Lockheed Martin's Global Command and Control System -- Army (GCCS-A), a prime component of the Army's Battle Command System (ABCS), has been implemented as the command and control (C(2)) system of record for U.S. Army Pacific Theater forces.

GCCS-A is the key C(2) system for military operations that require mobilization-demobilization, deployment and sustainment of theater forces. It is the primary gateway between tactical and corps commands, and all echelons below, the ABCS and U.S. Department of Defense Joint systems, such as the Global Command and Control System. GCCS-A gives a common picture of Army tactical operations to the Joint and coalition community, and facilitates interoperability of systems within the Army Command.

The Army's battlefield digitization strategy, being implemented through the ABCS initiative, will link more than 100 battlefield systems through networks and satellite communications, and provide a common picture of warfighting elements, such as field artillery, intelligence data, logistics, air defense and information about the enemy, to all echelon commanders.

"GCCS-A brings 'best of breed' functionality from legacy Army systems, and through new applications and tools we integrate into the system, it will meet the Army's evolving mission requirements," said Carlaine Blizzard, vice president of Defense Information Systems at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems.

In addition to Pacific theater forces, GCCS-A has been accepted as the "go to war" C(2) system of record for the Combined Forces Command, Korea. It is being implemented in incremental stages at Army operations worldwide, with each delivery incorporating new functionality. Delivery 3.2 involves implementation of 142 workstations and 15 servers for the Pacific theater operation. Efforts are underway to update the European theater command with GCCS-A capability in early 2001.

Improvements make it possible to track the status of both friendly and enemy units, manage intelligence information and targets, and track movement of troops and equipment within the theater. GCCS-A gives users access to worldwide Internet applications, electronic mail and provides updated office automation capability.

Mission Systems is developing GCCS-A with commercial products, building it on the Defense Information Infrastructure Common Operating Environment architecture backbone.

The GCCS-A system replaces and enhances three legacy C(2) systems -- Army Worldwide Military Command and Control System Information System (WWMCCS), a mainframe-based strategic planning system, Standard Theater Army Command and Control System (STACCS), a C(2) system focused on the needs of the European theater, and the Theater Automated Command and Control Information Management System (TACCIMS), a C(2) system for the Korean theater.

GCCS-A Delivery 3.2 will be among those systems taking part in the Army's Joint Contingency Force Advanced Warfighting Experiment (JCF-AWE) to evaluate new battle requirements, at Ft. Drum, N.Y. and other locations August 16 - September 25.

A leader in mission critical systems integration and information operations, Lockheed Martin Mission Systems serves customers including U.S. and international defense and civil government agencies. Mission Systems employs approximately 2,600 at facilities in Gaithersburg, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Santa Maria, Calif., and is a business unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced-technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

For additional information, visit the website: http://www.lockheedmartin.com/.

To learn more about Lockheed Martin Mission Systems, visit the website: http://www.lmco.com/missionsystems.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin