2nd US Aircraft Carrier Deploys to Mediterranean

Sailors direct an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83, on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. (US Navy file photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cameron Pinske)

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Five thousand sailors are headed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the flagship of the Ike carrier strike group, reports The Virginian-Pilot. The ship deployed Saturday from Norfolk, VA. The Eisenhower’s deployment comes amid rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. The strike group will join the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group already in international waters off of Israel.

Israeli officials say they are preparing a Gaza ground attack, reports NBC News. Israel reiterated warnings for people in northern Gaza to evacuate south, which would require more than 1 million people to abandon their homes. This follows Palestinian militant group Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 where more than 1,300 people were killed, including Americans.  The US State Department said Saturday that 29 American citizens have been killed in Israel during the country’s war with Hamas, reports Fox News. Fifteen American citizens are also unaccounted for, including one lawful permanent resident.

In Gaza, at least 2,228 people have been killed in retaliatory strikes from Israel with another 8,744 more injured according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reports ABC News.

As an Israel ground war looms in Gaza, The Associated Press reports on what is known about the weapons of those who would be involved, and which ones would likely be used.

The Pentagon said it is coordinating with US defense companies to expedite the shipping of pending Israeli weapon orders, reports CNBC.

US A-10 attack planes have arrived in the Middle East to deter Iran and other militant groups that oppose Israel from jumping into the fray, reports Military Times. The military has declined to answer how many A-10s were dispatched, where they were stationed, and what other units might join them.

The Marine Corps’ 26th Expeditionary Unit capable of special operations has departed early from a scheduled exercise with Kuwait “as a result of emerging events,” days after the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas, reports Marine Corps Times. The service declined to specify where the unit was headed next, citing operational security concerns.

A human rights expert for the United Nations is calling for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israeli forces, reports The Hill, warning of mass ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been carrying out flight trials with F-35B jets during exercises in the US, reports The Independent. Test pilots from NAS Patuxent River joined the carrier for the flight trials, which took place after the carrier sailed from Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia.

Russia and North Korea are building a military partnership amid US sanctions and support for Ukraine, according to a new assessment by the National Security Council, reports C4ISRNET.

The US Space Force is accepting applications from companies and universities for the first round of space domain awareness projects at its Colorado Springs, Colorado-based technology hub, reports Defense News. The first projects will focus on capability gaps in three areas: space launch custody, object identification, and decision aids.

The US Marine Corps has once again met or slightly outperformed its goals for recruiting across all major categories in the past fiscal year, reports Marine Corps Times. The Corps was the only branch other than the Space Force to hit its recruitment targets by Oct. 1.

The US Navy celebrated its 248th birthday on Friday, reports Navy Times. The Continental Congress established the makings of the Navy on Oct. 13, 1775. Then-Chief of Naval Operations ADM Elmo Zumwalt authorized that Oct. 13 be recognized as the Navy’s birthday back in 1972.

The Navy fired CAPT Danielle DeFant, the commanding officer of the guided-missile cruiser Lake Erie, last week, reports Navy Times. Officials said the firing was job-performance related and “due to a loss of confidence in her ability to command.”

Navy and Marine Corps service members, along with local and federal agencies, are finished cleaning up the South Carolina site where an F-35B jet crashed Sept. 17, reports Marine Corps Times. The downed jet went unaccounted for overnight after a pilot ejected and landed in a north Charleston backyard. The investigation into how the crash, which destroyed an approximately $100 million fighter jet, occurred continues.

The Navy plans this week to begin draining fuel from World War II-era Red Hill underground fuel tanks in Hawaii, nearly two years after the facility sickened 6,000 people when it leaked jet fuel into a Pearl Harbor drinking water well, reports Navy Times.

A report by the American Security Project finds that nearly 70% of active service members are overweight, reports Military Times. Defense Department data shows that the obesity rate, calculated using a person’s age, height, and weight, has more than doubled over the past decade, from 10% to roughly 21%, according to the report.

The USNS Mercy is heading to Indo-Pacific region for its annual humanitarian mission, reports Navy Times. The mission will take the Mercy to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia as part of Pacific Partnership 2024.

Contracts:

Murtech Inc., Glen Burnie, Maryland, was awarded a $15,999,000 firm-fixed-price contract for storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 11, 2023. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911SR-24-D-0002).

International Business Machines Corp., Bethesda, Maryland, has been awarded a $38,964,968 firm-fixed-price contract for the modernization of the Egyptian Air Force Integrated Logistics System. This contract provides for a fully integrated maintenance management and supply chain management system with the capability to support maintenance, repair, overhaul, operations, enterprise resource planning, forecasting, analytics, material management, and contracting operations. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, and Egypt, and is expected to be completed by June 5, 2029. This contract involves foreign military sales to Egypt. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $31,336,516 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA2383-24-C-B001).

Raytheon Integrated Defense System, Andover, Maryland, was awarded a $156,186,509 fixed-price-incentive contract for Patriot ground support equipment, spares and component procurement. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Andover, Maryland, and Romania with an estimated completion date of Oct. 13, 2027. Fiscal 2024 Foreign Military Sales (Romania) funds in the amount of $156,186,509 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-24-C-0003).

Mills Marine and Ship Repair LLC, Suffolk, Virginia, is awarded a $48,497,928 cost-plus-fixed-fee, 8(a) small business set-aside contract to support in-service Carriers Refueling Complex Overhaul fire watch support for the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) Refueling and Complex Overhaul availabilities. This contract will include the identification of fire hazards and the safe response to potential fires during hot-work operations. This contract was competitively procured and solicited via the System for Award Management website with five offers received. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $48,497,928. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 12, 2024. If all options are exercised, work will continue through October 2028. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,506,355 (100%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-24-C-2101).