GCSS-Army facility supports DOD's coronavirus response

CHESTER, Va. – Global Combat Support System – Army (GCSS-Army), part of PEO EIS’s Army Enterprise Systems Integration Program (AESIP) portfolio, has worked hard to support the DOD’s COVID-19 response efforts on a number of fronts.

First, GCSS-Army has provided direct support for the National Guard’s COVID-19 response missions that require set-up and deployment of specialized medical logistics systems. GCSS-Army’s Hardware Software Integration Facility (HSIF) is the ideal site for processing and responding to these requests, providing a full suite of functional and technical capabilities necessary to execute and support massive fielding and sustainment requests for specialized products. To date, around 22 states and two U.S. territories have sought GCSS-Army’s support, and the HSIF has been there to meet the challenge.

Originally known as the System Integration Facility when it opened in Lorton, Virginia in 1974, HSIF relocated to Chester, Virginia in 2003 and underwent a name change to reflect its core functional and operational mission status. Based in a 92,000 square-foot warehouse in Chesterfield County, HSIF response teams receive, integrate, kit, image, store and ship large quantities of products, equipment and supplies worldwide on short notice, supporting all active Army, Reserve and National Guard units.  

From March 25 to April 24, 2020, the GCSS-Army Technical Sustainment Operations Team at HSIF received 30 National Guard operation orders within the COVID-19 response effort. The orders were for accessory support items that HSIF identified as excess inventory that could be  provided as free issue to units. Among the support items were over 1,300 network cable segments and thousands of surge protectors and USB optical mouse units. To date, GCSS-Army also has provided the National Guard with over 300 printers and 175 laptops.

The GCSS-Army technical sustainment operations team has provided similar items and additional equipment for a parallel effort conducted by Headquarters Department of the Army G-4 that provides temporary housing for Soldiers returning from deployment who require quarantine space for 14 days. With its advanced capabilities, the HSIF also provides support to specialized screening and testing facilities throughout the country, allowing the National Guard to perform vital collection and delivery of medical samples.  

These are just some of the missions and requests for special assistance that GCSS-Army continues to receive on a weekly basis. Lt. Col. Bill Reker, GCSS-Army product manager, expressed pride in HSIF's work in support of the DOD’s COVID-19 emergency response. "The GCSS-Army team has responded quickly to this national emergency, and we stand ready to continue our support throughout the COVID-19 crisis," he said.