MANASSAS, Va., 5 April 2006. U.S. military officials are choosing Lockheed Martin Corp. in Manassas, Va., to operate and maintain the massive Defense Message System (DMS) under terms of a $750 million contract awarded April 3.
This Defense Message System (DMS) Sustainment acquisition is for the sustainment of the current DMS, which provides the hardware, software, and services to furnish secure, writer-to-reader authenticated messaging to 2 million U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) users at 500 sites worldwide, whether at home base, traveling, or tactically deployed.
The contract calls for Lockheed Martin to:
-- provide for uninterrupted integration and engineering services supporting DMS technology enhancements;
-- focus on sustainment of fielded system;
-- provide maintenance releases to keep pace with technology; and
-- provide hardware components for purchase, system software for purchase, integration, and maintenance, technical support desk, system maintenance and support services.
The DMS, which uses secure commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, guarantees an e-mail and organizational messaging capability designed to keep pace with technology.
The overall architect of the DMS is the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) in Arlington.
DISA officials say the DMS is the DOD's designated messaging system that provides multimedia messaging and directory services using the underlying Defense Information Infrastructure (DII) network and security services.
DMS provides message service to all DOD users, including deployed tactical users, and interfaces to other U.S. government agencies, allied forces, and defense contractors.
DMS provides two grades of enabled service: high and medium. High grade service provides organizational messaging/record traffic and replaces incompatible, unsecured e-mail systems. Medium grade -- a protected messaging capability for individuals -- uses the installed base of COTS e-mail products that are administered as standard network applications across DOD.
The National Gateway System, consisting of centers at Fort Detrick, Md., and the Pentagon Telecommunications System Center, provides DOD with the capability to satisfy legacy messaging requirements, allied and tactical interoperability and emergency action message (make best use of) dissemination.
