The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is seeking industry input as it looks to invest in ship-mounted cloud computing infrastructure as part of the Navy’s broader future strategy for network-centric naval warfare.
In an Aug. 25 request for information (RFI), NAVSEA turned to the private sector for help on migrating away from its current systems and data. Specifically, the Navy said it is looking for information on how to – with a private sector vendor – architect, implement, and migrate to a universally managed computing infrastructure (CI) delivered as Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), enabling Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), to support the Surface Navy fielding in 2023 and thereafter.
The Navy said that the edge cloud architecture using IaaS is comprised of networked equipment; network, compute, and storage components; and the underlying software IaaS layer that provisions the CI resources to mission applications and other Navy components that will reside on the CI.
The RFI said the Navy will establish a Hardware (HW) Factory and HW Pipeline modeled after the flexible and adaptable continuous Development and Agile methodology in use by the private sector to facilitate the edge cloud architecture using IaaS. The goal of the HW Factory and Pipeline is to achieve “maximum overlap with commercial standards and a continuous CI refresh cycle to pace technology development and minimize obsolescence,” it says.
The Navy sees a continuous CI refresh cycle as key to meeting its mission. “The Navy envisions a continuous CI refresh cycle rapidly delivering improved Lethality, Combat Capability and Capacity to the Surface Navy Fleet to confront an increasing array of Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Challenges,” the RFI says.
According to the RFI, NAVSEA is looking for industry partners that have experience and performance capabilities in a few key areas – systems engineering; IaaS design and integration; technical data packages; diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages, hardware, and software version release tracking; integrated logistics support, maintenance and operations training; and integrated logistics support, maintenance, and operations training.
Responses are due no later than Sept. 24.
