Top Secret White House Crisis Communication Network Gets Upgrade
President Barack Obama listens during one in a series of meetings discussing the mission against Osama bin Laden, in the Situation Room of the White House. The White House/AP File Photo
By
Bob Brewin
The Crisis Management System supports voice and video calls.
The Defense Information Systems Agency yesterday awarded Harris Corp. a 10-year, $450 million follow-on contract to maintain and support the Crisis Management System, a top secret video conference network that links the president with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, cabinet officers and other top officials.
The Crisis Management System, a top secret/sensitive compartmented information system, supports secure, multiparty video calls for day-to-day and crisis operations.
The system also provides the president and top federal officials with an Executive Voice over Secure Internet Protocol phone network. This includes the National Intelligence Watch Officers Network, which links the White House Situation Room, the National Military Command Center, the CIA, the National Security Agency and State Department operations centers.
DISA budget documents said the system functions in both fixed and mobile modes for the exchange of time-sensitive, high-interest information that extends the White House Situation Room presence.
The Crisis Management System is owned and operated by the National Security Staff, but maintained by DISA, which provides maintenance, configuration management, certification and accreditation activities including system security monitoring and testing, and engineering support.
Harris won the original Crisis Management System contract in 2004, a nine-year deal valued at $175 million.