A New Flying Classroom for Test Pilots
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.
The US Naval Test Pilot School at Pax took delivery last month of a Fairchild Swearingen C-26A Metroliner, reports IHS Jane’s 360. Now known as the Airborne Systems Training and Research Support, or ASTARS III, the aircraft will serve as a flying classroom.
Civilian and military strategists believe the idea of a US Space Guard — that operates much like the Coast Guard — would better meet a variety of needs in space rather than establish a military branch equal to the Navy, Air Force, and Army, reports Politico.
A recent Government Accountability Office report reveals that for every budget dollar spent on federal IT systems, about 80 cents goes to maintaining older systems. Only 20 cents goes to purchasing modern, innovative, and secure federal IT. Defense Systems reports this is a problem acknowledged across the federal government.
As President Trump prepares to head to Europe to meet both NATO and Vladimir Putin, his administration is taking pains to keep expectations low, and portray a “steady as she goes” attitude to both summits, reports Breaking Defense. The trip to Europe will test the US’s already-strained relationships with some of its closest allies, reports Military Times.
The US is promising to keep Persian Gulf waterways open to oil tankers as Iran renews its threats to close off the region, reports Navy Times.
The New Zealand government will replace its aging fleet of six P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft with Boeing P-8A Poseidons, reports RNZ. The country will spend $2.3B on four planes.
South China Morning Post takes a look at the weapons China is selling in Africa. From 2013 to 2017, China’s arms exports to Africa surged 55 percent from the previous five-year period of 2008 to 2012, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Breaking Defense reports China and Russia are working together ever more closely in the Arctic, exploiting a policy vacuum in the US.
Lockheed Martin will showcase its LM-100J Super Hercules commercial freighter at Farnborough International Airshow in England next week, reports Business Insider. Cyber will be a major focus for Raytheon at the airshow, reports Shephard Media reports, with the company set to provide overviews of its cyber hardening systems for military aircraft.
Dozens of foreign-born recruits who joined the military through a special Military Accessions Vital to National Interest program have been let go, Military Times reports. The DoD’s MAVNI program had been created to attract people with needed skills.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the overall veteran unemployment rate dropped slightly to 3.3 percent in June while the nonveteran unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent, report Military Times Reboot Camp. There also was a drop in unemployment among post-9/11 veterans — from 4.2 percent to 3.7 percent.
Contracts:
Sodexo Management Inc. (Sodexo), Gaithersburg, Maryland, is awarded a one-year $118,587,653 firm-fixed-price contract with incentive and award fee provisions for the management and operation of 20 mess halls in the US Marine Corps Garrison Food Service program. This contract includes seven one-year option periods which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $959,784,989. Work will be performed in California, and Arizona. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2019. If all options are exercised, performance will continue through Sept. 30, 2026. This award is subject to the availability of funds. Fiscal 2019 military personnel (Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $118,587,653 will be obligated when funds become available and will expire Sept. 30, 2019. This contract was competitively procured via solicitation on the Federal Business Opportunity website, with four proposals received. The Marine Corps Installations Command Contracting Branch, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (M95494-19-C-0001).
Sodexo Management Inc. (Sodexo), Gaithersburg, Maryland, is awarded a one-year $118,330,205 firm-fixed-price contract with incentive and award fee provisions for the management and operation of 27 mess halls in the US Marine Corps Garrison Food Service program. This contract includes seven one-year option periods which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $957,706,225. Work will be performed at Marine Corps installations in the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2019. If all options are exercised, performance will continue through Sept. 30, 2026. This award is subject to the availability of funds. Fiscal 2019 military personnel (Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $118,330,205 will be obligated when funds become available and will expire Sept. 30, 2019. This contract was competitively procured via solicitation on the Federal Business Opportunity website, with four proposals received. The Marine Corps Installations Command Contracting Branch, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (M95494-19-C-0002).
Lockheed Martin Missions Systems and Training, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded $9,553,302 for modification P00007 to a previously awarded performance based logistics contract (N00383-l6-D-003P) to exercise an option to extend the period of performance for an additional six-months through August 2019. The contract is for supply chain management of aviation tires supporting the following aircraft P-3C, E-2C/D, C2, AV-8B, CH-46E, F-18AIB/C/D/E/F, EAI8-G, MH-60S/R, SH6OB/F, 5-3, EA-6B, CH-53/E, and V-22. The contractor is responsible for requirements forecasting, inventory management, retrograde management, storage, transportation, and meeting critical supply response time availability metrics. This announcement involves a foreign military sale. The following countries collectively represent 15 percent of the total dollar value Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Japan, and United Kingdom. The contract also includes an unexercised option valued at $13,439,100 for increased quantity for the supply of F-35 tires, which may be exercised during the extended period of performance provided for by the modification. All work will be performed at Lockheed Martin in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be completed by August 2019. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funding will be obligated as individual orders are issued. Two companies were solicited for this competitive procurement and two offers were received in response to the solicitation. The Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
URS Federal Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $21,104,619 modification (0001) to contract W52P1J-17-G-0091 for Enhanced Army Global Logistic Enterprise; Fort Campbell logistics support services. Work will be performed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2023. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a $9,718,944 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The contract is to provide assessments and alternatives of offensive capabilities within the domains of air, land, sea, space and cyberspace, missions and warfare areas that asymmetrically mitigate threat effectiveness, impose cost, and/or create ambiguity in adversary decision-making. Work performance will take place in the national capital region, including Arlington, Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) funds in the amount of $1,262,414; fiscal 2018 RDT&E funds in the amount of $6,109,030; and fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,347,500 are being obligated on this award. The expected completion date is Oct. 8, 2019. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-13-D-0003).
