’22 Budget Will ‘Shrink’ the Fleet

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.

CNO ADM Mike Gilday told Congress this week that flat or declining Navy budgets “will definitely shrink” the fleet, reports USNI. While the Navy has for years been building toward a goal of 355 ships, Gilday said the service only has enough money for 300 vessels with its current budget. The DoD’s overall budget request of $715 billion for FY 2022 is largely flat when factoring in inflation. The Navy is asking for $211.7 billion for the upcoming fiscal year including a modest request to purchase eight ships, four of which are combatants.

Maryland Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) set July 1 as the official end of the state of emergency in Maryland imposed March 5, 2020, to deal with COVID-19, reports Maryland Matters. Ending will be suspension of state regulations and mask mandates. Private business owners and other facilities reserve the right to require patrons to be masked inside of their establishments.

The Navy is developing bio-inspired drones that transition between air and water, reports The Drive. The “bio-inspired autonomous systems” mimic or leverage characteristics of the natural world that can operate both in air and underwater, and transition seamlessly between the two.

The Transportation Security Administration is developing a second security directive focused on requirements for pipeline cybersecurity mitigation measures, reports FCW. The agency reported to House lawmakers that it has a cadre of inspectors ready to enforce those requirements.

The Pentagon is considering a permanent naval task force able to garner more funds to counter China in the Pacific, reports Politico. The goal is to add muscle to President Joe Biden’s tough talk on China. NATO allies this week declared Beijing a security challenge, according to AP, and said the Chinese are working to undermine global order.

The National Reconnaissance Office has launched three satellites from the NASA Wallops facility on the Virginian coast, reports C4ISRNET. NRO, in charge of the nation’s spy satellites, launched the three classified satellites June 15 into low Earth orbit aboard a Northrop Grumman Minotaur I rocket. It was the second time NRO has launched its payloads from Wallops.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) vows to hold up VA leadership nominees until the department provides info on a toxic exposures bill, reports Military Times. Blackburn is blocking confirmation of four nominees including Donald Remy, tapped to be the deputy VA secretary, the second-highest position in the department.

Explosives missing from California Marine base have been found, reports Marine Corps Times. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has recovered several pounds of C-4 explosives that went missing from Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms in January. The investigation is ongoing without arrests or charges yet filed.

 

 

The government UFO report is the product of years of military infighting over whether to take sightings seriously, reports CNN. The House Intelligence Committee received a classified briefing this week conducted by the Navy and FBI. The US intelligence community is scheduled to deliver an unclassified report on the matter for Congress within a few weeks.

Service members and police are teaming up to stop suicide, reports Military Times, via a pairing program developed by One More Day, a suicide prevention organization.

A top Army leader defended the Pentagon’s response to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, reports Military Times, telling a House panel the National Guard was delayed for hours to properly prepare for the deployment after senior military leaders had determined the military had “no role” in determining the outcome of an election. LT GEN Walter Piatt, the director of the Army staff, said the Pentagon wanted to be careful about their response in part because of concerns about military helicopters that had flown low over Washington streets during protests over the killing of George Floyd by police in summer 2020.

The Pentagon’s anti-extremism initiatives are now part of a larger national strategy, reports Military Times. The White House wants the military’s initiatives — such as better screening of potential recruits, monitoring extremist activity while in uniform, and better education of new veterans about the possibility of being targeted for recruitment into an extremist group — extended to law enforcement also.

Gilday confronted congressional critics and stressed the importance of combating racism and misinformation, reports CNN, as military officials face GOP questioning of the DoD’s efforts to promote diversity and combat extremism in the ranks.

The Navy’s submarine force is experimenting with anti-fatigue measures to mimic natural light, reports USNI. Constant exposure to artificial light can wreak havoc on submariners natural, 24-hour clock that drives when one feels alert or sleepy. Investigating the reasons for fatigue, Sarah Chabal, a research psychologist at Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory in Groton, CN, said experiments with blue light might help.

Contracts:

Parsons Government Services, Huntsville, Alabama, is being awarded a competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee level-of-effort contract. The total value of this contract is $2,241,762,696. Under this new contract, the contractor will provide support that includes: engineering and technical support; studies, analysis, and evaluations; and management and professional services. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fort Greely, Alaska; Moorestown, New Jersey; Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts; Phoenix, Arizona; Orlando, Florida; and Salt Lake City, Utah. The performance period is from July 2021 to January 2029. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the beta.SAM.gov website with two proposals received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $36,407,574 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-21-C-0015).

Mobius Parsons Solutions LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a competitive cost-plus fixed fee level-of-effort contract. The total value of this contract is $566,667,195. Under this new contract, the contractor will provide test support services. The work will be performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bedford, Massachusetts; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Dahlgren, Virginia; Kwajalein Atoll; Wake Island; Honolulu, Hawaii; Huntsville, Alabama; Kauai, Hawaii; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; and other locations as directed. The performance period is from September 2021 through September 2027. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the beta.SAM.gov website with two proposals received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,727,363 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-21-C-0014).

The Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Mitchel Field, New York, is awarded a $191,183,328 firm-fixed-price contract for the U.S. and United Kingdom to provide strategic weapon system Trident SSI Increment 8 production of inertial navigation systems and associated inertial spares for the Ohio and Columbia ballistic missile submarine shallow water submersible platforms for the fleet ballistic missile program. Work will be performed in Heath, Ohio (67%); Huntington Beach, California (21%); Mitchel Field, New York (9%); and Manassas, Virginia (3%), with an expected completion date of Feb. 28, 2028. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $31,321,581 will be obligated; and fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $8,805,772, will be obligated on initial award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and (4). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00030-21-C-0015).

Federal Prison Industries Inc., Washington, DC, has been awarded a maximum $17,810,400 modification (P00010) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-F027) with four one-year option periods for coveralls. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Georgia, Arizona, Mississippi and Washington, DC, with a June 20, 2022, ordering period end date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Subsidium Inc., Luray, Virginia, has been awarded a ceiling $9,826,886 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for business services consulting. This contract provides for administrative management and general management consulting services in the forms of market analysis, depot business development and strategic public/private partnerships. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by June 15, 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with 10 offers received. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds in the amount of $253,965 will be obligated on the first task order, which will be awarded immediately after the basic contract. Air Force Sustainment Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8201-21-D-0005).