The U.S. Joint Forces Command has selected Northrop Grumman to continue providing technology support to the Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC) in Suffolk, Va. The initial two-year, $218 million contract awarded Sept. 1 has a potential value of $686 million over six years, if all options are exercised.

The JWFC prepares U.S. armed forces and coalition partners to fight as an integrated joint force in current operations and future contingencies.

Under the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, Northrop Grumman and its team will provide a full spectrum of support, including developing doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures; planning and executing joint exercises and events; reviewing and assessing training exercises and providing lessons learned; and providing simulation and communication support to the JWFC commander.

In separate news, Northrop Grumman announced that the nearly two months of rigorous tests it conducted confirmed the Milstar terminals operated by the U.S. Army and Air Force can send and receive data through the next-generation Advanced Extremely High Frequency Satellite (EHF) military satellite communications system.

Northrop is providing the Advanced EHF payloads to Lockheed Martin, which as prime contractor will provide three Advanced EHF satellites and the mission control system.

The communication system will provide global, highly secure, protected and survivable communications for war fighters serving under the U.S. Department of Defense.

Testing involved the Army’s Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal (SMART-T) and Single Channel Anti-jam Man-Portable (SCAMP) terminals operating at Milstar low- and medium-data rates, along with the Air Force’s Command Post and Lincoln Laboratory’s Advanced EHF Universal System Test Terminals (AUST-T). Tests are planned for U.S. Navy terminals shortly.