Costly Faults & Debris Found in 5 New F-35Cs
US Marine Corps Maj. Justin Kryst, left, an F-35C Lightning II pilot with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, speaks to Erik Raven, Under Secretary of the Navy, about F-35C Lightning II during a tour on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, July 28, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Joshua Brittenham)
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Metal shavings in contaminated fuel, incorrectly assembled parts, and a plastic scraper protruding from a wing fold were among the faults discovered in five new F-35C Joint Strike Fighters delivered last year to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, CA, according to a memo obtained by Defense News. The quality problems and foreign object debris required more than 700 hours of work to fix and wasted more than 169,000 pounds of fuel, the Jan. 7 memo said.
A new rule takes effect June 25, that could convey full veterans benefits to vets with less than honorable discharge, if they can show that mental illness, traumatic brain injury, or other extenuating circumstances led to the misconduct. Stars and Stripes reports advocacy groups say the new rule opening eligibility to tens of thousands of veterans does not go far enough in providing a clear path for accessing the available services and care.
The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 last week to reinstate net neutrality rules abandoned in 2017, reports Route-Fifty. Net neutrality requires internet service providers to treat all content the same — content providers cannot be charged to have their data prioritized nor can content be subject to intentional blocking or slowdowns. The vote puts broadband internet into a telecommunications classification requiring greater scrutiny and regulation than its previous information service classification.
The Biden administration is looking to rewrite requirements for most of the government’s IT workforce by summer 2025 “based on the skills they possess and their ability to learn, not just their degrees,” said National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr., reports NextGov.com. OPM also released this week new skills-based hiring guidance, largely focused on artificial intelligence talent and the Department of Energy announced that it would remove degree requirements from its federal IT contracts. Several private sector companies also made skills-based hiring commitments. The announcements align with a years-long push for skills-based hiring in government dating to the Trump administration.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed on to a letter Monday alongside 47 other state governors, as well as five territories and commonwealths, opposing the Biden administration’s move to incorporate Air National Guard service members into the Space Force, reports Maryland Matters. The letter from the National Governors’ Association, to DefSec Lloyd Austin opposes a DoD proposal to transfer some Air National Guard personnel and equipment currently being used on space missions to the Space Force. Only governors of Florida and Texas did not sign the letter.
Troops constructing a floating pier off the coast of Gaza could possibly be shot at, Austin said Tuesday. Stars and Stripes reports Austin told the House Armed Services Committee that troops from several military vessels could face a hostile situation as they set up the pier and assist with the delivery of aid.
The US military’s cost estimate to build a pier off Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid has risen to $320 million. The figure had not been reported previously, Reuters says, but according to a person familiar with the matter, the cost has roughly doubled from initial estimates earlier this year. The project involves about 1,000 US service members, mostly from the Army and Navy.
A coalition of lawyers domestic and abroad — including at least 20 that work in the Biden administration — are calling on President Joe Biden to halt military aid to Israel, arguing that its actions in Gaza do not comply with US and international humanitarian law, reports Politico. The lawyers contend that Israel likely violated US statutes including the Arms Export Control Act and Leahy Laws as well as the Geneva Conventions prohibiting disproportionate attacks on civilian populations.
The US State Department has determined that five Israeli security units committed gross violations of human rights prior to the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza, reports CNN, but is still deciding whether to restrict military assistance to one of the units under US law. The other four “have effectively remediated these violations,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday, without detailing those remediation actions.
Britain is open to the idea of supplying made-in-China drone components to Ukraine, reports Defense One, although it runs counter to US policy. “We are less concerned by … Chinese componentry” within drones, a UK official told reporters in Washington, DC.
A Portuguese-flagged container ship, the MSC Orion, in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea, came under attack last Friday by a drone. APNews reports the first confirmed deep-sea assault would show the Houthis — or their main benefactor Iran — can strike into the distances of the Indian Ocean. The attack occurred some 375 miles off the coast of Yemen.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington is finally underway to its new homeport in Japan, following six arduous years in a Virginia shipyard that included reports of difficult living conditions and a cluster of suicides among the crew, reports Military.com.
The Philippines took delivery of a Japanese-made mobile air-surveillance radar this week amid ongoing tensions with China over contested territory in the South China Sea, reports Stars and Stripes. The delivery was made during an annual joint exercise involving 16,000 mostly American and Filipino troops. The exercise was briefly disrupted Monday when a Chinese intelligence ship moved into the training area in the South China Sea, forcing the exercise to abort a live-fire drill. The next day, a China coast guard ship with water cannons damaged one of two Philippine coast guard vessels at Scarborough Shoal, a feature inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but controlled by China, according to a report that day by Reuters news agency.
Sierra Nevada Corp., based in Englewood, CO, was awarded a $13 billion contract for the Survivable Airborne Operations Center, also called the “doomsday plane,” reports Stars and Stripes. The SAOC is meant to serve as a strategic command-and-control military aircraft used in war and in emergency situations. Work will be done at Dayton International Airport and Beavercreek, OH, as well as in Colorado and Nevada. The current Boeing E-4 planes were built in the 1970s.
The Air Force is investigating the crash of an F-16 Fighting Falcon on Tuesday, reports Air Force Times. The jet crashed outside of Holloman Air Force Base, NM, and the sole pilot, who was not identified, ejected from the fighter and was taken by ambulance for medical treatment and later released with minor injuries.
US Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has drawn a former US Navy pilot as an opponent in August’s GOP primary. APNews reports that former CAPT Aaron Dimmock, now a business consultant, filed paperwork last week to challenge Gaetz in the heavily Republican district that encompasses the western Florida Panhandle. It is home to Pensacola Naval Air Station and more than 93,000 veterans live in the area.
A judge ordered jurors Friday to keep deliberating after they said they were deadlocked in a lawsuit alleging Virginia-based military contractor CACI is liable for abuses suffered by inmates at the Abu Ghraib prion in Iraq two decades ago. Military Times reports three former detainees sued CACI, contracted to supply civilian interrogators supporting shorthanded US Army soldiers. A pivotal determination is CACI’s contention its employees answered to the military versus contractual and military language indicating civilians answered only to the contractor.
Contracts:
Avian Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $13,397,942 modification (P00039) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0042122C0020). This modification exercises an option to provide contract engineering, program management and administrative support for the design, execution, analysis, evaluation, and reporting of tests and experiments for various aircraft, unmanned air systems, weapons, and weapons systems in support of the Test and Evaluation Program Leadership Division within the Naval Test Wing Atlantic at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division in support of the Navy and Foreign Military Sales customers (FMS). Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in April 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,166,919; fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,507,170; fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $406,387; fiscal 2024 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $149,300; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $143,805; and FMS customer funds in the amount of $698,167, will be obligated at the time of award, of which $143,805 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, was awarded a $493,166,340 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for space systems engineering. This contract provides systems engineering, technical support tasks, and specialized research and development. Work will be performed at El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed by May 1, 2031. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Space System Command Space Superiority Systems Directorate Contracting Division, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. (FA8819-24-D-B002)
The Arora Group Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland (HT001524D9000); Decypher Health Services LLC, San Antonio, Texas (HT001524D9001); Dilligas Corp. doing business as US Got People, San Antonio, Texas (HT001524D9002); Federal Staffing Resources LLC doing business as Epic Government, Annapolis, Maryland (HT001524D9003); KBR Wyle Services LLC, Fulton, Maryland (HT001524D9004); Loyal Source Government Services LLC, Orlando, Florida (HT001524D9005); Luke & Associates Inc., Rockledge, Florida (HT001524D9006); Matrix Providers Inc., Denver, Colorado (HT001524D9007); Optumserve Health Services Inc., La Crosse, Wisconsin (HT001524D9008); Spectrum Healthcare Resources Inc., St. Louis, Missouri (HT001524D9009); and Vesa Health & Technology Inc., San Antonio, Texas (HT001524D9010), will share a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum cumulative ceiling of $43,000,000,000 in support of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Medical Q-Coded Support and Services-Next Generation (MQS2-NG) program’s unrestricted vendor pool. The MQS2-NG program is an enterprise strategic sourcing program that implements a performance-based, strategic sourcing acquisition strategy with respect to entering into contracts for the services of health care professional staff. The required services include credentialed (privileged and non-privileged) and non-credentialed contract workers in various health care labor categories in support of mission requirements within DHA hospitals, clinics, and dental facilities, and health activities in the 50 United States, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S. territories and possessions. The contractor shall recruit, qualify, manage, maintain, and provide qualified medical contract staff for direct patient care, associated support services or health activities, as well as conducting analytical support to geographical markets and/or individual places of performance. The MQS2-NG program will be awarded via two vendor pools: unrestricted vendor pool and small business vendor pool. The program ceiling applies to all awards issued in unrestricted vendor pool and small business vendor pool. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $27,500 were obligated at the time of award. The period of performance is June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2034. The Defense Health Agency, Enterprise Medical Services Contracting Division, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.
Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston Virginia is awarded a firm-fixed-price Department of Navy (DON) Enterprise License Agreement Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) in accordance with the firm’s General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule contract. This agreement was awarded as part of a reseller/ software publisher software category management award for commercial-off-the-shelf information technology asset management software; software maintenance support; information technology professional services; and related services in support of the Department of Defense (DOD) Enterprise Software Initiative and under the direction of the Office of Management and Budget, Enterprise Software Category. The software publisher under this agreement is VMware by Broadcom. The BPA provides for the purchase of VMware by Broadcom products and services by the DON. The overall potential value of this BPA is $172,770,000. The ordering period will be for a maximum of three years from May 2024 through May 2027. This BPA is issued under DOD ESI in accordance with the policy and guidelines in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, Section 208.74. This BPA will not obligate funds at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders using operations and maintenance (DOD) funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the GSA E-Buy web site with 990 vendors solicited, two responses received, and one selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-24-A-0034).
Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., Manassas, Virginia, has been awarded a $24,974,837 modification (P00005) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (HR001124C0325) for Phase 1B of the Speed and Runway Independent Technologies program. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $29,168,148 from $4,193,311. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (96%); and Saint Louis, Missouri (4%), with an expected completion date of June 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and engineering funds in the amount of $650,000 are being obligated at the time of modification award. This contract was a competitive acquisition in accordance with original broad agency announcement HR001123S0031. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Management Services Group Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $19,219,677 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-5608) to exercise options for network, processing, and storage of Technical Insertion 16; modification of production equipment, spares, other direct costs, and engineering services. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by April 2025. Foreign Military Sales (Japan) funds in the amount of $17,093,100 (93%); fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in amount $744,238 (4%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in amount $385,939 (2%); fiscal 2020 ship construction (Navy) funds in the amount $1,593 (1%), will be obligated at time of award, of which $744,238 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
SEACORP LLC, Middletown, Rhode Island, is awarded a $12,676,255 cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-only, firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of the Common Infrastructure Services subsystem software design, engineering development, integration, testing, logistics, delivery, and life cycle sustainment support. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $72,080,764. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (61%); Middletown, Rhode Island (36%); and Waterford, Connecticut (3%), and is expected to be completed by April 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2030. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via System for Award Management (SAM) website, with two offers received. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-24-C-6201).
BAE Systems – Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $87,284,916 firm-fixed-price contract action for maintenance, modernization, and repair of USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) fiscal 2024 docking selected restricted availability. The scope of this acquisition includes all labor, supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the Chief of Naval Operations availability for critical modernization, maintenance, and repair programs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $92,268,063. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $87,284,916 will be obligated at the time of award, of which $87,284,916 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the System for Award website, with three offers received. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N0002424C4414).
BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, is awarded a $18,416,693 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-21-C-5393) to exercise options for MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems Mechanical Design Agent. This modification combines purchases for the Navy (92%); the government of Australia (3%); the government of Japan (2%); the government of Germany (1%); the government of the Netherlands (1%); and the government of Korea (1%), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Minneapolis, Minnesota (42%); Norfolk, Virginia (18%); San Diego, California (18%); Aberdeen, South Dakota (9%); Bath, Maine (6%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (6%); and Redzikowo, Poland (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2025. Fiscal 2023 Defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $1,056,179 (35%); fiscal 2024 Defense-wide research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $971,767 (32%); other customer funds in the amount of $333,358 (11%); fiscal 2023 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $240,000 (8%); fiscal 2024 Defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $124,198 (4%); FMS (Australia) funds in the amount of $85,950 (3%); fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) in the amount of $80,000 (2%); FMS (Japan) funds in the amount of $74,837 (2%); FMS (Germany) funds in the amount $46,995 (1%); FMS (Netherlands) funds in the amount of $26,956 (1%); and FMS (Korea) funds in the amount of $19,862 (1%), will be obligated at time of award, of which $80,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, DC, is the contracting activity.
Accenture Federal Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $16,727,604 option (P00009) for the previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract HT003823C0004. P00009 is a 12-month option period in support of the Program Executive Office – Defense Healthcare Management Systems, Joint Operation Medicine Information Systems, Program Management Office’s Globally-Integrated Medical Common Operating Picture initiative providing enterprise-wide real-time medical situational information and facilitating operational medicine information sharing and collaboration inside and outside the medical community. This 12-month option period began April 18, 2024, and concludes on April 17, 2025. Work location is within the continental US, outside the continental US, or both. The option period is funded with fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance; procurement; and research, development, testing, and evaluation funds. The Defense Health Agency, Defense Healthcare Management Systems Contracting Division, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 11, 2024)
