Border Wall Gets $3.6B MILCON from DoD

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.

DoD will move $3.6 billion out of 127 projects next year to build 175 miles of border wall, reports Military Times. The re-purposing of these un-obligated military construction funds, will build new or reinforce existing barriers in 11 locations, ultimately reducing the need for troops in those areas. Pentagon officials began identifying potential for military construction cuts earlier this year.

US reconnaissance and weather monitoring aircraft have been flying in and out of Hurricane Dorian and have some “wild” photos, reports Business Insider. CNN live reports that Hurricane Dorian is expected to hit Hilton Head, South Carolina, between 6 and 8 am Thursday morning and continue up the coast. Ordered evacuations were in full swing Wednesday.

A military disaster response is already underway; the Coast Guard is already fighting Dorian and the National Guard staged for storm response needs, reports Military Times. The Ralph H. Johnson VA medical center in South Carolina canceled all appointments for the rest of this week, reports Military Times.

The Navy earned the dubious honor of highest obesity rate in the military, reports Military Times, with the overall number of obese personnel at 22 percent. The Air Force followed with 18 percent, Army 17 percent and Marine Corps 8.3 percent.

In his new book, former DefSec Jim Mattis makes clear “I don’t write about sitting presidents.” But, Military Times
reports, he has plenty to say about some previous ones.

Air Force 1st Lt. Chelsey Hibsch became the first female airman to earn the Army Ranger tab, reports Air Force Times. Nearly 300 airmen have earned the Ranger tab since the Army started accepting airmen into its school 64 years ago.

A US withdrawal from Afghanistan could trigger “catastrophic” civil war, acording to nine former US diplomats. NBC News reports the warning came as the Trump administration announced an agreement in principle with the Taliban in which 5,000 US troops would leave in 135 days. “A major troop withdrawal must be contingent on a final peace,” the former diplomats wrote. “The initial US drawdown should not go so far or so fast that the Taliban believe that they can achieve military victory.”

The Trump administration placed new sanctions on Iran’s space agency, reports The Washington Post. Iran is accused of developing ballistic missiles surreptitiously under the guise of a program purported to launch satellites. “The United States will not allow Iran to use its space launch program as cover to advance its ballistic missile programs,” SecState Mike Pompeo said.

Four military K-9s to receive the K-9 Medal of Courage for their extraordinary valor during service, reports Military Times. It is the highest honor given for military dogs.

Kongsberg partners with Raytheon in bid for Hungarian air defense contract, reports Defense News. Hungary wishes to purchase a medium-range missile system. Kongsberg offers the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, jointly developed with Raytheon. Kongsberg hopes its previous sale of the system to Lithuania will help it secure a contract from Budapest.

Lockheed makes its pitch to Polish industry in exchange for an F-35 deal, reports Defense News, offering to deliver new-generation Block 4 versions and ensuring that selected components for the jets are produced by Polish manufacturers.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Sept. 3, 2019.

Contracts:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (N00189-19-D-Z033); and University of Virginia Darden School Foundation Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z034), are being awarded multiple award, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts worth $24,535,554 that will include terms and conditions for the placement of firm-fixed-price task orders to provide academic programs to educate the Department of the Navy acquisition personnel in support of the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a 60-month base ordering period and an option for a six-month ordering period; if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $27,496,527. The base ordering period of the contract is expected to be completed by September 2024; if the option is exercised, the ordering period will be completed by March 2025.  All work will be performed at various contractor locations throughout the US, and the percentage of work at each of the contractor facilities cannot be determined at this time.  Fiscal 2019 acquisition workforce development funds (Department of Defense) in the amount of $2,000 will be obligated ($1,000 on each of the two contracts to fund the contracts’ minimum amounts), and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured for the award of multiple contracts pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504. The requirement was solicited through the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet, Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $97,530,579 modification (P00064) to contract W912DY-16-F-0093 for management and technical support necessary to advance high performance computing services, capabilities, infrastructure and technologies. Work will be performed in Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Lorton, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 18, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,012,268 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.