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MASS wins contract extension to provide training and exercise support to UK MOD

Published 13th December 2017

Subject to Contract, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) has approved the take up of competitively obtained option prices from MASS, a Cohort plc company, for a two year extension to its existing Joint Warfare Support contract. MASS will continue providing training and exercise support to the MOD‘s Joint Forces Command (JFC). The value of the contract is £10m and commences in April 2018.

The contract includes the continued provision of:

  • A comprehensive exercise scenario scripting capability
  • Design, installation and delivery of a detailed exercise planning and management communications information systems capability
  • Manning a state-of-the-art joint simulation system

All of which are supported by an exercise observation and learning capability.

Through the Joint Warfare Support Team (JWST) at JFC, MASS will also continue to provide a highly advanced Contingent Capability Reporting and Standards system and exercise mentoring and reporting capability, as well as a Defence Exercise Planning tool.

The Joint Warfare Exercise and Planning Team stated:

“The MASS-led Joint Warfare Support Team (JWST) provides critical support to Joint Warfare assisting with the delivery of Tier 3 (Combined Joint Task Force) level exercises in order to help prepare Joint Task Force Headquarters for contingency operations. We are delighted that the contract to do so has been secured for a further 2 years until Apr 2020, at which point the follow-on contract Joint Command and Staff Training (JCAST) is due to be in place.

Whilst the main deliverable of JWST is support to Combined Joint Task Force, computer assisted, dynamically scripted, command post exercises for Defence, it also plays an important role in support to the management of the Defence Exercise Programme (DXP), and with Contingent Capability Reporting and Standards (CCRS) and the capture of Defence Lessons.

JWST, significantly, has enabled the delivery of Defence’s highest priority Tier 3 annual exercise, Exercise JOINT VENTURE, a key vehicle to train and assure the Standing Joint Force Headquarters (SJFHQ). The SJFHQ being the UK’s highest readiness 2* HQ and the framework headquarters for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) and the UK headquarters contributing to the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), and due to reach Full Operating Capability (FOC) in March 2018.

JWST are integral members of the Joint Warfare team, and its extension supports the delivery of world class operational training for a further 2 years, providing valuable continuity during the 18-month planning cycle of major exercises.”

Cohort plc has supported the MOD's collective training of deployable military headquarters since 2000. Over the last 17 years, the MASS-led JWST has conducted a variety of exercises across the UK and overseas, providing effective training in the full range of military tasking from small-scale, non-kinetic stabilisation operations to medium-scale war fighting scenarios.

Chris Stanley, MASS Managing Director, said:

"This contract reinforces our position as a market leader for large-scale, joint operational training and exercise support. We are delighted that we will continue to work with the MOD's Joint Forces Command, building on our deep experience in training and other key roles across defence, to offer industry-leading training and solutions to UK and wider defence markets."