The basic information system infrastructure in the Pentagon was installed long before the advent of personal computers, fax machines, video teleconferencing, and digital telephone service, and had evolved without a design plan. In 1943, when the Pentagon was built, there was one telephone for every three employees. Over the following years, new information technology capabilities had emerged and new systems had been laid on top of the old. Over time, this merging of technology had become unmanageable and not easily upgraded. As requirements emerged, facilities and systems were added with little or no regard to existing capabilities or long-term requirements. The individual military departments and agencies engineered and installed equipment and cables to meet their immediate specific needs.
