EIT CONNECT

The EIT CONNECT program, managed by the Air Force, focuses on enhancing tactical communications at the edge to support Agile Combat Employment (ACE) and broader Department of the Air Force (DAF) requirements. The initiative aims to provide resilient, distributed, and secure connectivity through mobile computing and multiple communication pathways, including government and commercial networks. This effort is designed to mitigate adversary threats to critical Enterprise Information Technology infrastructure during both peacetime and wartime operations.

In fiscal year 2024, EIT CONNECT plans to deploy an operational prototype of an SD-WAN network. This deployment will demonstrate distributed edge intelligence and command-and-control capabilities "on-the-move." The program's objectives include supporting Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), and Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) by facilitating network capability that could be scaled across any DAF or potentially Department of Defense (DoD) installation or weapon system.

For fiscal year 2025, the program aims to codify requirements through experimentation and evaluation activities for future network solutions. These efforts will focus on sustaining the SD-WAN architecture for any DAF installation or weapon system. Additionally, the program seeks to define DAF-level standards for accessing a proliferated SD-WAN architecture, aligning with private sector technologies to enable broad adoption.

The acquisition strategy involves awarding a task order for SD-WAN development using a commercial solution opening IDIQ contract. This contract is expected to start in April 2024 and conclude in April 2025, with a follow-on contract anticipated to support testing system scalability in USAFE. Through these efforts, EIT CONNECT aims to deliver critical infrastructure supporting ACE needs and broader Joint All Domain Command and Control objectives.