Driving Army innovation: ALTESS’ transition to NETCOM
Courtesy Photo |
David Duncan (left), ALTESS deputy product lead and Barry Nichols, ALTESS product......read moreread more
Courtesy Photo | David Duncan (left), ALTESS deputy product lead and Barry Nichols, ALTESS product lead, stand within the ALTESS data servers at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford, Va. see less
| View Image Page
Driving Army innovation: ALTESS’ transition to NETCOM
FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- In a strategic realignment of the Army’s enterprise systems and digital infrastructure, the department is moving the Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Enterprise Systems and Services (ALTESS) product office out of the acquisition community and into the Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM), which falls under the U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER). This organizational transition aims to streamline operations and secure the Army’s digital infrastructure.
Barry Nichols, ALTESS product lead, said that “in June 2025, Army Cyber Command released an execution order that would bring some missions within the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology) (ASA(ALT)) portfolio into NETCOM.” He explained that among ARCYBER’s many functions, the command secures, operates and defends (SOD) the Army network. ALTESS does similar work, so it made operational sense for these ALTESS SOD functions to pair with NETCOM.
Historically, Nichols said, ALTESS has been unique because it is “more focused on operational tasks rather than acquisition ones,” despite the ALTESS workforce consisting of acquisitions professionals. The Army created one of its first data centers at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in the 1950s. These early data centers processed and stored massive amounts of data on Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) systems and tape machines.
By the 1970s, the data center was designated as Research, Development and Acquisition Information Systems Activity (RDASIA), under the U.S. Army Computer Systems Command (USACSC), until November 1985, at which time it became part of U.S. Army Information Systems Command (USAISC). USAISC was the predecessor to much of what is now NETCOM.
ALTESS runs one of the 12 designated Army Enterprise data centers, further emphasizing the organization’s focus on operations instead of acquisition. Moving under an operational command ensures data centers align with their operational and information-processing identity.
NETCOM will tentatively assume operational control of ALTESS on October 1, 2026, and will oversee daily operations. Capability Program Executive Enterprise Software and Services, however, will maintain administrative control of ALTESS for approximately one year as the positions are transitioned from acquisition-coded positions to cyber-excepted service positions. The transition is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year (FY) 27.
The transition, which has already begun and is “progressing smoothly,” according to Nichols, directly answers Army directives governing organizational boundaries. Under standard guidelines, acquisition bodies are designated to manage procurements while ARCYBER secures, operates and defends the Department of War Information Network – Army (DOWIN-A).
"This move,” Nichols said, “is the Army getting ALTESS into the operational side of the Army because the ALTESS mission does not align with traditional acquisition programs."
Data center tasks will experience no service interruptions, and systems embedded in data centers or cloud environments will continue normal operations. ALTESS will continue providing infrastructure support for 55 DoW organizations and approximately 75 unique systems. This support includes on-premise systems and those within the Army commercial cloud.
Team members’ daily tasks will not significantly change, though reporting structures and issue escalations are likely to change as well as the ALTESS name. Nichols anticipates the organization will be renamed once the transition is complete by September 2027, which will provide support to data centers and all on-site computing systems. The new name will become effective by the end of FY27, Nichols noted.
Change can be challenging, and Nichols said that “taking care of the ALTESS team is our number one priority. We want to make sure people are informed, have timelines and expectations are clearly stated.”
As realignment progresses, ALTESS and Army Contracting Command Rock Island plan to release two solicitations in the first quarter of FY27. The first will focus on ALTESS facility requirements, and the second will address information technology services followed by an industry day. The solicitations will be under the ALTESS name and posted on [sam.gov/](https://sam.gov/).
