SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 6, 2006 -- Lockheed Martin was awarded a $2 billion contract to lead the development of an advanced Air Force network that will provide "a new level of high-bandwidth, secure, global communications to transform the speed of command and provide a vital information link to deployed mobile forces," the company said in a statement. The 10-year contract for the TSAT Missions Operations System (TMOS) program, which will link the Transformational Satellite Communications Systems program to the Global Information Grid, is expected to begin operations in 2014. Stan Sloane, Lockheed Martin executive vice president for the integrated systems and solutions, business area, said, "TMOS will build a mission operations center for the next generation of protected satellite communications for the US and will ensure an improved level of communications to the warfighter." TMOS will provide the network and operations management segments for the Transformational Satellite Communications Systems program (TSAT) and will enable the TSAT interfaces to the global information grid, or GIG, headed by the Defense Information Systems Agency. "The TSAT network is essential to providing deployed forces with the dramatically increased networking requirements of modern military operations," Lockheed said. "Unlike other DoD networks, TSAT affords mobile forces a high-bandwidth connection to the GIG from virtually anywhere in the world, while protecting its users from enemy detection, eavesdropping and jamming. Its high-capacity links will dramatically increase the military's capability to support its deployed forces with real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance." Work on the TMOS program will be conducted in San Jose and Los Angeles and will eventually involve more than 300 people, including subcontractors working around the country. The Lockheed Martin-led team includes defense and commercial IT experts such as Northrop Grumman, Telcordia Technologies, SAIC and Verizon. For more information, visit: www.lockheedmartin.com