For Immediate Release
DHS Science & Technology Press Office
Contact: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
Washington D.C. – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today released a Request for Information (RFI) for participation in the 2017 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise at Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, July 17-22, 2017. The RFI, posted on FedBizOpps [Link no longer valid, https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5fc205b8d974de2f27a371d69f1dea15&tab=core&_cview=0], is open to industry, academia, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and other government organizations with innovative anti-jamming technology solutions ready for testing and evaluation. The deadline for submitting applications is January 20, 2017.
The 2017 exercise directly builds upon the findings of the 2016 First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise, which validated the hypothesis that commercially available illegal jammers could potentially impede public safety communications. DHS S&T is seeking to evaluate technology solutions that identify, locate and mitigate the impact of jamming of communications and position, navigation and timing systems used by law enforcement and public safety organizations, such as GPS, land mobile radio systems (VHF, UHF, 700/800 MHz) and commercial wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi or cellular systems.
“We want these technology solutions to make existing public safety communications systems more resilient in the presence of jammers and spectral interference,” said DHS S&T program manager Sridhar Kowdley. “The goal of this exercise is to be able to provide clear recommendations to federal, state and local law enforcement on technologies and tactics, techniques and procedures to identify, locate and mitigate the impact of jammers.”
Responses should be focused on jamming identification, localization and/or mitigation, and solutions must be Technology Readiness Level 6 [Link no longer valid, https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/engineering/technology/txt_accordion1.html] or above. The government does not intend to make a contract award based on this RFI, but will seek to enter a Limited Purpose Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with each manufacturer, vendor or non-public entity selected to participate in the 2017 exercise.
For more information on this RFI, the DHS S&T First Responder Electronic Jamming Exercise, or future DHS S&T solicitations, visit the First Responders web page or contact first.responder@hq.dhs.gov.
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