MCAS Beaufort -- The transition from the Navy Marine Corps Intranet to the Next Generation Enterprise Network, now three years underway, is scheduled to be completed Oct. 1, 2014.
The transition from NMCI to NGEN began in fiscal year 2011. The original NMCI contract ended on Sept. 30, 2010. However, with the Continuity of Services Contract it has been extended until fiscal year 2014 to allow for a smooth transition. CoSC provides a bridge between NMCI and the Marine Corps reclaiming the network.
The Department of the Navy’s Next Generation Enterprise Network is the follow-on to the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. NGEN will supply a secure information technology infrastructure for the continental United States and select locations overseas.
“The Marine Corps is taking back the network,” said Capt. Benjamin Shea, the Air Station’s communications officer-in-charge. “We are not 100 percent there yet but we are making great progress.”
According to Terry Halvorsen, the Department of the Navy’s chief information officer, the next step for NGEN, a government owned and operated solution with vendor support for the United States Marine Corps, is to finish the transition process. The Marine Corps’ transition to NGEN is scheduled to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2014.
“At its current stage Marines aboard [Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort] are beginning to handle lower level trouble tickets,” said Shea. “By Oct. 1 of this year we will be handling a majority of all troubleshooting.”
The staff, Marines and civilians alike, is redefining itself to adapt to the learning curve.
“By reclaiming the network, Marines in IT related military occupational specialties will be doing work more related to their MOS,” said Shea. “We are getting Marines back in the IT fight.”
“This also allows us to develop better responses and quicker response time to the issues Marines are having,” said Brant Huff, Air station information technology officer. “Moving forward, the most important goal is to ensure that this transition goes unnoticed by our users and that their services remain uninterrupted.”
For more information on the transition contact the IT help desk at 228-6785.