Input, a federal information technology consulting agency, expects a draft or even formal request for proposals for the U.S. Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial system in October or November, said Brian Haney, director of member services.

Haney, at an Input conference April 20 featuring the Navy's chief information officer (CIO), said the total program could be worth $2 billion. The Naval Air Systems Command should conduct a full and open competition for the BAMS UAS, he said.

The fiscal 2007 Navy budget request provides $26.4 million for the development of the Navy's previously delayed BAMS UAS acquisition effort, whose initial operating capability still is expected in FY '13 (DAILY, March 11).

The Navy last summer said it wanted a Milestone B decision for BAMS in the fourth quarter of FY '07, with system development and demonstration (SDD) starting in FY '08 (DAILY, June 25, 2005). Previously, BAMS was to enter SDD around the second quarter of FY '05.

Meanwhile, the Navy's worldwide force protection integrated logistics sustainment program should issue its RFP within a week or so, Haney said. The $500 million initiative will provide full support for procurement, integration, installation sustainment and training for Navy shore equipment.

Overall, Navy IT spending will dip to $4.5 billion for FY '07, Haney forecast, down from $4.6 billion for the current fiscal year. But spending is projected to then rise to $5.9 billion by FY '11, which makes for a 4.3 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Communications spending is supposed to rise the most over that time, 5.8 percent CAGR, followed by outsourcing (including for most Navy computers) and professional services, both at 4.9 percent. Software and security IT spending should both rise 4.8 percent by FY '11.

'Information assurance'

Navy CIO David Wennergren told the Input event that the service is shifting from reactive, cybersecurity spending to making strategic decisions about "information assurance."

He said IT security has now become a driving force behind the Defense Department-wide effort to consolidate legacy IT systems. The old mantra to get rid of old systems was because they are redundant and costly. Now it's because they aren't secure, Wennergren said.

"It's a really important theme for us," he said.

He also told the audience of mostly IT business representatives that the Navy is not pushing for one, massive network to tie together its systems and personnel. As long as a forward-deployed sailor can "reach back" to an Army center to learn about fixing something, for instance, it doesn't matter that the communication passed through the ISNS afloat network and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.