Northrop Grumman Corporation announced October 29 at the U.S. Coast Guard Innovation Expo in New Orleans its intent to lead a team that will compete to design, integrate, install and test the Coast Guard's Nationwide Automatic Identification System (NAIS).
NAIS will be a two-way maritime digital communication system, which will continually transmit and receive voiceless exchange of vessel data, including vessel identity, position, speed, course, destination and other data of critical interest for navigation safety, marine mobility and maritime security. The program will focus on improving maritime security, marine and navigational safety, search and rescue, and environmental protection services. In addition, data collected by NAIS will be combined with other government intelligence and surveillance data to form a holistic view of maritime situational awareness, in part by identifying vessels still hundreds of miles offshore.
"Northrop Grumman has assembled a highly skilled and experienced team to address the entire spectrum of potential NAIS requirements, with each team member bringing to the table critical or unique capabilities to meet the Coast Guard's needs," said Mike Twyman, vice president of Northrop Grumman Mission Systems sector's Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence Systems operating unit. "Our team has been preparing for NAIS for nearly three years, and we look forward to providing the Coast Guard with the capabilities needed to reach its vision."
The Northrop Grumman team includes Allied Technology Group, Inc., Rockville, Md.; CACI International, Inc., Arlington, Va.; Washington Group International, Inc., Boise, Idaho; ICAN, Inc., Dallas; True Heading AB, Stockholm, Sweden; Broadpoint, Inc., New Orleans; and GTSI Corp., Chantilly, Va.
