Posted by Courtney E. Howard
FAIRFAX, Va., 22 Nov. 2010. General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics, is one of five awardees selected by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to provide systems engineering and testing services under the Missile Defense Agency Engineering and Support Services (MiDAESS) contract. The five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract has a $1.6 billion ceiling value for all awardees.
Through the MiDAESS contract, General Dynamics will have an opportunity to compete for task orders to provide program management and planning, technical, engineering, and general-level support, as well as advisory and assistance services to the MDA’s Systems Engineering and Test organizations. These organizations plan and execute the engineering responsibilities for the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and each of the geographically dispersed programs within MDA.
“General Dynamics’ knowledge of BMDS systems engineering and test processes will allow us to quickly react to changing circumstances and customer requirements, to help the Missile Defense Agency be responsive when warfighters call,” says Bill Cobb, general manager and vice president for General Dynamics Information Technology’s Combat Systems sector.
MDA was created in 2002 to develop a layered, integrated BMDS that will destroy all ranges of ballistic missiles by engaging them in all phases of flight. The MiDAESS program has several objectives: implement national engineering and support services for the BMDS mission across the enterprise, enhance the sharing of BMD expertise and knowledge across the agency, centralize the acquisition of support-services manpower in a more efficient manner, and reduce the agency overhead cost enterprise-wide.
Daniel Thompson, vice president of Missile Defense Programs at General Dynamics Information Technology, says: “Our team’s experience across the entire BMDS enterprise and our understanding of the new BMD operating environment and mission imperatives will assist MDA in migrating new capabilities from the labs and testing ranges to the Combatant Commanders at operational sites overseas.”
If selected for a contract award, work under this contract will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Va.; Huntsville, Ala.; Dahlgren, Va.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Fort Greely, Alaska; Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif.
