Marine Corps evaluating what to contract, operate within NGEN-R

By Justin Katz / October 16, 2017 at 1:21 PM

As the Navy moves forward with its Next-Generation Enterprise Network re-compete, the Marine Corps is evaluating what services within the intranet it should operate, and which to leave to contractors, according to a service official.

"We are trying to take a look now in the NGEN-R about what are those things that we actually could or should buy as a service rather than just buying labor to augment a government-owned, government-operated environment," said Kenneth Bible, deputy director of the command, control, communications and computers (C4) department at Headquarters Marine Corps.

Bible, referring to the contract that will re-deliver the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet, was speaking to reporters at a Defense Department media roundtable on cybersecurity Oct. 16.

He noted that while the Navy primarily relies on contractors to execute labor for the NGEN contract, the Marine Corps operates its own services.

"Our challenge is that we're trying to go build an environment that extends from the fighting hole to the flag pole, whereas the NMCI vehicle was a terrestrial-based, garrison-based environment," he said.

He added the Marine Corps lacks a vehicle similar to the Navy's Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services program, which manages the fleet's C4 networks afloat.

"We're trying to go make a vehicle that gives us the flexibility to execute this seamless environment extending all the way out to the tactical user," he said.

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