The US Marine Corps Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract to design and implement the next-generation chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense warning and reporting system.

The Joint Warning and Reporting Network (JWARN) will be fully dedicated to protecting the armed forces through timely warning of CBRN attacks by analyzing and disseminating critical information.

The JWARN system will provide early warnings through dedicated command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems and networks that will save lives and provide the war fighter with a comprehensive warning capability for a CBRN attack.

The initial award value is $5 million to Northrop Grumman’s Information Technology (IT) sector. The total contract value is more than $15 million over five years including all options.

“JWARN will provide our Joint Forces with a complete integrated analysis response capability in order to minimize the effect of CBRN attacks,” said Barry Rhine, president, Defense Mission Systems, Northrop Grumman IT. “JWARN is a part of a critical effort to integrate key information elements to present the warfighter with the total battle decision picture.”

The JWARN system will support the full range of warning and reporting capabilities, including prevention, mitigation, response and recovery. JWARN also includes a JWARN component interface device (JCID) that interfaces to existing and future sensors used to detect a CBRN attack.

The JCID will be developed to link CBRN detection systems and provide advanced wired or wireless networking to relay warning reports and alarms into the military C4ISR systems.

“We have assembled an unsurpassed team of experts that understand the software environments of these C4ISR systems,” said Martin Amen, director, Space and Communications Systems, Defense Mission Systems, Northrop Grumman IT.

“For example, Northrop Grumman’s Mission Systems sector provides expertise in understanding the current and future communications environment for which JWARN will have to operate. Our team knows the C4ISR systems and their interfaces, augmented with an in-depth background in communications, effects modeling, sensor technology and security which equate to a total integrated CBRN-warning solution.”

Work on this contract will be performed at the Northrop Grumman IT location in Winter Park, Fla.