Americans Urged to Leave Belarus Now

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 Biden administration has urged US citizens in Belarus to depart the country immediately and warned against travel there in a statement published Monday. The Hill reports the updated travel warning comes after bordering countries Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland have stepped up security along the border over concerns about Russian Wagner mercenary forces exiled in the country.

Radio Free Europe reports the US Embassy in Minsk has advised US citizens to leave Belarus via the remaining border crossings with Lithuania and Latvia or by plane. The advisory is similar to one issued in April, now adding that Lithuania has closed two border crossing with Belarus and citing further reasons to leave as “the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, the potential of civil unrest, the risk of detention, and the Embassy’s limited ability to assist US citizens residing in or traveling to Belarus.”

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, 62, was listed as a passenger in an Embraer business jet that crashed Wednesday in the Tver Region of Russia, the Russian federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya confirmed on Wednesday. The Daily Beast reports Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said all 10 people on board died in the incident, according to TASS. New York Times reports Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list, but also that a social media account close to Russian authorities says that reports of Prigozhin’s death were “premature” and that “Yevgeny Prigozhin may have been on a different airplane.”

Prigozhin, this week, posted his first video address since leading a short-lived rebellion in Russia, reports The Guardian. He is seen standing in a desert area in camouflage and with a rifle in his hands. In the distance, there are more armed men and a pickup truck. He says Wagner Group is conducting reconnaissance and search operations and “making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even more free.”

Russia has removed Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon,” as head of the air force after he vanished from public view during a Wagner mercenary mutiny against the top army brass, two Russian news outlets reported on Wednesday. A recipient of Russia’s top military award, Surovikin is the most senior Russian military figure to lose his job over the June 23-34 mutiny, which President Vladimir Putin said could have tipped Russia into civil war.

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite’s hunt for water on the moon is advancing toward a hoped-for 2024 liftoff with the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission, reports Space.com. The small Lockheed Martin satellite, 11.5 feet wide, around 440 pounds, recently received its thermal mapping sensor built by the University of Oxford in England. Russia and India are also seeking to locate and map water on the moon. But instead of landing on the moon this week, Russia’s Luna-25 mission satellite crashed on Sunday, reports CNN. India’s Chandrayaan-3 landed on the rugged, unexplored south pole of the moon Wednesday making it the fourth nation to land on the moon, reports Reuters.

The Luna-25 crash reflects a loss of key technologies in the Russian space industry since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, reports C4ISRNET, and also recent Western sanctions, a huge brain drain, and widespread corruption. Yuri Borisov, head of the state-controlled space corporation Roscosmos, blamed the lack of expertise. The last Soviet mission to the moon was in 1976. “The priceless experience that our predecessors earned in the 1960-70s was effectively lost,” Borisov said. “The link between generations has been cut.”

The Space Development Agency awarded prototype agreements totaling $1.5B to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to build a constellation of low-cost communication and missile tracking satellites for its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Each company will develop 36 spacecraft designed to provide encrypted connectivity and communication for warfighters operating around the globe. Lockheed’s contract is worth $816M and Northrop’s $733M, reports C4ISRNET.

Gen Z interest in military service is low and only dropping lower, reports Military.com, citing a Wall Street Journal report of large recruiting shortfalls in all branches except the Marines. Only 9% of American youth ages 16 to 21 said they would consider enlisting in 2022, down from 13% during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Army’s attempts to reverse included spending $4B in 2018 for a Gen Z-targeted, 10-year marketing effort, so far coming up short. No one wants to join, and the military doesn’t know what to do about it.

The Pentagon will allow applicants to use calculators on the military’s entrance exam, putting the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery exam on par with college entrance exams such as the ACT and SAT, reports Military.com. The change is hoped to help relieve an ongoing recruiting slump, which is attributed to many young Americans not scoring high enough to qualify for enlistment.

Precautionary plans to evacuate two key drone and counter-terror bases in Niger are being made in light of the West African nation’s new ruling junta, reports Military.com.  The Air Force commander for Africa says the US seeks an allied nation in the Saharan and Sahel regions, active areas for extremist groups, if it needs to move its drones.

This latest in a series of military coups in West Africa has led to fears of broader regional conflict, with the region’s major political bloc, Economic Community of West African States, threatening military intervention in Niger unless the elected government is restored. A junta led by Niger’s presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26. Efforts at mediation have so far failed, and, The Washington Post reports, ECOWAS has determined a “D-Day” for military action.

Suspected North Korean hackers have targeted a US-South Korea military exercise being held this week, reports Reuters. The exercises are designed to improve the nations’ response to North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. South Korean police say classified information has not been compromised.

CNN reports Chinese authorities on Monday publicly accused a government worker of spying for the CIA, the second high-profile espionage case publicized this month as Beijing ramps up its emphasis – and rhetoric – on national security.

The military judge in the USS Cole bombing case on Friday threw out confessions the Saudi defendant had made to federal agents at Guantánamo Bay after years of secret imprisonment by the CIA, declaring the statements the product of torture. The New York Times reports the decision deprives prosecutors of a key piece of evidence against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, 58, in the longest-running death-penalty case at Guantánamo Bay. He is accused of orchestrating Al Qaeda’s suicide bombing of the warship on October 12, 2000, in Yemen’s Aden Harbor that killed 17 US sailors.

Iran’s Defense Ministry unveiled a drone on Tuesday resembling America’s armed MQ-9 Reaper, claiming that the aircraft is capable of staying airborne for 24 hours and has the range to reach the country’s archenemy Israel, reports AP.

Reuters reports more than 200 members of Afghanistan’s former military, law enforcement, and government have been killed since the Taliban took over, the UN mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday, despite a “general amnesty” for old enemies.

The Romanian Ministry of National Defence expects to sign a Letter of Acceptance with the US to buy 32 F-35 fifth generation fighter jets in 2024. Reports emerged earlier this month that Romania’s parliament had been asked to approve the $6.5 billion program, report Breaking Defense. The initial order for 32 aircraft also includes 35 engines, weapons, ammunition, logistics support, training services, and simulators.

Retired ADM Charles Ray, former vice commandant of the Coast Guard, has resigned from the Coast Guard Academy’s Loy Institute for Leadership, over his connection to the cover-up of an internal investigation into sexual misconduct at the academy. ADM Karl Leo Schultz served as the 26th commandant of the Coast Guard from 2018 until his retirement in June 2022. Schultz made the decision in 2018 to keep the report confidential. Ray served as vice commandant of the Coast Guard from May 24, 2018, to June 18, 2021.

The Pentagon urgently needs an enhanced early warning system against an acute threat from biological weapons, reports The Hill. The “Biodefense Posture Review,” released last week, notes the weapons are being developed by foreign adversaries and the US military, in addition to early warning, needs better preparation of its forces and faster responses to mitigate the impact of these threats.

Acting CNO ADM Lisa Franchetti sent a message to the fleet last week urging everyone to stay the course, even if there is technically a gapped billet at the very top, reports Navy Times. The presumptive next leaders of the Army and Marine Corps are also stalled by a blanket hold on military nominations and promotions imposed by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL). In an August 14 message to the fleet, Franchetti urged sailors to carry on as usual.

The US Military Academy, West Point, announces that Cadet Martayn Van de Wall of West Friendship, MD, has been selected as the First Captain of the US Military Academy’s Corps of Cadets for the 2023-2024 academic year, achieving the highest position in the cadet chain of command, reports Fox News 5.

For the first time, the Navy sent warships out to sea from San Diego on Saturday ahead of the tropical storm Hillary. San Diego Union Tribune reports about 10 ships went out to sea, the visiting carrier USS Nimitz among the first to leave, moving out of San Diego Bay at 9:30am.

The interest rate on the most popular US home loan last week shot to the highest since December 2000, reports Reuters, helping drive mortgage applications to a 28-year low. The Mortgage Bankers Association said the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed 15 basis points to 7.31% in the week ended August 18. That came after yields on the government bonds that influence home-loan rates surged to the highest since the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

Contracts:

Eagle Systems Inc., California, Maryland, is awarded a $30,272,057 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides supply chain management methods, practices, and procedures to include receiving, warehouse, packaging, handling, storage, and transportation processes; operations and procurement support; data asset, item unique identification, hazardous and controlled material management; and Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services support, in support of multiple projects with complete asset and data management for various Department of Defense activities. Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Maryland (47%); St. Inigoes, Maryland (30%); Fort Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina (21%); and San Diego, California (2%), and is expected to be completed in September 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; five offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042123D0016).

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $91,500,563 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides fleet services, technical support, and operational software development and maintenance, to include test bed support; repair, fabrication, and restoration support; training support; local area network support; and quality assurance and system safety services in support of various air traffic control and landing systems and sub systems for the Navy, Marine Corps, Military Sealift Command, Coast Guard, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (48.84%); Patuxent River, Maryland (37.21%); Norfolk, Virginia (11.62%); and San Diego, California (2.33%), and is expected to be completed in February 2029. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; two offers were received. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001923D0020).

Alion Science and Technology Corp., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The total value of this contract is $78,743,257. Under this new contract, the contractor will support the Missile Defense Agency’s development and deployment of the integrated, layered Missile Defense System by providing expert independent advice, assessment, assistance, documentation, and recommendations regarding strategic, technical, programmatic, operational, policy, and organizational matters. Support includes providing assessments for policy development, acquisition planning, engineering, and testing. The work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The performance period is from September 2023 through September 2030. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the government-wide point of entry website with three proposals received. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,112,627 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-23-C-0005).

Vane Line Bunkering LLC, Curtis Bay, Maryland (HTC71120CW003), is awarded a $27,037,548 contract modification (P00010) for continued operational and development support of the Analysis of Mobility Platform program, within the Defense Transportation System. This is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee with a fixed-priced contract line item for sustainment.  Work will be performed in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, during an extended base period from Sept. 30, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024. Funding will be obligated at the individual task order level. The US Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Lyon Shipyard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N42158-22-D-S003); Colonna’s Ship Yard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N42158-22-D-S004); Fairlead Boatworks, Inc., Portsmouth, Virginia (N42158-22-D-S005); QED Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N42158-22-D-S006); and East Coast Repair & Fabrication LLC, Hampton Roads, Virginia (N42158-23-D-S002), are awarded a combined $9,875,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification in support of the previously awarded multiple award contracts for the maintenance and overhaul services to service craft (barges), small boats, and camel systems (fendering) under custodianship of Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Work will be performed in surrounding cities within Hampton Roads, Virginia. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 2027. The contracts have a base one-year ordering period with four additional optional one-year ordering periods which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $23,240,000 over a five-year period to the five vendors combined. No funding will be obligated at time of modification. Funding will be obligated at the time of task order award. These contracts were competitively procured via the System for Award Management website, with five offers received. This modification to award will exercise option to extend period of performance to Sept. 19, 2024. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, is the contracting activity. 

Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $83,118,831 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001923F0041) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001920G0005). This order provides for retrofit of two MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft systems (B9 and B10) and one main operating base (MB-6P) to an Integrated Functional Capability Four, multiple-intelligence configuration for the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Palmdale, California (49.6%); San Diego, California (39.5%); Chantilly, Virginia (4.6%); Hauppauge, New York (1.6%); Waco, Texas (1.4%); Linthicum, Maryland (1.3%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (2%), and is expected to be completed in June 2026. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $82,818,831; and Foreign Cooperative Funds in the amount of $300,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

McLean Contracting Co., Glen Burnie, Maryland, is awarded a $63,190,700 firm-fixed-price contract for replacement of the yard patrol craft pier and quay wall, 87NS, at Naval Support Activity Annapolis, Maryland. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $63,190,700 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 SAM.gov website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-23-C-0010).

American International Contractors Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $15,188,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of fuel cell and maintenance hangars. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Jordan, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 8, 2026. Fiscal 2023 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $15,188,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District, is the contracting activity (W912ER-23-C-0010)

Verato Inc., McLean, Virginia (HS0021-23-D-0004); and Array USA Inc., Boca Raton, Florida (HS0021-23-D-0005), have been awarded a $330,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for credit reporting services in support of the personnel security mission by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Work will be performed at the vendor facilities. The contract has a 10-year ordering period including a five-year base period and five one-year option periods, and an estimated date of completion of Aug. 23, 2033. Contract actions will be issued, and funds obligated as individual delivery orders. The multiple award contract was the result of a full and open competitive acquisition process as a total small business set aside in which eight offers were received in response to the solicitation. DCSA Contracting and Procurement Office, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a not-to-exceed $606,800,000 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) undefinitized modification (P00002) to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N0001923C0003). This modification procures long lead time materials, parts, components, and efforts in support of maintaining on-time production and delivery of 173, Lot 19, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers and non-US Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (59%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Cameri, Italy (4%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); and various locations outside the continental US (2%) and is expected to be completed in January 2028. FMS customer funds in the amount of $329,500,000; and non-US DOD Participants Funds in the amount of $277,300,000, will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. 

BlackWatch International, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (HQ072723D0002) with a five-year ordering period for the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA). The contract has a $96,900,000 maximum ceiling with a $1,000,000 minimum guarantee. Fiscal 2023 funds in the amount of $7,281,853 are being obligated for the first task order at the time of award. This contract procures manufacturing sustainment and engineering support for DMEA’s Advanced Reconfigurable Manufacturing for Semiconductors and Integrated Circuits Manufacturing Support Labs laboratories. The work will be performed at the government’s facility in McClellan, California. DMEA, McClellan, California, is the contracting activity.

MIG WMJ JV1 LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $23,039,522 firm-fixed-price contract for fire protection repairs to building NH-95 at Naval Support Activity Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2026. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $23,039,522 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 www.sam.gov website, with three offers received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (N4008523C0040)

Affigent, Herndon, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0005, P00015); Telos Corp., Ashburn, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0006, P00015); Unicom Government Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0007, P00016); International Business Machines Corp., Bethesda, Maryland (W52P1J-16-D-0008, P00015); Dynamic Systems Inc., El Segundo, California (W52P1J-16-D-0009, P00017); Dell Federal Systems LP, Round Rock, Texas (W52P1J-16-D-0010, P00015); Zivaro Inc., Denver, Colorado (W52P1J-16-D-0011, P00017); Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Reston, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0012, P00015); CDW Government LLC, Vernon Hills, Illinois (W52P1J-16-D-0013, P00015); Iron Bow Technologies LLC, Herndon, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0014, P00017); Wildflower International LTD, Santa Fe, New Mexico (W52P1J-16-D-0015, P00015); World Wide Technology LLC, St. Louis, Missouri (W52P1J-16-D-0016, P00017); Govconnection Inc., Rockville, Maryland (W52P1J-16-D-0017, P00015); Government Acquisitions Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio (W52P1J-16-D-0019, P00015); ID Technologies LLC, Ashburn, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0020, P00016); and Microtechnologies LLC, Vienna, Virginia (W52P1J-16-D-0029, P00015), will compete for each order of the $2,500,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for commercial hardware, software and related incidental services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 50 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 19, 2026. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.