Army Network Modernization Efforts Wraps Up at Irwin Army Community Hospital

By January 24, 2017September 1st, 2018Science and Technology

By Scott Sundsvold, PM I3MP

FORT BELVOIR – The Product Manager for Installation Information Infrastructure Modernization Program (PdM I3MP) has completed the delivery of a state-of-the-art information technology (IT) capability modernization effort for the Irwin Army Community Hospital at Fort Riley, Kansas.

“This modernization effort delivers the foundational Installation Capability Set that will connect this critical Army facility with the Army network for the next 10 to 20 years,” said Brendan Burke, product manager for PdM I3MP

Assistant Product Manager Alberto Dominguez led the $7.44 million effort for PdM I3MP, completing it on Dec. 15, 2016. Dominguez and his team, known as Assistant Project Manager for Installation Capability Sets – Continental United States or APM CONUS, build network capacity that simplifies and standardizes Installation Campus Area Networks at Army installations within the continental United States. (The team’s work was recently profiled in Army AL&T magazine.)

Assistant Product Manager Alberto Dominguez, Integrated Product Team (IPT) Assist Barry Shambaugh and IPT Lead Anwar Habibi played key roles in the IT capability modernization for the Irwin Army Community Hospital at Fort Riley. (Photo by Scott Sundsvold, PM I3MP)

Assistant Product Manager Alberto Dominguez, Integrated Product Team (IPT) Assist Barry Shambaugh and IPT Lead Anwar Habibi played key roles in the IT capability modernization for the Irwin Army Community Hospital at Fort Riley. (Photo by Scott Sundsvold, PM I3MP)

Operating under a contract that was initiated in June 2013, the capability modernization provided voice and data services to the new hospital by expanding the current time-division multiplexing voice system to allow the transfer of voice services from the old hospital to the new.

APM CONUS managed the movement of the data core and voice functions in the old hospital to a new shelter, and a new voice remote was installed in the new hospital. Additional 10Gbps Power over Ethernet end-users buildings switches were installed to support the hospital’s 2,500 users and 10 range buildings.

“The project was a unique challenge because the completion of the PdM I3MP project was dependent on the construction of the new hospital’s completion in accordance with the safety standards of the National Fire Protection Association [NFPA] and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers [USCoE],” said Dominguez.

The key to the completion of the project was the close coordination and collaboration by APM CONUS with NFPA and USCoE to synchronize the completion of the hospital’s construction with the IT modernization efforts, ensuring that voice and data services were available by the first-patient-day on Oct. 17, 2016.

Moving more than 600 existing phone numbers from the old hospital to new also posed a new challenge. APM CONUS and NFPA coordinated closely to move each existing phone from the old hospital to the right place in the new hospital and in the right sequence.

Anwar Habibi, integrated product team (IPT) lead for APM CONUS, was directly involved in the day-to-day management of the project to ensure the timely completion. Habibi and his contract support, Barry Shambaugh, IPT assist, who has a knack for troubleshooting complex operating system problems, were critical to the success of this project.

As a result, Dominguez is quick to recognize that the success of the entire project is due in large part to a partnership between the U.S. Army Contracting Command – Rock Island, Illinois, the U.S. Army Information Systems Engineering Command, Fort Riley’s Network Enterprise Center and industry partners.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to work with a team of professionals to build a state-of-the-art medical facility that will serve Soldiers and their families for years to come,” he said.

The telephone switching system from the old hospital, left, was moved to and expanded within facilities housing the new hospital complex as part of the PdM I3MP modernization. (Photos courtesy of PdM I3MP)

The telephone switching system from the old hospital, left, was moved to and expanded within facilities housing the new hospital complex as part of the PdM I3MP modernization. (Photos courtesy of PdM I3MP)



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