A Time to Honor the Fallen
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.
Monday, May 29, 2023, is Memorial Day, which Military.com reminds is not the same as the Veterans Day celebration of those who serve and have served. Memorial Day reflects veterans and military personnel who are deceased. Here is an updating list of 2023 events nationwide and links to your base, from Military.com. And here, a list of 10 military movies to commemorate the day.
Ahead of Memorial Day remembrances, Veterans Affairs has added 300,000 new names to their Veterans Legacy Memorial registry of deceased veterans and service members interred at national cemeteries, reports Military Times.
The Memorial Day weekend is expected to be the busiest in years for air travel. Close to 3.5 million travelers are expected to fly this weekend, according to AAA — a more than 5% increase over 2019. NPR asks if the airlines are ready, after the recent spates of disruptions. The biggest problem facing the industry is staff shortages in air traffic control.
The Pentagon isn’t keeping track of millions of dollars worth of spare parts for F-35s, according to a congressional audit. The DoD never expected to maintain a global pool of spare parts for F-35s purchased by allies, Stars and Stripes reports. So no inventory monitoring system was developed.
China has banned US chip maker Micron from selling its products to Chinese companies working on key infrastructure projects, citing national security risks, reports The Hacker News. The development comes nearly two months after the country’s cybersecurity authority initiated a probe in late March 2023 to assess potential network security risks.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is leading a coordinated effort with NASA, the US Geological Survey, the US Space Force, and US Space Command to map the moon. C4ISRNET reports the Lunar Reference Frame is essentially the mapping infrastructure that would support a GPS-like capability for the moon.
House lawmakers want more investment in state fusion centers to counter threats foreign and domestic, GCN reports. Each state and territory has at least one fusion center owned and operated by state and local governments and charged with sharing threat information and analysis.
Russian troops and security forces fought for a second day Tuesday against an alleged cross-border raid that Moscow blamed on Ukrainian military saboteurs but which Kyiv portrayed as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans, reports Military Times.
The Pentagon has overestimated the value of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine by at least $3 billion — an accounting error that could allow the DoD to send more weapons now without asking Congress for more money, reports Military.com.
With the war in Ukraine well into its second year, the scale of drones being used is coming into focus. Ukraine is using enough aerial drones that it is losing 10,000 UAVs per month and has not yet run out, reports Task & Purpose.
USAF Sec Frank Kendall said state laws or political squabbles about abortion will have no impact on locating Space Command headquarters. “There is nothing in that decision criteria about state laws, that might be about abortion or gay rights. That is not part of the decision criteria.”
Kendall also said this week, “We’re not going to repeat what I think frankly was a serious mistake that was made in the F-35 program” of not obtaining rights to all the fighter’s sustainment data from contractor Lockheed Martin. “What that basically does is create a perpetual monopoly.” Instead, reports Defense News, the Air Force is focused on avoiding the mistakes that plagued past programs as the service officially kicks off its effort to build a sixth-generation fighter.
Politico reports on how saving face for Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has become as important in United States governing as the operation of its Department of Defense.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah put on a rare media event last week, staging a simulated military exercise at one of its training sites in southern Lebanon, reports Military.com. Masked fighters jumped through flaming hoops, fired from the backs of motorcycles, and blew up Israeli flags posted in the hills above and a wall simulating the one at the border between Lebanon and Israel
Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the far-right extremist group were convicted last week of a plot to attack the US Capitol in a desperate bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election, writes Military.com.
Two years after the DoD formed a group to investigate cases of extremism within the ranks, the Pentagon has barely moved to implement its recommendations, reports Task & Purpose. That comes even as there have been repeated cases of violence or attempted violence by active-duty military members.
A new Rand survey found no evidence veterans harbor more extreme beliefs than the rest of the American public — though its authors acknowledged that the results are limited by how many people were willing to be honest about their extremist stances. And it did show that about a third of veterans surveyed believe in the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory – that people of color are being allowed to enter the US to upend the white majority, reports Military Times.
US tech giant Meta has been hit with a record nearly $1.5 billion fine for not complying with the EU’s privacy rulebook, reports Politico. The violation occurred, according to the Irish Data Protection Commission, when Meta shuttled troves of personal data of European Facebook users to the US without sufficiently protecting them from Washington’s data surveillance practices.
TikTok has filed a federal lawsuit against Montana, reports NPR, after the state passed a law last week intended to ban the app from being downloaded within its borders. The widely expected lawsuit argues that banning a hugely popular social media app amounts to an illegal suppression of free speech tantamount to censorship.
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife plans to dispatch an herbicide-spraying aerial drone at the mouth of Skagit River delta, reports Washington State Standard. The spraying will target a select area inaccessible to ground equipment, a drone will map the zone and locate the targeted weeds before applying the herbicide. Spraying would occur at low tide, in daylight, and the aircraft would be flying only a few feet above the vegetation when it’s in progress.
The Navy’s investigation into a four suicides within a month at a maintenance center in Norfolk, VA, found all suffered from “a confluence of external stressors.” All four also had unrestricted access to personally owned guns — an issue that goes largely unaddressed in the report, says Military.com. The latest investigation was released alongside a report on USS George Washington carrier suicides, which revealed failures at all levels of leadership.
The former commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, was charged with sexually assaulting another officer’s wife, according to court documents reviewed by Military.com. COL Jon Meredith, an armor officer, was arraigned Monday at Fort Cavazos, TX, the base formerly known as Fort Hood, and faces a court-martial.
Officials confirmed to Navy Times, both the commander and executive officer of the guided-missile destroyer John Finn were relieved of command due to lack of cofidence in their abiliity to lead the ship. CMDR Angela Gonzales’ removal was announced, but the executive officer’s name, CMDR Jonathan Zang, removal was not released until requested, which is Navy policy.
Contracts:
Direct Viz Solutions LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $10,404,631 modification (P00033) to contract W91RUS-19-C-0014 for enterprise-level command, control, communications, computers, and information management, and operating, managing and defending the enterprise IT infrastructure. Work will be performed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,978,368 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Diverse Technology Korps Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded an $8,408,110 modification (P00011) to contract W9124G-21-C-0004 for gunnery range operations, maintenance and repair. Work will be performed at Fort Novosel, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2026. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,999,092 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Black and Veatch, Overland Park, Kansas (HDTRA118D0003); Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia (HDTRA118D0004); URS Federal Services, Cleveland, Ohio (HDTRA118D0005); Parsons Government Services International Inc., Pasadena, California (HDTRA118D0006); CH2M Hill Inc., Herndon, Virginia (HDTRA118D0007), and PAE National Security Solutions LLC, Fredericksburg, Virginia (HDTRA118D0008), are each being awarded a modification to each respective indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award services contract for the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program. The mission of the CTR Program is to partner with willing countries to reduce threat from weapons of mass destruction and related materials, technologies, facilities, and expertise. The modification increases the maximum dollar ceiling, including the base period and seven options for all six contracts combined, by $164,400,000, from $970,000,000 to $1,134,400,000. Work will be performed at various locations throughout the world. Task Orders issued under the contract may be for a duration of three years past the last ordering date of the contracts. Funding will be obligated for each task order and no funds are obligated on the basic contracts. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc., Braintree, Massachusetts, was awarded a $23,880,845 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N63394-19-C-0007 for technical and field engineering efforts in support of the Next Generation Surface Search Radar. This contract modification is being awarded under the statutory authority of 15 US Code 638(r)(4). The work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia (55%); Wake Forest, North Carolina (35%); and Braintree, Massachusetts (10%), and is expected to be completed by May 2024. Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,915,970 (91%); and fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $303,537 (9%) will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $303,537 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 19, 2023)
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $194,743,487 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for MK 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) modules and ancillary hardware in support of fiscal 2022-2027 MK 41 VLS production requirements. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $642,909,326. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (71%) and the governments of Canada (18%) and Australia (11%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (31%); Indianapolis, Indiana (27%); Saginaw, Michigan (7%); Farmingdale, New York (6%); St. Peters, Missouri (3%); San Jose, California (2%); Radford, Virginia (1%); and various other locations (23%), and is expected to be completed by June 2027. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2030. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $79,115,200 (41%); FMS Canada funds in the amount of $34,616,967 (18%); fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,365,631 (15%); fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,358,169 (15%); and FMS Australia funds in the amount of $22,287,519 (11%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with two offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-5325).
General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a not-to-exceed $1,075,896,000 undefinitized contract action modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-2100 for long lead time material associated with the Virginia class submarines SSN 812 and SSN 813. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (34%); Florence, New Jersey (5%); Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (3%); Spring Grove, Illinois (2%); Tucson, Arizona (2%); Windsor Locks, Connecticut (2%); Annapolis, Maryland (2%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (2%); Peoria, Illinois (1%); Ladson, South Carolina (1%); Warren, Massachusetts (1%); and other locations less than 1% (45%), and is expected to be completed by September 2033. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) $352,017,000 (33%); and fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) $723,879,000 (67%) funding will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The statutory authority for this sole source award is in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Norfolk Dredging Co., Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a $14,000,520 firm-fixed-price contract to place 200,000 cubic yards of beach fill along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Brigantine, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 14, 2023. Fiscal 2023 civil construction funds in the amount of $14,000,520 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (W912BU-23-C-0014).
The Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory LLC., Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a modification (P00007) with a ceiling of $12,866,554 to previously awarded contract FA8819-23-F-1002 for Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) Protected Anti-Jam Tactical SATCOM. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $18,008,261 from $5,141,707. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $317,618 are being obligated at the time of award. The Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 10, 2023)
Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc., Braintree, Massachusetts, is awarded a $23,880,845 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N63394-19-C-0007 for technical and field engineering efforts in support of the Next Generation Surface Search Radar. This contract modification is being awarded under the statutory authority of 15 U.S. Code 638(r)(4). The work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia (55%); Wake Forest, North Carolina (35%); and Braintree, Massachusetts (10%), and is expected to be completed by May 2024. Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,915,970 (91%); and fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $303,537 (9%) will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $303,537 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 19, 2023)
L3 Harris Technologies Inc., Lynchburg, Virginia, is being awarded a $12,600,568 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N6523623D1006) with provisions for firm-fixed-price orders. The contract will provide for the delivery of the FFG-62 Interior Wireless Communication System (IWCS), as well as the delivery of a complete technical data package, applicable IWCS Spares, and classroom training. The contract includes a five-year base ordering period and a five-year option ordering period which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative potential value of this contract to $26,804,935. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funds in the amount of $50,880 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Lynchburg, Virginia (95%); and Marinette, Wisconsin (5%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2028. If the option is exercised, work could continue until May 2033. The contract was competitively procured by full and open competition via the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command – Electronic Commerce Central and System for Award Management websites, with two offers received. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 19, 2023)
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, California, is awarded a $736,160,588 modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-16-C-2229 to exercise the option for the detail design and construction of T-AO 213. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (58%); Iron Mountain, Michigan (8%); Crozet, Virginia (5%); Beloit, Wisconsin (4%); Mexicali, Mexico (4%); Chula Vista, California (2%); Chesapeake, Virginia (2%); National City, California (1%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1%); Walpole, Massachusetts (1%); and various other locations less than one percent (14%), and is expected to be completed by March 2028. Fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $736,160,588 (100%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 19, 2023)
G-W Management Services LLC, Rockville, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0022); Biscayne Contractors Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (N40080-21-D-0023); Tuckman-Barbee Construction Co. Inc., Marlboro, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0024); CER Inc., Severna Park, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0025); Belt Built-CFM JV, Crofton, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0026); EGI HSU JV LLC, Rockville, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0027); Desbuild Inc., Hyattsville, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0028); and Tidewater Inc., Elkridge, Maryland (N40080-21-D-0029), are being awarded a combined-maximum-value $76,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification to increase the maximum dollar value of their respective previously awarded contracts for repairs, renovations, new construction, and alterations to shore facilities and utilities within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of responsibility (AOR). This award brings the total cumulative combined maximum value to $316,000,000. Work will be performed in NAVFAC Washington AOR and is expected to be completed by July 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 19, 2023)
PC Mechanical Inc., Santa Maria, California, is awarded a maximum-value $34,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for civil engineering support equipment support services in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. Work will be performed in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia (90%); and Santa Monica, California (10%), and is expected to be completed by November 2028. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management Contract Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, Port Hueneme, California, is the contracting activity (N39430-23-D-2500). (Awarded May 19, 2023)
Business Enabled Acquisition and Technology,* San Antonio, Texas (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); MilVets System Technology Inc.,* Orlando, Florida (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00006); Oneida Technical Solutions,* Oneida, New York (W91RUS-23-F-0000 P00006); A&T Systems Inc.,* Silver Spring, Maryland, (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); People Technology and Process LLC,* Tampa, Florida (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Advanced Systems Development Inc.,* Falls Church, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Systems Integration Modeling and Solutions Inc.,* Tullahoma, Tennessee (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Advanced IT Concepts,* West Springs, Florida (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Vision Information Technology Consultants LLC,* San Antonio, Texas (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Ascendant Services LLC,* McLean, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); OSC Edge,* Atlanta, Georgia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); AttainX Inc.,* Herndon, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Bowhead Total Enterprise Solutions LLC,* Springfield, Virginia, (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Chartis Consulting Corp.,* McLean, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Chugach Technical Solutions LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Cordev Inc.,* Falls Church, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Nova Dine LLC,* Scottsdale, Arizona (W91RUS-23-F-0000 P00000); Enterprise Solutions and Management Corp.,* Springfield, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Full Spectrum Operations LLC,* Fairfax Station, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Futron Inc.,* Woodbridge, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); GC&E Federal LLC,* Peachtree Corners, Georgia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); GStek Inc.,* Chesapeake, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Thunder Ridge Solutions Co.,* Fairfax, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Information Management Group Inc.,* Fairfax, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Information Systems Solution Inc., Rockville, Maryland (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); KaiHonua LLC,* Kailua, Hawaii (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Leader Communications Inc.,* Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); Zantech IT Services Inc.,* Tysons Corner, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000); and Link Solutions Inc.,* McLean, Virginia (W91RUS-23-F-0000, P00000), will compete for each order of the $900,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for information management communication services in support of the Network Enterprise Command. Bids were solicited via the internet with 31 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $63,089,931 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for logistics, sustainment and contingency support for the Integrated Fires/Rapid Capabilities Office. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 25, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-23-F-0186).
Tetra Tech Inc., Pasadena, California (W912EF-23-D-0013); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Arlington, Virginia (W912EF-23-D-0014); and McMillen Inc., Boise, Idaho (W912EF-23-D-0015), will compete for each order of the $34,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for engineering and design services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 23 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 23, 2030. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla, Washington, is the contracting activity.
Avix-BGI JV II LLC,* Yorktown, Virginia, was awarded a $10,918,564 modification (P00004) to contract W9133L-22-C-3007 for weapons systems simulator training and support. Work will be performed in Lackland, Texas; and Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 2, 2027. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, Air National Guard funds in the amount of $6,214,021 were obligated at the time of the award. The National Guard Bureau Directorate of Acquisitions, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
