GD completes 500th installation of digital systems in Iraq

General Dynamics announced it has completed the installation of more than 500 Command Post of the Future (CPOF) technology systems in Iraq in support of the Army’s military operations there.

CPOF is part of the Army’s Battle Command System (ABCS), a suite of networked digital systems that lets commanders and their staffs -- more than 200 simultaneous users -- collaboratively develop operations, monitor rehearsals and observe the execution of operations on the battlefield from geographically-dispersed locations.

General Dynamics said the system runs on a commercial workstation that provides a user-friendly, shared environment displaying current operational information about U.S. and enemy units. Information, including images and data, can be seen in two or three dimensions.

Sharing situational awareness and collaborating with headquarters gives warfighters greater protection against roadside threats, the company said.

“CPOF has been credited with saving lives and is becoming one of the most relevant command and control systems used by the Army today,” said Manny Mora, vice president of Battle Management at General Dynamics C4 Systems, in the statement. "This is a great example of cutting edge technology that’s been rapidly placed into the hands of warfighters.”

General Dynamics said CPOF was created through an $18 million contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in June 2004. The program came under the auspices of the Army this past February, and is now operated from Fort Monmouth, N.J.

In May, the Marine Corps awarded General Dynamics an engineering design contract to determine how CPOF could be integrated into its combat operations centers.

The company said it was also used in the Air Force's Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2006 at Langley Air Force Base, Va., and the U.S. Joint Forces Command Urban Resolve 2015 series of experiments this month.