Satellite mission brings new capability and jobs to Tobyhanna Army Depot

Photo By Thomas Robbins | Tobyhanna's Wideband Integration Center (WIC) is a state-of-the-art facility that...... read more read more

Photo By Thomas Robbins | Tobyhanna's Wideband Integration Center (WIC) is a state-of-the-art facility that supports worldwide satellite communication control operations. Depot personnel say the WIC will result in 45 new jobs for Northeastern Pennsylvania.  see less | View Image Page

UNITED STATES

11.18.2020

Story by Danielle Weinschenk 

Tobyhanna Army Depot

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Department of Defense (DoD) communication satellites.

The new Wideband Integration Center (WIC) is a 25,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility that supports satellite communication control operations for DoD assets as well as those belonging to allies through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Depot personnel say the WIC will result in 45 new jobs for Northeastern Pennsylvania. The acquisition of this new workload is directly aligned with Tobyhanna’s strategic plan, Toby 2028 – specifically, the lines of effort devoted to developing capabilities to support future force requirements.

The WIC mission recently relocated to Tobyhanna from Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Those involved say the move was a huge win for the program and the employees.

“Relocating to Tobyhanna was a cost-savings for our customer and offered the opportunity to grow in the future. We are very happy to be here,” said Tania Perciaccante, chief of the Wideband Control Test Division (WCTD). Jeremy Buratt, Chief of the Wideband Control Integration Division (WCID), emphatically agreed.

“We had outgrown our previous facility, so the move here to Tobyhanna was a huge upgrade in terms of our work space,” adding that the new facility is outfitted with more than $380M of ultramodern hardware. Buratt and Perciaccante both work in the Production Engineering directorate.

The WIC mission encompasses 22 individual products and provides full life-cycle support for satellite communications control operations. The workload is deliberately separated into two divisions: the WCTD and the WCID. Each division offers important support for the mission.

Perciaccante leads the WCTD, which is responsible for proactive testing of projects prior to implementation. Her team conducts more than 300 testing events annually and is already exceeding expectations, according to Isaac Gusman, Director of Wideband Control at Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS).

“On two separate occasions, the WIC Test team was able to validate and release critical capabilities for 22 products within five days. Normally, that process would have taken 9-12 months.”

The WCID, led by Buratt, is responsible for integrating the projects once validated and verified. The team is pursuing a number of innovative projects, including a network migration effort that is expected to improve performance by a whopping 700%. WCID team members support operations at 21 sites worldwide, including Australia, Germany, and Italy.

The WIC and associated workload represents a long-range partnership between Tobyhanna and PdM WESS, planned through 2043. The new workspace is expected to increase project capability by 400% for the mission.

Perciaccante and Buratt say they expect to fill an additional 20 positions by the end of fiscal year 2021 and are seeking applicants with information technology, computer science, and telecommunication skills. Those interested in these and other career opportunities with Team Tobyhanna can apply through USAJobs at www.usajobs.gov. For more information about Tobyhanna Army Depot’s diverse missions, please visit www.tobyhanna.army.mil.

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.

About 4,000 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.