The U.S. Army has awarded Cole Engineering Services a $957.7 million contract to develop, integrate and maintain the service’s enterprise Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE).
According to the agreement, Cole Engineering Services will work with the Army to create a platform to train service personnel in cyber operations. The contract also includes support for “blue team” cybersecurity personnel who identify vulnerabilities and protect core assets.
The future PCTE will be based in a cloud computing environment and use integrated virtual machines to connect the cyber and test range into a more collaborative training network. The PCTE will handle experimentations, mission rehearsals, cyberspace training, and certifications, and support the development and assessment of future technologies for the Department of Defense.
After the Army released its final proposal request last year, it received five different bids. The new contract award to Cole is among several large procurement contracts the Army has awarded in recent months. Earlier this year, it awarded $192.6 million for training simulation and management software, also to Cole Engineering Services.
The work locations and funding for this cyber training contract have not been determined, but the estimated completion date is November 2029.
