In a sizable announcement, CACI announced that it has been awarded an $81 million task order by the U.S. Army to support the transition of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) resources to the Aberdeen Proving Ground. The move is mandated by the Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. The contract, assuming the option period is exercised, is for a period of 27 months and was awarded under the General Services Administration’s Logistics Worldwide (LOGWORLD) contract vehicle. The new work realigns organizations currently located at Ft. Monmouth, NJ, Ft Belvoir, VA, Eatontown, NJ, Huntsville, AL, and Fort Knox, KY.

The transition includes the planning/preparation, disassembly, transport, and synchronized reconstitution of an array of components involving information technology, systems engineering, and network automation. These actions will cover more than 120 highly technical and complex communications, electronics research, and development laboratories; 100,000 pieces of communications-electronics test equipment, IT equipment, and other components; design, fabrication, and integration facilities; and a broad array of classified equipment and technology.

The CACI team will provide overall project management, client interface and relationship management, and coordinated technical execution of all work elements. The company has been supporting technical work inside a majority of the relocating laboratory facilities for over 20 years and offers significant institutional knowledge of lab operations and supported programs. It is already performing the key BRAC work for the Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) Intelligence and Information Warfare Directorate (I2WD) under another contract from the Army. The new program supports the relocation of all elements of the CERDEC; the Communications-Electronics Command Life Cycle Management Command (CECOM LCMC) headquarters and key organizations (Software Engineering Center (SEC), the Logistics Readiness Center (LRC), and the CECOM Contracting Center (CECC); the Program Executive Office Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T), and related Project Managers; and the Program Executive Office, Intelligence Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S) and related Project Managers, Program Executive Office – Integration (PEO-I) and related Project Managers, and U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

Bill Fairl, CACI’s President of U.S. Operations, said “This award from the Army to provide BRAC support, following so closely on our win to move classified labs to Aberdeen, is a gratifying vote of confidence in CACI’s ability to provide continuity for the critical C4ISR mission. The consistency, the methodology, the tools, and people are all in place for success.”

According to CACI President and CEO Paul Cofoni, “With this new work, we’re very pleased to help assure the smooth transition to Aberdeen of these vital components to support our warfighters as they keep our country safe. It’s important to note that a majority of the support in the areas of communications, electronics, and intelligence operations for our nation’s in-theater efforts emanates from the commands and organizations that will be moving to Aberdeen.”

Raydiance announced it has partnered with the Small Spacecraft Division in the Engineering Directorate at NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, to develop advanced microfluidics devices for space-based biological experiments.

Under the terms of a cooperative agreement funded by the Advanced Capabilities Division in NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate to support a Seed Fund project within NASA’s Innovative Partnerships Program, NASA Ames’ experts in fluidic design will employ Raydiance’s Smart Light ultrafast laser platform to fabricate next-generation microfluidics devices and components. These will be deployed on free-flying nanosatellites, the International Space Station, and future lunar and planetary research laboratories. Results from this work will advance capabilities for molecular and cellular diagnostics, enable rapid drug discovery and screening, and expand the understanding of the effects of the space environment on biological systems.

“This partnership brings together the powerful and versatile Smart Light ultrafast technology with the world-class microfluidics expertise of the NASA Ames’ small spacecraft group,” said Barry Schuler, Chairman and CEO of Raydiance. “The capability to athermally ablate very precise features in transparent polymers and glasses, in addition to ceramics, will enable NASA Ames to rapidly fabricate complex and integrated components on a single microfluidics card. This collaborative work will have large implications for both the research and commercial worlds.”

The work at NASA Ames is led by Dr. Antonio J. Ricco, chief technologist at the Small Satellite Division and John Hines, chief technologist in the Engineering Directorate. Tim Booth, Vice President of Project Management, is coordinating the Raydiance efforts for the project.

“We’re very excited about the additional capabilities the Raydiance system gives us to fabricate complex, multilevel microfluidic devices,” Dr. Ricco said. “We anticipate these devices will be more reliable, let us add new functionality, and be more biocompatible than some other approaches we’ve examined. We should be able to quickly execute design changes as needed to accommodate a wide range of biological and chemical space studies with this new platform.”