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The Defense Information Systems Agency is still sending missionaries to find converts to its Common Operating Environment initiative. Now U.S. allies, ever eager to leverage the Pentagon's technology investments, clamor for the COE, too. Sources at DISA said two large allies have requested permission to use COE components for systems development.
The Defense Information Systems Agency is still sending missionaries to find converts
to its Common Operating Environment initiative.
Now U.S. allies, ever eager to leverage the Pentagon's technology investments, clamor
for the COE, too. Sources at DISA said two large allies have requested permission to use
COE components for systems development.
"hey see it as a way of ensuring that their systems will be interoperable with
ours down the road,"one DISA official said.
The Army Forces Central-Command Kuwait (ARCENT) has tapped MCI Communications Corp. to
provide secure tactical voice, data, videoconferencing and fax services via satellite
under a five-year, $8 million contract.
The National Security Agency is evaluating industry proposals for a device that would
permit a Fortezza encryption card to plug directly into the motherboard of a server,
avoiding processing delays associated with external PC Card readers and SCSI interfaces.
Known as the Type II Crypto Support Server, the new technology is expected to be used
with firewalls and e-mail guards attached to the Defense Message System. Rumor on the
street is that an award is imminent.
SRA International Inc., Arlington, Va., will build LANs and WANs to support the Program
Executive Office for Cruise Missile Projects and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Joint Projects
under a five-year, $22 million contract.
SRA also will provide software maintenance, database management and systems development
services. The General Services Administration's Federal System Integration and Management
Center ran the buy for the Air Force PEO.
Industry sources close to the National Security Agency say that the recently installed
director, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minihan, has launched a campaign to improve the agency's
strained relations with customers in the armed services.
Minihan reportedly believes that NSA either will become a more proactive,
customer-driven organization or face slow budgetary starvation. Many senior NSA employees
perceived as obstructing the new mandate have been demoted to obscure corners of the
organization, the industry sources report.
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