ESC program office working to defend critical assets

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. Valerie Hackett
  • Force Protection Division
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  The Force Protection Division recently began work on two projects to upgrade security for Air Force Space Command's PAVE PAWS (Phased Array Warning System) radar sites. One site is located at Beale AFB, Calif., and the other site is at Cape Cod AFS, Mass.

"These operational sites play a huge role in missile warning and space surveillance for the nation, and our work will ensure they are properly safeguarded," said Patrick Dagle, Force Protection Division chief.

At military bases worldwide, including these sites on opposite coasts, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) play a vital role in helping security forces protect the nation's critical assets. The IDS upgrades to the PAVE PAWS locations were started in March 2012 and this work will provide the latest high tech sensors and alarms from an arsenal of tested and proven systems.

The two efforts at these PAVE PAWS sites are a small part of the overall mission executed by the Force Protection Division. In an effort to standardize IDS installation worldwide, the Force Protection Division competitively awards indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts every five years to a few companies. The current five year effort started in July 2009 and is titled Force Protection Security Systems, or FPS2. It is worth just under $500 million. The companies that won contracts and now compete for these security upgrade projects are: L-3 Communications, Northrop Grumman Corp. and Science Applications International Corp.

Under the current FPS2 contract, multiple projects are in process globally across various phases of the acquisition lifecycle at all times. Amongst the bases, actions vary depending on the mission of that base.

Typical upgrade efforts include: modernizing computers, modernizing alarms at aircraft hangars and parking ramps, securing buildings, upgrading fence perimeter alarms and installing modern surveillance cameras. The contractors custom design the system for each base so no two systems are identical. Products are selected from a wide array of equipment available in the commercial marketplace from a list of pretested items the Air Force has certified as highly effective. This provides the best match between available technology and the needs of each base.

For the current Space Command efforts, SAIC was the winning contractor for both PAVE PAWS security projects. The projects are being executed in parallel and are projected to be completed by September 2013.

"As worldwide missions evolve, security continues to be very important," said Brian Carr, program manager for both PAVE PAWS projects. "We do our job protecting national assets so others can do their jobs. Together with Security Forces members, we help ensure worldwide installations are properly defended."