Intercepts

Mayo Takes Command

Just weeks after the Navy announced the creation of a command responsible for all the service's information technology networks, information operations and space requirements, President Bush has named a senior official to head the operation.

Bush last week nominated Navy Vice Adm. Richard Mayo to lead the Naval Network Warfare Command, which was created by Navy Secretary Gordon England last month. Headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Norfolk, Va., the command is scheduled to begin operations by June. The Senate must approve Mayo's nomination.

Mayo has been the director of space and electronic warfare for the chief of naval operations in the Pentagon since August 1999.

Navy officials have stressed that the new command signals a recognition of the importance of networks and space and how critical both are to missions.

Mayo, a native of Falls Church, Va., previously was the Navy's deputy director and fleet liaison for space, information warfare, command and control.

The creation of the Naval Network Warfare Command is seen as an effort to align the staff needed to support the concept of one naval network and to support that network's end-to-end operational management, Navy officials said.

Defensive Battle

The battle over the future of TRW Inc. is taking new twists.

TRW officials have moved to reject Northrop Grumman Corp.'s most recent unsolicited bid. The company, however, did put itself up for sale in the hopes that the recent uptick in its defense businesses will make buyers eager to pay even more.

The TRW board said that it has "authorized management and its advisers to initiate a process to explore all strategic alternatives."

The board's decision comes as company shareholders are scheduled to hold an important vote on Northrop's bid this week. TRW's board called Northrop's new offer inadequate and recommended that shareholders reject it.

As part of the search for a buyer, TRW said it would be willing to share nonpublic information with interested parties, as long as those parties follow appropriate confidentiality provisions.

Northrop's latest $6.68 billion bid is higher than the company's February offer. Despite the TRW board's snub, Northrop officials expressed "cautious optimism" about the possibility of reviewing TRW's books to determine if the company is worth more than its current bid.

TRW officials said that Northrop's new offer shows that the first offer of $5.9 billion was "grossly inadequate."

DOD HR's New World

The Defense Department has issued a request for proposals for its DOD-wide Defense Integrated Military Human Resource System (DIMHRS).

The system should help the Pentagon manage personnel more effectively, especially in these days of increased joint operations. Also, DOD hopes the system will enable personnel and payroll systems to share data across the organization. Bids for DIMHRS are due May 15.

The department's personnel and payroll systems are composed of a hodgepodge of 88 aging, separate systems, but DIMHRS would be a single, massive system that would streamline pay and personnel systems for all uniformed service members. DOD hopes to have the system fully operational by the end of fiscal 2006.

Three vendors, which would be selected in a full and open competition, would be responsible for building prototypes. The working prototype will be based on PeopleSoft Inc.'s Version 8 HRMS application.

Intercept something? Send it to antenna@fcw.com.