ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (October 30, 2020) – The Army needs industry’s help to develop critical capabilities for Capability Set 23 (CS23)—the next iteration of its modernized tactical network.
The Army Futures Command’s Network Cross-Functional Team (N-CFT), partnered with Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), have released a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) it will use to solicit white papers that describe current technology that may be ready for experimental consideration.
CS23 seeks to increase capacity, resiliency and convergence of the network. The Army is fielding capability sets in two-year increments—each one building off the previous capabilities, improved upon by industry-developed technology and Soldier-led experimentation.
The anticipated white paper topics, to be officially released in the coming weeks, resulting from a September 2020 virtual technical exchange meeting between government and industry, include C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS); Integrated Power; and Intra Command Post Wireless.
Additionally, as part of the CS23 development process, systems engineers, integrators and program managers are actively making recommendations to refine and scope CS23 design goals in preparation for the CS23 Preliminary Design Review to be held in April 2021.
Informed by experimentation, technical system maturity and integration readiness, operational relevance and available resources, some CS23 design objectives may now influence CS25.
“The capability set process is iterative in nature, continually being informed by experimentation and technical analysis of emerging threats,” said Major General Peter Gallagher, director of the N-CFT. “This white paper announcement is one of many ways industry can be involved in the capability set design process. A multitude of entry-points exist, such as Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, prototype contract awards through the Other Transaction Authorities, and program of record development actions.”
Based on industry feedback for a better collaborative process, the Army established an online portal within the Joint Communications Marketplace (JCM) to manage the white paper process. The JCM will automate workflow and allow the government to provide industry feedback on prototype activities.
To submit a white paper under the BAA, industry must first register on the JCM site at https://jtnc.secure.force.com/. Registration opened on October 21, 2020. Industry may submit one or several white papers against each topic.
The BAA is posted on beta.SAM.gov at https://beta.sam.gov/opp/276bb2eb2d0047f1bb986523372bf3ec/view?keywords=(NCFT)&sort=-relevance&index=opp&is_active=true&page=1.
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