Arson Suspected in Bonhomme Richard Fire

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.

Arson is suspected as the cause of a July 12 fire that damaged the USS Bonhomme Richard, reports The Associated Press. The fire on the amphibious assault ship, docked in San Diego, burned for more than four days. A US Navy sailor was being questioned.

China’s military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a “carrier killer” that military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, reports The Associated Press. This came as DefSec Mark Esper embarked on a trip to Hawaii, Guam, and Palau. DefSec Esper’s visit to the tiny Pacific island of Palau was part of a campaign to counter China’s efforts to supplant America as the dominant Pacific region power, reports The Associated Press.

In the latest move against China, the US blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals over construction and military actions in the South China Sea, reports Reuters.

A former US Navy pilot and TOPGUN instructor tells Business Insider that he was “not surprised” by the artificial intelligence victory in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency simulated dogfight earlier this month. Guy Snodgrass said that the pilot was forced to play the AI’s game and that the AI algorithm would likely have “crashed and burned” in the real world. Aviation Today reports that during a live YouTube Q&A session, Benjamin Bell, a senior machine learning engineer at Heron Systems Inc. said that he believed one of the advantages of their AI agent was the way they configured its neural network combat learning capabilities. Fun fact from the folks at Heron: “Heron actually stands for Helping Enhanced Robots Overwhelm Non-robots.”

Joint Base Andrews’ 1st Helicopter Squadron conducted a flyover last week to commemorate 100 years of women’s right to vote. Watch the WJLA ABC7 video here.

The US Marine Corps is looking for more female infantry officers, reports Marine Corps Times. The call is being directed at active duty female company grade officers who joined the corps before the infantry field was opened to women in 2016.

Brig. Gen. Paul Stanton will be the US Army Cyber Command’s new deputy commanding general of operations, reports C4ISRNET.

The 411th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, achieved the first successful flight of the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS) earlier this month, the Air Force reports. The event marked the first flight of the CRIIS at the base’s flight test range, and it was also the first flight on a fifth-generation fighter platform.

 

 

Two service members died from injuries sustained when their MH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during an aircraft mishap while training in California, reports Army Times. Staff Sgt. Vincent Marketta, 33, of Brick, NJ, and Sgt. Tyler M. Shelton, 22, of San Bernardino, CA, were killed Thursday during aviation training on San Clemente Island. Three other soldiers also were injured.

Two Russian aircraft made an intercept – described as unsafe and unprofessional — of a US Air Force B-52 bomber over the Black Sea late last week and in international waters, reports CNN.

Two Maryland women are competing for the Ms. Veteran America title, reports The Baltimore Sun. The contest is a fundraising event for Final Salute Inc., an organization focused on female veteran housing insecurity. Army Lt. Col. Rose Forrest is an active duty member of the Maryland National Guard. Navy Lt. Yvonne Armstrong is a professor of economics at the US Naval Academy.

Tesla founder Elon Musk made a presentation showing how his Neuralink link program to connect the human brain to computer chips has worked on a pig, reports Fox Business. Such devices — “about the size of a large coin” — will one day be implanted in humans in under an hour using a custom robot that is now under development, Musk said.

A federal judge denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against a housing company at Fort Meade, reports The Baltimore Sun. Eleven families filed a class-action lawsuit over property conditions. Conditions described in the lawsuit include mold, pests, and lack of response to maintenance. The lawsuit includes 15 counts against Corvias Property Management.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown said airmen are experiencing unwanted stressors amid COVID-19, raising concerns about mental health and resiliency in the force, reports Military.com. The service’s leaders fear the Air Force is on track to match record suicide rates from last year.

For reasons unknown, a Russian submarine surfaced near Alaska late last week during a Russian military exercise, reports Military Times.

The Pentagon is pushing back on Russian’s claim that the US is responsible for the collision of military vehicles in Syria last week that injured four American service members, reports The Associated Press.

According to the August 2020 Housing Market Update, St. Mary’s County, MD, is running out of homes to sell, reports The Baynet. At this time last year, there were 493 active listings. Now, there are 174, which is a 64.71% decrease, according to the report.

Herbert Gutierrez, 54, a US Navy veteran, was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing from a Military Sealift Command warehouse in San Diego, where he worked as a civilian after a 20-year military career, Navy Times reports. Prosecutors said he stole more than $2.5 million worth of goods.

A New York City man has pleaded guilty to his role in a scheme to manufacture counterfeit brand-name clothing overseas that was then sold in the US, including to the military in violation of federal law, reports Military Times. Bernard Klein, 39, who entered his plea last week, conspired with wholesaler Ramin Kohanbash, 50, and at least one other person, to arrange the production of goods in China and Pakistan that carried fake labels identical to genuine US trademarks.

Contracts:

Raytheon Co., Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, California, is awarded an $8,357,826 modification (P00079) to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract N00019-16-C-0002. This modification provides additional contractor logistics support maintainers for pre-operational support to facilitate logistics and maintenance activities in support of the Next Generation Jammer engineering and manufacturing development and test and evaluation activities. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (49%); Point Mugu, California (38%); and Crane, Indiana (13%), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $8,357,826 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.

Bowhead Mission Solutions LLC, Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $115,752,117 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for system engineering and technical assistance support for the Center of Excellence, Space and Missile Defense School. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 8, 2025. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91260-20-F-5002).

Aptim Aecom Decommissioning, Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $42,861,305 hybrid (cost-plus-incentive-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for decommissioning and disposal activities for the Stationary Medium Power Plant Number 1 Reactor Facility in Fort Belvoir. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 1, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $42,861,305 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-20-C-0031).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $93,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This requirement is for a follow-on to continue performance of highly specialized technical services in support of product data systems, data management, migration processes and transformation initiatives. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and is expected to completed May 9, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The first order obligates fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance; and working capital funds in the amount of $19,847,079. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins AFB, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8571-20-D-0006).

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $58,905,547 modification (P00004) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-19-C-0051. This modification provides for the development of Adaptive Radar Countermeasure (ARC) Software/Firmware (SW/FW) capabilities and integration of ARC SW/FW on the AN/ALQ-214A electronic countermeasure host. ARC SW/FW supplements F/A-18C-F survivability in the presence of radio frequency guided surface-to-air and air-to-air weapons systems. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (50%); Clifton, New Jersey (25%); Goleta, California (10%); St. Louis, Missouri (10%); Raleigh, North Carolina (3%); and Huntsville, Alabama (2%), and is expected to be completed in February 2024. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,894,969 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.

Nexagen Networks Inc., Morganville, New Jersey, is awarded a $45,970,509 single-award, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide subject matter expertise in the areas of program management; development management; operation support; systems engineering support; systems administration; information assurance; network security; configuration management; service desk support; web application development and technical writing in support of the management and operation of the coalition and allied programs and the Naval Tool for Interoperability and Risk Assessment under Naval Information Forces. The contract will include a five-year base ordering period with 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 value to $49,700,700. The base ordering period is expected to be completed by September 2025; if the option is exercised, the ordering period will be completed by March 2026. Work will be performed in Suffolk, Virginia (60%); Norfolk, Virginia (20%); Honolulu, Hawaii (15%); and various continental US locations (5%). Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (OMN) funds in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated to fund the contract’s minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Annual OMN funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504 and solicited through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and the Federal Business Opportunities websites, with four offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00189-20-D-0027).

Immix Technology Inc., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $17,637,924 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SP4701-20-F-0161) against five-year basic ordering agreement NNG-15-S-C39B with one five-year option period for IBM software maintenance support renewal. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with an Aug. 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using customer is the Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $25,649,894 modification (P00050) to contract FA4890-16-C-0012 for the T‐38 aircraft maintenance program. The modification will provide intermediate and organizational maintenance of T‐38 aircraft for Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command and Air Force Global Strike Command. Work will be performed at Beale Air Force Base, California; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Tyndall AFB, Florida; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance funds will be used, but no funds will be obligated at time of award. Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis AFB, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Range Generation Next LLC, Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $17,620,089 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P000313) to contract FA8806-15-C-0001 for cyber hardened infrastructure support Phases Three and Four. This modification supports an increase in launch and test range requirements. Work will be performed at Eastern Range, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; and Western Range, Vandenberg AFB, California, and is expected to be completed Feb. 24, 2023. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson AFB, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA8806-15-C-0001).

Credence Management Solutions LLC, Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,661,142, bilateral second option for task order FA3002-18-F-0162 to continue providing flight training operations support to Air Education and Training Command fighter aircrew at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) Randolph and Lackland, Texas; Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi; Laughlin AFB, Texas; Vance AFB, Oklahoma; Tucson Air National Guard (ANG) Base, Arizona; Little Rock ANG Base, Arkansas; Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida; Fort Rucker, Alabama; and the US Air Force Academy, Colorado, and is expected to be completed August 2021. This task order incorporates the addition of two schedulers at JBSA–Randolph, and the Service Contract Labor Standards, Department of Labor Wage Determinations and the Collective Bargaining Unit for Altus AFB. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Installation Contracting Center, JBSA-Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity.

Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded an $18,808,103 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for medical research to implement a multifaceted artificial intelligence initiative at the Biotechnology High-Performance Computing Software Applications Institute to support scientific research in multiple areas of military medicine. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 16, 2023. Fiscal 2020 Defense Health Program and research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $4,673,419 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W81XWH-20-C-0031).

EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc., Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded an $8,025,292 firm-fixed-price contract to address groundwater contamination resulting from historical releases at Kirtland Air Force Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 27, 2025. Fiscal 2020 environmental restoration, defense funds in the amount of $8,025,292 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (W912PP-20-C-0020).

La Jolla Logic, San Diego, California (M68909-20-D-7601); Pueo Business Solutions LLC, Fredericksburg, Virginia (M68909-20-D-7602); Axcend, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (M68909-20-D-7604); Lumbee Tribe Enterprises LLC, Pembroke, North Carolina (M68909-20-D-7605); and Trillion Technology Solutions, Inc., Reston, Virginia (M68909-20-D-7606), are being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for network, engineering, testing and cybersecurity support services with an estimated ceiling value of $46,000,000. Work will be performed in Camp Pendleton, California, and is expected to be complete by May 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $1,500 will be obligated on the first task order immediately following contract award and funds will expire the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website, with 17 offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, Camp Pendleton, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Aug. 27, 2020)

Coastal Marine Services Inc., San Diego, California (N50054-20-D-0007); and Thermcor Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N50054-20-D-0008), are each being awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts to provide insulation and lagging removal and installation. Coastal Marine Services Inc. is awarded an $18,903,577 contract and Thermcor Inc. is awarded a $23,020,821 contract for a total amount of $41,924,398. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by August 2021, and if all options are exercised, by August 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $24,000 ($12,000 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This multiple award contract was procured as a small business set-aside via the beta.Sam.gov website with two offers received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.