Chinese Balloon: Spying or Blown Off Course?
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economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon’s three-day trip across the US ended Saturday afternoon off the coast of South Carolina. An F-22 fighter jet fired a missile at the balloon, puncturing it, reports The Associated Press. US Navy ships were below ready to collect the debris.
A balloon violated US airspace early last week, causing the US Air Force to scramble fighter jets and prompting lawmakers to demand briefings over the Biden administration’s handling of the incident, reports Politico. China said the balloon was used for weather research and was blown off course, reports Military.com, despite US suspicions that it was spying.
Now that the balloon is down, The Guardian asks the question: what was it for?
The diplomatic fallout was swift, and political reaction was split, reports The New York Times. Some Democratic members of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party criticized China for deploying the balloon, reports Newsweek on MSN.
In the latest policy reversal, the US will send longer-range bombs to Ukraine, reports The Associated Press. The US has agreed to send the bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive to retake territory Russia captured last year.
What countries are supplying what weapons to Ukraine? The Washington Post offers a guide to some of the key weapons and vehicles that Ukraine’s allies have recently agreed to send.
Ukraine’s defense minister said his country plans to spend $540 million on drones this year, reports Defense News. “In 2023, we are increasing the purchases of UAVs for the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Oleksii Reznikov wrote in a Facebook post. “This is just the beginning. After all, this is not only about the needs of aerial reconnaissance.”
The Hill reports that top House Republicans say the Pentagon’s budget will be on the table as Republicans seek to negotiate spending cuts in exchange for raising the federal debt ceiling. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and others are pointing to programs that deal with what they call “wokeness” in the military, including efforts to diversify the military, identify alternative fuels, and other environmental initiatives.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) has proposed legislation to “make sure the Department of Defense’s budget focuses on strengthening our national security, not paying administrators to solve social justice problems that don’t exist,” reports Fox News. Pentagon salaries for diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) staff would be capped at $31,000 under Cotton’s bill.
North Korea is warning the US and South Korea of the “most overwhelming nuclear force” after their increase in military exercises, reports UPI on MSN.com. The North Korean foreign ministry said the stepping-up of drills from South Korea’s allies could turn the Korean Peninsula into a “huge war arsenal and a more critical war zone.”
DefSec Lloyd Austin said the US will increase its deployment of military equipment, such as fighter jets and aircraft carriers, to South Korea, according to the Defense Department. Austin made the remarks at a news conference following a meeting with South Korea’s Defense Minister Lee Jung-sup. Austin also traveled to the Philippines for discussions about deploying US military forces there to deter China’s actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea, reports Military Times.
The DoD launched the Defense Management Institute last week, reports Defense News. The new independent research entity was created to advance the Pentagon’s management, organization, performance improvement, and enterprise business operations. The new institute will operate out of the Institute of Defense Analysis on a contract basis, rather than be a formal arm of the DoD itself, reports Defense One.
Two companies, General Atomics and Aurora Flight Sciences, will develop competing designs for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s mobility seaplane program, reports Defense News. The heavy cargo plane would be able to land at sea and could transport large amounts of cargo on the water. DARPA is calling the program the Liberty Lifter Seaplane Wing-in-Ground Effect, or Liberty Lifter.
The Navy has surpassed its retention goals for fiscal 2022 and is ahead on retention goals this fiscal year, reports Navy Times, amid the well-publicized challenges to recruiting members in the military across all the services.
US Navy CAPT Janet Days, now the 51st commanding officer of Naval Station Norfolk, is the first Black female to hold the position in the installation’s 106-year history, reports The Virginian-Pilot.
Former Navy captain David Haas, who was caught up in the Fat Leonard contracting scandal, was sentenced last week to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for taking nearly $91,000 in bribes, reports The Associated Press. He also was ordered to make restitution and pay a $30,000 fine.
The January 2023 jobs report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the veterans unemployment rate last month fell below 3% for the 10th time in the past 11 months, reports Navy Times. The jobless rate In January among all veterans across the nation was 2.8%. That’s down from 3.2% in December.
The House of Prayer church, accused of preying on military members, has had its funds seized, reports Marine Corps Times. The US Department of Justice claimed the church defrauds military education benefits, and bilks its members of their military disability and pensions, among other allegations. Headquartered in Georgia, House of Prayer has 11 churches located near military installations around the country.
Some New Jersey officials want an “immediate moratorium” on offshore wind energy development until federal and state scientists can assure the public that ocean noise related to underwater seabed mapping, soil borings, and other turbine construction activities poses no threat to whales, reports USA Today.
Move over Old Bay. You’ve got competition — J.O. No. 2 Crab House Spice. The J.O. Spice Co. was recently featured on Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs” show, where a company official revealed that some crab houses around the state are using the J.O. Spice, reports WTOP News. “You think that when you sit down it’s Old Bay on the crab, but it’s really J.O. Spice,” said Ginger Ports, the company’s marketing and sales manager. “That’s not discounting Old Bay at all. It’s an iconic Maryland product.”
Contracts:
KPMG LLP, McLean, Virginia (N00189-23-D-Z003); ReefPoint Group LLC, Annapolis, Maryland (N00189-23-D-Z004); and Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N00189-23-D-Z005), are being awarded an estimated $37,606,063 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract that will provide services and resources for performance and process improvement that focus on improving patient access, quality of care, and cost through improved efficiencies of “current state” resources in support to the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery at its headquarters and medical treatment facility locations. Each contract will run concurrently and will include a 60-month base ordering period and an option for a six-month ordering period, which if exercised, will bring the total estimated value to $41,934,925. All work will be completed by January 2028; if the option is exercised, the ordering period will be completed by June 2028. Work will be performed in various contractor facilities identified at task order level that cannot be determined at this time (95%); and Falls Church, Virginia (5%). Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated ($33,333 on each of the three contracts) to fund the contracts’ minimum amount, and funds will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Individual task orders will be subsequently funded with appropriate fiscal year appropriations at the time of their issuance. The requirement was full and open competitive solicitation for the award of multiple contracts through SAM.gov with 15 offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is awarded a $92,001,342 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded, fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract (N0001922C0042). This contract procures weapon replaceable assemblies hardware to include: 297 advanced threat warning sensors, 64 control indicator unit replaceable replacements, 78 Department of the Navy (DoN) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) processor units, 52 Guardian laser transmitter assemblies (GLTAs), 52 GLTA shipping containers, 150 high capacity cards, 79 large aircraft system processor replacement smart connector assemblies, 23 personal computer memory international association cards, and 97 battery kits, as well as associated systems engineering, technical support, analysis and studies in support of integration of the DoN LAIRCM system onto various aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and the Air Force Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois (43%); Goleta, California (21%); Longmont, Colorado (9%); Apopka, Florida (8%); Blacksburg, Virginia (7%); Boulder Colorado (3%); Carlsbad, California (3%); Verona, Wisconsin (2%); Ashburn, Virginia (2%); Salt Lake City, Utah (1%); and Tripp City, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed in February 2025. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $60,328,269; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $10,208,817; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $525,505; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,034,148; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $65,019; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $6,998,917; and fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,574,989 will be obligated at the time of award, $13,573,906 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Federal Prison Industries Inc., doing business as UNICOR, Washington, DC, has been awarded a maximum $22,641,000 modification (P00013) exercising the third one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-20-D-F057) with four one-year option periods for various types of coats. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Texas, Illinois and North Carolina, with a Feb. 5, 2024, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2024 defense working capital funds. Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the contracting activity.
Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $4,639,525,813 single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate, Parts and Repair Ordering System VI. This contract provides commercial buying services and is a performance-based service acquisition providing supply, maintenance and task order support services. This is a tri-service capable contract to support Air Force, Navy and Army Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Location of work performance will be determined at receipt of orders and is expected to be completed Feb. 28, 2038. This contract anticipates FMS to more than 105 foreign partner countries and is the result of a competitive acquisition with two offers received. FMS funds in the amount of $82,915 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8630-23-D-B001).
Agile Defense Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $11,427,210 modification (P00004) to contract W9124P-22-F-0036 for technology support services. Work will be performed in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2024. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement, Army funds in the amount of $11,427,210 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Computer Systems Center Inc., Springfield, Virginia, is awarded a $49,277,717 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide systems engineering, systems architecture analysis, and data analysis for the advanced requirements characterization, engineering and representation process in support of mission planning systems for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Work will be performed in Springfield, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in February 2028. 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; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N6893623D0018).
L3 Harris Technologies Inc. – Interstate Electronics Corp., Anaheim, California, is being awarded a $7,535,296 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00013) for options under previously awarded and announced contract N00003022C2001 to provide services and support for flight test instrumentation systems. Work will be performed in Anaheim, California (55%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (30%); Washington, DC (7%); Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom (3%); Bremerton, Washington (2%); Kings Bay, Georgia (2%); and Laurel, Maryland (1%). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. Fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,557,247; fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,448,505; and fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,952,234 will be obligated at the time of modification. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total obligated dollar value of the modification is $6,957,986 and the total cumulative face value of the options being exercised is $7,535,296. This contract modification is being awarded to the Contractor on a sole source basis under 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management online portal. This contract award also benefits a foreign military sale to the United Kingdom. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.
