COMMUNICATING A NEED


INFLATE TO COMMUNICATE


Soldiers at the Command and Control Center for the Network Integration Evaluation 16.1 in fall 2015 at White Sands Missile Range, NM, use the GATR inflatable antenna. The result of a small business effort for PM WIN-T, GATR is lighter and draws less power than current deployable anten- nas, thus bringing high-bandwidth communications to austere environments. (Photo by Jett Loe, Las Cruces Sun-News)


Both government and industry will be able to create apps that run on this architecture. Te Army is opening up standards for the COE architecture, which in turn will reduce complexity as the Army modernizes its current family of systems.


PM MC has a track record of providing small business oppor- tunities. For example, a small business is providing highly technical support at PM MC’s Network Operations Center (NOC). Workers provide performance maintenance, trouble- shooting and monitoring of tactical networks, including Blue Force Tracking. Tis satellite network provides position loca- tion and mapping information, as well as secure data encryption, increased mission command on-the-move capabilities and situ- ational awareness for Soldiers anywhere in the world.


NOC operations are 24/7, and personnel who man the NOC are responsible for incident response, communications manage- ment and elevating problems to a higher level of authority if needed. Tis highly technical work, previously contracted to


32 Army AL&T Magazine January-March 2016


a large business, requires constant surveillance and assurance that the network is secure and stable. By using a small business, PM MC reduced costs and successfully consolidated operations. PEO C3T is now using this model—and contract—to consoli- date additional operations centers.


PM MC is also looking to small business for new contracts in field support for its portfolio. Tis decision came after market research indicated that small businesses were capable of per- forming the mission. Te Army has split what used to be a large business contract into two, separating product support from product distribution. Because the two represent unique require- ments—one being fielding support and installation, while the other comprises documentation and technical manuals—the reasoning was that separating them would make for better checks and balances and could uncover new approaches. Since it hit the market, this unique approach of breaking up a con- tract and competing portions as small business opportunities has sparked strong interest from industry.


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