Maintaining morale during a conflict is an integral part of any military's overall strategy. Enabling soldiers to communicate with the outside world while in theater is one effective way to do so, prompting the Defense Information Systems Agency to investigate the possibility of having Internet cafes for the troops.

DISA is currently looking for vendors who would be able to manage such cafes as-a-service, Infrastructure Development Executive Jack Wilmer said during the agency's Forecast to Industryindustry day on Nov. 2.

"This is a new mission for DISA and a pretty exciting mission," Wilmer said. "This is what provides Internet cafes for deployed forces down-range."

Working with satcom, the Morale Welfare and Recreation Internet Café Program (MWR ICP) would leverage the Defense Department's communications infrastructure to offer Wi-Fi hotspots and other connectivity to troops in the field.

"We're looking at a pretty different acquisition strategy than what's currently being done," Wilmer said, noting changes from the current contract were outlined in a request for information issued back in February.

The biggest change is the shift to an end-to-end as-a-service offering.

The agency is looking for more than "just the bandwidth and not just the end computers," Wilmer said. "But looking at providing that to the department as-a-service."

The final request for proposals is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2016, with a single award projected for the first quarter of 2017.

MORE: See our complete DISA Forecast to Industry Show Reporter.

About Aaron Boyd

Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.

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