The Defense Information Systems Agency announced that eight defense agencies and field activities—known as DAFAs—are set to begin their migration to its updated network, DoDNet, in October as part of the Fourth Estate Network Optimization initiative, which seeks to improve user experience.

DISA said Friday six more DAFAs are expected to kick off the discovery phase by the end of 2024 as part of their transition to DoDNet.

DoDNet Generation 2 Release 1

In June, DISA achieved initial operating capability for DoDNet Generation 2 Release 1, which launched a secure cloud environment to support DAFAs.

“With DoDNet Generation 2 Release 1, we are positioned to accelerate DAFA migrations while meeting operational and cybersecurity requirements,” said Carissa Landymore, DoDNet program manager at DISA.

DoDNet Generation 2 Release 1 comes with several features, including unified endpoint management, virtual desktop-as-a-service, network management and automation and operational support systems and observability.

“We are using a multi-phased approach to accelerate the overall migration process to DoDNet by working in parallel to deploy the networks and user endpoints,” said Landymore.

DISA expects to add 100,000 users to the network over the next 18 months. Once the deployment is complete, the agency expects DoDNet to support up to 370,000 users.

“Pre-installing equipment and updates ahead of each migration ensures a smoother and more efficient transition, as demonstrated by our recent progress,” noted Landymore.

DoDNet Sustainment and Operations Support Task Order

Since 2022, DISA has worked with Leidos to move users from legacy systems to DoDNet.

In July, Leidos received a potential $823 million task order from DISA to provide DoDNet sustainment and operations services. Under this award, the company will provide systems engineering, cybersecurity, network architecture and management and other technical services to help DISA migrate 14 more Fourth Estate DAFAs and their legacy platforms to the consolidated DoDNet environment, expanding support to over 160,000 users.

The task order was issued under the 10-year, $11.5 billion Defense Enclave Services contract awarded by DISA to the company in 2022.

The Defense Contract Management Agency held a ceremony on July 26 to mark the establishment of DCMA Mid-Atlantic, which consolidates the personnel and operations of the agency’s contract management offices in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Manassas, New Cumberland and Pittsburgh.

According to a news article posted Thursday on the agency’s website, CMO consolidation forms part of DCMA Vision, an initiative that seeks to make it possible for DCMA to address U.S. military needs amid budget constraints.

DCMA Mid-Atlantic will be under the command of U.S. Navy Capt. Monica Tate. During the ceremony, she said, “To the Mid-Atlantic team, it will be your leadership, your dedication, your expertise, your energy, your innovation, and your mutual respect, that will build DCMA Mid-Atlantic into the team that it will become.”

For her part, Navy Capt. Nicola Gathright, who presided over the ceremony, described the establishment of DCMA Mid-Atlantic as “a pivotal moment in the history our agency” and underscored the need for the office’s personnel to remain cohesive.

“Let’s continue to stay the course during these changes. We want to continue improving the way we do business,” added Gathright, who took charge of the DCMA Eastern Regional Command last year.

Brig. Gen. Michael Lalor, head of the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, or TACOM, said the military branch intends to break ground on the Long Range Precision Fires Facility at Watervliet Arsenal in New York, as part of its organic industrial base modernization effort, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Lalor told the publication the proposed 350,000-square-foot facility will be equipped with new technologies and capabilities.

According to the report, the facility will accommodate the production of 155mm and larger cannon tubes and is expected to be operational for a minimum of four decades.

In addition to the Watervliet project, the brigadier general said that there are a number of projects that have kicked off in 2024 across TACOM’s six depots and arsenals.

“There are planning efforts for component repair facilities, component remanufacturing facilities at both Anniston [Army Depot] and Red River [Army Depot],” Lalor said. “Those [efforts] are all focused on getting those [facilities] in place by the 2028, 2029 time frame.”

According to TACOM’s commanding general, the Army could invest $75 million to $100 million in organic industrial base—or OIB—infrastructure and capabilities in FY 2025.

The Army is advancing its OIB Modernization Plan, which seeks to transform the service’s 23 arsenals, depots and ammunition plants by investing more than $18 billion over 15 years.

The Department of Defense and National Nuclear Security Administration launched a new supercomputing system on Aug. 1 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

DOD said Thursday the supercomputer is designed to strengthen the nation’s biological defense programs by enhancing the computing capabilities available to them.

The new biodefense supercomputer will have capabilities for running large-scale simulations and AI-based modeling. These features will be leveraged for different activities critical to protecting the country against biological attacks. Defense activities that will utilize the said capabilities include biosurveillance or monitoring, threat identification and characterization, advanced materials development and accelerated medical countermeasures.

DOD and NNSA are working together to expand the computing systems by utilizing the same system architecture as LLNL’s supercomputer El Capitan. The upcoming exascale supercomputer, which will be operational later this year, is expected to be the most powerful of its kind. Once the supercomputer is ready, its capabilities will be made available to various government agencies, international allies, partners, academia and industries.

The Chemical and Biological Defense Program-funded supercomputer is in line with a 2023 agreement between DoD and NNSA to collaborate in tackling the various biodefense challenges facing the nation.

Ian Watson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for chemical and biological defense, said, “This new supercomputing system and other technical enablers underscore DoD’s commitment to building enduring advantages and delivering cutting-edge defensive capabilities that will ensure the Total Force can deter or prevail against advanced chemical and biological threats.”

Janis Parenti, manager of the NNSA Livermore Field Office, noted that the collaboration “will continue to drive cutting-edge science to further enhance and strengthen our nation’s capabilities to respond to biological threats.”

Pat Falcone, deputy director of LLNL, added, “Bringing that exquisite computation and precision instrumentation to the biodefense fight is really what our story is today.”