NASA Wants to Fight Fire With … Drones
Illustration of an unmanned aircraft system in front of a smoke-filled sky. A goal of the Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations project, or STEReO, is to make emergency response efforts more targeted and adaptable, for instance by integrating drones into wildfire fighting. (NASA/Daniel Rutter)
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River 
economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Two House lawmakers have introduced a bill that would help NASA improve its Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response to Operations program so firefighters can more effectively use drones, reports NextGov/FCW. The bipartisan legislation — introduced last week by Reps. Mike Garcia (R-CA) and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) — would bolster NASA’s ACERO program “to improve aerial responses to wildfires” by using drones and other advanced aviation technologies. “This is a game-changer for both our firefighters and communities vulnerable to wildfires,” Garcia said in a news release. “I’ve had countless conversations with firefighters in my district who have the same message: We need drones.”
The US Army is moving its Future Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System competition into a flight demonstration phase, reports Defense News. The service has awarded contracts to Griffon Aerospace and Textron Systems to produce the drones. The companies will focus on flight demonstration and subsequent phase, where the teams will deliver “production representative prototypes” for testing and operational demonstrations.
Anduril and General Atomics are working to create drone wingmen for the US Air Force, reports Defense News. The companies are designing, building, and testing the drones, also known as collaborative combat aircraft. The drones, using autonomous software, will fly alongside piloted fighters. The service has made the CCA program one of its key efforts to modernize its fleet with advanced capabilities. It wants CCAs to be less expensive than piloted aircraft, but still able to carry out airstrikes.
Electra.aero Inc. was awarded a NAVAIR contract to explore the use of Electra’s electric short takeoff and landing, or eSTOL, aircraft as a next-generation aviation solution for logistics in a contested environment, reports Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. The company will work to define specific contested logistics use cases to evaluate how its hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft can address Navy capability gaps. Contested logistics refers to the movement of military personnel or supplies to and from areas which are challenging to reach or support. Earlier this month, the Army awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract to Electra to explore the eSTOL’s capabilities — such as its small runway requirement — for logistics operations, reports Flying magazine.
The US defense industry has been wary of standing up munitions production capacity over fears that it will invest and then see government demand drop, reports Breaking Defense. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan attempted to alleviate those fears. He expressed confidence that even if peace broke out tomorrow, Western nations have built themselves such a deep hole in terms of stockpiles that production will stay strong in coming years. “Look, there is such a gap between where the collective West is and where it needs to be in terms of munition stockpiles, that this is not going to be a problem for a long time,” he told reporters.
The recent US $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan will bolster Lockheed and RTX profits, reports Reuters via Yahoo!Finance. The companies stand to profit mostly from new weapons funding as the increasingly drawn-out conflicts renew demand for pricey equipment. The bill, signed into law last week, provides billions of dollars of new aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia, including $61 billion for Ukraine and $26 billion for Israel.
The United States is on track to start delivering critical humanitarian aid into Gaza by early May, reports The Hill. Construction and assembly of the pier in the Mediterranean Sea began Thursday off the coast of Gaza. After the pier came under fire Wednesday, a Pentagon spokesman that the attack at the port “in no way delays” the ongoing mission, reports Military Times.
NavSec Carlos Del Toro has announced that those serving in the Red Sea area are eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon, as well as personal military decorations that include the “V” and “C” devices, for valor and combat, respectively, including the Bronze Star Medal without devices, reports Navy Times. Navy warships and sailors have battled Iran-backed Houthi rebels off Yemen since the fall.
Russia vetoed a United Nations resolution that would have prevented the placement of nuclear weapons in space, reports The Hill. The resolution also would have prevented its member nations from taking steps to develop weapons of mass destruction that could be deployed above Earth. Russia was the lone no vote. China abstained from voting.
The Biden administration said it has reached a preliminary agreement with Idaho-based semiconductor manufacturer Micron, reports The Hill. The agreement with Micron includes up to $6.1 billion in federal funding to support the construction of two manufacturing hubs, one in Clay, NY, and one in Boise, ID, where Micron is based.
The US Department of Labor announced a new rule that means millions of salaried workers will soon qualify for overtime pay, reports Maryland Matters. The rule raises the salary threshold for workers who are employed in the executive, administrative, or professional industries will become eligible for overtime pay.
The Coast Guard Reserve alerted thousands of its personnel to a data breach earlier this month, reports Military Times. The service said someone improperly sent personal identifiable information to unapproved recipients. The data exposure was discovered Jan. 24. Private material was distributed to “individuals with no authority to view the information,” a retired Coast Guardsman, who received the notification and spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Military Times.
The General Services Administration is preparing to test a facial recognition option for Login.gov, a one-stop shop for Americans to access government benefits and services online, reports Federal News Network. GSA expects to start a pilot in May to allow individuals to verify their identity online using facial recognition technology that meets standards set by National Institute of Standards and Technology guidelines.
CMDR Cameron Dennis, former commanding officer of the USS Howard, was fired after making “racially harassing comments,” reports Navy Times. When the CO of the Japan-based destroyer was relieved from command in February, the Navy only said that it fired Dennis due to a “loss of confidence in his ability to perform his duties.” Since then, the service has been able to substantiate the allegations that the skipper made several “racially harassing comments” portraying “derogatory stereotypes of African Americans.”
US Navy Chief Fire Controlman Bryce Steven Pedicini was found guilty of attempted espionage, failure to obey a lawful order, and attempted violation of a lawful general order charge specifications, following a weeklong, general court-martial, reports Navy Times. Pedicini had been assigned to the Japan-based destroyer Higgins.
In an attempt to eliminate the use of plastic and paper bags, some military commissaries are adopting a reusable bag policy, reports Military Times. Guam’s commissaries got rid of plastic and paper bags as of March 15, and Hawaii’s commissaries will follow starting April 30. California and Washington will eliminate the bags June 30.
Retired military leaders and others are urging DefSec Lloyd Austin to act on the obesity “epidemic” among servicemembers, reports Military Times. A letter to Austin from more than 50 individuals and organizations, including 21 retired senior military leaders, said the military must act to address the issue. “Despite incredible leaps in medical and nutrition science, obesity and its comorbid conditions in the U.S. Armed Forces remain heavily stigmatized and underprioritized,” reads the letter.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced last week that veterans with other-than-honorable discharges might be able to access federal benefits under new rules, reports Military Times. Vets who were previously denied benefits can reapply to see if they now qualify. Veterans with dishonorable discharges, or those convicted of desertion or mutiny, still do not qualify for any benefits.
Mounting difficulties threaten to derail the high-profile Maglev train project that would run between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, reports Bay Journal. The project calls for constructing a $13 billion magnet-propelled train line 0n a U-shaped guideway that would run mostly through tunnels. About 70% of the 40-mile route would be underground, but it would emerge above ground as much as 150 feet overhead on concrete piers. The travel time between the two cities would be about 15 minutes.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could be one of the most active on record, according to Colorado State University researchers, reports Weather.com. A research team from the University of Pennsylvania is predicting the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season will produce the most named storms on record, fueled by exceptionally warm ocean waters and an expected shift from El Niño to La Niña, reports The Washington Post. The Penn forecast calls for a range of 27 to 39 named storms, with a best guess of 33. The most on record was 30 named storms in 2020.
Contracts:
Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, is awarded a $7,648,058 cost-plus-fixed fee, level-of-effort contract for field service representatives and engineering and logistics support for the Next Generation Jammer–Mid Band. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $25,382,554. Work will be performed in Oak Harbor, Washington (66%); El Segundo, California (18%); Patuxent River, Maryland (9%); China Lake, California (6%); and Amberley Queensland, Australia (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2025. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2027. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,661,702 will be obligated at time of award. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N0016421GWS31 N0016424FW026).
Dataminr Inc., New York, New York, has been awarded a $59,354,911 modification (P00009) to previously awarded FA7014-21-C-0024 to exercise Option Year Three for web-based, mobile, e-mail, and application programming interface alerting on breaking news to the Department of Defense for force protection and first response. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $217,225,289. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed by June 25, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $51,337,559 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
URS Federal Services International Inc., Cleveland, Ohio (FA8051-20-D-0001); DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas (FA8051-20-D-0002); ECC International LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0003); Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Greenville, South Carolina (FA8051-20-D-0004); Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas (FA8051-20-D-0005); PAE-Perini LLC, Arlington, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0006); Readiness Management Support L.C., Panama City, Florida (FA8051-20-D-0007); and Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado (FA8051-20-D-0008), were originally awarded a combined multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a program ceiling value of $6,400,000,000 for worldwide contingency and humanitarian support on April 3, 2020. This modification to the combined multiple award contract increases the program ceiling value to $15,000,000,000 for worldwide contingency and humanitarian support. This contract provides contingency planning, deploying, and training and equipping of forces; emergency and contingency construction; logistics and commodities; and services. The Air Force Contract Augmentation Program is a contract with extensive worldwide support capabilities, providing a full range of base operating and life support and logistical support on an as required basis to support all programs. The requirements focus on emergency and contingency construction, logistics and commodities, and services to support the Air Force, any Department of Defense component, or any federal government entity operating to: 1) deter, deny, and defeat state adversaries; 2) disrupt, degrade, and defeat violent extremist organizations; 3) strengthen our global network of allies; and 4) strengthen America’s foreign policy impact on our strategic challenges. The location of performance is determined at the task order level and includes various locations worldwide and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2031. The original contract was a competitive acquisition, and eight offers were received. At the time of this modification, URS Federal Services International Inc., Cleveland, Ohio (FA8051-20-D-0001); DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas (FA8051-20-D-0002); and PAE-Perini LLC, Arlington, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0006), have merged via novation agreement and are currently operating under Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0002). The six Air Force Contract Augmentation Program V contractors are noted as the following: Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0002); ECC International LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia (FA8051-20-D-0003); Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Greenville, South Carolina (FA8051-20-D-0004); Kellogg Brown & Root Services Inc., Houston, Texas (FA8051-20-D-0005); Readiness Management Support L.C., Panama City, Florida (FA8051-20-D-0007); and Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado (FA8051-20-D-0008). Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,000 per contract were obligated at the time of award. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 3, 2020)
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $16,604,243 time-and-materials contract to integrate data on predictive analytics in the personnel and human resources, talent management, medical, readiness, resilience, and security domains. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-24-F-2229).
