# News

## U.S. Air Force LogoUnited States Air Force

# Tyndall AFB PMO seeks virtual operations prototype in upcoming Pitch Day

              - Published  Sept. 11, 2020
              -                             By Breanne Humphreys                                                    
              - Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center Public AffairsPublic Affairs

**TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --  **
**Tyndall Air Force Base** is taking a major step in implementing cutting edge, innovative technology into the **Installation of the Future**. 

 

The Tyndall Project Management Office (PMO) is holding a virtual Pitch Day Sept. 14, to evaluate technical presentations from four vendors vying for the opportunity to develop an innovative operations center prototype. The Installation Resilience Operations Center, or IROC, concept is a game-changing solution for enhancing base security, emergency response and facility operations, said **Brig. Gen. Patrice Melançon**, Tyndall AFB PMO executive director. 

 

"The Installation of the Future is so much more than new buildings and infrastructure,” Melançon said. “Tomorrow’s Air Force needs installations that are equipped to protect and inform warfighters and give us a competitive advantage for continued mission success.”

 

At the heart of the IROC concept is the capability to centrally collect, share, integrate and analyze data the Air Force can use to move the needle on facility operations and improve situational awareness for first responders, said Lowell Usrey, PMO Integration Division chief.  

 

“For example, sensors will be installed throughout the installation that can detect gunshots and immediately communicate to the Base Defense Operations Center and to first responders in the field,” Usrey said. This would happen both immediately and simultaneously, giving base defenders the absolute best situational awareness possible so they can respond to events in real time, he said.

 

In addition to the safety and security benefits, IROC would also tap into other sensors installed as part of the rebuild, collecting data and intelligence that will enable Air Force leaders to make decisions that will improve facility operations. 

 

“From predictive maintenance and energy analytics, to space optimization and records accountability, IROC will centralize and translate a massive amount of data into real-time installation business intelligence,” Usrey said. 

 

While IROC Pitch Day is focused on Tyndall AFB, **Brig. Gen. John Allen**, **Air Force Civil Engineer Center** commander, sees the immense value IROC can provide once the technology matures beyond a prototype. 

 

“An IROC at every base would give us an enterprise view of installation and mission information we need to accelerate the change we need to continue to win in air, space and cyberspace,” Allen said. 

 

To make the IROC a reality, the Tyndall AFB PMO is partnering with Air Force contracting at **Robins AFB**, Georgia, to capitalize on an Other Transaction Authority provided in 10 U.S. Code 2371b. This authority allows the Air Force to develop a prototype that could be leveraged for production and deployment at other installations. 

 

“An OTA is ideal for leveraging commercial technology for Air Force research and prototyping,” said Elizabeth Midkiff, Air Force contracting field support team representative. “Technology is constantly changing and our acquisitions have to move fast enough to keep up.”

 

Midkiff said an OTA was the catalyst for developing a virtual reality training system prototype for aircraft maintenance and operations. That effort has now progressed to an Air Force-wide contract for virtual training that will boost training retention, reduce the number of aircraft grounded for training purposes and maximize resources, she said.

 

After each of the four companies have completed their pitch and the panel of judges have made their selection, Midkiff will be on hand to complete the agreement that same day.

 

“We’re building the Installation of the Future,” Melançon said. “The future is moving fast ... but so are we.”

Visit **here** for more information on the Installation of the Future and Tyndall AFB rebuild progress.

FSUSAFAFAir ForceTyndall AFBTyndall PMOProject Management OfficeInstallation Resilience Operations CenterPitch DayIROCAir Force Civil Engineer CenterAFCECRobins AFB