Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Amy Forsythe | Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity hosted more than 80 attendees met at...... read more read more
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marines, engineers and technical experts from Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity hosted nearly 80 business leaders from across the country during an Advanced Planning Briefing to Industry (APBI) Jan. 26, 2023, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The one-day event, referred to as ‘Industry Day’ highlighted current technical objectives and associated challenges involved in supporting the Command, Control, Communication, Computer, Cyber and Intelligence (C5) systems used by expeditionary warfighters.
“The mutually beneficial partnership between private industry and the United States Marine Corps is our competitive advantage,” said Col. Craig Clarkson, Commanding Officer for MCTSSA. “Our talented business partners will be the ones creating the next generation of communications systems, which must integrate seamlessly with our Marines operating at the tactical edge of the network.”
Specific areas discussed were, cybersecurity testing, wireless technology, advanced manufacturing, cloud computing, naval systems integration, automated testing, systems engineering, system of systems testing, data link analysis, tactical networking, and U. S. Marine Corps operating forces global technical support.
Other participants sought to gain knowledge of the technologies and processes that are important to MCTSSA and its network of partners.
“MCTSSA and industry are trying to solve the same problems, there is a significant opportunity for cooperation if a business model can be worked out,” said Fritz Doran, Technical Director for MCTSSA.
MCTSSA held its first APBI event in 2019 to communicate its vision to the private industry for executing a Command-wide multiple award task order contract to improve mission support.
In August 2020, seven indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts were awarded to small businesses by MCTSSA for a total of $46 million, with a period of performance of five years.
“Less than three years into the five-year period of performance, the ceiling under these contracts reached their maximum and MCTSSA is now looking to re-compete for this effort,” said Beverly Hobbs, lead contracting officer for MCTSSA.
Events like this help identify industry leaders, solutions and pathways forward. Small group sessions were conducted at various locations throughout the MCTSSA compound and attendees were partnered with the command’s subject experts for more detailed conversations.
Hearing directly from the engineers and those who will be implementing equipment and solutions was beneficial to the attendees who have never met face-to-face with Marines or engineers at MCTSSA. “Partnerships are vital in creating win-win relationships,” said a participant who traveled from Maryland to attend.
“Our goal is to make Marines more capable, enabling combatant commanders’ real-time command and control superiority and this industry event helps meet our goals faster and more efficiently,” Clarkson added.
Business leaders taking part in the event expressed the importance of the day. Hearing first-hand the challenges and vision for what technologies are needed for the future lends to greater cooperation and ways to advance faster in an often complicated defense acquisition process.
Contractors make up one-third of the MCTSSA resources and are considered a valuable partner in the success of our mission. “We are all a part of the same team. Sharing our goals, vision and challenges will help us collaborate better in the months and years to come,” Hobbs said.
Leveraging innovation and vision for known and yet unknown technologies will enable us to continue our mission. “Our goal today is to provide a collaborative networking forum between industry and MCTSSA,” added Doran.
MCTSSA, an elite, full-scale laboratory facility operated by the Marine Corps, is a subordinate command of Marine Corps Systems Command. MCTSSA provides test and evaluation, engineering, and deployed technical support for Marine Corps and joint service command, control, computer, communications and intelligence systems throughout all acquisition life-cycle phases.
| Date Taken: | 01.31.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.31.2023 17:45 |
| Story ID: | 437565 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 211 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, MCTSSA Hosts “Industry Day” at Camp Pendleton, by LCDR Amy Forsythe, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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