"I'm extremely pleased to report that MG Shahtout has signed the SCN Network Acceptance Certificate," Bob Dutton, vice president and general manager of Communication Systems Division's (CSD) Information Processing and Security Systems. "It's a proud moment for us all. I'd like to express my congratulations and thanks to everyone on the program team for their perseverance and dedication under sometimes difficult circumstances."
Last week, Major General Ahmed Shahtout, Chief of the Strategic Communications Network (SCN) Committee, Egyptian Ministry of Defense (MoD) Signal Department, signed the Final Network Acceptance Certificate for the Strategic Communications Network (SCN). He declared the network to be a showcase success for the armed forces. With this simple act, the customer took possession of a network in development by GTE Government Systems Corporation (GSC) for nearly nine years. GSC's demonstration of commitment has earned the company a reputation as one of the premier defense contractors in Egypt -- and a sole-source position for the future expansion of the network.
GSC won the contract to develop the SCN in 1987. The projected total value then was approximately $100 million. It has since grown to more than $130 million. Under the basic contract and 15 subsequent contract modifications, the network now comprises 29 switching centers. It also includes 105 radio sites, a fiber optic transmission backbone, and two network management centers. It currently serves some 10,000 subscribers. This total is expected to grow to over 20,000.
The SCN covers an area of 66,000 square miles in Northern Egypt, from Saloun on the Libyan border to Arish near the Gaza Strip, into the Sinai Peninsula, then south along the Red Sea to Safaga. The network provides the voice, data and video communications infrastructure for the land forces, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense and Special Forces.
"The making of the SCN has been a multidivisional effort, tapping GSC's core capabilities," said Mark Bowden, SCN program manager. Engineers in Needham developed the sophisticated switching and network management systems. The switches were manufactured in Needham and Taunton. The North Carolina Systems Center (NCSC) designed and manufactured a special purpose subscriber data unit (modem). GSC Worldwide Telecommunications Services (WTS) technicians in the Cairo Field Office fielded the system, including installation and integration of the switches, network management systems, microwave systems, power production and distribution systems, and multiplexers."
The Egyptian government considers the SCN to be vitally important to Egypt's security. In his February 6 address to the Egyptian Peoples Assembly, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi, Minister of Defense, listed the SCN as one of the country's four major accomplishments leading to the improved effectiveness of its armed forces.
The MoD has plans, and budget to expand the network to the Sudanese border in the south, add a packet switching overlay, and upgrade and expand the network's video conferencing capability. CSD's SCN program office expects to receive sole-source awards this year totaling as much as $35 million, and leading to several years of interesting and profitable work potentially approaching the $50 million mark.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak opened the GTE SCN officially in October, 1993. The SCN carries the majority of military traffic essential for the command and control of Egypt's defense forces. "The SCN program gives Egypt some of the most advanced communications capabilities in the Middle East," Dutton commented.
The SCN team is headed by Bowden, who is based in Needham. Deputy program managers are: Dick Donovan, Needham; Arnie Rech, Cairo; Jim Voss, consulting deputy program manager for engineering; Brian Brady, deputy program manager for engineering and Tom Graziano, deputy program manager for Operations.
Additional Program Office staff members are Natalie Revallion-Walcott, Toni Rubin, George Murphy, Contracts; and soon-to-burst Maura Ryder, Finance.
Current SCN engineers are: Doug Armstrong, Rebecca Arnold, Dick Friend, Rich Nagy, Sylvia Coletti, and Dan Brooks. Cairo Field Engineer Parvez Bahkhshi is also part of the engineering staff.
Field employees from GTE Worldwide Telecommunications Services' (WTS) Telecommunications Services Organization (TSO) who have served on SCN are: Randall Crowson, Dave Long, Richard Prior, the late Bill Verberg, and Bob Werner. Other past or present TSO team members include Dan Thompson, Jeff Huckaby, and Nancy Negoshian.
Operations employees who have previously worked on SCN are: Frank Cardarelli, Scotty Trevett, Ron Merow, Joe Tolini, Jan Villandry, Rich Ellis, Jim Baker, Doug Olsen, Ron Wiik, Eileen Saurette, Jean Fargo, Bill Harnden, Rick Ouellette, and Brian Parr.
"Many other people have been involved with SCN over the years, and are
entitled to a share of the credit for this major accomplishment," Dutton said.
"Congratulations to the entire team, past and present, for a job well done!"
Comments to: Doug Armstrong