Atalanta milestone

Defence and technology company MASS (Stand S6-220) is celebrating its decade-long involvement in the operational effectiveness of the EU multinational counter-piracy mission Operation 'Atalanta', established in response to the escalating piracy problem in the Indian Ocean.

The task grew to support 150 clients in the UK-based operational headquarters, plus up to three forward headquarters (covering 35 clients each) and nine shipborne solutions (up to five clients and 15 liaison officers), together with individuals deployed throughout Europe and the Middle East.

MASS provided a secure and fully accredited EU Confidential solution utilising the latest technology to facilitate work from insecure locations. This commercial off-the-shelf solution used the internet as the bearer to reduce cost while increasing flexibility. Alongside the secure operational system, MASS also developed a network-enabled business IT system to allow reports from and guidance to the international shipping industry.

Providing ongoing support and keeping pace with ever-developing technical and regulatory requirements, the MASS command and control solution, known as the Atalanta Classified Mission Network (ACMN), has underpinned the mission's enduring success.

''The ACMN delivered a reliable continuous service [and was] progressively developed over the mission's 10-year duration to meet new performance requirements as well as increasingly demanding accreditation and security standards,'' said Stuart Gray, MASS business development manager (defence).