The Army has awarded awarded training contracts to Cole Engineering Services, Inc. (CESI) to prototype new devices for combat simulation and information security company Root9B (R9B) to deliver advanced cyber courses at Ft. Gordon, Ga., officials said on Monday
CESI was awarded a $502,000 rapid prototyping agreement for devices to improve pilot and air defense artillery training, while R9B received a one-year deal to instruct Army Cyber Mission Forces on offensive and defensive cyber operations training.
“This is a vital project for the Army and we are honored to be selected by the service. We are confident that our solution will boost training and improve the ability of the Army to combat enemy threats, and we are excited to be able to pioneer next-generation capabilities during this effort,” John R. Surdu, Cole, CESI project manager, said in a statement.
The Army tapped CESI to develop a training device capable of simulating enemy shoulder-fired missiles and allow users to conduct real-time orientation and positioning status objectives. The new device will be deployed to Army Combat Training Centers.
CESI received the new deal through an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) with the Army’s Training and Readiness Accelerator (TReX) consortium managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL).
“This award to Cole Engineering highlights that the Army is very serious about testing important technologies as soon as possible in order to combat threats. The Army’s TReX program provides the service with an agile mechanism to refine critical technologies that keep pace with ongoing and emerging challenges,” Tim Greeff, CEO of NSTXL, said in a statement.
R9B has been tasked with training warrant officers at the Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Ft. Gordon on cyber intelligence gathering and skills needed for offensive and defensive cyber operations.
“Warrant officers represent a critical component of the Army’s cyber force. We are pleased to have this opportunity to work with these experts, and to provide our knowledge base and experience to expand their ability to execute the cyber mission,” Eric Hipkins, CEO of R9B, said in a statement.
R9B will run a 7-week Warrant Officer Advanced Course, which will cover digital forensics, identifying adversary tactics and threat hunting on Windows and Linux platforms.