DMS-GOSIP PRESS RELEASE
The Air Force Material Command (AFMC) Standard Systems Group (SSG) located at
Maxwell Air Force Base, Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Alabama announced toaday
award of its Defense Message System - Government Open Systems Interconnection
Profile (DMS-GOSIP) acquisition to Loral Federal Systems - Manassas for up to an
estimated $499,6000,000 over the eight year life of the contract. The DMS-GOSIP
contract provides the initial components and services required to achieve the
DMS Target Architecture which is estimated to cost in excess of $1 Billion over
the next 6 years.
Four vendors offered proposals in response to the DMS-GOSIP Request for
Proposal. The contract, which will cover a basic period of two years plus six
one-year options, will provide integration services, software, hardware,
maintenance, training, installation, and data that will be used to phase out the
Department of Defense (DOD)'s existing Automatic Digital Network (AUTODIN) and
electronic (E-mail) systems with a modern electronic messaging system based
primarily on Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products, at over 500 DOD locations
worldwide. Loral's core DMS-GOSIP team will include Boeing, GTE, and Xerox.
The DMS Program will allow for revolutionary change to the way message services
are conducted in the DOD today. The system will improve messaging service while
reducing maintenance cost and operational staffing requirements. The target
sytem architecture emphasizes flexibility to support current DOD information
technology programs, as well as technological advances as they becom available
in the future, while improving functionality, survivability, and security of DOD
messaging. The system will support both sustaining base and deployed users and
will provide interface to allied users as well.