REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – In the largest military construction program in the continental United States the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville Furnishings Program is providing programmatic support to the Cyber Center of Excellence (CCoE).
The multi-year, 25 project plan modernizes facilities at Fort Eisenhower, an Army installation near Augusta, Georgia.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Savannah District, serving as the Army's agent for military construction in Georgia, is overseeing the projects.
The largest single piece of the project is improving CCoE campus with $934 million contract that includes both Military Construction (MILCON) and Sustainment/Restoration/Modernization (SRM) projects.
“The facilities are designed to strengthen the Army and improve cyber mission readiness by bringing together cutting-edge, innovative information technology, cyberspace operations capabilities, and an open, collaborative working environment to support the next generation of the Army's Cyber force,” said Tony Cady, Savannah District’s Chief of Military Programs and Project Management.
Huntsville Center’s focus on the project is acquiring and installing $40 million of furnishings to support CCoE's mission to train, educate, and develop signal, cyber, and electronic warfare professionals.
The Center’s Furnishing Program procures administrative, barracks, lodging and educational furnishings for various federal agencies worldwide. The program is a full-service program with project delivery teams providing project management, interior design, procurement, installation and quality assurance for all federal agencies’ furniture requirements.
Mike Braddock, Furnishings Program project manager for the CCoE project, said his project development team (PDT) is overseeing the cradle-to-grave concept while ensuring standardized furnishings are provided to meet specific CCoE requirements.
“Our PDT’s primary mission is to buy furnishings in accordance with CCoE requirements and to manage the delivery of those items to the new or renovated facility by the beneficial occupancy date,” Braddock said.
Braddock said the project is at time challenging due to the large scale of the project.
“The campus's new and renovated facilities are modern digital classrooms and labs providing access to all the Army's operational and training networks,” Braddock said.
“Anytime there is concurrent procurement for so many buildings at once, all during fiscal year end, there are certainly going to be challenges,” he said.
Braddock said working with a transformation cell specifically set up to support the establishment of the campus, is unique and has eased some of the challenges associated with procuring furniture for the facilities.
U.S. Army Cyber Command (ARCYBER) is the supporting Army headquarters under United States Cyber Command. The Cyber Center of Excellence (CCoE) is the Army's proponent for modernizing cyberspace operations, networks, and electronic warfare (EW). It develops related doctrine, and solutions for organization, training, materials, leadership, personnel, and facilities.
The facilities aim to boost the Army and its cyber readiness. They will combine advanced IT, cyber ops, and collaborative workspaces to support the next generation of the Army's cyber force.