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DefenseWeb and Salute Our Services Complete Development of Army's Virtual Family Readiness Group; Online Resource for Supporting Deployed Soldiers and Families to Launch Army-Wide In October

Posted on: Tuesday, 13 September 2005, 09:00 CDT

DefenseWeb Technologies, a premier custom software developer and systems integrator serving Department of Defense (DoD) organizations, announced today that it has completed technical development of the Virtual Family Readiness Group (vFRG) Platinum Edition and is on schedule for an October 1 release Army-wide.

The vFRG Platinum Edition (http://www.armyfrg.org) is an interactive Web-based system that provides news, announcements, Army resources and tools that allow troops to communicate with their families across the globe. The vFRG system interoperates with other Department of Defense (DoD) systems, such as the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) and Army Knowledge Online (AKO), for user access authentication. Family members can even share and post photos for public and private sharing with Soldiers and other family members. To date, more than 300 units have signed up on the Wait List to have their vFRG sites established.

The system was developed with significant support and guidance from Congressman John Murtha of Pennsylvania, who knows from first-hand experience how important communication is during deployments. Murtha served in the United States Marine Corps and became the first combat Vietnam veteran elected to Congress. It was also developed in conjunction with Salute Our Services (SOS), a non-profit organization that supports Soldiers and their families during times of deployment, and augments existing family support programs provided by the military. The vFRG Platinum Edition has recently been featured in a number of military publications including Stars & Stripes, Military.com and DefenseLink, an online news resource for the military community: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Aug2005/20050805_2349.html.

"DefenseWeb is very proud to complete development of the vFRG Platinum Edition on time and under budget," said DefenseWeb CEO Douglas W. Burke. "This will be a very important resource for the Army, especially in the current state of world affairs. We are thankful for the support of Congressman Murtha, who devoted a lot of time and effort to make this project successful. The knowledge and experience that Salute Our Services brought to the project was also vital to its success."

Tricia Johnson, Salute Our Services CEO and the spouse of a deployed Army Reservist, says the vFRG system has already demonstrated its capabilities to a Beta community with interim releases throughout the development lifecycle, and has proven its value to Soldiers and families. "When the Army recruits a Soldier, it is also recruiting the Soldier's family. By helping to improve communication between deployed Soldiers and their families back home, the Army improves quality of life as well as troop readiness and retention."

About DefenseWeb(R) Technologies, Inc.

DefenseWeb Technologies, Inc. (www.defenseweb.com) provides customized enterprise software development services for Department of Defense (DoD) organizations. Founded in 1998, DefenseWeb delivers Enterprise Information Portals, Case Management Systems, Clinical Information Systems, Business Process Automation Systems, Training Systems and Decision Support Systems for DoD health care, quality of life and family support organizations.

DefenseWeb has developed and continues to support applications for every branch of the Armed Services including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps both in the Active and Reserve Components.

The company's core competencies enable it to provide and maintain complex, mission-critical solutions on time, within budget and beyond expectations. Profitable since inception, DefenseWeb is a privately held company located in San Diego, Calif.

About Salute Our Services(TM) (SOS)

Salute Our Services, Inc. (www.saluteourservices.org) was conceived by the spouse of a US Army Reservist to provide and develop programs that support Soldiers and their families during deployments. Founded in 2001, SOS specializes in program development, marketing and public relations. Salute Our Services, located in Reston, Virginia, with a satellite office in San Diego, is both a small, woman-owned business and a non-profit 501(c)(3).

(C) 2005 DefenseWeb Technologies. All rights reserved. DefenseWeb(R) and Xtendable(R) Server are trademarks of DefenseWeb Technologies Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

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