March 28, 2024

Agencies, Military, Workers Speculate on First Trump Budget

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Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the Internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Defense One reports President Donald Trump’s budget planning is “a point-by point departure, the Uberization of the federal government,” according to Republican lobbyist David Urban, a Trump transition team member who said  Trump is involved with the budget “at the granular level.”

Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), nominated by Trump to lead the Office of Management and Budget, told the Senate Budget Committee Obama’s inaugural crowd appeared larger after Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) displayed side-by-side images. During his confirmation hearing Mulvaney was also asked  if he would present “alternate facts,” reports The Hill.

Senate Democrats could still block any moves to get around defense spending caps, reports Stars and Stripes, which are the biggest obstacle to Trump’s estimated $80 billion annual hike for troops, ships, and aircraft.

“President Trump has made rebuilding our military strength one of his top priorities. More money is certainly required, but so is reform of the Pentagon and how it does business,” opines chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) on Fox News. Thornberry supports the alternative DoD budget — Restoring American Power: Recommendations for the FY 2018-FY 2022 Defense Budget his Senate counterpart, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee,  John McCain’s (R-AZ) released, which advocates a high-low mix of weapons systems to advance the force technologically and keep up force size.

Trump’s hiring freeze order does not exempt civilian personnel working for the military although all military positions are exempt as well as positions required for public safety. The president’s order specifically warns against using contracting to get around his intent to shrink the size of the federal workforce.

Unions protest the hiring freeze as counterproductive, says Federal Times. The bulk of the federal workforce is nearing retirement, said Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “Attrition is already taking a heavy toll at many federal agencies as employees depart and there is no replacement to take on the work. Freezing federal hiring could lead to disastrous short-term and long-term impacts and the American people will suffer,” Reardon said.

Senior Senate Democrats unveiled a $1 trillion infrastructure plan to revamp the nation’s airports, bridges, roads, and seaports, which they say would create 15 million jobs over 10 years, reports The Washington Post. The plan relies on direct federal spending while advisers to Trump say their infrastructure plan would rely on federal tax credits and public-private partnerships.

The New York Times reports that James B. Comey will remain head of FBI. He told his top agents from around the country that he had been asked by President Trump to stay on the job.

DefSec James Mattis fills two key postitions on the Pentagon staff: Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller will become  Trump’s senior military adviser and retired Rear Adm. Kevin M. Sweeney will serve as chief of staff, reports Military Times.

New Navy aircraft carriers will stick with a new jet landing system, reports Navy News. The Navy decided to work out remaining glitches in the technology that contributed to the delayed delivery of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of the Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers.

Norway’s Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide expects Trump will continue the US’s longstanding support for both NATO and the F-35, top priorities for the Scandinavian nation that shares a border with Russia, reports Aviation Week. “I don’t think we should put too much emphasis on President Trump’s Twitter messages. I don’t think that is a good way of assessing US foreign policy,” she said. But a Defense One report found unease among Norwegian defense officials about the threat to their priorities, one saying, “The Baltic countries feel threatened; we don’t feel threatened, but we see the potential.”

During a regular briefing session in Beijing, the Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged the new US administration to fully understand the importance of the “one China” policy, that the issue of Taiwan is highly sensitive, reports Reuters. Trump said in December the US did not necessarily have to stick to that long-standing position.

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy commissioned its fifth Luyang III-class (Type 052D) destroyer this week, to be assigned to the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet, with the other four ships allocated to the South Sea Fleet, reports IHS Jane’s 360.

The Senate confirmed Trump’s CIA choice Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo to head the agency, with 30 Democrats, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) opposed. Paul told Fox News he voted against the appointment because he feared Pompeo’s “desire for security will trump his defense of liberty.” Fox also reports, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted along party lines to approve former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as President Trump’s secretary of state, setting up a full Senate vote as early as next week.

Contracts:

DCS Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,514,426 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide technical services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Air Vehicle Test and Evaluation Division. The services to be provided include test engineering, test support, ground and flight test conduct, test and evaluation analysis and division administration support. The estimated level of effort is 166,848 man hours. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in February 2018. Fiscal 2017 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $3,022,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-17-C-0043).

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is being awarded $24,387,949 for modification P00021 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-16-C-0035) for approximately 568,551 hours of logistics services and incidental materials in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Special Communications Mission Solutions Division to support command, control, communications, computers and intelligence projects. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (30 percent); San Diego, California (19 percent); St. Inigoes, Maryland (15 percent); Panzer Kaserne, Germany (15 percent); Fayetteville, North Carolina (10 percent); Afghanistan (6 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (3 percent); Homestead, Florida (1 percent); and Fort Bliss, Texas (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2018.  Fiscal 2017 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $325,000 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Cherokee Information Services Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a $33,560,329 cost-plus-award-fee contract for Defense Stockpile Management System (DSMS) support services. The location of performance will take place in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; and Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Work is expected to be completed by Jan. 25, 2021. The award is the result of a full and open competition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds; and research and development funds in the amounts of $1,000,000 and $500,000, respectively, are being obligated at time of award. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HDTRA1-17-C-0020).

Amyx Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $189,263,856 ceiling cost-plus-award-fee task order under the General Services Administration (GSA) OASIS Small Business Pool 1 contract to provide the Joint Improvised-Threat Defeat Organization (JIDO) with sensitive mission support services without organizational conflicts of interest. Services include: systems engineering and technical assistance; acquisition and program management; JIDO operations support; mission-based research and analytical assistance, as well as support services for acquisition and contracting, human capital management, resource management, security assurance, logistics, facilities safety and operations, event and communications support, process improvement, and organizational effectiveness. The task order provides a key component for JIDO’s mission to enable Department of Defense actions to counter improvised threats with tactical responsiveness and through anticipatory, rapid acquisition in support of combatant commands’ efforts to prepare for, and adapt to, battlefield surprise in support of counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, and other related mission areas including counter-improvised explosive device (IED). Work will be performed in Virginia and the National Capital Region. The expected completion date is Jan. 17, 2022. Joint IED Defeat funds in the amount of $4,185,000 are being obligated at the time of award. This task order was a competitive acquisition and eight offers were received. It is part of the JIDO Enterprise Acquisition Strategy Initiative which is intended to: (1) meet current and evolving mission requirements; (2) comply with acquisition laws, regulations, and policies; and (3) improve mission effectiveness, output, and organizational synergy. GSA Federal Systems Integration and Management Center is the contracting activity, in support of JIDO (GSQ0017AJ0022). (Awarded on Jan. 18, 2017)

Sotera Defense Solutions Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded an $11,036,371 modification (P00007) to contract W911NF-16-C-0005 for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research and development effort titled, “Technology Demonstrations and Assessments Using a Data Science Approach to Situation Understanding for Counter Insurgency Operations.” Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 20, 2019. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,995,881 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, is the contracting activity.

DynCorp International LLC, McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $26,485,838 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed fee, cost reimbursable contract for war reserve materiel. Contractor will provide storage, maintenance, outload, reconstitution, exercise and contingency logistics support. They are also responsible for the maintenance, repair and minor construction of government furnished facilities. Work will be performed at Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2017. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with six offers received. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $26,485,838 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-17-C-0005).

AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $9,352,070 predominantly firm-fixed-price contract for contractor logistics support and maintenance training services. Contractor will provide these services for 24 aircraft to Train, Advise, Assist Command-Air in support of the Afghan Air Force. Work will be performed at Kabul, Afghanistan; and Kandahar, Afghanistan, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 31, 2018. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with four offers received. Fiscal 2017 Afghan Security Forces funds in the amount of $9,352,070 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8617-17-C-6218).

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