Northrop Grumman to Continue Providing Translators to U.S. Army, Europe


RESTON, Va., March 26, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The U.S. Army, Europe, has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) a contract to continue providing linguist support services in Europe. The 42-month contract has a total potential value of $97 million. The contract's six-month base period is valued at $9.5 million with three additional one-year options.

Under this contract, referred to as Balkans linguist support, Northrop Grumman will recruit, screen and train translators fluent in Serbo-Croatian, Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian and Slovenian to serve as interpreters for commanding officials, military intelligence units, political advisors, military patrols and police units.

The initial Balkans linguist support contract was awarded in December 1995 with a follow-on contract awarded in September 1999. To date, Northrop Grumman has been awarded more than $225 million for these services.

"This important win not only maintains Northrop Grumman's position as a major provider of linguist support to the military but also provides for growth as U.S. forces reposition to bases in Eastern Europe," said Jim Johnson, Northrop Grumman's program manager for the Balkans linguist support contract.

"Candidates include U.S. citizens and local nationals and can range from grown children of first-generation immigrants to retired missionaries who want to return to a place they once knew and still love," added Johnson.

Recruits must pass a rigorous screening process that includes language testing, security clearance determination and a medical examination before receiving orientation from Northrop Grumman personnel. Trained interpreters are then transported by the military to the Balkans where they wear military-issued Battle Dress uniforms, eat in the dining area and are given access to the same facilities as soldiers.

Of the approximately 700 linguists Northrop Grumman currently employs in Bosnia and Kosovo, about one-quarter are U.S. citizens; the others are local nationals.

For other military support efforts, Northrop Grumman also recruits civilians fluent in Arabic, Farsi, Pashto, Urdu and many other dialects to serve as translators in a number of different locations around the world.

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, based in Reston, Va., is a global integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems and services for defense, intelligence and government markets. The sector's technology leadership and expertise spans areas such as strategic systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; command and control; technical services; and training.

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