Military chiefs tell Congress they need money for network modernization

Army Secretary John McHugh, left, says he needs money for a secure network to provide soldiers connectivity. Gerald Herbert/AP

The leadership of the three services emphasized to Congress this week the importance of funding network and space system modernization programs in their fiscal 2011 budget, with the Army and Navy chiefs saying next generation networks are essential to creating a force for the 21st century.

Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday that the Army will use a strategy called the Global Network Enterprise Construct to develop a more secure network to provide connectivity down the line to individual soldiers. They said an enhanced network is central to the Army's modernization efforts.

Also on Thursday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead told the committee that the Navy expects the first stage of its Next Generation Enterprise Network will be in operation by summer 2012.

NGEN will replace the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, which EDS manages. The intranet contract expires in September. Roughead expects the Navy will award a contract this spring to extend NMCI. The next generation network will provide the same services to Navy and Marine personnel as NMCI does, but the Navy will manage the network. When the service awarded the NMCI contract in October 2000, it outsourced the network's entire operations to EDS.

The Air Force requested $275 million in its fiscal 2011 budget to modernize the computer systems used in its fleet of more than 60 E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said in a joint statement to the committee on Tuesday.

The planned E-3 upgrade will replace a 1970s computer system that operates on components that are no longer manufactured, they said.

The Air Force requested $1.5 billion for GPS in fiscal 2011, which includes launching new satellites manufactured by Boeing that are equipped with jam resistant military signals and new civilian signals to support aviation.