Lockheed Martin has been awarded an initial $5.99 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to sustain the Defense Message System (DMS) over the next ten years, providing secure, reliable, end-to-end global messaging for the Department of Defense (DoD). The base year on the sustainment contract will run through April 2007 and will be followed by nine one-year options that could bring the potential value of the contract to $750 million.

Lockheed Martin was awarded the original DMS contract in 1995.

"We are pleased to have been selected to continue to support this mission- critical communications, command and control program for the DoD," said Stan Sloane, Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President for the Integrated Systems & Solutions business area. "With our thorough understanding of the DMS architecture, we have the technical expertise and long-term commitment to support DMS-Sustainment and the evolution into the next generation of secure messaging systems."

DMS supports more than six million military messages each month, sending secure e-mails from command stations, military bases and warfighters in the field.

"DMS enables the military services and agencies to send and receive critical information on the battlefield or in the office," said Poul Jorgensen, Lockheed Martin DMS program manager. "DMS provides seamless and quick communication capability between services and over distances while protecting the information that keeps our troops safe."

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of $37.2 billion.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin