Critical force-protection system completed ahead of time, under budget

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. William Stratemeyer
  • Force Protection Division
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  A system managed here that helps protect warfighters in the Air Forces Africa Command's area of responsibility was recently turned over to the users after being completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

The Tactical Automated Security System, or TASS, is an intrusion detection system, or IDS, which uses a variety of imagery systems to help ensure safety and security by providing improved situation awareness. Following an urgent request in January 2014 from the 17th Air Expeditionary Forces commander to support service members deployed to imminent danger areas, the Force Protection team swiftly developed and implemented a plan to meet that expeditionary need through rapid acquisition, deployment and installation of the TASS IDS.

"This is a huge accomplishment we can all be proud of, delivering a rapid protection solution to our warfighters," said Patrick Dagle, Force Protection Division chief. "This newly installed detection system will give our deployed men and women a secure place from which they may conduct critical operations."

By working collaboratively with service partners and using rapid acquisition methods to support an urgent requirement, the program office was able to save time and money.

According to program officials, by working with their counterparts in the Counter-IED section of the Force Protection Division, through an inter-service collaboration with the Army Natick Contracting Division and by using a rapid contracting vehicle developed to support Joint Urgent Operational Needs, or JUONs, the program office was able to execute a contract 80 percent faster than the standard acquisition time. And three weeks after award, the team was on site ready to install the TASS.

They installed more than $4 million worth of equipment, including multiple types of sensors, more than 4 miles of fiber-optic sensor cabling, and several surveillance and imagery systems.

"Although the government estimate was 110 days, the team was able to install all of this equipment in just 78 days," said 2nd Lt. Adam Kelly, the deputy program manager for the project. "Now Security Forces in this AOR will have the improved situational awareness they need. It was absolutely crucial to get this capability to our defenders as quickly as possible in order to defend against terrorist threats in the area."

In addition to collaborating with their Army acquisition counterparts, the Hanscom team also credits the deployed members for contributing to the overall success. For instance, at the beginning of the project the outer perimeter barriers of the base could not function properly as a sensor platform. However, deployed U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to the AOR worked relentlessly to provide upgrades to correct the issue, allowing work to continue and helping to avoid a costly delay.

In fact, several of the collaborations helped saved money. Even with the aggressive schedule at the end of installation, there was a 17 percent savings from the original cost. Utilizing collaborative approaches and leveraging pre-deployed contractors with proven AOR experience allowed for thousands of dollars of cost savings, according to Kelly.

"This TASS IDS project was not easy; there were numerous unforeseen events that could have delayed the project," he said. "We could not have achieved the success we've experienced without close engagement and commitment from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe-AFAFRICA staff, as well as our own team members here at Hanscom."

While installation was ongoing, one of the division's members, Jimmy Waller, was on site ensuring the reliability of the system - to inspect and test the contractors' work, as well as to help train the deployed Airmen to become skilled IDS operators.

Although the installation is now complete, the team will stay engaged with the base for continued support of the system. A resident field engineer will remain on site to ensure that if TASS operability issues arise, they can be addressed on the spot with minimal down time.

As the Force Protection Division is part of the Battle Management portfolio, in response to the system completion, Lt. Gen. Darryl Roberson, 3rd Air Force and 17th Expeditionary Air Force commander, wrote to Battle Management Program Executive Officer Steve Wert: "It is not often I get an update on a significant issue that has such good news ... 78 days, under budget and ahead of schedule!"

Roberson also expressed his gratitude to the Force Protection Division for their efforts on a job well done.

From here, the division is pressing ahead to complete a site survey of another forward-deployed site for warfighters in AFAFRICA's area of responsibility. Additionally, there is a long-term sight picture to compete a three- to five-year sustainment contract in fiscal year 2015 encompassing all of the AFAFRICA sites.