Cautious Election Optimism: No Cyber Attack, Yet
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.
Federal authorities were cautiously optimistic early Wednesday about having made it through voting season without major disruption by cyberattacks or other malign activity — but they cautioned that could still happen in the coming days, reports NPR.org.
The US undertook a cyber operation against Iran as part of an effort to secure the 2020 election, reports The Washington Post. The move against Iranian hackers working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps came shortly after they launched an operation two weeks ago posing as a far-right group to send threatening emails to American voters and also posted a video aimed at driving down confidence in the voting process.
Voting day ran smoothly, but authorities remain prepared for disruptions after final results are announced in Tuesday’s presidential election, reports The New York Times. A former senior analyst with the Department of Homeland Security who focuses on domestic terrorism warned, “The period after the election is going to be more volatile and higher risk because you’re going to be dealing with the aftermath of the election results.”
In the days leading up to Tuesday’s presidential election, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley tamped speculation about military involvement in the election in an off-the-record video call with top generals and network anchors, reports Axios. Mr. Milley said the US military would have no role whatsoever in a peaceful transfer of power.
Pentagon research office, DARPA, wants innovative tools to spot influence campaigns, reports C4ISRNET.com. A new broad agency announcement shows that the Pentagon’s top research arm wants to work with industry to develop technology that can track adversarial influence operations across social media platforms.
The integration of the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray tanker drones with the E-2C/D Hawkeye command and control aircraft looks headed to Naval Base Ventura County, in Point Mugu, CA, where it appears the service will stand up its first MQ-25A unit, Unmanned Carrier Launched Multi-Role Squadron 10, or VUQ-10, reports The Drive.
The DoD inspector general has canceled a planned audit of the department’s diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity training following an executive order from President Donald Trump barring instruction within the federal government that includes topics such as systemic racism and implicit bias, reports Military.com.
The State Department has notified Congress its clearance for DoD to sell aerial drones to Taiwan, reports Reuters, the last step before finalizing a weapons sale that will further anger China. The $600 million deal would be the first such sale since US policy on the export of sophisticated and closely guarded drone technology was loosened by the Trump administration.
Blue Angels will make their final flight in the legacy F/A/-18 Hornet out of NAS Pensacola, as they transition to Super Hornets, reports Navy Times. The flight marks the end of the F/A-18 A/B/C/D platform’s 34 years as the Blue Angels’ aircraft as the team transitions to F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets. The move to the Super Hornet will mark the first time the elite Navy and Marine Corps demonstration team has changed aircraft since it moved from the A-4F Skyhawk II to the Hornet back in 1986.
The US reported its second highest number of new COVID-19 cases on Election Day, reports CNN, at 91,530 new COVID-19 infections. Only five states are trending in the right direction — Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Vermont — while at least 36 are reporting more new cases than the previous week, data from Johns Hopkins University shows.
The DoD broke its own record for new COVID-19 cases almost every day in October, reports Radio.com, based upon a comparison of reports issued every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. By the end of October, the increase between reports hit 1,858.
The Air Force is testing G-force suits for female pilots, reports Air Force Times, seeking better-fitting and safer gear for women.
A two-carrier fire drill trains sailors to avoid problems found in early moments of Bonhomme Richard fire, reports USNI News. Crew members of aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) participated in two in-port emergency drills on how to incorporate help from civilian emergency responders and how to integrate help from a nearby ship.
Soldiers and Marines have finished the first test of ruggedized “do-it-all” augmented reality goggle, reports Army Times, including a nighttime trench clearing exercise. They also had micro-drones that they could launch and view through the goggle, conducting their own short-range reconnaissance of an obstacle before taking on the opposing force.
Dr. Ronny Jackson, a retired Navy flag officer who dropped out of the running to lead the VA amid allegations of wrongdoing, has picked up a congressional seat representing Texas in the state’s right-leaning 13th District, reports Military.com.
Former Air Force colonel Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) lost her Senate seat to Democratic challenger and former naval aviator Mark Kelly, reports Military.com. Mr. Kelly is better known for being a NASA astronaut and opposed to the creation of the new Space Force.
Contracts:
Systems Application and Technologies Inc., Largo, Maryland, is awarded a $15,586,076 modification (P00010) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00421-19-C-0023. This modification exercises an option to provide continued support services to the Air Vehicle Modification and Instrumentation Department. These services include designing, developing, procuring, building, installing, testing and evaluating, calibrating, modifying, operating and maintaining instrumentation on aircraft and engines for the Navy and other government and commercial customers. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in November 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,185,000 will be obligated at time of award, none 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.
Altamira Technologies Corp., McLean, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0076); Amergint Technologies Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado (FA8612-21-D-0077); Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0078); Geosite Inc., Stanford, California (FA8612-21-D-0079); Lyteworx Automation Systems LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0080); MarkLogic Corp., San Carlos, California (FA8612-21-D-0081); Rebellion Defense Inc., Washington, DC (FA8612-21-D-0082); Rhombus Power Inc., Moffett Field, California (FA8612-21-D-0083); Soar Technology Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan (FA8612-21-D-0084); Vidrovr Inc., New York, New York (FA8612-21-D-0085); Advanced Simulation Research Inc., Orlando, Florida (FA8612-21-D-0086); Borsight Inc., Ogden, Utah (FA8612-21-D-0087); Datanchor Inc., Columbus, Ohio (FA8612-21-D-0088); Digital Mobilizations Inc., Warrenton, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0089); EFW Inc., Fort Worth, Texas (FA8612-21-D-0090); F9 Teams Inc., Snohomish, Washington (FA8612-21-D-0091); Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., Reston, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0092); ); Infinity Labs LLC, Xenia, Ohio (FA8612-21-D-0093); Radiant Mission Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0095); Microsoft Corp., Redmond, Washington (FA8612-21-D-0096); Ortman Consulting LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0097); Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia (FA8612-21-D-0098); R2 Space Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan (FA8612-21-D-0099); and Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nevada (FA8612-21-D-0100), have collectively been awarded $950,000,000 ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts to compete for future efforts associated with the maturation, demonstration and proliferation of capability across platforms and domains, leveraging open systems design, modern software and algorithm development in order to enable Joint All Domain Command and Control. These contracts provide for the development and operation of systems as a unified force across all domains (air, land, sea, space, cyber and electromagnetic spectrum) in an open architecture family of systems that enables capabilities via multiple integrated platforms. The locations of performance are to be determined at the contract direct order level and are expected to be complete by May 28, 2025. These awards are the result of fair and open competition. Initial deliver orders will be funded with fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds. The Air Force Life Cycle Management, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, has been awarded a $20,887,884 firm-fixed-price modification (P00007) to contract FA7022-17-D-0001 for mobile sensors operations and maintenance. This contract modification is for continued non‐personal services for operations and maintenance for mobile sensors. Work will be performed at Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, and on board two vessels operating in Indo-Pacific Command and Central Command area of responsibility and is expected to be completed Oct. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds will be obligated on individual task orders. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $165,000,000. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Patrick AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Oct. 30, 2020)
Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. LLC, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $441,583,013 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides contractor-owned and operated Type III high subsonic and Type IV supersonic aircraft to Navy fleet customers for a wide variety of airborne threat simulation capabilities in support of the Specialized and Proven Aircraft program, Contracted Air Services. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (44%); Point Mugu, California (37%); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (14%); and Atsugi, Japan (5%), and is expected to be completed in November 2025. 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. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-21-D-0008).
Sedna Digital Solutions LLC, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,783,087 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6264 to exercise and fund options for Navy engineering services and required material. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) (96%); and fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (4%) funding in the amount of $2,293,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
IntelliDyne LLC, Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a $14,313,136 extension for services under an existing contract to support non-classified and classified services, facilities and miscellaneous material that encompass the information technology (IT) support services for the Defense Health Agency IT Infrastructure and Operations End User Support Services (EUSS) Network Support Services (NSS) Activity. The extension will be funded with fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funding in amount of $14,313,136. The Defense Health Agency, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HT0011-20-F-0004). (Awarded Oct. 29, 2020)
