March 29, 2024

Air Force Orders 1-Day Safety Stand Down

Safety Stand Down

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.

Air Force Times reports that in the wake of a series of troubling aircraft mishaps and crashes ― several of which have been fatal ― Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein has ordered a one-day safety stand down for all flying and maintenance wings when they conduct their safety reviews.

With the military facing a rising tide of aviation mishaps, the decision to cut maintenance budgets in 2013 continues to loom large as a potentially historic moment for the Pentagon, reports Military Times. Experts believe the mandatory budget cuts imposed by sequestration caused significant damage to the military’s ability to sustain and maintain its aircraft.

France says the Iran nuclear deal is not dead despite the US exit, reports BBC. The 2015 agreement curbed Iran’s nuclear activities in return for the lifting of sanctions that had been imposed by the UN, US and European Union. The UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany say they will be committed to it. The Wall Street Journal reports oil prices are on the rise. 

A US submarine sailor lost his right hand in an at-sea industrial accident, reports Navy Times. The appendage was saved, and the sailor was rushed to a surgical team in Spain that was able to reattach the hand. Spain’s Maritime Rescue agency posted a video of the sailor’s evacuation on YouTube and said the sailor was evacuated from the guided-missile submarine Georgia.

Lt. j.g. Sarah Coppock pleaded guilty to a dereliction of duty charge during a special court-martial, reports Navy Times. She oversaw navigation of the destroyer Fitzgerald when it collided with a hulking merchant vessel, killing seven sailors. Lt. j.g. Coppock was serving as officer of the deck, or OOD, at the time of the collision, and was accused of failing to follow the commanding officer’s standing orders, as well as international navigation rules.

Eight years after the Navy announced a policy change allowing women to serve on submarines, there are 93 women aboard Pacific Fleet vessels, reports Military.com. “The submarine force’s women integration efforts in the Pacific to date have gone smoothly,” said Cmdr. Corey Barker, spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.

House panel supports Agent Orange coverage for Blue Water Navy veterans, reports Stars and Stripes. After years of fighting, this marks the first instance that legislation providing benefits for Blue Water veterans has advanced past the committee level.

The Marine Corps is reducing the minimum time of service needed for first-time applicants applying for tuition assistance from 24 months to 18, reports Marine Corps Times. Posted in MARADMIN 255/18 on Monday, active-duty Marines who have never applied for tuition assistance no longer need to wait two years before kicking off college classes.

Guatemalan authorities and the US Coast Guard bust 3 tons of cocaine on ship in false bottom compartments, reports Navy Times. Guatemala and the US teamed up for the largest cocaine seizure in the Central American country’s history, finding the haul on a cargo ship in international waters off the Pacific coast.

New Program Executive Officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons RADM Brian Corey gives remarks during his change of command ceremony May 3 at Patuxent River. (US Navy photo)

USNI News reports some recent command changes. VDAM Scott Stearney relieved VADM John Aquilino as commander of US Naval Forces Central Command and US 5th Fleet in a ceremony in Bahrain. In another recent ceremony, RADM Brian Corey took command of the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO U&W) from RADM Mark Darrah, who will retire from the Navy after 36 years of service.

Two NAWCAD personnel and one team were honored with Department of the Navy Test and Evaluation Awards, reports Southern Maryland News Net. Christopher Clark earned the DON T&E Lifetime Achievement Award for his more than 36 years of professional service to naval tactical aircraft flight test engineering. Lt. Jonathan Larsen, a test pilot at Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 and the T-45 program lead, earned the Small Program Outstanding Tester Award. Dan Ensminger, NAWCAD’s assistant program manager for test and evaluation accepted the Working Integrated Product Team Award on behalf of the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile T&E WIPT.

Contracts:

International Systems Marketing Inc., Rockville, Maryland (N66001-18-A-0007); DLT Solutions Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N66001-18-A-0008); and EC America, McLean, Virginia (N66001-18-A-0009), is awarded an estimated value $550,840,000 multiple-award, firm-fixed-price blanket purchase agreement (BPA) in accordance with the company’s General Services Administration (GSA) federal supply schedule contract. This agreement will provide McAfee brand name hardware, software, and services for Department of Defense (DoD), US intelligence community, and Coast Guard activities worldwide. The products provided will meet functional requirements and capabilities for: client, data and server protection; data loss prevention; vulnerability management; email gateway security; and network intrusion prevention. This BPA is issued under the DoD Enterprise software initiative in accordance with the policy and guidelines in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, Section 208.74. This is one of three multiple-award agreements. The ordering period will be for five years from May 2018 to May 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated under task orders primarily using operations and maintenance (DoD) funds. Future requirements will be competed among the three awardees in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.403-3(c)(2). This contract was competitively procured via the GSA E-Buy website from among 679 vendors. Three offers were received and three were selected for award. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

Futron Inc., Woodbridge, Virginia (HE1254-18-D-3004); New Tech Solutions Inc., Freemont, California (HE1254-18-D-3005); Visual Systems Group Inc., McLean, Virginia (HE1254-18-D-3006); and Dev Holdings doing business as EcoTech, San Diego, California (HE1254-18-D-3007), will share in a $49,500,000 firm-fixed-priced contract for interactive flat panel replacement and outfitting in Department of Defense Education Activity schools and facilities. Proposals were solicited via the Internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 7, 2023. Department of Defense Education Activity, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

New Tech Solutions Inc., Freemont, California (HE1254-18-D-3000); Pacific Star Communications Inc., Portland, Oregon (HE1254-18-D-3001); Tribalco, Bethesda, Maryland (HE1254-18-D-3002); and Comm-Works/Fortran LLC, Chantilly, Virginia (HE1254-18-D-3003); will share in a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-priced contract for information technology network outfitting in Department of Defense Education Activity schools and facilities. Proposals were solicited via the Internet with 12 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 8, 2023. Department of Defense Education Activity, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

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