Biden Wants All-Electric Military Vehicle Fleet

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 wants to require that the US military implement an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2030. And Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm believes “we can get there,” reports Fox News. Granholm was speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. Among critics of the plan is Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who called plans for a fully electric military “expensive” and “unreliable” that would cost billions, reports Fox.

Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri is working to convert to electric vehicles but is finding that charging them remains a challenge. There are more than 700 government-owned, non-tactical vehicles on the post. As it works to make all of them electric vehicles over the next dozen years, the post is outsourcing its charging stations to the local utility co-operative, reports WUSF Public Media. All Army garrison commanders will work with industry and utility suppliers to determine how best to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure on every Army installation, according to the 2022 Army Climate Strategy.

The Army has been leading the way in pilot programs for electric and hybrid vehicles, Modern War Institute reported last year. To meet Biden administration goals, for example, Oshkosh Defense demonstrated a hybrid Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, while General Motors had shown off an all-electric version of its Infantry Squad Vehicle and a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of its Chevy Colorado marketed at the military. BAE had been working on a hybrid Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle for several years.

A recent report found that between 2008 and 2020, the US Navy reported $4 billion in damages due to fires on ships undergoing maintenance, reports Navy Times. The service’s ongoing efforts to improve safety should be enhanced, according to the April 2023 Government Accountability Office report. While there are fire safety trainings and drills for ship crews, there isn’t a Navy-wide standard for evaluating how effective these trainings are, the report states.

Three US Army soldiers died and another was injured when a pair of AH-64 Apache helicopters crashed in Alaska, reports Army Times. The helicopters were based at Fort Wainwright, AK. They were returning from a training flight. The crash on Thursday is the second serious Apache crash in Alaska this year. On Saturday, the Army identified the soldiers who were killed as Christopher Robert Eramo, 39, of New York; Kyle D. McKenna, 28, of Colorado; and Stewart Duane Wayment, 32, of Utah, reports Army Times.

Army Chief of Staff James McConville has ordered a 24-hour safety stand-down of the service’s aviation units this week following the crashes, reports ABC News.

Comcast said it will expand its Xfinity 10G Network to more than 17,500 homes and businesses in St. Mary’s County, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The company will deliver its full suite of Xfinity and Comcast Business services to communities in Broad Creek, California, Callaway, Great Mills, Lexington Park, and Wildewood, with the expansion expected to be completed in 2028.

The US Navy’s chief technology officer, Don Yeske, said that had the Pentagon’s zero-trust policy already been implemented the recent classified document leak could have been limited, reports C4IRSNET. While a zero-trust approach to network defense might not have prevented the leak, the underlying tenets would have helped DoD detect the security breach sooner.

The US Air Force suspended two leaders of suspected classified document leaker Jack Teixeira’s Massachusetts Air National Guard unit last week, reports CNN. The suspensions came one week after the unit stopped performing its intelligence mission amid the investigation into the leaks.

The US military sent teams of hackers into foreign networks to hunt SolarWinds Corp. and Microsoft hackers days after a major cyberattack was made on federal agencies in 2020, reports The Wall Street Journal via msn.com. An executive with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency spoke last week publicly offering details for the first time. Nine agencies had been comprised at the time. ARN offers a timeline of the SolarWinds hack.

The US plans to dock nuclear submarines in South Korea for first time since the 1970s, reports The Associated Press. This conspicuous show of support to Seoul comes amid growing concern about nuclear threats by North Korea, according to senior Biden administration officials.

Joshua Jacobs is now the head of Veterans Affairs’ benefits operations, after US Senate confirmation last week, reports Military Times. This key department leadership post has not had anyone permanently in that position for more than two years.

The US Postal Service told its 635,000-employee workforce that an ongoing effort to consolidate its delivery network won’t result in layoffs, reports Federal News Network.

US Army Fort Lee, named after Confederate GEN Robert E. Lee, will now honor two pioneering Black officers, reports NPR. LT GEN Arthur Gregg, the first African American to achieve such a high rank, retired in 1981 after serving as the Army’s deputy chief of staff, logistics. He becomes the only living soldier in modern history to have an installation named in his honor. LT COL Charity Adams joined the newly created Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in 1942 and was the highest-ranking Black woman of World War II. A renaming ceremony was held last week at Fort Gregg-Adams near Petersburg, VA.

Since 1990, the Patuxent River Rugby Club has been Southern Maryland’s only rugby team, reports The BayNet. The team is part of the D4 Mid Atlantic Cup, composed of teams all across the region. “Rugby is a sport for everyone. As we are an amateur team, there aren’t any tryouts, but we typically have a core group of players who have been playing a while, and as we are in close proximity to Patuxent naval base, we do have a lot of military guys on the team,” said Ryan Davies. He recommends that those who miss team sports or want to get involved in a team sport should check out Pax Rugby.

Maryland Matters takes a look at Gov. Wes Moore’s first 100 days in office. Between Moore and his Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, they have been to every county in the state at least once since their inauguration January 18. Some advocacy groups offered their assessments of the recently completed General Assembly session and the administration’s performance.

Gov. Moore was able to get all 10 items on his legislative agenda passed. Some analysts believe he laid the foundation for a strong working relationship with the legislature in the future, reports Capital News Service. “If you’re a governor and you’re going into a [legislative] session and you make it clear at the outset that these are the things that I want to have accomplished, then the session comes to an end and you get to sign some variation of each of those things, that’s the definition of success,” said Todd Eberly, professor of political science and public policy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

St. Mary’s County will join the ranks of 20 other Maryland counties who have integrated both the establishment and enforcement components of its child support program under one umbrella at the St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. The move is expected to save county government more than $330,000 each year. The move aims to provide a more convenient and efficient experience for residents who need child support services.

The prediction of a modern-day gold rush in California is following the series of intense winter storms eroding rock from waterways, reports WSAZ News Channel 3 in Placerville, CA. “As the water comes down really quickly, especially in steep canyons, it hits the banks and washes fresh dirt right off the banks and liberates new, fresh deposits of gold right into the water,” said Mark Dayton, a metal detector expert.

Contracts:

Avian Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $12,874,549 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00017) to a previously awarded contract (N0042122C0020). This modification exercises options to provide engineering, program management, and administrative support for the design, execution, analysis, evaluation, and reporting of tests and experiments for various aircraft, unmanned air systems, weapons, and weapon systems in support of the Test and Evaluation Program Leadership Division within the Naval Test Wing Atlantic. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in April 2024. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $273,005; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,287,595; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,676,222; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,098,030; fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $555,881; fiscal 2023 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $270,404; fiscal 2023 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $139,083; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $731,058 will be obligated at the time of award, $1,792,994 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $20,671,223 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00080) to a previously awarded contract (N6893617C0052). This modification extends the period of performance to continue aircraft maintenance, modification and aircrew support to include organizational-level aircraft maintenance and logistics support on aircraft, systems/subsystems aircrew systems, search-and-rescue equipment, and support equipment for P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules, E-2D Hawkeye, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Super Hornet, E/A-18 Growler, AV-8B Harrier II, and H-60 Sea Hawk aircraft in support of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic. Work will be performed in China Lake, California (60%); Point Mugu, California (30%); Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii (2%); Naval Air Station Lemoore, California (2%); Patrick AFB, Florida (1%); Holloman AFB, New Mexico (1%); NAS Patuxent River, Maryland (1%); Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona (1%); MCAS Miramar, California (1%); and North Island, California (1%), and is expected to be completed in August 2023. Working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,084,876 will be obligated at the time of award, none‬ of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Minneapolis, Minnesota, was awarded $28,343,145 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-21-C-5393 to exercise options for the MK 41 Vertical Launching System mechanical design agent effort providing design and system engineering support, logistics, and integration support. Work will be performed in Minneapolis, Minnesota (42%); Norfolk, Virginia (18%); San Diego, California (18%); Aberdeen, South Dakota (9%); Bath, Maine (6%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (6%); and Redzikowo, Poland (1%), and is expected to be completed by April 2024. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,685,361 (48%); fiscal 2022 Defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $4,550,000 (20%); fiscal 2023 Defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,977,540 (18%); fiscal 2023 Defense-wide procurement funds in the amount of $2,568,489 (11%); and fiscal 2023 Defense-wide operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $635,843 (3%) will be obligated at time of award, of which $635,843 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 25, 2023)

International Systems Management Corp., Greenbelt, Maryland, is awarded a $21,448,365 cost-plus-fixed fee and cost-only contract for engineering support services to conduct feasibility studies, program planning and scheduling support, and technical services for Australian Surface Combatant Combat System Ship Qualification Trials, and the Canadian Surface Combatant program. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $38,323,086. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Australia and Canada. Work will be performed in Washington, DC (92%); Sarasota, Florida (4%); and Mobile, Alabama (4%), and is expected to be completed by April 2026. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2028. FMS (Australia) funds in the amount of $3,615,917 (58%); and FMS (Canada) funds in the amount of $2,587,160 (42%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements) and 10 US Code 3204(a)(4) (International Agreement). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-5156).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded an $28,662,064 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00077) to contract FA8615-17-C-6047 for Active Electronically Scanned Array radars of Air Force F-16 aircraft. This modification is for continued radar development. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,509,974,169. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed April 28, 2025. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,624,197, for a total of $1,445,401,537, are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

IBM Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $16,930,057 firm-fixed-price modification (P00033) to contract FA7014-19-F-A152 for advisory and assistance support. This modification provides funding for Option Year Four that continues support for the development, implementations, analysis and provision of policies, guidance, oversight, career-field management and human-capital management programs across the civil engineer enterprise. Work will be performed in Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed Aug. 2, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $16,930,057 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 24, 2023)

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $7,795,532,764 fixed-price incentive (firm target), firm-fixed-fee modification (P00026) to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract (N0001920C0009). This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of 126 Lot 17 F-35 aircraft to include 81 F-35A aircraft (43 for the US Air Force, eight for the Government of Finland, seven for the Government of Italy, six for the Government of The Netherlands, six for the Government of Poland, four for the Government of Japan, four for the Government of Belgium, and three for the Government of Denmark); 26 F-35B aircraft (15 for the US Marine Corps, seven for the Government of the United Kingdom, two for the Government of Italy, and two for the Government of Japan); and 19 F-35C (13 for the US Navy and six for the US Marine Corps). Additionally, this modification exercises options to provide for air system diminishing manufacturing sources integration, software data loads, critical safety items, and red gear for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (57%); 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%); Nagoya, Japan (2%); and various location outside the continental US (2%), and is expected to be completed in August 2026. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funding in the amount $2,561,714,872; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,410,665,589; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $10,665,612; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,665,612; FMS customer funds in the amount of $1,497,071,084; and non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $1,300,749,995 will be obligated at the time of award, $21,331,224‬ of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $7,620,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the production and delivery of E-2D aircraft common equipment in support E-2D trainer aircraft for the government of France. Work will be performed in Largo, Florida (27.6%); Woodland Hills, California (20.9%); Melbourne, Florida (16.7%); Orlando, Florida (15.8%); Linthicum Heights, Maryland (6.4%); Hayward, California (6.3%); Sylmar, California (2.8%); Ronkonkoma, New York (2.7%); and various locations within the continental US (0.8%) and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $7,620,000 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 6.302-4. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N6134023C0013).

DCS Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $2,090,987,106 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical and engineering services support for the Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 27, 2031. US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-23-D-0017).

Northrop Grumman Corp., Chandler, Arizona, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded other transaction prototype agreement to extend the existing period of performance. The value of this modification is $29,361,147, which increases the total value of the agreement to $155,659,655. Under this modification, the performer will continue to develop and refine their Glide Phase Intercept (GPI) concept during the technology development phase. The work will be performed in Chandler, Arizona; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Huntsville, Alabama; San Diego, California; and Linthicum, Maryland. The modification period of performance is from April 28, 2023, through March 12, 2024. This initial agreement was competitively awarded using Other Transaction Authority provided by 10 US Code 4022 through the Enhanced Hypersonic Defense Broad Agency Announcement with Glide Phase Interceptor Special Topic, HQ0851-21-S-0001. Research, development, test, and evaluation funds will be used to fund the modification. The government will obligate in the amount of $29,361,147 at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ08512290002).

ENSCO Inc., Springfield, Virginia, has been awarded a $24,152,156 firm-fixed price task order (FA2521-23-F-0149) for the Systems Engineering & Integration Support Stopgap contract. This contract provides for interim mission critical support to integrate new systems, upgrades and modifications of fielded systems and services into the Launch and Test Range System and to standardize systems engineering processes across both the Eastern and Western Ranges. This stopgap award represents an imminent need to avoid a lapse in system engineering and integration services during transition to the upcoming Space Force Range Contract. Work will be performed at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; Vandenberg Space Force Base and Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; and Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. The work is expected to be completed April 30, 2025. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds; and research and development funds in the amount of $12,076,078 are being obligated at the time of award. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick Space Force, Florida, is the contracting activity (47QRAA-20-D006C).

ENSCO Inc., Springfield, Virginia, has been awarded an $18,058,385 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the US Space Force, Space Systems Center, Space Training Acquisition Office and Defensive Cyber Operations – Space systems engineering and integration bridge. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2024. This award is the result of sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $11,412,668 are being obligated at the time of award. Space Systems Center, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA8820-23-C-0003).

Accenture Federal Services LLC, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a sole-source contract (HT003823C0004) with an estimated value of $24,001,674. This contract supports the Program Executive Office – Defense Healthcare Management Systems, Joint Operational Medicine Information Systems Program Management Office’s Globally-Integrated Medical Common Operating Picture initiative for providing enterprise-wide real-time medical situational information and facilitating operational medicine information sharing and collaboration inside and outside the medical community. This contract includes a 12-month base period with four 12-month option periods, with estimated completion date of April 2028. Work location is within the contiguous US, outside of the contiguous US, or both. The contract is funded with fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance; procurement; and research, development, testing and evaluation funds. The Defense Health Agency, Defense Healthcare Management Systems Contracting Division, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 18, 2023.)

IntelliDyne LLC, Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $14,536,385 modification of a previously awarded, firm-fixed-price bridge task order (HT001123F0005) to continue network support services at Defense Health Agency (DHA) headquarters locations. The extent of the information technology (IT) support services to be provided includes operating and maintaining, and the transition to, a fully integrated site, and enterprise IT support model for all current DHA headquarters sites, network domains currently referred to as the DHA Network (DHAN), as well as all respective IT network, systems support services, associated infrastructures, and enclaves. Work will be primarily performed at Defense Health Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia, along with other locations in Virginia; San Antonio, Texas; Aurora, Colorado; San Diego, California; Great Lakes, Illinois; Silver Spring, Maryland; and Fort Detrick, Maryland. The total contract value and total obligated value is now $29,072,756. Operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $14,536,385 are obligated for fiscal 2023 to fund Option Year One with a period of performance from May 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2023. The Defense Health Agency, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity (GS-35F-0151S). (Awarded April 26, 2023)