By Jen DiMascio
Three years ago, a program with ambitions of connecting all of the military services with software defined radios was in trouble–in trouble with Congress and in trouble with the Defense Department.
But the Joint Tactical Radio System has rebounded over time and is putting itself in a position to realize savings with a business model that is novel among Pentagon acquisition programs.
“This is not your father’s JTRS,” said Dennis Bauman, the joint program executive officer for JTRS and a senior Navy executive. “We have issues, but this is no longer a troubled program.”
The program that is developing four different radio families was previously organized by the individual services and more loosely tied service-run programs. Rather than kill the program, DoD continued to believe in the concept. That’s when Bauman took control of the program.
Since that time, the program has made a number of changes. In addition to working more as a joint program, it adjusted its approach to delivering all requirements at one time to an incremental roll-out of different radio capabilities in an effort to reduce risks. The business model and going to software-defined, easily upgradable technology will allow the program to save money, Bauman said.
The JPEO said he wants to own government purpose rights “or better.” Bauman touted a software repository that allows industry to have access to up to 14 million lines of code, 13 waveforms and three operating environments.
While access to that information is a library of sorts, it is not open to everyone. Bauman said industry must be working on a product for government use and sign off on an agreement with the government.
But that open access to information can allow companies not involved in DoD-sponsored development for JTRS to get in on the game. A greater emphasis on competition for production is another way in which this program is unique, Bauman said. Most contracts are awarded to their developers sole-source for production. In this case, two or more sources are qualified for production.
For example, this June, JTRS awarded contracts to Thales and Harris Corp. [HRS] for single-channel handheld radios.
It recently awarded the first in a series of delivery orders for 39,000 Army single channel hand-held radios to Thales. The Army had budgeted $238 million for that purchase, but the program was able to return $104 million of that amount.
“I will assert to you that is a direct result of our business model,” Bauman said.
Harris relied on in-house expertise to design its offering for the competition. Although it lost in this round, additional opportunities are coming, according to Howard Pace, the deputy PEO.
The emphasis on competition does make JTRS unique among most programs, according to Kevin Kane, director of government and business development for Harris. Since Harris was willing to take the risk, the JPEO will create opportunities to compete. “That’s a very powerful message,” he said.
Another reason for improvement has been the unique way in which the program is organized. Rather than a typical acquisition program that reports to one particular service up the chain to the assistant secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, JTRS reports to a board of directors comprised of the acquisition chief, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, representatives from the Pentagon comptroller and program analysis and evaluation as well as the three-star program chiefs of each service and the service secretaries.
Today, the JTRS board of directors meets to consider a milestone B proposal by the JPEO about the Airborne, Maritime and Fixed station radio–a platform to be used by helicopters, widebody aircraft, shore establishments and Navy ships. Two industry teams are currently vying for a development contract that is likely to be awarded after a milestone B decision is made.