Booz Allen Hamilton has won a $99 million contract from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command to engineer, deploy and sustain wireless networks for civil service mariners aboard government-operated ships.
Under the contract, the company will equip ships in the Pacific, Europe and the U.S. with secure and reliable connectivity. Booz Allen will deploy a solution that uses Low Earth Orbit satellites, advanced wireless and Wi-Fi technologies and 5G cellular communications.
The award builds on Booz Allen’s work delivering advanced wireless and NextG capabilities. The company completed a 5G rapid prototyping effort with Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic that tested and piloted a wireless design to provide shipboard and pierside communications and support edge applications and cloud-based services.
“Bridging the connectivity gap at sea and in port is critical, not only to enable the Navy’s warfighting readiness, but also to improve quality of life and crew retention among the thousands of civil service mariners who help keep the fleet mission-ready,” said Chris Christou, senior vice president of Edge/NextG in Booz Allen’s Chief Technology Office. “Booz Allen’s combination of advanced wireless engineering expertise, mission understanding, and a rigorous systems engineering approach enables us to install the capabilities our customers need while also helping them to scale implementation. We’re excited to translate our prototyping experience into a successful production phase.”
With the new contract, Booz Allen will expand its 5G prototype to support MSC’s wireless modernization using the company’s capabilities in model-based systems engineering, network engineering, cloud architecture, NextG and wireless networking, edge technologies and cybersecurity. The work is expected to improve connectivity along with quality of life and work for civil service mariners.
“We are encouraged to see our customers taking an outcomes-based approach to acquiring advanced technologies to increase workforce efficiency,” said Scott Sautter, vice president in Booz Allen’s global defense business. “Our focus is on rapidly modernizing ships with the wireless capabilities they need at the pace of commercial innovation. Ultimately, this work will enable Military Sealift Command to more efficiently and effectively carry out their mission by enhancing connectivity and well-being for Sailors and civil service mariners around the world.”
Military Sealift Command is the Defense Department’s provider of ocean transportation. It operates about 140 civilian-crewed ships that replenish Navy vessels at sea, conduct specialized missions, preposition combat cargo, perform support services and move equipment and supplies for U.S. and coalition forces.