SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., 3 Sept. 2008.General Dynamics C4 Systems won a $41 million contract modification from the U.S. Marine Corps System Command for the production of nine capability set II Combat Operations Centers and 18 common modules. The capability sets and modules combine to become nine operations centers used by Marine Corps commanders. Deliveries will be completed by March 2010.
The Marine Corps awarded the first contract for Combat Operations Centers to General Dynamics in 2002. Since then, more than 280 Combat Operations Centers have been ordered for Marine Corps command-and-control operations at the battalion, regiment, division, and wing levels. This new order will equip the next-higher level of Marine Corps decision-making, the major subordinate commands, with the same command-and-control capabilities, says a representative.
"The Combat Operations Center is a key step in the migration path to the Marine Air Ground Task Force's next-generation command-and-control system," says Manny Mora, vice president of battle management systems for General Dynamics C4 Systems. "This network-enabled environment readies Marines to leverage the services and capabilities of the global information grid."
Combat Operations Centers are the focal point of decision-making for Marine Corps commanders and their staff.
Each operations center comprises a network of workstations and servers supporting standard Tactical Data Systems and other mission-critical software, voice, data, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications. Tents, trailers, radios, power generation, and other tactical hardware integrate for a single-system command-and-control capability wherever Marines fight.
