MANASSAS, VA., -- Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $152 million contract to lead the development, integration and maintenance of Army Knowledge Online (AKO), the U.S. Army’s primary internal web portal.

With more than 1.8 million users worldwide, AKO is the premier web gateway to the Army enterprise. The sophisticated web portal gives soldiers fast, easy access to dozens of logistics and combat support applications, secure e-mail and messaging, and volumes of valuable information about the Army itself. The AKO Enterprise Services (AKO-ES) program, which was awarded to a Lockheed Martin-led team on July 7, calls for a single contractor team to take over the management and administration of AKO, developing and implementing a strategic plan for cutting costs, streamlining operations and improving service to warfighters.

“We are honored to have been selected by the Army to lead the development and maintenance of one of their most important programs,” said Lee Hall, Lockheed Martin’s director of enterprise solutions. “AKO spans the breadth and depth of the Army itself, serving millions of soldiers, civilians, retirees and contractors. Our team understands just how critical this system is to the Army, and we’re excited to begin building a streamlined, integrated infrastructure that will continuously evolve to meet the needs of both the Current and Future Force.”

The first priority for the team will be to quickly stand up the program and establish a solid partnership with the Army, while preparing to assume responsibility for existing help desk operations. From there, the team will design and implement a new AKO architecture, one that will significantly reduce operating costs, bolster performance and reliability, and set the stage for an evolution to net-centric operations.

“This is truly a full-scope effort, one that spans from basic server administration and network maintenance all the way to helping define the future of the Army’s technology road map,” said Scip de Kanter, Lockheed Martin’s AKO-ES program manager. “AKO is poised to become the centerpiece of an evolving IT infrastructure, one that will ultimately link every soldier to a worldwide network powered by the Global Information Grid. For Army soldiers, their entry point into that transformational network will be AKO. Our job is to make sure that every time they log on, they’re able to quickly and precisely get to the information they need.”

The Lockheed Martin team includes leading defense and commercial IT experts, including SAIC, Computer Sciences Corporation, and a host of focused technology providers. Lockheed Martin brings world-class enterprise integration and tactical communications expertise to the AKO program, and is responsible for program management, IT strategy and application integration. SAIC, a primary member of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) team, brings critical expertise in Army systems and operations. SAIC is responsible for integrating AKO’s legacy applications and for its future knowledge management architecture. A leading provider of networking, server and data center solutions, CSC leads infrastructure operations, maintenance and enhancements.

Teammate Roundarch brings specialized expertise in the design and implementation of portal, content management and integration solutions. Internosis, a premier provider of enterprise messaging and directory services, brings both commercial and government best practices to the team. The Ambit Group lends expertise in balanced scorecard processes and performance-based contracting. Finally, MicroLink provides solutions for the design of AKO Forward as it is integrated into the overall AKO architecture.