CHANTILLY, Va. — Amentum Mitie Pacific LLC has been awarded an $85.2 million fixed-price-award-fee contract to provide base operating support at Diego Garcia, a critical “single-point-of-failure” node for U.S. space operations in the Southern Hemisphere.
The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) agreement, announced by the Department of Defense on Tuesday, carries a maximum potential value of $656,356,854 through January 2034.
Critical Space Infrastructure
While the contract covers broad base operating support, the facility itself acts as a linchpin for U.S. Space Force architecture, filling a massive geographic blind spot between tracking stations in Guam and Africa.
The base supports three primary mission sets that rely on the infrastructure Amentum will maintain:
* Satellite Control Network (SCN): Diego Garcia (Call Sign: REEF) is the only Remote Tracking Station located in the Southern Hemisphere. It provides essential Telemetry, Tracking, and Commanding (TT&C) contact windows for satellites in high-inclination orbits and supports launch vehicle telemetry for missions originating from Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg.
* Space Domain Awareness: The site hosts Detachment 2 of the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron. This unit operates a Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) site, utilizing three 1.2-meter telescopes to track high-altitude assets and debris in Geostationary orbits where light pollution is minimal.
* GPS Control Segment: The facility houses a Monitor Station and Ground Antenna essential for the Global Positioning System (GPS), allowing the Master Control Station to upload navigation message corrections to the constellation.
Contract Specs & Funding
The contract structure includes mobilization, a base period, seven one-year options, and a six-month extension. The initial $85.2 million obligation utilizes fiscal 2026 funds from multiple sources:
* Navy and Air Force Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funds.
* Defense Working Capital funds.
* Non-appropriated contract funds.
An additional $3 million is being obligated immediately at the time of the award. The contract was competitively procured via SAM.gov, with NAVFAC Pacific receiving three offers.
Long-Term Operational Security
This long-term infrastructure investment follows the strategic agreement finalized between the UK and Mauritius, which transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago while securing U.S. and UK base rights for an initial 99-year period. This diplomatic framework underpins the decision to extend support contracts well into the next decade.
Work is expected to be completed by January 2034.