COINS OBJECTIVES AND MASTER PLAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01139A000100100026-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 11, 2005
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: July 1, 1968
• Content Type: MEMO

Memorandum
COINS Sub-System Managers
FROM : COINS Project Manager
0100100026-4
DATE : 1 Jul 68 ..:
SUBJECT: COINS Objectives and Master Plan
1. Attached is a consolidated redraft of the recor,imended COINS
objectives to be submitted to the DCI. Considerable work is still required
before they can be submitted.
a. Underlined portions are new items which have been added or
modified.
b. Objectives preceded by an asterisk (*) denote security
CIA has agreed to rewrite and eubmit for
consideration of the next meeting.
2. This will be the major topic of discussion at the next COINS
meeting on Friday, 12 July 1968, at CIA. Request each member be prepared to
discuss these objectives so that a final draft can be prepared for
coordination in mid-July 1968. Your proposed revisions to the attached paper
should be typed with sufficient copies for all participants.
25X1
Acting GUIN6 Project Manager
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SUBJECT: COINS Ojjectives and Master Plan
Authori*:y
a, US13-IJ-39.1/9,"Community On-Line Intel:i.igence System,
11 April 1963
b. tJSIB-ID-71.7/1,"Management of the COINS Experiment,"
3 Jun 1968
2, Task: A major task which must be undertaken in the next six months
is the development of a COINS Master Plan which integrates into a single
package the short, medium and big ran;c plans, programs, and budgets
of all the participating organizations. The first step toward achieving
this task is to develop and obtain approval of a set of objectives to be
used by each Agency as a base for planning, programming and budgeting.
The objectives a.s well as the plans, program will he divided into three
time frames:
a. Short Range (i.e., Y7T69 F FY70) - Objectives and tasks in
this time frame will be broken down by fiscal year.
b. Medium Range (i.e., FT71 v, FY72) - No attempt will be made
to break the objectives and tasks down by fiscal year in this period.
c. Long Range (i.e.,~FY73 - iPY74) - No attempt will be made to
break the objectives and tasks down by fiscal year in this period.
3. Schedule:
a. The COINS Master Plan must be completed and ready for
coordination by the organizations participating in COINS Experiment
be llorc Seftomber 1968.
1$. The approved version of the Master Plan must be submitte~
Lo they OCI by 1 October 1965,
c. Annually this plan must be revised basod on ce crational
irements, technological advances, d
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Constraints:
a. The Master P].an is based in part on the already approves
plans, programs and budgets of the participating agencies particularly
for FY-69 and FY70.
h. Implementation and execution of any planning, programming
and budgeting for follow-on COINS ty?e system is dependent upon the
results of an evaluation of the COINS Experiment and is subject to the
approval of USIB.
c. Since no COINS participat:ng agency has a complete computing
system dedicated to COINS, all budgets will indicate only the incremental
costs incurred as a result of COINS participation.
d. ?-ar a task or project to be included in the COINS program
it must involve two or more of the' participating agencies, and satisfy
an established objective or requirement.
e. The results of the evaluation of the COINS Experiment, which
are tentatively due in August 1969, may result in a significant rewrite
of this plan.
5. Approach
a. The two most significant portions of the Master Plan will
he those dealing with:
(1) The description of how the COINS experiment will be
scheduled and conducted including the tasks which must be accomplished to
:gird;; it to a successful completion.
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(2) A description of the planning tasks which must ')e
undertaken to prepare for an operational COINS system should USID
approveocent inuation of COINS beyond the experiment;1. stage.
b. The participating agencies are therefore requested to
approve the tasks/objectives which follow as an agreed u; on framework
for preparing the raster Plan.
(1) The tentative sche(riitJ e calls for those tasks/ob j ec:t vas
to be coordinated and app-~-oved by 1 ku,ust 1068.
(2) In addition, parallel efforts will be made to develop a
common format to be used by participating agencies for submitting their
present and proposed plans, programs and budgets re ated to COINS.
6. FY 1969 COINS Experiment Tasks/Objectives
rollowing arc the tasks which must be accomplished in support
of the COINS experiment and which should be described in detail in the
COINS Master Plan.
a. Specify the objectives of the COINS experiment.
h. Provide a detailed, overall schedule for the experiment
which specifies tasks, milestones, and reporting schedul,ts.
c. Provide the planning, programming and budgeting information
F
requested by the DCI.
d. Specify the primary and secondary files-; which are .includr.d
in the COINS ex7Deri.ment, Including maintenance scheriles and rules fo?
'~ idin[; and. deleting files or modi frog files.
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Develop and describe a common training plan and program
to be utilized by the participating agencies, including the limited
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) capability developed for the
experiment.
f. Specify the communications network characteristics and
operating procedures, e.g., transmission rates, switching characteristics,
querying, interrupt, maintenance schedule, etc.
Describe the security procedures which will he utilized
in the experiment.
h. Describe in detail the methodology for collecting and the
kinds of information which will be collected to provide data for evaluating
the experiment.
i. Investigate the possibility of eliminating the need
for a large redundant computer-system, store and forward switch.
j. Dever criteria for establishing and maintaining a
"National" or "central" computerized file on a single intelligence
subject to serve the needs of all members of the intgzlli~ nce conimtxnty
k. Dt,velop procedures
adopted for use in COINS.
} whit} datu_st,inci rdG :. e L1~tiaiL.ttsl..~:nc1
1. Currett. awai9 ss reporting procedures will be implemented
t ,is NSi_1e in_ _tb... OIiS bApe invent Th i s . ~, 1,1 bewrc ,r cl
? i mentai effort aiid will be impl eme,itecl o /a Decci,,iber 1968. ^, DIA
ion requests that it be notii.c:d when r.ecorc
25X1
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25X1
are added., deleted or modilied, Thercforc
whenever such action is taken a notification message will be automat.icr-lly
generated by the NSA. system and forwarded to the a rrorrirzte remote
terminal at l)I.A.
M. DIA Mans for COINS include the following:
(1) IBM 7740 will be replaced by IBM 300/30.. 2d
F F69 .
(2) IB 4 1410 will h-, replaced by IBM 31.Oj50, 2d cLtr_ FY.f> .
(3) An additional_3c1)0 with the DefensePhotoeraphic
"nciex will be placed an-line durir 2c"itr
(w) An_ IBM 360165 may he placed on-line dur:;.r the 4t}:
c~tr FY-69 for the tirpose of nccessing trans station fi.lc.
(5) -Tje__[Jnifi.ed_and Specified Commands plan t.o establish
data links to the DIA switch in accordai;ce with the follot?incT tentative,
scliedule
-UNTCni+_.-=- 11169
25X1
PA(,'O! 1
Apr196
~). _ i'roVi.(de a Cor olid.)
'(' 1 l)rf 11.dnwr: Of the costs incurred
to date for the COT.`S experiment
T' ;tabl i ;1) ope.r,rtinr ;)rocedures by wldiclh new orb rrar itir~~as
tie i,lrn the COINS netyork wi th eit'b('r a remot t~in)i)t')1 or i)
')titer .VSTOP=, nn(! have access to the data bases wit""-in COINS.
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a . Establish procedures by which the COINS network can be
disestablished in the event USIB does not approve its continuance.
7. FY 1969 - 70 Planning Tasks/Objectives in Preparation for
an Operational COINS Systeri
a. The following planning tasks should be started in the 3rd
or 4th quarter of FY 1969 prior to 9;he completion of the experiment.
They would be undertaken on the following assumptions.
(1) COINS will be continued beyond the COINS Experiment
which is scheduled to be concluded at the end of FY 1969.
(2) COINS will become the intelligence community system for
on-line use of digitally stored files.
b. The techniques, systems, and equipment improvements
resulting from most of these tasks will he implemented as soon as they
are available following USIB approval to implement in operational COINS
system. Their implementation is contingent in some cases on available
funds.
(1) All participating organizations will make the necessary
provisions in their programs and budgets tocontinue the COINS
experiment in FY 1970.
(2) Develop objectives and specifications for an
operational system.. Determine resources required and prepare a pan
for its development and implementation.
(3) Develop the specifications for a aulti.-level securi-y
system for the COINS network.
(4) Develop specifications for a network users language
to serve as a bridge between the ~cvcral languages of the part icipati
sev~.~,;1
:'oneins or design a common users 1 ang.uage t, be adopted ry the
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(5) Based on COINS ca:pcritment data and expressed user needs
determine what files should he initially developed for an operational
COINS system and assign development responsibility to the agencies
having primary concern,
(6) Develop specifications to modify and upgrade the
COINS network to assure query/response turn around time and data
transmission rates in accordance with users needs.
c. Remote Terminals:
(1) State Department: A high speed remote terminal
capability will be installed in the Department of State.
(2) National Indications Center (NIC): A high speed remote
terminal capability may be installed in NIC in the Pentagon.
d. The ASCII character set will be the standard for all new
computer system and remote terminal procured for use in COINS network.
e, Develop specification for a limited common, computer
independent users language for use in COINS. Language should permit each
participating organization to add its own specialized operations to the
common, limited users language.
f. The following files will be established and maintained in
COINS by the organizations indicated:
FILE SPONSOR REMARKS
(a) Watch Officers Notes NIC/DIA File must be established
in DIA system
('s)) Commodity File Required by State
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S. FY 1970 Operational COINS System Tasks/Objectives
a. Complete and implement planning tasks started in previous
phase.
b. Implement an on-line, remote file maintenance system to
permit !"Ile sponsors to add, delete or modify data as quickly as new
information becomes available.
c. Extend the COINS system within the original participating
agencies by the addition of more remote terminals to bring in additional
components.
d. Plan the extension of the COINS system to additional
intelligence components, e.g., ONT, through the installation of remote
terminals. Plan the incorporation of additional remote access computer
systems into COINS (e.g., ONI's Project Sextant/Compass). Specifically,
DIA plans to establish data links between the DIA communications switch
and the following unified and specified commands at the tentative dates
indicated:
FhUCOM -
Sep
1969
SAC -
Sep
1969
NORAD -
Sep
1969
STRICOM -
Sep
1969.
ALCOM -
Apr
1970
9. PY 1970 Planning Tasks/Objectives to be Undertaken Should COINS
be Disproved.
A decision that COINS does not provide an economic solution to
the requirement for the exchange of data in certain files among the
agencies of the intelligence community is a contigency that must he
recognized and prepared for.
No attempt will he made at this time to identify or prepare
an alternate plan.
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10. FY 71 $ 72 (Medium Range Plans)
Provide for the in:;t=llat:ion and modification of the nec:essar;'
hardware, and software to provide for multi-level security in all comruter
,,systems within the COINS network. (NOTE: Assume that by this time the
technica?I` problems have been identified and resolve(,'.).
b. Develop a set of minimum technical specifications for a family
o' remote terminals designed and configured for use in COINS. Those terminals
should be designed to wort: in conjunction with the users language
major common verbs in the users language would have separate keys rather
than having to be typed out by the user each time).
C. ?)evelop specifications for a file, independent interrogations
capability and implement agreed upon specifications.
*d. Where appropriate all COINS files will be expanded to include
the following security information at data item or record level as spr-ropriate:
(1) Security Classification
(2) Security Handling Instruction
(3) Security Dissemination Instruction:
1) Security Codewords (5) Security Categories
s'. t,'hexe ar)propa iate