Booz Allen Hamilton secured a $99 million contract from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) to engineer, deploy, and sustain advanced wireless networks across the Command’s fleet of government-operated ships. This major award focuses specifically on enabling robust, reliable connectivity for civil service mariners operating on approximately 140 vessels stationed globally in the Pacific, Europe, and the U.S. Booz Allen successfully expanded its initial prototyping work into a full-scale program, delivering critical 5G network deployment capabilities to the Navy’s logistical backbone.
Enhancing Global Maritime Connectivity
Booz Allen will utilize a sophisticated, multi-layered solution to bridge existing communications gaps both at sea and while ships are pierside. The integrated solution leverages 5G network deployment systems, advanced Wi-Fi technology, and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite links to ensure resilient, secure communications.
The initiative supports two key objectives for the Navy. First, this upgraded connectivity directly enables warfighting readiness by allowing faster access to cloud-based services and edge applications essential for modern maritime operations. Second, and equally vital, the improved access to communication significantly enhances the quality of life and work for civil service mariners, which actively supports crew retention efforts crucial for maintaining fleet mission readiness.
Scaling Next-Generation Capabilities
The contract represents a significant expansion of a successful 5G rapid prototyping project that Booz Allen executed in partnership with the Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic. During the prototype phase, the firm tested and piloted a wireless design that provided both shipboard and pierside communications.
For this full production rollout, Booz Allen applies its integrated expertise across several key areas, including model-based systems engineering, network engineering, cloud architecture, and cybersecurity. The firm’s comprehensive approach ensures that the 5G network deployment is scalable and secure, allowing MSC to rapidly modernize its ships at the pace of commercial innovation while strengthening the operational efficiency of the global fleet.
