Army National Guard Enlists Verizon to Provide Networking Solution

ASHBURN, Va., Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Reliable communications are critical to the Army National Guard's mission to deploy and maintain forces across the nation and around the world.  To help the guard meet its wide-ranging domestic and national defense missions, the National Guard Bureau has selected Verizon to upgrade and modernize GuardNet, the guard's primary communications network. 

Under a new $28.8 million agreement awarded under  U.S. General Services Administration's Networx Enterprise contract and through U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, the contracting arm of the department's Defense Information Systems Agency, Verizon is migrating GuardNet to Verizon's secure private Internet Protocol communications network.  The new IP backbone -- based on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) -- will serve as a flexible foundation to link more than 100 National Guard sites in 54 states and territories across the nation and abroad.

The National Guard uses GuardNet for learning applications, community outreach initiatives, administrative purposes and facilitating the guard's interaction with U.S. Department of Defense. The Verizon solution provides a platform for the National Guard to introduce a range of advanced IP-based applications.

"One of the key strengths of the National Guard is its incredible versatility in mobilizing at a moment's notice to respond to state or national emergencies such as hurricanes, wildfires or floods in addition to global deployments to protect all Americans," said Susan Zeleniak, group president for Verizon Federal. "As the business of government changes to become more virtual, the National Guard is a great example of a government user relying on a strong network foundation to allow it to operate more efficiently so it can focus on its mission."

Verizon is the largest provider of communications services to the U.S. government, delivering a broad range of advanced IT and communications services that help to transform the way government does business.  For more information, visit http://www.verizonbusiness.com/us/solutions/government/federal/.

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers.  Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 107 million total connections nationwide.  Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500.  A Dow 30 company with $106.6 billion in 2010 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 195,000.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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SOURCE Verizon