News From USJFCOM: USJFCOM signs cooperative research and development agreement with Honeywell

USJFCOM signs cooperative research and development agreement with Honeywell

U.S. Joint Forces Command signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Honeywell to develop advanced programs supporting information assurance and network-centric efforts.

By JOC(SW/AW) Chris Hoffpauir
USJFCOM Public Affairs

(SUFFOLK, Va.--June 2, 2006) - U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) here at the Joint Warfighting Center today with Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc.

A CRADA represents a non-Federal Acquisition Regulation legal agreement between USJFCOM and one or more non-government parties, such as private industry and academia. CRADAs offer both parties an opportunity to use each other's resources when conducting mutually beneficial research and development (R&D).

The CRADA between USJFCOM and Honeywell is a three-year cooperative agreement with two one-year options that will focus on issues related to assuring the security of information systems.

The agreement establishes a working environment for conducting tests, demonstrations, experiments and exploratory interchange efforts that will address information assurance certification and accreditation.

"This CRADA with Honeywell is addressing an issue that's very important to USJFCOM and to the warfighter," said Dr. Russ Richards, who heads the USJFCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications. "Information is becoming more and more important to the way we do business. Threats to our information systems are growing as their importance is growing. This CRADA will allow us to address issues related to protecting those systems."

As part of the agreement, USJFCOM and Honeywell will provide each other with scientific staffing and other personnel as needed. In addition, they will offer each other experience, lessons learned, materials and equipment, including the hardware and software needed to conduct the assessments and lab space.

"Honeywell will partner with USJFCOM to improve their certification and accreditation processes, security assessments and engineering methods, and information assurance training and education," said Mark Howes, president of Honeywell Technology Solutions Inc.

"We will collaborate with USJFCOM on the creation of a joint information network and ensure their networks and systems are protected and able to communicate across all environments to support the warfighter."

The agreement with Honeywell is the fourth USJFCOM has entered since the Office of the Secretary of Defense delegated technology transfer authority (TTA) to the command last year.

TTA allows the government to share costs, facilities and exchange personnel by entering into research and development agreements with private companies, academic institutions, and other non-federal agencies. This provides the government use of the intellectual property while protecting the rights of the company to guard its patents.

USJFCOM uses TTA to speed the R&D process. The results from academic, industrial, national and international research laboratories can be developed into integrated capabilities for the joint warfighter quicker.

TTA gives USJFCOM many of the same authorities national laboratories use to structure partnerships with industry and academia to exchange personnel and technical data, make technology assessments and collaborate on R&D efforts.

In return, USJFCOM provides resources such as personnel, facilities, equipment, information, modeling and simulation tools and experimentation and evaluation venues.