February 1, 2022 | International, Aerospace
December 2, 2019 | International, C4ISR, Security
New details emerge on a nearly $1B cyber contract
By: Mark Pomerleau
The Army provided new details about its nearly $1 billion cyber training contract that will serve as the cornerstone of the Department of Defense's much needed cyber training platform.
The Army released Nov. 25 updated information regarding the scope of work for the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE), which is the main component for the nearly $957 billion Cyber Training, Readiness, Integration, Delivery and Enterprise Technology (TRIDENT) contract.
PCTE, an online client in which members of U.S. Cyber Command's cyber mission force can log on from anywhere in the world for training and to rehearse missions, is one of the more critical needs for Cyber Command. Currently, no integrated or robust cyber training environment exists.
The updated statement of work, posted in advance of the Dec. 2 industry day, provides details regarding the overall TRIDENT contract, which will extend training services beyond Cyber Command to the joint services. It is expected that a single vendor will be selected for TRIDENT, serving as the integrator for various efforts that will be strung together to make up PCTE.
At a general level, the updated documents describe a variety of management, maintenance and evolution services the contractor shall provide for PCTE. Included among those services:
- Platform architecture and product management
- Agile development and delivery systems engineering processes
- Development and automation
- Hardware and software infrastructure management
- Event or exercise support
- Cyber Innovation Challenge (CIC) capability integration and event support
- Development Operations (DevOps) environment management
- Distributed configuration management among various vendors and stakeholders
- PCTE infrastructure tool management
- License management
- Onsite and remote support
Additional documents include details on three separate delivery orders. The first involves support for infrastructure and maintenance, the second involves support for the integration factory of PCTE capabilities, and the third provides details on platform capability production of PCTE.
Currently, the Army is in the prototype phase of PCTE. Using what are known as Cyber Innovation Challenges to award smaller companies a piece of the program, they are incrementally building a platform. That platform, which is being used by forces currently, is helping to prove out the concept for PCTE, refine requirements for the final contract, and reduce risk.
Regarding the future of the TRIDENT contract, industry sources have explained that a request for proposals was expected in November with a final proposal expected in March 2020. An award for TRIDENT is expected in late 2020.
https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/2019/11/26/new-details-emerge-on-a-nearly-1b-cyber-contract/
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March 11, 2020 | International, Land
Here’s what’s behind France’s 72% jump in weapons exports
By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS – France's spectacular 72 percent jump in weapons' exports in the 2015-2019 period from five years prior is largely thanks to two companies: Dassault Aviation and Naval Group. The first of those companies sold Rafale fighters to Egypt, India and Qatar, while the second has become the most successful exporter of warships in the world — if one includes orders — selling submarines to Brazil and India, frigates to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates, and mine-sweepers to Belgium and the Netherlands. A report released on March 9 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute notes that “French arms exports reached their highest level for any five-year period since 1990 and accounted for 7.9 percent of total global arms exports in 2015-19.” Diego Lopes Da Silva, a SIPRI researcher adds: “The French arms industry has benefited from the demand for arms in Egypt [which accounted for 26 percent of France's defense exports], Qatar and India [14 percent each].” Both politicians and defense industry leaders in France have understood that without exports they cannot afford to provide France's own armed forces with the most innovative and high-performing weapons. Furthermore, buying weapons from the United States brings red tape, including requirement for congressional authorization on all foreign military sales, which can delay the process and some argue shackle France's sovereignty. In the words of Hervé Guillou, the out-going CEO of Naval Group, “no European country can maintain the competitivity of its defense industry based on just its own domestic market.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/03/10/heres-whats-behind-frances-72-jump-in-weapons-exports/
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August 20, 2020 | International, Aerospace
US Army network team sets timeline for satellite constellations
Andrew Eversden WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army's tactical network program office expects to reap the full benefits of low-and medium-Earth orbit satellite constellations in the 2025-2027 time frame, the head of the office said Aug. 18. Speaking on a webinar hosted by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Brig. Gen. Rob Collins, program executive officer at Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, said the two constellations types offer “game-changing technologies” that will likely be fully mature and ready for soldier use in Capability Set ‘25 or ‘27, the two-year cycle of new network tools the service is fielding. One of the connectivity benefits of the LEO and MEO constellations in the field, Collins said, is that they can allow for complex network functions and mission-support capabilities to remain in a safer place. “We may be able to put those in an area in a more safe sanctuary and allow our war-fighting formations, our brigades and divisions to better focus on what their tactical mission is without having to concern themselves with the force protection of those areas,” the one-star general said at DARPA's virtual Electronic Resurgence Initiative Summit. The Army is interested in LEO and MEO satellite constellations because they can provide significantly more bandwidth and reduced latency. “It's really all about having a resilient network architecture that takes advantage of all the layers that can be expeditionary,” Collins said. LEO and MEO can also allow for smaller ground terminals, which will increase mobility for the soldier, he added. PEO C3T is currently working on prototypes of new satellite capabilities in partnership with the Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command. PEO C3T's Project Manager Tactical Network division will run lab-based experimentation with new satellite terminals this summer to “exploit some of the commercial capabilities,” Collins said. The program office is also working with the CCDC's Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate on creating multi-band satellite terminals. 5G technology will add an additional layer of network speed. Collins said the Army anticipates 5G technology has the “potential” to be incorporated into Capability Set '25. But he warned that the Army operates in unique environments with rough terrain and foliage that can affect communications, and can not always rely on towers and relay stations. “I think one of the things we're going to have to do is how can we take and best employ some of this technology, how do we link it into our current environment and ensure that it's mobile,” Collins said. “And then probably, importantly, to make sure how do we secure some of the endpoints associated with the technology. I think that's really an area that we'll be reaching out to industry, academia and others to see how we best incorporate that.” https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2020/08/19/us-army-network-team-sets-timeline-for-satellite-constellations/