JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
2017 was another remarkable year for SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic and I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of the highlights with our Joint Base Charleston partners.
We have major programs underway around the world involving command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) integration, battle systems, navigation, vehicle integration, combat operations centers, cybersecurity, radio and satellite systems, unmanned systems and other mission-critical systems support to the Navy. We deliver these capabilities by acquiring and/or integrating sensors, communications, weapons, information and control systems to existing and future Navy and Marine Corps ships, aircraft, submarines and unmanned systems.
As a Navy Working Capital organization with unlimited contracting authority and flexible, rapid procurement, our total obligation authority for 2017 was more than $2.92 billion. During the year, our team completed 6,103 contract actions for more than $1.6B.
Working across five continents and seven time zones, our team of more than 4,100 civilian and military personnel and approximately 9,000 contractors deliver information warfare solutions to the warfighter. Last year they completed 1,297 installations, corrected 5,930 CASREPs (reports on faulty equipment) and resolved 77,745 incident reports. Large-scale Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services installations were performed by SSC Atlantic teams on the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Navy 6th Fleet command and control ship USS Mount Whitney and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill. The CANES Light Off was completed on Truman in less than 120 work days, a schedule milestone unprecedented in SSC Atlantic history. Truman received a full upgrade, including more than 3,400 Local Area Network drops impacting more than 2,700 ship spaces. During a six-month shipyard period in Croatia, the systems we installed on USS Mount Whitney help extend the life of the 1970s-era ship to 2039.
C4ISR modernization was performed on surface ships, including guided missile destroyer USS Carney and sub-surface units, including attack submarine USS Boise, and at shore units. Hardware and software modernizations included acquiring and/or integrating sensors, communications, weapons, information and control systems that enhance mission readiness.
We opened two new buildings on Joint Base Charleston – Naval Weapons Station -- a Cyber Forensics and Data Recovery Laboratory and the SSC Atlantic’s Cyber Red Team operations center. We have the Navy’s only internationally accredited digital media Criminal Forensics Investigations lab. Our Red Team, one of only two in the Navy, conducts local, remote and wireless systems assessments and persistence and user-driven attack missions across the Department of Defense Information Network.
Improvements to streamline SSC Atlantic contracting processes, along with more industry engagement, enabled more effective contractor relationships. Technology Exchanges and Industry Days helped educate prospective contractors about opportunities in our technology growth areas such as cloud, data analytics and cyber. In addition to the annual Charleston Defense Contractors Association Defense Summit, SSC Atlantic took part in quarterly Small Business Industry Outreach Initiatives to share information on our contracting performance and strategy, forecast future orders and contracts, and answer questions. These engagements have helped us consistently exceed our small business contracting goals; today, we partner with approximately 407 small businesses to provide integrated, innovative and best-value information warfare solutions.
We wrapped up another successful STEM outreach season, which now involves nearly 400 volunteers and mentors who have invested more than 17,000 hours and reached more than 16,000 students in robotics teams and other programs emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math. Our employees volunteer in other ways in our communities through Adopt-a-Highway, Habitat for Humanity, the Combined Federal Campaign, blood drives, Feds Feed Families, Toys for Tots and Day of Caring, to name a few.
You can see these and other highlights from last year in this video: https://youtu.be/PQhxpLY1k8U.
It’s always good to appreciate our accomplishments, and to contemplate the opportunities ahead of us. I look forward to another great year as a part of our Joint Base Charleston team.