General Dynamics Wins $24.4 Million Contract to Develop and Install Key Management Infrastructure Capability

NEEDHAM, Mass. – General Dynamics Communication Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has won a $24.4 million contract from the National Security Agency (NSA) to implement the first capability increment of the Department of Defense’s Key Management Infrastructure (KMI). This first step will include the development and fielding of a system to provide high-assurance digital certificates to Defense and other government users to support electronic commerce and data exchange.

Known as KMI CI-1, this contract is the first of several that will provide the foundation for achieving the desired Key Management architecture. Work to be completed includes the development and fielding of a Class 4 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certification management system that integrates multiple Certificate Authorities (CA) vendor products. These high-grade digital certificates have strict requirements for the distribution and use of certificates, protection and recovery of keys, and stringent auditing requirements.

"NSA has determined that a new model is needed for the success of the KMI initiative, originally launched in 1999 in the PKI roadmap," said Dick Perreault, vice president of General Dynamics Trusted Network Solutions in Needham. "We agreed, and offered an integrated, secure commercial off-the-shelf approach to respond to NSA’s needs."

In addition to overall program management responsibility, General Dynamics will carry out systems development, training, testing, site surveys, installation and maintenance support. The General Dynamics team includes: Booz-Allen & Hamilton (BAH), SRA International, Cambridge Technology Partners (CTP) and SSP-Litronic, a Division of SSP Solutions, Inc. CTP and SSP-Litronic will provide commercial best-practices based on their Internet-related experience, BAH will provide systems and security engineering, and SRA will support Global Directories Services (GDS) integration.

General Dynamics is an international leader in information technology and communications solutions for both government and commercial clients. Known for its program management capability in key management and PKI, General Dynamics is responsible for successfully developing and delivering cryptographic keys and associated management services used to protect classified products through the Electronic Key Management System (EKMS), evolving since its inception in 1989. Today, General Dynamics successfully supports NSA in EKMS Tier 0, User Application Software (UAS), Global Positioning System (GPS) Key Management Architecture and EKMS Foreign Interoperability.

General Dynamics also is a leader in encryption technologies. It provides a full array of encryption products from Type 1 encryptors for Internet Protocol (IP) and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks used in radio, wireline and wireless telecommunications platforms. Its TACLANE Type 1 encryptor has been certified as the world’s fastest Type 1 encryptor. The TACLANE KG-175 encrypts information transmitted over the Internet and other IP networks at a throughput of 10/100 Megabits per second (Mbps).

General Dynamics Communication Systems provides secure communication and information solutions that integrate custom-developed and commercial off-the-shelf products for the military and commercial markets. It designs, integrates, and supports strategic and tactical battlefield communication systems, worldwide, and provides environmentally hardened and special packaging of computer equipment and peripherals for both commercial and military applications.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 52,000 people and anticipates 2001 sales of approximately $12 billion. The company has leading market positions in business aviation, information systems, shipbuilding and marine systems, and land and amphibious combat systems.

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Any "forward-looking statements" contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

General Dynamics Corporation (ticker: GD, exchange: NYSE)
News Release - Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Press Contact: (508) 880-1636