DoD Program Receives Top 5 Recognition

Published Nov. 14, 2007
By Military Satellite Communications Wing
SMC

Los Angeles Air Force Base -- The Advanced Extremely High Frequency Mission Control Segment was selected as one of the Top 5 DoD Programs in 2006. Col William J. Harding, Commander, Protected Satellite Communications Group, Military Satellite Communications Systems Wing, and Mr. John Mengucci, Lockheed Martin President, Mission & Combat Support Solutions, accepted the award at a ceremony in San Diego on October 24, 2007. The Top 5 DoD Program Award is administered by the National Defense Industrial Association. OSD sponsors the award and selects the winners.

The MCS ground-based fixed and mobile stations will command and control both the AEHF and Milstar satellites on orbit, monitor satellite health, coordinate worldwide communications networks, deliver high-fidelity training and simulation, and enable software sustainment. The Lockheed Martin Information Systems & Global Services MCS team has completed 1.7 million out of 2.2 million lines of code, and has maintained cumulative Cost and Schedule Performance Indices of 1.0 or greater for 80 months.

"MCS has been very important to the success of the $6.7B AEHF program," said Col Harding in his acceptance speech. "I am very proud of the MCS Integrated Product Team -- it has exhibited outstanding teamwork between the government and industry."

As one of the protected satellite programs at MILSATCOM, the AEHF system will be the follow-on to the Milstar system, augmenting and improving on the capabilities of Milstar, and expanding the MILSATCOM architecture. AEHF will provide connectivity across the spectrum of mission areas, including land, air and naval warfare; special operations; strategic nuclear operations; strategic defense; theater missile defense; and space operations and intelligence. The AEHF System is a joint service satellite communications system that provides global, secure, protected, and jam-resistant communications for high-priority military ground, sea and air assets. Once on orbit, the AEHF satellite system will consist of three satellites that will be in geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) that provides 10 times the capacity of the 1990s-era Milstar satellites.

The Space and Missile Systems Center, located at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the U.S. Air Force's center of acquisition excellence for acquiring and developing military space systems including six wings and three groups responsible for GPS, military satellite communications, defense meteorological satellites, space launch and range systems, satellite control network, space based infrared systems, intercontinental ballistic missile systems and space situational awareness capabilities. SMC manages more than $60 billion in contracts, executes annual budgets of $10 billion and employs more than 6,800 people worldwide.

Media representatives can submit questions for response regarding this topic by sending an email to: smcpa.media@losangeles.af.mil.

AEHF Team Award