warfighters

national level leaders

and other mission and coalition partners."

2. U.S. Department of Defense. (2013

July 25). DoD Directive 5105.19: Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Section 2

"Mission

" outlines DISA's responsibility to be a "provider of GIG [Global Information Grid] services to the President

the Vice President

the Secretary of Defense

the other National Command Authorities

and the joint warfighter."

3. Ryan

N. J. (2011). Command and Control: The Fifth Element. Joint Force Quarterly

Issue 63

4th Quarter 2011

p. 119. National Defense University Press. This article discusses the evolution of C2 and references DISA's central role in providing the "network and the services" that enable modern net-centric command and control for the joint force.