GENM-O delivers innovation to Soldiers

PEO EIS’ Global Enterprise Network Modernization – OCONUS (GENM-O) program office has a significant responsibility regarding the Army’s network modernization transformation.

GENM-O provides network and infrastructure modernization to global stakeholders in the Europe, Pacific and Southwest Asia theaters.

“We are the Army’s total lifecycle acquisition manager chartered with delivering modernized infrastructure, voice, video, data and command center capabilities to AFRICOM, CENTCOM, EUCOM and INDOPACOM,” said Tom Dunaway, GENM-O product manager. “Our work is in alignment with the Army’s Network Modernization Strategy and Army Unified Network Plan.”

The need to establish the Army Unified Network comes from the Army’s desire to transform its capabilities to support data-centric, Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) by 2028. The move is due to the return of near-peer competition and the Army’s need to compete and, if necessary, fight and win in large-scale combat operations against any adversary.

The Army Unified Network is the critical enabler to ensuring the Army reaches MDO capability in the desired time frame.

“Stakeholders in all of our theaters are engaged in real-world missions daily,” said Dunaway. “We must establish the Army Unified Network and enable Multi-Domain Operations by 2028. If we don’t, our OCONUS stakeholders will be at a disadvantage.”

The critical nature of GENM-O’s mission is not lost on Col. Justin Shell, project manager for the Integrated Enterprise Network (IEN) portfolio at PEO EIS.

“GENM-O is the tip of the spear for any formation that deploys from home base to any location OCONUS,” said Shell. “By providing network connectivity, GENM-O enables their use of the modernization programs that GENM-O employs to fight our nation’s wars.”

Wireless technology and cloud infrastructure are two of the modern technologies the Army Unified Network will utilize. These technologies provide Soldiers the capabilities they need to communicate with each other on the future battlefield.

GENM-O is currently working to complete Phase 1 of the Army Unified Network Plan, which is setting the Unified Network. Phase 1 began with the synchronization of the Integrated Tactical Network and the Integrated Enterprise Network. A primary effort of Phase 1 is establishing standards-based security architecture built on zero trust principles.

Another primary effort of Phase 1 is to deliver a Global Secret Internet Protocol Router (SIPR) Network and Software-Defined Network that aligns with the Army G-6 vision.

“We are already delivering modernized, classified and unclassified infrastructure at many posts, camps and stations globally,” said Dunaway. “We are setting the Unified Network quite nicely.”

As the Unified Network implementation progresses, Dunaway thinks Soldiers should be excited as new and better network capabilities come online.

“We are pivoting from delivering the status quo to delivering capabilities that are much more accessible and flexible than what Soldiers are used to,” said Dunaway. “Interoperability is here to stay.”