JCSE’s J5 Acquisition and Engineering team receives Innovation Showcase Award

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLA. – U.S. Air Force Gen. William M. Fraser, III, the Commander of U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), presented eight members of the Joint Communications Support Element’s (JCSE) J5 Acquisition and Engineering team with the quarterly Commander’s Innovation Showcase Award on Oct. 22 via a live video teleconference.

The Innovation Showcase recognizes high-performing, collaborative teams who use the USTRANSCOM culture virtues – collaboration, trust, empowerment and innovation – as a foundation to solve problems and ultimately provide a direct benefit to the joint warfighter.

JCSE, a subordinate joint command of the Joint Enabling Capabilities Command, provides rapidly deployable, scalable, en route and early entry communications capa­bilities across the full spectrum of operations in order to enable rapid action of the joint force. The JCSE J5 Acquisition and Engineering Team received the Innovation Showcase award for their efficient and effective delivery of a communications package which met an immediate and urgent requirement from the highest level of leadership within the U.S. Government and the Department of Defense.

“Especially in the dynamic world we live in, we must be connected,” said Fraser during the award presentation. “The Executive Voice Kit (EVK) provides an opportunity to stay better connected and is appreciated by senior leaders throughout DOD.”

In November 2012, the Joint Staff J6 and the Secretary of Defense Communications Team jointly reached out to JCSE to lead an effort to design and deliver a secure, voice capability for the most senior level Flag and General Officers.  Within days, the JCSE J5 Acquisition and Engineering Team delivered a functional prototype called the EVK which leverages commercial cellular technology to provide reliable secure, voice communications.

Not only did the JCSE J5 Acquisition and Engineering Team meet an accelerated timeline, but they also completed this request in a very cost-effective manner. JCSE regularly partners with commercial industry, through its modernization program, to integrate, test and certify communications systems based on commercial-off-the-shelf technology and equipment.  This program provides JCSE with the ability to field, test and equip the joint warfighter with the most cutting edge communications technology in an extremely expeditious manner, which proved to be very beneficial for this particular requirement.

“By building the EVK entirely in-house with on-hand components and commercial-off-the-shelf equipment, JCSE was able to shorten the delivery time and reduce cost as much as possible, providing a significant savings for the U.S. government,” said Mr. Vernon Isaacs, JCSE J5 Director and Chief Information Officer.

The collaboration of the team also greatly influenced both the integrity of the EVK as well as its rapid delivery.  The JCSE design team identified components, integration requirements and procurement/equipment delivery schedules while the JCSE configuration team identified and developed software and network device configurations needed to ensure the highest degree of reliability, security and availability possible.

“Without the deliberate collaboration and expertise of the entire J5 team, the design, fabrication and testing of the EVK would have resulted in a significantly longer delivery,” said Isaacs.   

JCSE’s ability to apply a high degree of technical expertise while simultaneously communicating with in-house software, hardware and security subject matter experts, demonstrated the precise innovation and collaboration techniques Fraser looks for when awarding the Innovation Showcase award.“The competition was stiff but when I read the award package for the EVK, the winner was clear,” Fraser said.  “The EVK is a remarkable testament to the expertise, collaboration and innovation of the entire JCSE team.”

The rapid development and delivery of the EVK illustrates JCSE’s seasoned ability to meet urgent operational requirements with reliable, yet cost-effective solutions.   This type of ingenuity and commitment to the warfighter is what continues to make JCSE a leader in global, joint communications