Army Corps Leads Effort on Bridge Cleanup
US Army Corps of Engineers staff onboard hydrographic survey vessel CATLETT observe the damage resulting from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024. USACE will lead the effort to clear the channel as part of the larger interagency recovery effort to restore operations at the Port of Baltimore.
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The US Army Corps of Engineers is deploying more than 1,100 personnel to Baltimore, following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the Patapsco River on Tuesday, reports The Hill. The Baltimore District’s emergency operations center has been activated, which clears the way for more than 1,100 engineering, construction, contracting, and operations specialists to provide support to local, state and federal agencies in clearing the fallen bridge, according to the Army.
Naval Sea Systems Command is contracting out a variety of vessels to the Baltimore Harbor to help with clearing and reopening of the channel after a tanker struck the bridge, reports Navy Times.
Some US troops’ shipments of household goods and vehicles might be delayed because of the Key Bridge collapse, reports Navy Times. Vessel traffic at the Port of Baltimore has been halted. No military operations have been affected by the port’s inability to send out or receive ships, Erik Anthony, a US Transportation Command spokesman told Military Times.
The Baltimore Sun reports that cargo on ship Dali that downed the Key Bridge poses “no immediate threat to the environment.”
Estimated cost to replace the Key Bridge could be between $500 million and $1 billion and take anywhere from 18 months to several years to rebuild, experts say. The disaster is in some ways similar to the deadly collapse of Florida’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which was struck by a freighter in Tampa Bay in 1980, reports NBC News. The new bridge took five years to build.
The US Navy delivered the first P-8A Poseidon aircraft to be modified with Increment 3 Block 2 capabilities to Boeing on March 27, reports Seapower magazine. Modifications are expected to be complete in late 2025. The modifications will allow aircrews to search, locate, and track the most advanced submarines in the world.
The US military flew 1,000 spy flights over the South China Sea last year, according to a report from Peking University’s South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, reports Newsweek. Most of the approximately 100 US surveillance planes said to have approached China flew no closer than 35 miles from the country’s territorial baselines, the report noted, which would put them in international airspace.
The F-35A Lighting II can finally use its 25mm cannon as problems that hindered its proper operation have been solved, reports The National Interest. The F-35A’s GAU-22/A 25mm cannon had been suffering from issues, resulting in an inability to shoot straight.
Joint Chiefs Chairman GEN CQ Brown said he is confident that US troops working to provide humanitarian aid to residents of Gaza will be protected from violence in the region, reports Military Times. DoD officials had announced last month that they would send Navy cargo ships and Army vessels to build a floating dock in an effort to ease delivery of aid.
Biden administration officials are in early talks to fund a peacekeeping force in Gaza, reports Politico. US officials have been clear the plan would not include American soldiers on the ground.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for more US aid, reports The Hill, saying his country is not prepared to defend against a “major” Russian offensive anticipated in the months ahead. He said Ukrainian forces were able to fend off Putin’s forces through the winter months but noted Russia’s troops and missile supplies destroyed “some villages.”
The FY 2024 State Department spending bill Congress passed late last month includes $300 million in foreign military financing for Taiwan, reports Defense News. The funding to buy more military equipment comes more than a year after Congress first authorized the cash assistance for Taipei. But the $300M falls short of the cumulative $4 billion in Taiwan military assistance in the foreign aid bill that remains stalled in the House.
An AH-64 Apache crash at the Army’s Fort Carson in Colorado last week sent two crew members to the hospital, causing a temporary aviation pause at the installation and marking the second time within three days the service experienced an Apache helicopter mishap, reports Army Times. Two crew members were treated for minor injuries. The incident marks the fourth to occur in the last two months.
A DoD Office of the Inspector General report says the Army doesn’t have enough “psychological operations, or PSYOP” soldiers to fight the information war with China and Russia, reports Task & Purpose. The report found the service has not recruited, trained, or retained a big enough workforce to meet the growing demand for Military Information Support Operations (MISO), which aim to influence the beliefs and actions of other countries’ populations.
Space Force leaders want to bring in space professionals from Air Force Reserve Command this summer, starting with Reservists in full-time status who volunteer for full-time duty, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine.
The US is being joined by Canada, Portugal, Bahrain, and Austria to lead a year-long effort to explore new safety guardrails for military artificial intelligence and automated systems, reports Breaking Defense. The “Five Eyes” will gather international feedback for a second global conference next year, in what representatives from both the defense and state departments say represents a vital government-to-government effort to safeguard artificial intelligence.
Marine Corps Times reports that more than 249,000 veterans will receive part of the $6 billion lawsuit settlement against 3M as part of the Combat Arms Earplug settlement announced in 2023. The $6B represents more than 99% of all of the claimants who filed suit against the company, accusing them of causing hearing damage in troops through faulty production of military-grade hearing protection.
Officials at Joint Task Force-Red Hill in Hawaii said they have completed their mission of safely defueling the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility months ahead of schedule, reports KHON2 Honolulu via msn.com. Officials said they removed 104,703,57 gallons of fuel from the facility, roughly six months ahead of schedule. The Pentagon transferred authority of Red Hill to the Navy to ensure its safe closure. In December 2021, the Navy halted operations at the fuel storage facility after a leak led to contaminated drinking water — forcing 700 people from their homes and sickening families, reports CNN.
The Association of Defense Communities announced it will honor three national Defense Community Champions at its summit April 8-10 in Arlington, VA. The Champions are Jana Evans, San Antonio Area Manager, Soldiers’ Angels, Alamo–San Antonio Region; Elizabeth Hartman, Commander, American Legion Post 539, Eastern North Carolina; and Mary Jane Jernigan, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army; president of the Freestate ChalleNGe Foundation; and president of the Maryland State AUSA, Chesapeake Science & Security Corridor.
St. Mary’s County native Rachel LaBatt returns as a finalist for Miss Maryland USA 2024, reports Southern Maryland News Net. Ms. LaBatt is a flight test engineer at NAS Pax River who spends her free time volunteering in the community.
Contracts:
BAE Systems, Information and Electronics, Nashua, New Hampshire, is awarded a $95,300,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001924F0095) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001922G0009). This order provides for research, development, and low-rate initial production efforts in support of the integration of the Advanced Survivability Pod for the P-8A aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (91.5%); Austin, Texas (6.3%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (2.2%), and is expected to be completed in January 2030. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,000,000 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.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, is awarded a $60,341,151 firm-fixed-price contract for the production and delivery of Airborne Electronic Attack System Enhancements B-Kits for Weapons Replacement Assemblies (WRA) 7s and 8s and Low Band Dedicated Receivers (LBDRs) as follows: 45 WRA-7 B-Kits (44 for the Navy and one for the government of Australia); 46 WRA-8 B-Kits (44 for the Navy, one for the government of Australia, and one spare for the Navy); and 80 LBDRs (29 for the Navy, 19 for the government of Australia, and 32 spares for the Navy) in support of upgrading the AN/ALQ-218 tactical jamming receiver on the EA-18G aircraft. Additionally, this contract provides engineering and technical support and associated data in support of EA-18G aircraft upgrades for the Navy and government of Australia. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Maryland (80%); and Bethpage, New York (20%), and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $37,804,032; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,364,552; and Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $9,172,567, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001924C0006).
Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, is awarded a $26,477,282 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide for organizational, selected intermediate, and limited depot level maintenance and logistics support services in support of the F-5 aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona (28%); Key West, Florida (28%); New Orleans, Louisiana (22%); Beaufort, South Carolina (15%); and Fallon, Nevada (7%) and is expected to be completed in June 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0042124D0013).
JFL Consulting LLC, Edgewater, Maryland, is awarded $19,120,667 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the design, delivery, installation, and maintenance of an internet protocol and radio frequency transport system in support of the US Naval Observatory. The contract will include an 18-month delivery period with three one-year option periods, one six-month option period, and an additional six-month ordering period option pursuant of Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 – option to extend services, which if exercised, will bring the total estimated value to $36,922,121. The base ordering period is expected to be completed by September 2025; if all options are exercised, the ordering period will be completed by October 2029. Work will be performed in Washington, DC (90%); and Colorado Springs, Colorado (10%). Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,854,000 will be obligated at time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This sole-source solicitation was posted on SAM.gov with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Norfolk Office, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00189-24-C-0007).
Management Services Group, doing business as Global Technical Systems, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $7,879,295 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-5307) to exercise options for production of the battle force tactical training and advanced training domain shipboard combat system training units and engineering support. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (91%); and the governments of Canada (5%) and Australia (4%), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by April 2025. Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,076,987 (90%); FMS Canada funds in the amount of $155,799 (5%); FMS Australia funds in the amount of $141,376 (4%); and fiscal 2023 Defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $24,569 (1%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
Navy Federal Credit Union, Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,558,417 modification (P00005) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HQ042323C0007 for banking and financial services to the Department of Defense (DOD) for the DOD Overseas Military Banking Program. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $9,490,941 from $1,932,524. The award is the result of a competitive acquisition for which one offer was received. The contract has a six-month transition-in period ending March 31, 2024, a one-year base option beginning April 1, 2024, and eight one-year option periods. Banking services will be performed in Cuba, Diego Garcia, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kwajalein Atoll, The Netherlands, Okinawa, Japan, and the United Kingdom, with home office operations in San Antonio, Texas. The expected completion date is March 31, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance, Army, Air Force, and Navy/Marines funds in the amount of $5,636,390 are being obligated at the time of award. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Florida, has been awarded a $23,869,671 firm-fixed-price contract for support of the courseware and instruction requirements at the multiple Air Force training locations. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; and Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2025. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,696,139 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8621-24-C-B005).
Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $10,070,934 modification (P00103) to contract W31P4Q-21-F-0095 for hardware in the loop modeling and simulation and development engineering services. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2025. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Nalu Tech Solutions Inc., Warrenton, Virginia, was awarded a $7,618,192 modification (P00008) to contract W912CN-21-C-0002 for command, control, communications, computers and information management service and support. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 28, 2025. 413th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Shafter, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.
Accenture Federal Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0006); Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0007); Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0008); Digital Mobilizations Inc., Arlington, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0010); KMPG LLP, McLean, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0009); BCG Federal Corp., Washington, DC (FA7014-20-D-0005); Guidehouse Inc., McLean, Virginia (FA7014-20-D-0004); and McKinsey & Co. Inc., Washington, DC (FA7014-20-D-0003), has been awarded a $750,000,000 ceiling increase modification to the Air Force Strategic Transformation Support multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract to provide advisory and assistance services to support the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Office of Business Transformation and Deputy Chief Management Officer in managing and improving strategic transformation initiatives at the enterprise level. This modification brings the total ceiling to $2,750,000,000. Work will be performed at various locations and is expected to be completed June 16, 2027. This award was the result of a competitive acquisition, and eight offers were received in June 2020. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $95,881,731 modification (P00028) to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N0001922C0041). This modification extends services to provide continued infrastructure support, to include engineering, maintenance, logistics, manpower, and material for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) laboratory facilities and F-35 developmental flight test activities in support of the F-35 JSF program for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and F-35 cooperative program partners. Work will be performed Fort Worth, Texas (81%); Orlando, Florida (7%); Linthicum, Maryland (3%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); San Diego, California (2%); El Segundo, California (2%); Samlesbury, United Kingdom (1%); and various locations within the continental US (1%) and is expected to be completed in June 2024. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $28,923,537; fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $28,923,537; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Air Force) funds in the amount of $10,284,851; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,284,851; and F-35 Cooperative Program Partners funds in the amount of $17,464,953, will be obligated at the time of award, $20,569,702 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
BGI-ASI JV LLC, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is awarded a not-to-exceed $202,100,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to procure new and modified Navigation, Seamanship, and Shiphandling Training Systems (NSST), continued life cycle support of existing NSST systems, as well as the continued establishment and fielding of a single scalable NSST software baseline in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (26.2%); San Diego, California (26.2%); Newport, Rhode Island (13.5%); Orlando, Florida (8.1%); Yokosuka, Japan (5.9%); Mayport, Florida (5.9%); Everett, Washington (3.6%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (3.6%); Sasebo, Japan (3.5%); Rota, Spain (3.5%), and is expected to be completed in March 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. NAWCTSD, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N6134024D0008).
BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP, Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $25,660,884 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-16-C-0006) for Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV). The total cumulative face value of the contract is $2,759,200,867. This contract modification provides for the exercise of options for the procurement of six full rate production ACV personnel variants and associated production, fielding and support costs, and cyclic maintenance. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (60%); Aiken, South Carolina (15%); San Jose, California (15%); Sterling Heights, Michigan (5%); and Stafford, Virginia (5%), with an expected completion date of July 2026. Fiscal 2024 procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $25,660,884 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-16-C-0006).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price modification (P00106) of $55,920,942 to previously awarded contract FA8615-17-C-6047 for F-16 aircraft radar systems. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed May 30, 2031. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,609,959,929. Fiscal 2023 Air Force aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $35,209,482; fiscal 2022 and 2023 National Guard and Reserve Equipment Activity funds in the amount of $14,498,022; and fiscal 2022, 2023, and 2024 Navy aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $6,213,438, for a total of $55,920,942, are being obligated at the time of award. The contracting activity is Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Chenega Security International LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a firm-fixed price contract (HQ003423C0035) valued at $12,055,379 to provide security, engineering, technical, and advisory assistance to the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA). Fiscal 2023 Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving Funds in the amount of $6,314,729 are being obligated at the time of award. The total if all options are exercised is $35,000,000. The contractor shall be required to provide program and project management, full lifecycle systems engineering, technical construction management, system design and integration, quantitative analysis, and budget and acquisition support. The contractor shall provide support for the design, development, implementation, and administration of PFPA systems, construction projects, and analytical efforts. The work will be performed at the Pentagon Reservation, Arlington, Virginia; the Suffolk Building, Falls Church, Virginia; and at Raven Rock Mountain Complex. The estimated contract completion date is March 27, 2028. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
National Industries for the Blind, Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $9,605,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the moisture wicking t-shirts. This is a one-year contract with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are North Carolina and New Jersey, with a March 27, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-24-D-B015).
