Senate Confirms New DISA Director, No Report Date Set November 25, 2008 Army Maj. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett has been confirmed by the Senate as the new director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and commander of Joint Task Force - Global Network Operations. A DISA official told MilitaryIT.net that the agency doesn't yet have a reporting date for Pollett but will provide the details of the change of responsibility as soon as they are firm. Pollett is not new to DISA. Among his previous assignments, he served as DISA's commander and principal director of operations. Pollett comes to DISA from U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, where he has been serving as chief of staff. He replaces Air Force Lt. Gen. Charles Croom, who retired from the service and stepped down as DISA director on July 22. Navy Rear Adm. Elizabeth Hight has served as acting DISA director in the interim. Hight had been nominated originally to replace Croom, but the Senate refused to confirm her because of a supposed conflict of interest – Hight’s husband is a vice president at Northrop Grumman.
Navy CIO Issues Guidance for Use of Web 2.0 Tools November 20, 2008 The Department of Navy CIO has issued a memorandum providing initial guidance for all Navy and Marine Corps Commands regarding the use of Web 2.0 tools to facilitate collaboration and information sharing.
The Oct. 20 memo endorses the secure use of Web 2.0 tools to enhance communication, collaboration and information exchange; streamline processes; and foster productivity improvements. According to the memo, use of Web 2.0 tools supports DoD and Navy goals of achieving an interoperable, net-centric environment by improving the warfighter's effectiveness through seamless access to critical information. Web 2.0 tools include wikis, blogs, mash ups, web feeds, and forums which can "significantly enhance mission effectiveness through collaboration." However, the memo warned that their application must not compromise data confidentiality and integrity. To view memo, click on link: http://www.doncio.navy.mil/Download.aspx?AttachID=699 Army Receives First WIN-T Increment 1 Equipment November 5, 2008 General Dynamics announced that it has recently completed delivery of the first WIN-T Increment 1 equipment to the Army. Increment 1 builds on the former Joint Network Node-Network (JNN) and provides soldiers with a high-capacity, reliable, secure communications network when they are stopped or “at the halt.”
On schedule deliveries of WIN-T Increment 1 to the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) at Ft. Lewis, Wash. include networking hubs, network management suites and network nodes. The equipment serves Battalion, Brigade and Division/Corps command posts and Expeditionary Signal Battalions. The 5/2 ID SBCT is training with the new WIN-T Increment 1 equipment in preparation for operational tests and evaluations.
General Dynamics is also under contract for WIN-T Increment 2, which will provide soldiers with an initial on-the-move broadband networking capability using satellite and radio links. Fielding begins in 2009.
In addition, General Dynamics is developing the components to meet the full range of network capacity, security, and fully on-the-move capabilities under the WIN-T Increment 3 contract as the Army’s transitions to modular equipment for its future fighting force.
Limited user testing of Increment 3 begins in 2011. The award for WIN-T Increment 4, which represents the last of the developmental program elements, is pending. DISA Makes Data and Wireless Services Awards November 3, 2008 Thanks to recent DISA awards under the Networx Universal federal telecommunications program, DoD now has a choice of vendors to provide data and wireless services. DISA and the Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization last week announced awards to MCI Communications Services, Inc. dba Verizon Business and AT&T Corp. AT&T is the prime vendor for Frame Relay Services and due to the uniqueness of DoD customers, an alternate vendor, MCI dba Verizon Business, was selected for cases where diversity is required. MCI dba Verizon Business was also selected for Asynchronous Transfer Mode Service (ATM), Internet Protocol Service (IP Svs), Wireless and Point-to-Point (Private Line). Due to the uniqueness of DoD customers, a prime and alternate vendor was also chosen for Network-Based IP VPN Service (IP VPN) and Voice Over IP Service (VoIP). MCI dba as Verizon Business was selected as the prime vendor, and AT&T was selected as the alternate vendor for cases where diversity is required. Networx Universal gives these vendors the opportunity to provide a full range of data services to DoD. They will perform work throughout the United States and abroad depending on specific requirements. The estimated worth to procure date services under Networx Universal for all of DoD is approximately $94 million per year based upon FTS 2001 spending in FY07. Raytheon Tactical Paging System Solves Submarine Communications Shortfall October 30, 2008 The Navy has successfully conducted the first large-scale test of Raytheon's Deep Siren tactical paging system, which enables operational commanders anywhere in the world to contact a submerged submarine, regardless of its speed or depth. This capability solves one of the Navy’s most significant shortfalls in submarine communications. Raytheon's Deep Siren system employs acoustic, expendable buoys that, when contacted through the Global Information Grid, enable long-range communications. In April 2008, the Navy began a comprehensive test of the Deep Siren tactical paging system for the Navy's Communications at Speed and Depth program. Initial testing demonstrated successful results when the Deep Siren buoy was deployed over the side of a surface vessel. In June, a Navy submarine deployed 12 Deep Siren communications gateway buoys at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center deep water range in the Bahamas. The buoys successfully reached the surface establishing direct connectivity between the commander of the Submarine Force test team in Norfolk, Va., and the submarine. In August, the Operational Test and Evaluation Force conducted the final test event, a military utility assessment, when a Navy submarine successfully deployed Deep Siren buoys. For all these tests, the SUBFOR test team established communications via the Deep Siren command station with the deployed buoys via the Iridium satellite network, delivering several hundred acoustic messages to the submarine with performance that exceeded requirements. With successful test results, Raytheon is ready to move forward to production. Raytheon's Deep Siren solution includes a satellite communications command station, an acoustic receiver decoding station on board a submarine, and a communications gateway buoy that floats on the ocean surface and converts received SATCOM messages to underwater acoustic transmissions. CACI Lands $406 Million in Security and Intel Contracts October 24, 2008 CACI continues to rack up contract awards in the government IT sector. This week the company announced that it has been awarded approximately $406 million in previously unannounced contracts with clients in the national security and intelligence communities. As part of these awards, CACI is delivering professional services and information technology solutions to organizations providing national security and countering global threats. These contracts were awarded in the first quarter of CACI’s fiscal year 2009, which ended September 30, 2008. The awards expand the size and scope of CACI’s business in its core competencies of data, information, and knowledge management, and integrated security and intelligence solutions. For these contracts, CACI is providing a range of technical IT support and analytical services. This includes helping a classified client analyze networks and organizations responsible for planning and perpetrating attacks on U.S. troops. On another effort, CACI is providing technical solutions and software tools that allow this client's analysts to gather actionable information more quickly and effectively, enabling the federal government to better track and prevent terrorist attacks DoD IG: Contractor Common Access Cards Need Controls October 15, 2008 Additional controls over contractor Common Access Cards (CACs) are needed and existing controls need improvement, according to a just released report by the DoD Inspector General. Specifically, the IG found that contractor CACs were not consistently approved, issued, reverified, revoked, or recovered across DoD. "Overall, CAC life-cycle weaknesses pose a potential national security risk that may result in unauthorized access to DoD resources, installations, and sensitive information worldwide," the IG report concluded. In October 2000, DoD began issuing CACs to active-duty military personnel, reserve personnel, civilian employees, and eligible contractors. DoD personnel and eligible contractors use CACs as a general identification card and to gain access to DoD resources, installations and sensitive information. In addition, CACs allow DoD personnel and eligible contractors to electronically sign and send encrypted emails to facilitate daily business activity. However, the IG found that some contractors received CACs without undergoing background checks or receiving appropriate government approval, and contractors were misclassified as government employees on their CACs. Moreover, according to the IG report, DoD did not always recover revoked contractor CACs. The IG recommended tighter controls over contractor CACs, including a joint, DoD-wide contractor CAC life-cycle policy. DoD's SBIRS Software Fix Questioned by GAO October 3, 2008 Pentagon estimates that the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) program will be delayed by 15 months and cost $414 million in funding to resolve the flight software problems appear optimistic, according to a GAO report issued this week. The GAO said that confidence levels, based on the program's ability to develop, integrate, and test software in time to meet the schedule goal, have been assessed as low. The report also concluded that the SBIRS program's aggressive schedule is a major challenge because it allows "little margin for error." Another area of vulnerability for the proposed fix to the SBIRS flight software problems is that DoD has introduced additional risk by granting waivers to streamline the software development processes to meet the aggressive schedule. “These allow the program to deviate from disciplined processes in order to compress the schedule and meet the goal,” said GAO. “In addition, some software elements are behind schedule, and thousands of software activities and deliverables remain to be integrated. Delay by these other programs could create unintended consequences for the SBIRS launch goal. If DoD should need additional time or encounter problems beyond what was planned for, more funds will be needed and launch of the first satellite in December 2009 could be jeopardized.” Troubles for the SBIRS program are nothing new. SBIRS was restructured several times to stem cost increases and schedule delays, including revising program goals in 2002, 2004, and 2005. In 2007, SBIRS had a major setback when flight software for the first satellite underwent testing and failed, a failure caused by design issues. To mitigate the SBIRS flight software problems, DoD assessed various alternatives and developed a way to implement the software redesign and oversee its development. In April 2008, DoD approved the redesign effort, which addressed problems with the original design that affected the timing of stored programs, distribution of control between processors, and failure at the hardware interface level. GAO: DoD Needs to Better Manage Biometric Activities September 30, 2008
Coordinating the development and implementation of biometrics and ensuring interoperability across DoD has been difficult to achieve, according to a GAO report issued yesterday. GAO examined the extent to which DoD has established biometrics goals and objectives, implementing guidance for managing biometrics activities, and a designated budget. DoD uses biometrics technologies that identify physical attributes, including fingerprints and iris scans. Biometrics also is an enabling technology for identity management, a concept that seeks to manage personally identifiable information to enable improved governmentwide sharing and analysis of identity information. However, as of August 2008, GAO found that DoD had not established management practices that include clearly defined goals and objectives, implementing guidance that clarifies decision-making procedures for the Executive Committee, and a designated biometrics budget. “While DoD has stated some general goals for biometrics, such as providing recognized leadership and comprehensive planning policy, it has not articulated specific program objectives, the steps needed to achieve those objectives, and the priorities, milestones, and performance measures needed to gauge results,” said GAO. “DoD issued a directive in 2008 to establish biometrics policy and assigned general responsibilities to the Executive Committee and the Principal Staff Assistant but has not issued implementing guidance that clarifies decision-making procedures.” The Executive Committee is chaired by the Principal Staff Assistant and includes a wide array of representatives from DoD communities such as intelligence, acquisitions, networks and information integration, personnel, and policy and the military services. The Executive Committee is responsible for resolving biometrics management issues, such as issues between the military services and joint interests resulting in duplications of effort. However, the committee does not have guidance for making decisions that can resolve management issues. GAO said that DoD also has not established a designated budget for biometrics that links resources to specific objectives and provides a consolidated view of the resources devoted to biometrics activities. Instead, it has relied on initiative-by-initiative requests for supplemental funding, which may not provide a predictable stream of funding for biometrics. House Approves Fiscal 2009 Defense Act; Army's FCS Procurement Cut $137 Million September 24, 2008
The House of Representatives today approved the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 2009. The bill is based on an agreement reached by House and Senated Armed Services Committees authorizing $531.4 billion in budget authority for DoD and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The agreement also authorizes $68.6 billion to support ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during fiscal year 2009.
House-Senate authorizers included several provisions to improve oversight and transparency of the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, including new annual cost reporting requirements for FCS manned ground vehicles; additional conditions for the 2009 “go, no go” DoD review of FCS; an analysis of the FCS communications network’s vulnerabilities; a requirement for more detailed budget request data for FCS; and language restricting the Army’s ability to use the FCS Lead Systems Integrator for full-rate production contracts. The Army requested $3.7 billion for FCS in fiscal 2009. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 cut FCS procurement funding by $137.7 million, while increasing FCS R&D funding by $33 million, for a net reduction of $104.7 million. FCS wasn't the only major Army program to see its funding decreased. House-Senate authorizers reduced the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical program's Increment 2 (Initial Networking On-The-Move) procurement funding by $42 million and decreased WIN-T's Increment 3 (Full Networking On-The-Move) R&D funding by $33.1 million. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 also withheld 50 percent of R&D funding for WIN-T Increment 3 pending delivery of updated program cost estimates and technology assessments. The good news for the Army is that the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 fully funded the service’s budget request for Army tactical radio procurement. However, a legislative provision withholds 25 percent of the requested funding pending a report to Congress on the Army’s plans for future radio procurement.
DISA Turns to 24/7 Cloud Computing for New Service
September 18, 2008
Starting in October, the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) with the help of HP will be supplying DoD with a cloud computing infrastructure called the Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE), designed to reduce costs, consolidate applications, shorten delivery times and simplify the user experience. RACE brings an unprecedented computing capability to DoD users by offering them processing capability, systems management, communications and storage via an easy-to-use web portal that DISA says will match the speed and agility with which these types of services are offered commercially. "This approach to computing service is new for DISA customers because it is an on-line self service capability that is available 365/24/7," Air Force Col. Joseph Means Jr., Deputy Director for DISA Computing Services Directorate, told MilitaryIT.net. "With RACE the customer can customize, purchase, and receive the platform needed within 24 hours of request."
According to Means, there are two types of operating environments offered initially by RACE: Microsoft Windows or Red Hat Linux. DoD customer access to RACE services is authorized via Public Key Infrastructure using a credit card or Military Interdepartmental Purchase Request. The fees and rates for usage is designed with a no capital investment requirement, the customer pays only for what is needed, there is help desk support 365/24/7 and the cost is $500 per month/image.
The contract with HP is one of the Computing Services Capacity Services Contracts, or Services for Processor Environments (SPE) Contracts. The Windows/Linux contract was awarded in October 2006, with a $225 million ceiling.
HP will provide DISA with a broad array of products, software and services to implement and support the cloud infrastructure. HP software featured in the solution includes HP Operations Orchestration, HP Server Automation, HP Service Manager, HP Operations Manager, HP Systems Insight Manager and HP ProLiant Essentials. HP will also provide ProLiant server blades, implementation services and on-site operations management. General Dynamics to Equip Army Stryker Brigade with New Land Warrior System
September 12, 2008
General Dynamics has won a $70 million contract to equip the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team (5/2 SBCT) with a new, lighter-weight version of the Land Warrior integrated fighting system. The slimmer Land Warrior system now weighs 7.2 pounds, down from approximately 17 pounds in 2006.
The Land Warrior system provides command-and-control, computing, communication and position-location technologies that will digitally link the Stryker brigade’s infantry soldiers to the battlefield network while they are on missions, improving their situational awareness, survivability, mission speed and effectiveness.
System improvements, including size, weight and power reductions, resulted from feedback received directly from soldiers equipped with a previous generation of Land Warrior in Iraq. Their suggestions helped guide a team working at the General Dynamics-sponsored EDGE Innovation Network to improve the ‘fightability’ of the Land Warrior system.
The 5/2 SBCT at Fort Lewis, Wash., will be equipped with advanced warfighting technologies that include built-in text messaging capabilities; maps and imagery that can be changed by leaders while on-the-move; virtual ‘chem-lights’ that identify known enemy locations; and acoustic sniper detection. Land Warrior was first deployed to Iraq with the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, based in Fort Lewis, in 2007. Navy Looks to NGEN to Replace Service's NMCI September 9, 2008
The Navy is gearing up for the $8.8 billion Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), the follow-on to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI). NGEN is being touted as the service-wide network that will provide net-centric capability that builds on and improves the information services currently provided by NMCI and, eventually, the OCONUS Navy Enterprise Network (ONE-Net). NGEN Block 1 is the follow-on to NMCI and replaces the services currently provided by NMCI, which was designed to deliver a basic seat management service enterprise-wide that is comparable to the commercial sector and based on performance. NMCI provides secure, universal access to integrated voice, video and data communications for about 650,000 Navy and Marine Corps user accounts on 340,000 seats at 3,000 locations across the continental U.S., Hawaii, Cuba, Guam, Japan and Puerto Rico. In October 2000, EDS was awarded the original NMCI contract. EDS partnered on the contract with Microsoft, Dell, and Cisco. NMCI is operated under a seven-year firm fixed price performance-based contract with a three-year option. In March 2006, the Navy exercised the option years early, extending the period of performance from September 2007 to September 2010. The end of the NMCI contract is the most critical near-term networking event for the Navy. NGEN must be ready at the expiration of the NMCI contract and minimize the transition risk for Navy users. The network will incorporate the NMCI lessons learned, address performance deficiencies as well as focus on improved reliability and security. The NGEN baseline will include at least the services currently offered by NMCI and will include all current NMCI and ONE-Net sites, including Guam. Unlike NMCI which is contractor owned and operated, ONE-Net is a government owned and operated network that provides roughly 41,000 users at shore installations overseas with a secure, single, integrated network with real-time access to mission critical information. The fiscal 2009 budget provides $60 million for the NGEN program. A request for proposals from industry is expected this fall and a contract award in early 2009. Future NGEN upgrades will transform NMCI, ONE-Net, the Navy’s shipboard IT for the 21st Century (IT-21) and the Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) from four separate environments to a globally, integrated, net-centric Department of Navy enterprise to support network operations, leverage the DoD Global Information Grid and other available defense-wide services. DoD's NIPRNet is Certified IPv6 Capable; SIPRNet Will Take Until Q4 2010 for IPv6
September 4, 2008
The Defense Department's Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet) met the Office of Management and Budget’s Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) deadline by successfully demonstrating IPv6 capability by June 30. However, it will be another two years before DoD's Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet) is certified IPv6-capable.
Gerry Doyle, Chief of the Systems Engineering Center at DISA, told MilitaryIT.net that DISA Network Services and GIG Engineering "ensured that all NIPRNet core routers were IPv6-capable, and successfully loaded and configured the core routers to run IPv6 in dual stack mode (IPv4 and IPv6 both running on each router)." According to Doyle, on May 20, DISA Network Services successfully demonstrated that the NIPRNet operational core backbone network was IPv6-capable" and that "testing showed that IPv6 traffic was successfully transported (i.e. received, processed, forwarded) through all IPv6 devices in the DoD's core Network."
While DoD's NIPRNet met the OMB June 30 deadline for all federal agencies to have IPv6 capability, the DoD IPv6 Transition Plan has the SIPRNet scheduled to be IPv6-capable by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010. SIPRNet will take longer due to the lack of High Assurance IP Encryptors (HAIPEs) capable of supporting IPv6. "Although some IPv6-capable HAIPEs may be currently or shortly available, the make/models used on SIPRNet are not expected for availability until mid-late FY2010," said a DISA statement. "Following availability, SIPRNet will need to conduct testing, certification, and authorization of the IPv6 HAIPEs pushing the schedule towards end of FY2010, and possibly later should IPv6 HAIPE availability be delayed."
The National Security Agency’s HAIPE program is the DoD standard for secure interoperable communications over IP networks of all types. NSA certifies IP encryption devices for the HAIPE label only after they are tested for compliance with the HAIPE interoperability standards.
HAIPE encryption products are tested to be compliant with HAIPE IS Version 1.3.5, which was released in May 2004. Nevertheless, HAIPE IS Version 1.3.5 has some limitations, including lack of support for routing protocols or open network management. HAIPE IS Version 3.0 supports IPv6, standardized over-the-network management and bandwidth efficient modes. HAIPE IS Version 3.0 products will be available in early 2009.
GAO: DoD Needs to Balance Tactical Radio Investments
August 21, 2008
At the same time as the Pentagon is developing the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), it is also trying to ensure that current U.S. forces are equipped with sufficient legacy radios. This balancing act of meeting DoD’s current and future radio needs is not being handled very well, according to a GAO report released last week.
The GAO report found that over the past five years DoD investments in key tactical radios have shifted dramatically, both in size and composition. The Defense Department has spent $12 billion on the development and production of tactical radios over the last five years (about as much as was spent producing Virginia Class submarines during that same period). In 2002, when JTRS first began system development, DoD planned to invest close to $3 billion in JTRS over fiscal years 2003-2007. Nevertheless, actual investments more than doubled and shifted to producing thousands more legacy radios. Compared with the $3.2 billion that was slated to be spent on JTRS and the Army and Marine Corps legacy radios, about $8.3 billion was actually spent. Of this, about $5.7 billion was spent on the legacy radios, while $2.5 billion was spent on JTRS development. According to GAO, the change in tactical radio investments was brought about by delays in the development and production of JTRS and urgent demands for more radios to equip current forces. "JTRS has encountered significant cost, schedule, and performance problems, causing some users to buy more legacy radios instead,” GAO said. “Moreover, the military services' demand for tactical radios soared because of combat operations, the need to equip Guard and Reserve forces with modern radios, and to add more radios per combat unit.” Over the next five years, DoD faces several challenges in providing needed tactical communications capabilities to the warfighter, including: overcoming technology hurdles, size and power constraints, and security architecture issues to complete JTRS development; managing investments within defined fiscal constraints (a legacy vehicle radio costs about $20,000, while JTRS is estimated to cost up to 10 times more); and phasing in JTRS without prematurely retiring a relatively young inventory of legacy radios. “DoD does not have a strategy to meet these challenges and thus runs the risk of having its future communications capabilities decided ad hoc,” the GAO report said. NRL Awards Boeing High Integrity GPS Contract
 August 5, 2008
Boeing announced today that a team led by the company has been awarded a $153.5 million contract by the Naval Research Laboratory to demonstrate High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) technology concepts.
The High Integrity GPS team includes Boeing Advanced Systems and Phantom Works, Iridium LLC, Rockwell Collins, Coherent Navigation and experts from academia. The High Integrity GPS effort combines satellite signals from the Iridium Low Earth Orbit telecommunications system and GPS Mid Earth Orbit navigational satellites to enhance navigation availability, integrity, accuracy and jam-resistant capabilities.
The House Armed Services Committee, however, in its Fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act eliminated $61.2 million requested by the Pentagon for High Integrity GPS, a funding cut the Bush administration opposes.
“Termination of the [High Integrity GPS] program would eliminate a development that is a much needed capability for the Special Operations Command in the FY2010 timeframe,” stated the Office of Management and Budget in a May 22 statement. JTRS AMF Awarded to Northrop Grumman But Program Questions Remain July 31, 2008
Northrop Grumman announced this month that Lockheed Martin awarded the company a $240 million contract to provide critical technologies for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station (AMF).
An initial $186.7 million subcontract has been awarded to Northrop Grumman focused on the software-defined radio development for JTRS AMF, a communications capability that includes two software-defined, multifunction radio form factors for the use by DoD. The AMF program will develop radios and associated equipment for integration into nearly 100 different types of aircraft, ships, and fixed stations for all of the military services.
However, according to a March 2008 GAO report, there are concerns about four critical technologies on which JTRS AMF is dependent, including waveforms and network management services. In addition, GAO said that JTRS AMF may experience cost, schedule, or performance problems if other related program capabilities are delivered late.
AMF JTRS is designed to enable operations of highly secure, high performance military tactical networks, connecting air, land and sea forces to communicate in a network-centric environment. The AMF system will interoperate with legacy data and voice circuits used by the U.S., allied or NATO military forces. System Integration Priority for TRANSCOM Commander
July 25, 2008
The next commander of U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that if he is confirmed for the position he would make the integration of command and control systems “across boundaries and domains from one end of the distribution chain to the other” a priority.
“If confirmed, I will work with distribution partners and customers to make [command and control] improvements which will allow secure and unconstrained sharing of information across these domains,” said Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, the USTRANSCOM commander nominee. “This is a clear challenge, but necessary, if we are to maximize the combat multiplying effects of logistics for the warfighter.”
Commercial partners, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commanders, military services and coalition partners all have unique logistics systems, McNabb said. The challenge is to improve information exchanges across the various classification boundaries between services and Combatant Commanders, while simultaneously improving information sharing with DoD's commercial and coalition partners, he said. Reliance on Tech Makes U.S. Vulnerable to EMP Attack
July 17, 2008
The increased vulnerability of the United States to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack is a result of the country’s reliance on increasingly sophisticated commercial technologies and could be catastrophic, according to a new report introduced as testimony last week before the House Armed Services Committee.
“The risk of an EMP attack may be greater today than during the Cold War,” testified Dr. William Graham, chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from EMP. “The electromagnetic fields produced by weapons deployed with the intent to produce EMP have a high likelihood of damaging electrical power systems, electronics, and information systems upon which American society depends. Their effects on critical infrastructures could be sufficient to qualify as catastrophic to the nation.”
A high-altitude electronic pulse results from the detonation of a nuclear warhead at 40 to 400 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. According to Dr. Graham, U.S. vulnerability to EMP attack is increasing daily as the nation’s dependence on electronics continues to grow in both the civil and military sectors.
However, it is not all bad news from the EMP Commission’s report which presents the results of the Commission’s assessment of an EMP attack on America’s critical national infrastructures, and provides recommendations for preparation, monitoring, protection, and recovery from such an attack. Dr. Graham testified that while an EMP attack on critical national infrastructures is a serious problem it is one that can be managed in an “orderly way at reasonable cost.” New DISA HQ at Fort Meade to Get Network Overhaul
July 8, 2008
General Dynamics announced last week that it had been awarded a delivery order by the Army to expand information technology infrastructure and network capabilities at Fort Meade, Md. to support the relocation of the Defense Information Systems Agency’s headquarters. The delivery order has a total potential value of $16.5 million over two years if all options are exercised.
DISA’s headquarters will relocate from Arlington, Va. to Fort Meade by September 2011 as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) legislation. The new complex will also house the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations from Arlington; the Deployable Joint Command and Control Program Office from Panama City, Fla., and the Joint Tactical Radio System Program Office from Rosslyn, Va., and other tenants. When the DISA headquarters relocation is complete in 2011, the Army estimates that the Fort Meade base population will increase by approximately 4,300 people.
The General Dynamics delivery order at Fort Meade is part of the U.S. Army Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems’ Infrastructure Modernization (IMOD) program to expand bandwidth and network capabilities to address evolving Army communications requirements. Under the IMOD contract, General Dynamics will deploy a high-speed broadband network backbone to support enhanced base operations. Army Changes to FCS Fielding Plan Not Well Received by Lawmakers
June 27, 2008
The Army announced that it is changing the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program to allow fielding of selected FCS equipment to light infantry units. But, the announcement has not gone over well with the members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC).
HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO) and Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) released a statement yesterday about the Army’s changes to the FCS program.
“We have supported FCS 'spin out' efforts because they are the best way to quickly get FCS equipment to the Army. However, we are concerned that this new plan may not allow for adequate testing of the equipment due to its very tight schedule,” said Skelton and Abercrombie in a joint statement. “In addition, the overall FCS program remains far over budget, far behind schedule, and unaffordable in the long term given the many other pressing needs facing the United States Army," they said. Originally designed to be delivered first to Heavy Brigade Combat teams, FCS equipment will now be delivered first to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams (IBCTs) by fiscal year 2011, which is three years earlier than previously planned. The changes are a result of Army studies that showed infantry units most needed the FCS capabilities.
"As a result of capability gaps found in these IBCTs, the Army is accelerating the FCS complementary programs to provide capability to infantry units first," said Lt. Gen. Michael A. Vane, director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center. "These capabilities will increase their capability and survivability in offense, defense and stability operations."
The FCS equipment to be fielded to IBCTs will include the Tactical and Urban Unattended Ground Sensors, the Non Line of Sight-Launch System, the Class I Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle and network kits for the Humvee platform.
NCES Reaches Critical Acquisition Milestone June 20, 2008
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) announced yesterday that the Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) program achieved a critical acquisition milestone. A June 13 Acquisition Decision Memorandum granted the authority to enter the production and deployment phase of Increment One of the NCES program.
The NCES Milestone C decision was based on the program meeting all required criteria, including early user testing and evaluation, as well as successful operational assessment of managed service providers. NCES will enable a secure, agile, robust, dependable, interoperable data-sharing environment for DoD where warfighter, business, and intelligence users can share knowledge on a global network.
According to DISA, NCES provides collaboration in real-time voice, text, and video sessions and provides the entire organization access to shared/stored data while using a service-oriented architecture, built primarily with network-available services such as Web Services. NCES services such as security applications can be distributed over a network and then combined and reused to create business applications that communicate and coordinate efficiently with each other. In July 2006, DISA selected IBM to provide the first commercial collaboration tool for NCES. In November 2007, DISA's NCES program unveiled a second collaboration tool called Defense Connect Online, a commercial product provided by a partnership of Carahsoft, Adobe Systems, and Jabber. Defense Connect Online provides collaboration services including instant messaging, low-bandwidth text chat, web conferencing, shared whiteboards, desktop/application/presentation sharing, and the ability to invite personnel outside of DoD into collaboration sessions. IG: DoD Lacks Robust Info Security and Privacy Program June 11, 2008
The Defense Department continues to be "severely challenged" by the need to provide a robust information security and privacy program for its data, systems, operations and initiatives, according to the DoD Inspector General's latest semi-annual report to Congress. This challenge is particularly difficult for DoD's data, systems, operations and initiatives that are in the hands of the Defense Industrial Base and other non-DoD mission partners, said the IG. "The twin imperatives of security and information sharing collide daily and little progress has been made toward resolution of these conflicting requirements," stated the IG report to Congress. "The DoD has not adopted National Institute of Standards and Technology standards or guidelines established in Special Publications." Making matters worse, DoD does not yet have a comprehensive, enterprise-wide inventory of information systems, including warfighting mission area systems and those containing DoD information operated by contractors. In fiscal 2007, the IG said that DoD reported a total of 78 contractor systems in two DoD Federal Information Security Management Act data repositories. However, the IG found that "low number of contractor systems" to be highly improbable given that there are literally tens of thousands of contractors with defense contracts. "Lack of progress in meeting these challenges severely hampers the ability of the DoD to protect operational information for the warfighter and privacy data for all employees, as well as perform basic fiduciary responsibilities and oversight for DoD information technology expenditures," stated the IG report. The IG also found that DoD mission-critical systems may not be able to sustain warfighter operations during a disruptive or catastrophic event. According to the IG, the Pentagon provided "erroneous" information to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget on whether DoD had contingency planning procedures in place and periodically tested the procedures necessary to recover the systems from an unforeseen, and possibly devastating event. Of 436 mission-critical information systems requiring information assurance certification and accreditation, the IG said that 264 systems or 61 percent lacked a contingency plan or their owners could not provide evidence of a plan. In addition, 358 systems or 82 percent had contingency plans that had not been tested for for which their owners could not provide evidence of testing. GAO Takes DoD to Task for Weapon System Cost Growth 
Under Secretary of Defense John Young June 3, 2008
Responding to a GAO report citing cost growth of $295 billion on 95 DoD programs, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics John Young testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee today criticizing the GAO for not differentiating between cost growth due to “wise and intentional choices” and cost growth from programs that are struggling.
GAO’s report to Congress stated that the total acquisition cost of major DoD programs under development or in production has grown by nearly $300 billion over initial estimates.
“We and GAO have some important work ahead of us to develop appropriate metrics to evaluate DoD’s acquisition system,” said Young in testimony. “Has there been cost growth in some DoD programs? Yes, and I am not here to condone it. Indeed, I am seeking to limit cost growth. Do all programs behave as it is implied in the GAO report? Absolutely not. Our acquisition system is not on a downward spiral. It is on a path to improvement.”
Yet, GAO found that DoD’s portfolio of weapon system programs has “grown at a pace that far exceeds available resources.” Between 1992 and 2007, the estimated acquisition costs needed to complete the major acquisition programs in DoD’s portfolio increased almost 120 percent, while funding provided for these programs only increased 57 percent, “creating a fiscal bow wave that may be unsustainable.”
In the next five years, DoD plans to invest about $900 billion to develop and procure weapon systems – the highest level of investment in two decades.
Defense Systems Make OMB's High Risk List
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued its High Risk List of federal agency information technology projects for the second quarter of fiscal 2008. Thirteen DoD IT projects made the list including the Defense Civilian Pay System (Navy and Defense-wide), Defense Civilian Personnel Data System, and the Defense Information System for Security.
In August 2005, OMB established its High Risk List to ensure agencies and programs were meeting their intended goals and producing results. Projects on the High Risk List are not necessarily “at risk,” but are those requiring “special attention” from the highest level of agency management, according to OMB.
“While these programs may be performing well, they are determined to be high risk due to different factors such as the high cost of the project or the level of importance the project plays in the overall mission of the agency or other organization,” stated OMB. White House Opposes Cut to High Integrity GPS Program
May 23, 2008
The Bush Administration is opposing the House Armed Services Committee’s elimination of $61.2 million requested by the Pentagon in fiscal 2009 for a program designed to overcome the jamming of Global Positioning System signals by America’s adversaries.
The Committee eliminated funding for the High Integrity Global Positioning System (iGPS) in its Fiscal 2009 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Termination of the iGPS program would eliminate a development that is a much needed capability for the Special Operations Command in the FY2010 timeframe,” stated the Office of Management and Budget in a May 22 statement.
iGPS will use the existing Iridium satellite constellation to enhance current GPS navigation and timing capabilities. Enhancements include improved anti-jam performance, improved accuracy of navigation and positioning, increased availability of satellite navigation signals, improved accuracy in time stability transfer, and faster acquisition times. In related news, the Air Force last week announced that a team lead by Lockheed Martin won a competition to build the next-generation GPS space system (called GPS III).
Lockheed Martin beat Boeing for the $1.4 billion GPS III program that will improve position, navigation, and timing services for the warfighter and civil users worldwide and provide advanced anti-jam capabilities to enhance system security, accuracy and reliability.
Depots at Risk in Implementing Logistics Modernization Program  May 18, 2008
The Army’s Logistics Modernization Program (LMP), designed to streamline supply chain business processes and practices, is supposed to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service in supporting America’s warfighters. However, LMP is being implemented in ways that could disrupt crucial depot operations in a time of conflict, according to the House Armed Services Committee.
One of the Army's largest and most comprehensive business transformation and technological modernization efforts, LMP was created to provide the systems and processes to support all aspects of the service's national- and installation-level logistics faster and more efficiently than its legacy systems. Since 2003, Army users at about a dozen locations have used LMP to release, track, and deliver supplies to troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other locations around the world.
But, transforming the business practices of the depots from 1970s logistics technology and 30-year-old processes has not been easy. LMP users at the depots have had to overcome major obstacles such as learning how to use the complex enterprise resource planning system, introducing cultural changes to the general depot population and getting people to understand the level of data quality that's required.
Concerned about the learning curve the depots have endured in converting legacy systems over to LMP, the House Armed Services Committee in the Fiscal 2009 Defense Authorization Act directed the Secretary of the Army to report on the current and future LMP implementation process and to certify that each Army depot is prepared for implementing the LMP prior to the start of any new process.
This isn’t the first time that problems with LMP have been reported. For years, the General Accountability Office (GAO) has issued reports about the problems associated with LMP. Most recently, a July 2007 GAO report found that LMP “continues to be plagued by problems that have beset the system since its implementation in July 2003” including problems with accurately recognizing revenue and billing customers, which can, in part, be attributed to ineffective system testing. In particular, GAO cited Tobyhanna Army Depot for its continued LMP problems.
“We recommended, and the Army agreed, that the implementation of LMP should be delayed until the operational problems we identified were resolved” stated the GAO report. “While the Army is working to resolve LMP operational issues, we continue to have concerns about the adequacy of LMP's system testing given that the continuing problems with LMP can, in part, be attributed to ineffective and non-independent system testing. Until an effective LMP testing process is implemented, the Army will have little assurance that the corrective actions it takes are properly developed, and do not introduce additional defects into the system.”
When LMP is fully implemented, it is expected to include more than 17,000 users at 149 locations and it will be populated with 6 million Army-managed inventory items valued at about $40 billion. LMP is scheduled to reach full operational capability in fiscal 2010, yet many challenges remain to be overcome in the interim. Army in Iraq Seeks Knowledge for Yet Uncompleted Mission President Bush aboard USS Abraham Lincoln May 1, 2008 It’s been five years to the day that President Bush declared the “mission accomplished” in Iraq. The scene of the “Mission Accomplished” banner proudly displayed above Bush’s head on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln has become an indelible image serving as ammunition against an administration that has come under fire for missteps in Iraq.
That was May 1, 2003. Now, fast forward to May 1, 2008. I could sit here and debate whether the Bush Administration's "surge" strategy has been successful or not in Iraq. But, I think I'll leave that to the presidential candidates. For the purposes of this web site, what I find most interesting from a technology perspective are the networks (social networks, to be specific) that are operating in Iraq and are enabling U.S. soldiers on the ground to learn operational lessons about what works and doesn’t work in the Iraqi conflict. Through knowledge management (KM), American forces in Iraq are capturing and sharing relevant lessons learned that are being leveraged by soldiers enterprise-wide to positively impact future operations and outcomes against a deadly insurgency. It is the Army, in particular, operating at the tip of the spear in Iraq that has embraced KM in order to transform its forces into a knowledge-centric organization. Pursuit of Knowledge The goal of KM for the service is clear: to capture, integrate and use existing organizational knowledge that can be leveraged as competitive advantage over the insurgents, whose tactics are constantly changing creating shifting realities for urban warfare in Iraq’s cities and towns. At the epicenter of the service’s KM initiative in Iraq is the Army Combined Arms Center’s Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS) which provides a forum for soldiers to participate in threaded discussions online to generate and apply lessons learned in near-real time to quickly adapt to the situation on the ground. The key for BCKS is to master the operational tempo in Iraq to the point where Army units can create actionable knowledge rapidly about what the enemy is doing and how U.S. troops are effectively neutralizing that threat, thereby subverting the insurgent decision cycle. Created in 2004, BCKS was developed as an online knowledge management system to create collaboration for the generation, storage and rapid retrieval of information.
But, operational forces on the ground in Iraq aren’t the only source of that information. Army units that are forward deployed in the field can "reach back" and have access to a wide range of experts and knowledge residing within specific units, staff organizations, education and training institutions like the U.S. Military Academy, TRADOC Army Schools, and professional communities of practice.
These communities of practice or CoPs are changing how knowledge has historicially flowed in the Army. Rather than flowing from the top down, CoPs are peer-driven and have a horizontal flow of knowledge, connecting people and conversations that are critical to an organization. Thanks to the Internet, social networking, content creation and online collaboration tools, CoPs driven largely by young junior officers are rapidly institutionalizing new knowledge across the Army in ways never before seen.
Two CoPs worth mentioning here are the websites CompanyCommand.com and PlatoonLeader.org which were the brainchilds of two Army majors. CompanyCommand.com was created in 2000 as a professional forum for Army captains, and PlatoonLeader.org was developed in 2001 for lieutenants. Since the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003, both CoP websites have seen heavy use for the purpose of peer-to-peer communication.
Another site for sharing combat information on Iraq is CAVNET, a user-driven knowledge transfer system for horizontally distributing emerging Tactics, Techniques and Procedures developed by company-level leaders. CAVNET gives commanders the ability to leverage the best practices of their peers and incorporate them into their decision-making in the field.
Ultimately, however, KM is not about information technology. IT is just a means to an end. The true test of whether KM succeeds in the Army will be whether or not the service can change culturally – not an easy task for a military service where old ways die hard. The Inspirational Story of Lt. Col. Greg Gadson Two Giants: LTC Greg Gadson and Eli Manning May 1, 2008 This website is about technology and in the days, weeks, and months that follow that is where the focus will be. But, for this, the inaugural posting, I decided to focus on humanity, not technology. Much has been written and said about the inspirational story of Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson in numerous articles and TV interviews. By now, many of us know about Gadson’s amazing role leading to the New York Giants’ upset victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Just yesterday, the Giants along with Gadson were honored guests at a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House. “I’m proud to be on the stage with this man,” said President Bush at the White House ceremony. “He has got the Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars, and now he’s got a Super Bowl ring minted for a true giant.” Gadson’s story is more than just about how a double-amputee inspired the Giants to a winning season. It’s about an injured Iraqi war veteran’s incredible rise above overwhelming adversity. I had the honor of meeting Gadson in person recently and hearing his story. What follows is based on that interview with him. Baghdad, May 2007
Gadson’s whirlwind story began in May 2007 in Baghdad when his vehicle was destroyed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on his way back from memorial services for two soldiers in his battalion. The tremendous blast from the IED threw Gadson clear of his vehicle, leaving him on the side of the road bleeding heavily and going in and out of consciousness. The heroes, he insists, were the soldiers who saved his life.
“I was a battalion commander doing what I thought I needed to do, where I thought I needed to be and my vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb,” Gadson said. “It nearly killed me and, if it wasn’t for what my soldiers did to save my life on the scene and the actions of everyone involved, I could have easily died and almost did. I’m thankful to be here.”
When news of Gadson’s life-threatening injuries reached former Army football teammate Will Huff, he immediately jumped into action and took a helicopter flight to be there at the hospital in Baghdad for Gadson, who was unconscious. Within hours, Huff was at Gadson’s side.
Huff, who later accompanied Gadson on a flight from Baghdad to Landstuhl, Germany, reached out to another former Army football player - Chuck Schretzman, who was stationed in Canada (Schretzman, like Gadson, had also played outside linebacker at West Point). Huff informed Schretzman of the grave news about Gadson’s condition, enlisting his help and support. Schretzman dropped everything and made his way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington, D.C., arriving the same day that Gadson arrived at Walter Reed from Germany.
A few weeks after arriving at Walter Reed, Gadson would receive another visit from a former Army football teammate. In June 2007, Mike Sullivan, now wide receiver coach for the Giants football team, came to see Gadson, who ended up having both legs amputated above the knee due to complications from his injuries. Sullivan brought Gadson a Giants football helmet signed by the players, as well as a signed team jersey with Gadson’s number 98 on it from his West Point days.
Sullivan had gone to Walter Reed to lift the spirits of his former West Point teammate. In the end, however, it was Sullivan who left the hospital feeling overwhelmingly inspired by Gadson’s positive attitude and outlook, witnessing firsthand the amazing effect he was having on fellow patients and the medical staff at Walter Reed. In the months after his visit with Gadson, Sullivan recognized that Gadson’s inspirational story and infectious can-do attitude might benefit the struggling Giants football team.
Turning a Team Around
The Giants had not only lost the first two games of the 2007 season, but had given up 80 points to their opponents. It was then that Sullivan invited Gadson to speak to the Giants players and coaching staff – an unprecedented act. Never had an outsider been invited inside to address the team. Speaking from the heart and without any pre-written notes, Gadson spoke to the Giants players during a team meeting at their hotel in Washington the night before their game against the Washington Redskins in Week 3 of the season.
“I talked to them about life and their responsibilities as professional athletes, and their obligation, opportunity and blessing to go out there and do their best,” said Gadson. “I wanted them to know how important they were to soldiers in combat zones who look up to them and stay up after or get up before their shift just to watch them play. However, beyond the external, I told them the most important reasons for doing their best was right there in the room – the 53 players and coaches. You are playing for yourselves I said.”
“I told them there’s never going to be another 2007 Giants, so what are you guys going to do with this team?,” he said. “I challenged them: You’re either committed or you’re not. You guys can still achieve your goals but you’ve got to decide now.”
Gadson’s words of inspiration hit the mark. The Giants went on to defeat the Redskins and turned their season around. The night before their Super Bowl showdown with the Patriots, Sullivan and Giants coach Tom Coughlin again asked Gadson to speak to the players.
“I told them ‘the first time I spoke to you back in September I was as an outsider and you didn’t know me from Adam. Tonight, I speak to you as a teammate’,” said Gadson. “I talked with them about pride, poise and team. I talked to them about how we had grown as a team and how I wouldn’t hesitate to fight alongside them in combat. That’s how much I believed in all of them. I talked about the importance of believing. The Patriots know they can beat us. But, you believe that we can beat them and that’s the key difference. Belief comes from the heart and that’s why we’re going to win tomorrow.”
In the end, the Giants won 17-14, their first Super Bowl victory in more than a decade.
Looking Ahead
These days, Gadson continues on the road to rehabilitation. In total, he underwent 17 operations on both his legs and right arm as a result of his injuries, with no further surgery expected. Gadson lives outside of Washington at Fort Belvoir in American Disability Act-compliant quarters with his wife Kim, and their two children, daughter Gabriella (15) and son Jaelen (14). He commutes almost daily to Walter Reed for physical and occupational therapy which is going well.
As far as the future is concerned, Gadson is weighing his options. He has deferred the Army War College for a year and for now will pursue a graduate degree in public policy from Georgetown University. Gadson will also continue his public speaking as a motivational speaker, inspiring such audiences as school kids, associations, companies, and perhaps – the 2008 Giants football team. Regardless, things are looking up for Gadson a year after his near-death experience.
“When I look at the events of my life over the past year and all the incredible things that have happened, it’s certainly not anything that I would have imagined,” said Gadson. “I’m living proof that life can change in a minute. My life literally changed in a flash and a boom. Only through faith, family and friends did I persevere.” | Harris Awarded Contract to Study Satcom Communications November 25, 2008 Harris has been awarded an eight-month study contract by the Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, to develop a new modular communications architecture for satellites that weigh less than 400 kilograms and can be deployed quickly and cost effectively The study will support the Operationally Responsive Space Office (ORSO) at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, with systems engineering, requirements analysis, and concept development of an architecture whereby common components are able to support multiple payloads. The modular architecture will allow rapid configuration of the satellites to meet the changing needs of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well as other military communications requirements. Raytheon Achieves First Ever Simultaneous LDR, MDR and XDR Satcom Communications November 20, 2008 Raytheon claims it has successfully demonstrated for the first time simultaneous communications using low, medium and extended data rate wave forms. According to company officials, no other satellite communications systems in any of the military services has achieved simultaneous LDR, MDR and XDR log on and communications. The Raytheon team was able to set up and join independent low, medium and extended data rate communication channels and pass error-free data on each channel for extended periods of time. Raytheon is building the Navy Multiband Terminal under a $1.1 billion contract which the company hopes will lead to worldwide deployment of of the new terminal on more than 300 ships, submarines and shore stations. General Dynamics Demonsrates HMS Radios at MILCOM 2008 November 18, 2008 At MILCOM 2008 in San Diego, General Dynamics demonstrated the vehicle-borne communications capability of the company's Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) radios, which enable communications between tactical vehicles while they are on the move. The first HMS radios will be delivered to DoD in early 2010. The Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Wideband Networking Waveform and 802.16 wireless networking technologies are at the heart of the HMS radios enabling the communication of large amounts of information and on-line collaboration between moving vehicles. HMS radios are designed to meet all JTRS waveform-compliance, interoperability and security standards.
The MILCOM 2008 demonstration by General Dynamics was meant to demonstrate that battlefield networking requirements are being met by HMS radios by embedding waveforms, like the Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW) and IEEE 802.16 or “WiMAX’ wide-area networking, to provide the needed bandwidth and spectrum range to facilitate communication between tactical vehicles while they are moving. SAIC Awarded $226 Million IT Support/Services Task Order November 3, 2008 SAIC has been awarded a task order to provide information technology (IT) support and services to the U.S. Central Command's (USCENTCOM's) Directorate of Command and Control, Communications and Computers (J6). The task order has a one-year base period of performance with four one-year options and a ceiling value of $226 million if all options are exercised. Work will be performed primarily at USCENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Fla. The task order was competitively awarded under the GSA Millenia Governmentwide Acquisition Contract by the U.S. General Services Administration Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM). Under the task order, SAIC will provide command, control, communications, and computer information (C4I) support for the entire USCENTCOM organization. Services will include planning, program management, integration, operation, and maintenance of headquarters and/or joint theater-level communications and computer networks. Lockheed Martin Wins IT Support Contract for DMA October 31, 2008 Lockheed Martin has been selected to provide information technology support across the Defense Media Activity (DMA) organization. The contract has a one year base period and three one-year options with a base ceiling of $14.2 million and a total program value of $59 million if all options are exercised. The enterprise-level IT contract, which replaces the American Forces Information Service (AFIS)-Wide On-Site Information Technology Support contract, includes administrative services for DMA headquarters and several of the activity's field organizations. Lockheed Martin will manage and operate the network infrastructure, information security components, uninterruptible power systems, leased communication services, cable plant, telecommunications closets and equipment rooms, and cryptographic equipment. Lockheed Martin previously provided IT services to AFIS headquarters and operations in Alexandria, VA; the Defense Information School at Ft. Meade, MD; and the Defense Media Center at Riverside, CA under the former AFIS-Wide On-Site Information Technology Support contract. Under the new DMA-Wide contract, Lockheed Martin will continue providing IT services to these and several other activities that now fall under the DMA, including the Defense Imagery Management Operations Centers located at Riverside, CA, and Tobyhanna, PA, and the Joint Combat Camera Center, Pentagon, Arlington, VA. The company also provides support to the DMA armed services elements located in Crystal City, VA (Army), Anacostia, MD (Navy), and San Antonio, TX (Air Force). The DMA was created by DoD on Oct. 1 to modernize and streamline media operations by consolidating military Service and DoD media components into a single, integrated organization.
DSP Sustainment Contract Awarded to Northrop Grumman October 24, 2008 Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract by the Air Force to provide technical support for the operational Defense Support Program (DSP) spacecraft, primary infrared sensor and mission analysis. The cost plus award fee contract is valued at $206 million, which includes the initial year followed by four one-year options. DSP has provided DoD with a robust and reliable early warning and auxiliary mission capabilities for nearly 40 years and will continue to provide “eyes in the sky” for years to come. The first DSP was launched in 1970 and the final DSP was orbited in 2007. The spacecraft and sensor were upgraded several times throughout production to protect against evolving worldwide threats. DSP satellites have demonstrated exceptional reliability on-orbit, providing an extra 173 satellite-years in on-orbit to date. General Dynamics Wins Navy MIPS Contract Replacing AADC October 10, 2008 The Navy has awarded General Dynamics a $13.5 million contract for engineering services in support of the Maritime Integrated Air and Missile Defense Planning System (MIPS), a successor to the Area Air Defense Commander Capability (AADC). MIPS is an operational-level planning tool designed to help the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander rapidly analyze and optimize alternatives for defeating current or projected air and missile threats. The system uses advanced algorithms to predict the outcomes of various scenarios and interactions of military forces, to allow the commander to visualize enemy courses of action, and to help determine the most effective way to counter those actions.
General Dynamics has been developing MIPS and sustaining a limited fleet capability for five years. Under this new contract, General Dynamics will update the existing software models to address new threat and weapon characteristics. General Dynamics will also migrate that software to a new computing platform that will overcome the hardware obsolescence issues that face the existing fleet capability and conforms to the Navy’s Open Architecture Computing Environment standards.
General Dynamics HMS Radios Meeting JTRS Requirements October 6, 2008 General Dynamics' Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) radios demonstrated their critical networked-communications capabilities in recent government-run Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) field tests. A recent field experiment at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., for example, featured a 2-channel Manpack HMS radio exceeding a 20-kilometer range requirement test and transmitting voice and data over rugged terrain and rough conditions. The Manpack HMS radio is also part of an ongoing field experiment in Lakehurst, N.J. Using the new, highly-advanced Soldier Radio Waveform to uniquely format information, the Manpack HMS radio successfully has transmitted voice, video, data and messages to 25 nodes simulating soldiers operating within a single network.
The HMS radios also are achieving other key JTRS requirements, such as communicating with existing, widely used Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) radios, transmitting video while embedded in unmanned aerial vehicles and communicating with radios mounted in mobile ground vehicles. The small, light and power-efficient HMS radios work for close-combat tactical communication and are easier for soldiers to carry or wear compared to currently deployed legacy radios. They can also be embedded in new lightweight sensors, robots and unmanned aerial vehicles.
The JTRS HMS 1-channel radio for ground soldiers, the Small Form Fit Version 1, or “Rifleman Radio,” is scheduled for user evaluation by the Army’s Evaluation Task Force at Fort Bliss, Texas, next month. Boeing Leverages Hughes Commercial Satellite During TSAT Program Review September 30, 2008
Boeing announced that it has used an operational, commercial communications satellite to demonstrate the maturity of its Internet-like, space-based packet-switching technology during a program review of DoD’s Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT). The Boeing-built SPACEWAY 3 satellite was used for the review, which took place earlier this month at three locations across the United States with participants interacting through a videoconference and collaboration software. SPACEWAY 3, which is owned and operated by Hughes, is the only satellite of its type in orbit. Its unique packet-switching technology is directly applicable to Boeing's proposed TSAT system. "The SPACEWAY 3 satellite system provides an operational commercial broadband service that brings unique capabilities beyond that of any other space-based network," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems. "These capabilities are commercial versions of many of the capabilities TSAT will provide to DoD." Conventional satellites use circuit-switching technology that sets up a limited number of exclusive-use, defined-capacity connections between points to communicate. SPACEWAY 3 uses packet-switching technology that connects users in an adaptable network that dynamically forwards information to each person as needed, increasing flexibility by allowing communication with any other user. Packet switching provides for much more efficient use of available capacity. The most common use of packet switching is the Internet. Once launched, DoD hopes the TSAT system will provide survivable, protected, high-capacity Internet-like connections for the DoD. TSAT will be the communications backbone and a large part of the DoD's secure, global communications network. DTRA Awards Lockheed Martin Contract to Provide IT Modernization Services
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