March 28, 2024

Barrett Sworn In as Air Force Secretary

Barbara Barrett

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.

New Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett was sworn in late last week, reports Air Force Times. She is the 25th secretary of the service and the fourth woman to serve as the Air Force’s top civilian leader. Among her priorities is expanding the service’s fleet of F-35 Lightning IIs.

The first of a dozen additional KC-135 refueling aircraft has arrived at Fairchild Air Force Base in Washington state, ahead of the reactivation of the 97th Air Refueling Squadron, reports Air Force Times.

The Navy’s next-generation satellite communications system passed its final test before operational capability determination, UPI News reports. The Mobile User Objective System  completed its required Multiservice Operational Test and Evaluation and was judged to be operationally effective.

Chief of Naval Operations ADM Michael Gilday says the Navy must get ships out of the maintenance docks more quickly and keep improving its weaponry to meet changing security threats, reports Stars and Stripes. The admiral stressed strengthening cybersecurity during his confirmation hearing in July, Defense News reported at the time.

The US has reduced its troop strength in Afghanistan over the past year, Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, commander of American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said during a news conference Monday, reports The Washington Post.

A research vessel is looking for World War II warships that sank during the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean. Weeks of searches around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands have led to one sunken warship, the Japanese aircraft carrier Kaga, reports Navy Times.

A recent report finds that veterans’ sensitive personal information was stored unprotected on two servers, reports Military.com. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General says this might expose vets to fraud and identity theft.

Defense News reports Taiwan’s defense minister says his country’s program to upgrade its F-16 fleet is expected to finish on schedule in 2022, despite ongoing delays.

DoD is looking into the U.S. Army’s $45 billion effort to replace the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, reports Defense One. Officials disqualified one potential competitor, leaving just one company to bid for the project.

USS Constitution celebrated its 222nd Birthday on Oct. 18, 2019. (US Navy photo9 by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Casey Scoular)

The USS Constitution sailed in Boston Harbor last week to celebrate its 222nd birthday and the US Navy’s 244th birthday, reports Navy Times. The ship, also known as “Old Ironsides,” is the world’s oldest commissioned warship still afloat.

A group classified as a church by the Internal Revenue Service that goes by the name The Satanic Temple is fighting the US Naval Academy in order to gain the right to hold meetings on academy grounds, reports Patch.com.

If you’re not able to score World Series tickets when the Washington Nationals play in DC later this week, you can still watch the away games at Nationals Park, report WTOP News. The ballpark will host watch parties.

Honor Allen was the 2019 US National Oyster Shucking Champion at last weekend’s US Oyster Fest in Leonardtown, MD, reports the Rotary Club of Lexington Park. The Florida resident’s shucking time was 1 minute, 59.22 seconds and his final time was 2 minute, 20.22 seconds. Mr. Allen will compete in the International Oyster Opening Contest in Ireland for the third time in 2020.

Contracts:

Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded a $128,450,262 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Mobile Sensors operations and maintenance. This contract provides for non-personal services for operations and maintenance services that will ensure the availability of the Cobra King and Gray Star’s radar facility to collect on 100% of the tasked data collection opportunities that pass through its field of view with the necessary support provided 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Work will be performed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and locations overseas and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2021. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $22,722,616 are being obligated at the time of award. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Detachment 2, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA7022-17-D-0001).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $18,253,921 modification (P00003) to a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-19-F-0272) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026) in support of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system. This order procures material kits and retrofit labor to incorporate the Integrated Functional Capability (IFC) 4.0 configuration into one retrofit ground segment and fully fund the IFC 4.0 retrofit install labor for aircraft B10. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (41.2%); Palmdale, California (30.7%); Waco, Texas (9.9%); Salt Lake City, Utah (2.9%); Newtown, North Dakota (2.5%) Verona, Wisconsin (1.6%); Sterling, Virginia (1.5%); Irvine, California (1%); San Clemente, California (0.7%); and various locations inside and outside the continental US (7.9% and 0.1%, respectively).  Work is expected to be completed in February 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,253,921 are being 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.

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