Chincoteague Pony Swim Canceled by Coronavirus
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 Chincoteague Pony Swim has been canceled for first time since WWII, reports The Virginian-Pilot. The July 29 swim would’ve marked its 95th year.
An F-35A Lightning II crashed upon landing at Elgin around 9:30 pm Tuesday, reports Air Force Times. This is the second crash in four days of a fifth-generation fighter jet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The pilot in each crash successfully ejected.
Supply chain difficulties amid the pandemic will throttle back Lockheed’s pace of F-35 production, leaving it 18 to 24 jets short of the 141 scheduled for delivery this year, reports Defense News. Company officials say too many variables exist for an estimate of how long buyers will be left waiting for delivery of their F-35s.
Thousands of the 40,000 National Guard members who first deployed in late March to help states fight the coronavirus pandemic will find themselves one day short of the 90-day threshold for qualifying for early retirement and education benefits under a Trump administration plan for a “hard stop” on their deployments on June 24, reports Politico. The Hill reports Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) called the plan heartless, saying, “Intentionally ending orders one day short of a deadline for National Guard soldiers to receive benefits for their heroic sacrifices is the definition of heartless.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan opened state-run test sites this week for people who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus but show no symptoms, reports The Washington Post.
The coronavirus has hit Maryland like a wrecking ball, state government, insurance regulators, and the banking industry told the Maryland Senate Finance Committee. With more than 70,000 businesses receiving $10 billion in federal loans Maryland is 19th in the country in applications approved and 16th in dollars provided, reports Maryland Matters.
NASA’s chief of human spaceflight resigned Monday, days away from the first orbital crew launch from US soil in nearly a decade, scheduled for May 27, reports NBC News. Doug Loverro was named associate administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in October 2019, reports Space.com.
Task & Purpose reports on critics concerns that President Donald Trump is purging the Pentagon of perceived enemies and installing loyalists in their place.
General Motors and LG Chem are doing preparatory construction on a new $2.3 billion factory in Ohio for their 50-50 joint venture, “Ultium Cells LLC,” reports Business Insider. Earlier this year, GM unveiled its new Ultium battery technology, intended to power 22 new electrified vehicles by 2023.
Along with video of Iranian ships approaching a US vessel, Navy Times reports “lawful defensive measures” will be taken against vessels within 100 meters of US warships. The specific guideline follow a recent close encounter with Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf. In reaction, the Iranian navy announced it will maintain regular missions in the gulf, reports Reuters.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to advance the nominations of Kenneth Braithwaite to be Navy secretary and Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown as Air Force chief of staff, sending them forward for a full Senate vote, reports Military.com.
The Navy has removed Capt. Erica L. Hoffmann, the commanding officer of a guided missile cruiser following a bunker spill while pier side at the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, VA, reports gCaptain.com.
The Canadian armed forces is asking the US Navy for help finding and recovering the wreckage of a Cyclone helicopter that crashed off the coast of Greece last month, killing six service members and raising questions about the rest of the helicopter fleet, reports reports CTV News.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt is expected to return to sea this week after spending weeks in port in Guam following a major coronavirus outbreak on board in March, reports CNN.
About 10,000 people in central Michigan have been told to evacuate their homes as rapidly rising water overwhelms dams, creating what the National Weather Service called a “life-threatening situation,” reports NBC News.
Contracts:
Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been awarded an $11,916,073 firm-fixed-price and cost-reimbursable modification (P00101) to exercise the contractor logistics support (CLS) and contractor logistics support performance based incentive options previously awarded on contract FA8678-10-C-0058 to support the sustainment of the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS) for upgrading the test and evaluation instrumentation at Air Force, Navy and Army test ranges. The objective of the CRIIS CLS is to provide repairs and sustainment management for the CRIIS equipment while verifying sustainment system performance specification requirements. CLS will ensure availability and maintainability of CRIIS equipment at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Edwards AFB, California; Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, Maryland; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada; Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, California; and Naval Air Station, Point Mugu, California. The contracting action is the result of a competitive acquisition and two offers were received. Work will be performed at Rockwell Collins facilities; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Richardson, Texas, and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2025. Fiscal 2020 and 2021 Department of Defense Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,279,875 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $340,594,567. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin AFB, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Vane Line Bunkering Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded a firm fixed-price contract, HTC711-20-C-W003, in the estimated amount of $26,662,956. The contract provides transportation of bulk jet fuel and marine diesel by tug and barge for the Defense Logistics Agency-Energy in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions. The location of performance is ports and points along the coast as well as inland and coastal waterways from Texas to Maine. It includes support to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Air Force and Navy use this fuel for cargo and passenger aircraft delivering supplies to the warfighters conducting overseas contingency operations as well as routine operations. Further, the fuel supports aircrew training, crisis action response for natural disasters and threats to the homeland, and ultimately readiness which directly correlates to the nation’s warfighting capabilities. Additionally, fuel provided under this contract supports the Presidential Airlift Group at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The contract base period of performance is from Sept. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds were obligated at award. US Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.