Formal Authorities

The concept of advanced distributed learning simultaneously matured in several different Defense offices and Federal programs throughout the mid-1990s. To integrate these disparate, burgeoning efforts, the DoD established the ADL Initiative. Over time, the DoD as well as the White House and Congress, assigned additional formal responsibilities and authorities to the program.

ADL Initiative Authorities and Responsibilities
Authorities	Responsibilities
1966 Quadrennial Defense Review	Directs DoD to develop Department-wide strategy for modernizing technology-based education and training
DEPSECDEF Memo, 23 November 1998 Subject: Developing and Implementing the DoD ADL Initiative	Directs USD(P&R) to lead the ADL Initiative Directs expansion of the ADL Initiative program Directs development of the ADL Initiative master plan Directs Comptroller to ensure sufficient resources exist to execute the ADL Initiative master plan
Executive Order 13111 President William J. Clinton, 12 January 1999	Directs DoD to lead distributed learning standards for the Federal Government Directs DoD to collaborate with industry and academia for distributed learning Directs DoD to guide Defense on development and implementation of distributed learning
Secretary of Defense, DoD Training Technology Vision (6 January 1999)	Reiterates ADL Initiative authorities Directs the ADL Initiative to collaborate broadly (public-sector, academia, and industry) Directs the ADL Initiative to serve whole of government
Section 378 of Public Law 105-261, the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999	Directs DoD to expand distributed learning, starting by considering the ADL Initiative as the center for this Requests delivery of a strategic plan for this
Department of Defense Strategic Plan for Advanced Distributed Learning (30 April 1999)	Response to the NDAA request for the Defense-wide ADL Initiative Strategic Plan Submitted to the 106th Congress Outlines the ADL Initiative’s goals and authorities
Department of Defense Implementation Plan for Advanced Distributed Learning_ (19 May 2000)	Adds detail to the ADL Initiative Strategic Plan Describes specific program authorities, governance, oversight, and interaction with the Services Defines the ADL Initiative as the “principal vehicle” for using learning technologies to modernize DoD training/education Defines the ADL Initiative as a science and technology program and directs it to "coordinate and perform" R&D Directs the ADL Initiative to ensure adoption of distributed learning specifications and standards, including internationally and commercially Describes and supports the ADL Global Partnership Network, including establishment of "co-labs" Directs the ADL Initiative to serve as a test-bed for new distributed learning technologies and guidelines, Federal-wide Directs the ADL Initiative to provide learning technology demonstration events, incl. ones open to industry and academia Directs the ADL Initiative to provide a help-desk function, including web site, live demos, and on-site services Defines authorities for the O6-level Defense ADL Advisory Committee (DADLAC) for ADL Initiative coordination
Defense Planning Guidance for Fiscal Years 2002-2007	Directs DoD to take full advantage of learning technologies to provide training anytime and anywhere Directs the ADL Initiative to develop and support Coalition-based global education and training
Section 2249d of title 10, U.S. Code (14 October 2008)	Authorizes DoD to share distributed learning content with allies Authorizes DoD to share associated IT and software to support distributed learning Directly highlights applicability of this authority to advanced distributed learning
DoD Instruction 1322.26 (Distributed Learning) (5 October 2017)	Originally published in 2006 and revised in 2017 Defines distributed learning technology specifications and standards for DoD Charters the DADLAC as the oversight body for evolving DoD distributed learning specifications; reaffirms the ADL Initiative as its chair Directs ADL Initiative to recommend emerging distributed learning to DoD/Federal, conduct R&D against requirements, update distributed learning specifications Directs ADL Initiative to provides oversight for joint, inter-agency, inter-organizational, and multi-national collaboration
NATO STANAG 2591 (Advanced Distributed Learning)	Originally published in 2013 Defines distributed learning specifications and standards for NATO Follows the US DoDI 1322.26