Project manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems press release (Feb. 12, 2008); product manager, Defense Wide Transmission Systems connects Army logisticians with 1,000th CSS VSAT.(In the News)

SPRINGFIELD, Va. -- The program to connect Army logisticians with their own, dedicated communications system reached a significant milestone when the 1,000th combat service support very small aperture terminal (CSS VSAT) rolled off the assembly line at the plant of L-3 Global Communications Solutions, Inc. (GCS) in Victor, N. Y., on Jan. 9, 2008.

The program, managed by the product manager, Defense Wide Transmission Systems (PM DWTS)--part of the Army's Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems' Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PM DCATS)--started in May 2004 as the solution to the Army G-4's (deputy chief of staff logistics) number-one priority after Operation Iraqi Freedom I to connect logisticians with their own communications system to pass requisitions, and at the same time eliminate the need for soldiers to go in harm's way in convoys to hand-carry requisitions.

Some 90 Army leaders and their industry partners met at a PM DWTS facility on Jan. 31, 2008, to mark the milestone.

Borrowing an analogy he heard from former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Thomas Edwards, assistant deputy chief of staff, Army G-4, compared the early process of trying to connect Army logisticians to "slogging through a swamp," and said that for the G-4, the CSS VSAT solution was like "jumping out of a swamp and onto a rocket ship.

"The number one logistics issue out of the war [Operation Iraqi Freedom] was to connect the logistician," said Edwards. "You can't run a distribution system if you don't know what the user wants. If you [the CSS VSAT government and industry team] hadn't been able to step up and make that happen, we'd still be on the sidelines. You have my personal and enduring thanks for that."

Maj. Jeff Etienne, the assistant product manager, DWTS-Belvoir, told the group the history of the CSS VSAT program, from the first generation of 18 prototype units in March 2004 that utilized a 0.96 meter dish to the current fourth generation 1.2 meter Hawkeye II-enhanced units that were fielded starting with the 901 st unit in November 2007. He said soldiers' demand for CSS VSATs continues to increase because the technology allows users to share documents, pass requisitions, collaborate and conduct meetings online, and make voice over Internet Protocol telephone calls--all without moving from their location.

Also Connects Medical, Biometrics, and Homeland Security Users

Lt. Col. Clyde Richards, PM DWTS, said that the factory-to-foxhole Internet capability enabled by CSS VSATs provides information dominance for CSS warfighting units and noted that, in addition to connecting logisticians, CSS VSATs also save soldiers' lives by digitally transporting medical supply and casualty-care transactions, and support force protection by digitally transporting biometrics and homeland security transactions. "We've also provided VSATs to support disaster relief efforts, such as we did after Hurricane Katrina," said Richards.

Emphasizing that his objective as a PM was to provide a faster, better, and cheaper system, Richards said that he was proud that the PM DWTS and industry team had worked together to reduce the cost of individual CSS VSATs by 35 percent and to make process improvements, such as doing quality inspections at the vendor's plant and shipping directly from there to users. "I also want to tell you that, operationally, we have not lost one single VSAT out of 1,000," said Richards.

Richards said that the original requirement from the G-4 was for 775 CSS VSATs, that there were 1,000 more in the pipeline, and that the figure could ultimately grow to 3,000 CSS VSATs.

Media contact is Stephen Larsen, 732-427-6756 or Stephen. larsen@us.army.mil.