2011 PFAS Risk Alert Triggered No Action

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.

DoD dragged its feet on toxic chemical exposure prevention and cleanup for hazardous firefighting substances known collectively as PFAS, reports Military Times. A “risk alert” was issued in 2011 without action instructions. According to an inspector general report released last week, “Officials did not require proactive risk management actions for PFAS … until 2016.” The IG report comes two years after dozens of lawmakers requested a review. The IG announced the evaluation in early 2020.

Two Japanese firms have each signed $225 million contracts to maintain the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft for the  Navy and Marine Corps, reports Stars and Stripes. Under the contracts, NIPPI Corp. and Subaru Corp. will compete for individual, depot-level maintenance orders to “provide the best value to the US Government,” according to a news release Tuesday from Fleet Logistics Center Yokosuka. Depot maintenance involves major repairs, overhauls or complete rebuilding of aircraft systems.

USNI reports on a report out of a Washington, DC, think tank advising a “neighborhood watch approach” coordinating American and allies’ unmanned systems and sensors to ward off Chinese ambitions across the Indo-Pacific.

DefSec Lloyd Austin called on “allies and partners” to take up a new regional order in Indo-Pacific, reports Defense News. “Integrated deterrence is about using existing capabilities and building new ones, and deploying them all in new and networked ways,” he said.

Austin expressed deep concern about suicide among troops during a visit to US forces stationed in Alaska where there has been an alarming spike in those deaths, reports USA Today. At least six soldiers have died by probable suicide in Alaska since Dec. 30, and suicide is suspected in several others. In 2018, 326 active-duty troops died by suicide, with the toll increasing to 350 in 2019 and 385 in 2020, according to the most recent Pentagon figures.

The House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee would allow the Navy to retire cruisers early and fund a second destroyer, reports Defense News, days after its Senate counterpart took the opposite approach, setting up a debate that puts at stake billions of dollars in spending.

The Senate Armed Services Committee advances the nomination of Carlos Del Toro as secretary of the Navy, reports USNI. The panel approved the former surface warfare officer via a voice vote. During his hearing, the former destroyer commander confirmed his commitment to the Pentagon’s focus on the Indo-Pacific region and the Navy’s investment in unmanned systems.

National Guard funding shortfalls could be fixed by week’s end under a new congressional plan reports Military Times. Guard officials have said that they will cancel summer training if they don’t get the money by Aug. 1. The emergency legislation also includes hundreds of millions in Afghan refugee assistance funds and hundreds of millions more in money Capitol Police say is needed to help secure the congressional complex.

The White House seeks $1 billion to help resettle Afghan allies, reports The Hill. The requested funding comes amid heightened urgency from both sides to relocate Afghan personnel whose lives are at risk for their work as translators or other duties supporting the US military during the 20-year war.

 

 

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 26, 2021

Lockheed Martin lost $225 million on a classified military project due “performance issues,” the company told investors on Monday, reports Defense One. While the company did not disclose details of the project, executives said the secret effort is in the development stage and being worked on by its aeronautics division. Last month, Lockheed lowered F-35 production expectations, saying a “smoothing” would occur in the coming years. The jet represents about one quarter of Lockheed’s annual revenue.

Americans are evenly divided on whether the war in Afghanistan was a mistake, as US troop withdrawal nears completion. Gallup reported on Monday that 47% of Americans believe US military involvement in Afghanistan was a mistake, while 46% support the mission, reports the Hill

Marine 2nd LT Felippe Maher, who was accused of having ties to white supremacists, has been kicked out of the corps and received an other than honorable discharge, a Marine Corps spokesman said on Monday, reports Task & Purpose.

Vella Gulf concludes deployment and returns to Norfolk, reports Navy Times. The guided-missile cruiser was deployed to the 5th and 6th Fleets areas of operation, as part of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. During the deployment, the ship completed several transits through the Strait of Hormuz and joined in Exercise Eager Defender in the Northern Arabian Gulf.

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) won an $85 million single-award, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to continue a full range of cyber support to the Navy’s Joint Expeditionary Command and Control family of systems, reports Business Wire.

“Ghost Fleet” hulls are moving toward completely unmanned operations, reports USNI. USVs are currently piloted in and out of port by a small crew aboard, the transition to autonomous is made in open ocean. The crew supervises the systems but the goal is to develop sufficient trust in the system’s performance to remove the crew.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $8,511,060 modification (P00022) to a previously awarded, fixed-price-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract (N0001918C1028). This modification converts the main operating base (MOB)-8 (MB-8) secondary system to a MOB primary system; incorporates engineering change proposal (ECP) NG-4288 ultra-high frequency radio removal into MB-8; and incorporates the diminishing manufacturing sources change requests/ECPs into MB-8, and forward operating base (FOB) (FB)-5, and the tooling main operating base. In addition, this modification procures and installs one MOB validation and verification kit, and one FOB validation/verification kit. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia (42.28%); Kearney Mesa, California (31.21%); Patuxent River, Maryland (8.19%); Jacksonville, Florida (6.08%); Palmdale, California (4.98%); San Diego, California (4.80%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1.22%); Mayport, Florida (1.17%); and Dulles, Virginia (0.07%), and is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,511,060 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $151,434,777 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Geospatial Information Operations and Technology Integration II. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Poland, Afghanistan, Iraq, Niger, the Philippines, Djibouti, and Manassas, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 5, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $26,400,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers’ Army Geospatial Center, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W5J9CQ-21-F-0015).

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $94,799,829 delivery order N62793-21-F-7800 (cost-plus-fixed-fee [level-of-effort], cost-plus-incentive-fee [completion], and firm-fixed-price). The delivery order is placed against contract N00024-19-D-4306 for planned incremental availability execution on CVN-78. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,779,156; and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,982,194 will be obligated at time of award, of which funds in the amount of $29,779,156 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Wartsila Defense Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a not-to-exceed $76,276,583 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (N66498-21-D-4041) for the repair of Independence Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 2) variant waterjet and shaft assemblies. Work will be completed at the contractor’s facility in Chesapeake, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 2027. The contract will have a 60-month ordering period. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, (Navy) funding in the total amount of $757,768 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

Schuyler Line Navigation Co. (SLNC), Annapolis, Maryland, is awarded a $10,457,250 option (P00007) for contract N3220519C3504. The option is a firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements to support Military Sealift Command’s Sealift Program for employment in worldwide trade for the transportation and/or prepositioning of cargo by the shallow draft tanker MT SLNC Pax. This option is the second of the current contract. The current contract includes a one-year firm period of performance; two one-year options periods; and one 11-month option period. The cumulative value of this contract, if all options are exercised, is $51,436,350. Work will be performed in the Western Pacific Ocean, and is expected to be completed, if all options are exercised, by June 30, 2024. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $10,457,250 for Option Two are currently available for performance under this contract action. This contract was a small business set-aside with more than 50 companies solicited via the beta.sam.gov website and three offers were received. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Sykesville, Maryland, is awarded a $10,385,429 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N6833521F0519) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N6833520G3037). This order provides engineering design for the final stages of development of the advanced recovery control upgrade and establishment of the product baseline for critical design review in support of the aircraft launch and recovery equipment recovery program. Work will be performed in Sykesville, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in July 2022. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,690,987; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,794,114 will be obligated at the time of award, $1,794,114 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.