General Dynamics wins $922 million contract for CENTCOM IT modernization

The Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, (US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alexander W. Riedel)

WASHINGTON — The General Services Administration awarded General Dynamics Information Technology a $922 million contract to modernization US Central Command’s technical infrastructure, the company announced Thursday.

The contract, which was awarded in February, has a one-year based period and five option years. Under the deal, GDIT will “operationalize enterprise data through artificial intelligence/machine learning technologies to improve decision-making, transition CENTCOM to a new cloud environment, and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of its networks,” according to a company statement.

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“Technological innovation is critical to promoting stability and protecting our national security interests in this strategically important region,” said Brian Sheridan, GDIT’s senior vice president for the defense division. “We look forward to delivering advanced solutions to enable CENTCOM to be better connected and prepared in support of its missions.”

GDIT President Amy Gilliland told Breaking Defense in an interview in January that her company has been heavily investing in “digital engineering,” which refers to the use of digital models to support the development and testing of a system without the limitations of physical infrastructure.

“These investments have always come from what we’re hearing from the mission and that is fueling the [digital engineering] investment,” Gilliland said at the time.

The company’s new contract for CENTCOM will also utilize its “zero trust capabilities” to bolster the combatant command’s cyber defenses.

Zero trust has been a focus point both for the Pentagon and the civilian side of the federal government in recent years in light of major cybersecurity breaches such as the SolarWinds incident in 2022, during which Russian hackers gained access to Justice Department servers among other federal agencies.

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