CNO Gilday on the State of the Navy

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.

Chief of Naval Operations ADM Mike Gilday says the US Navy cannot afford to move at the same pace it did when developing the F-35 Lighting II, reports USNI News, it needs to move more quickly. The admiral was addressing a virtual “State of the Navy” forum hosted by Defense One on Tuesday. He said that the Navy is working “hand in glove” with the Air Force on developing a sixth-generation fighter.

The admiral also discussed the future for the use of drones and smaller aircraft carriers by the Navy, reports Defense One. The service might need fewer large Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, but that doesn’t necessarily mean fewer ships that can carry aircraft, he said, calling the light carriers the “aviation combatant of the future.” He addressed in general terms the Battle Force 2045 study soon to be released by the Defense Department, reports Seapower magazine.

ADM Gilday also said the US has identified China as the top strategic threat to the United States, reports Navy Times. The Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine Corps are establishing a tri-service maritime strategy. “It’s trying to bring all the services together in a way that we’re optimizing what we have that makes a difference against the leading threat,” ADM Gilday said. “It will all be synchronized, it will all make sense, it will all be stitched together.”

The US Navy celebrated 245 years of service on Oct. 13, but it wasn’t always such a sure thing, reports Navy Times. Early American leaders disagreed on the service’s basic strategic and tactical questions. They would be astonished to see that their fledgling navy has become the world’s dominant naval force, reads the report.

DefSec Mark Esper said North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs pose a global threat, reports Reuters, after Pyongyang’s unveiling of previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles at a weekend military parade.

Officials in Poland say the largest World War II bomb ever discovered in that country exploded underwater Tuesday as navy demolition experts attempted to defuse it, reports Voice of America. No one was injured during the blast. CBS News has video of the “Tallboy” explosion and reports that the bomb was dropped by the Royal Air Force in 1945.

President Donald Trump has told top advisers he wants to withdraw US troops from Somalia, reports Bloomberg.

The commander of the unit involved in the July amphibious assault vehicle accident off the coast of California has been relieved of his command, reports Marine Corps Times. LT COL Michael Regner was relieved Tuesday “due to a loss in trust and confidence in his ability to command.” Nine servicemembers died in the accident.

 

 

Army Futures Command chief GEN John Murray says the command is studying conflict scenarios to decide which new weapons could be kept or cut, reports Breaking Defense, as the service faces future budget cuts.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins was aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft that launched from Kazakhstan on Wednesday, reports UPI, along with two Russian cosmonauts. Ms. Rubins will spend six months on the International Space Station. Previously, she had spent 115 days in space and conducted two space walks, according to her NASA bio.

Eight countries have signed NASA’s new framework to govern lunar exploration missions, report UPI. In addition to the US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates, and Britain signed the agreement.

The National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University is scanning every part of the B-1B Lancer bomber to create a digital twin that can be used for research, reports Military.com. Researchers are stripping the supersonic heavy payload bomber down to its nuts and bolts and then scanning each part into a computer to make a virtual copy of the aircraft.

A community demonstration, part of the Aerospace Valley Hybrid Air Show, marked the first air show in 11 years for Edwards Air Force Base in California, reports Mojave Desert News. The base live-streamed the event.

The US Naval Academy turned 175 last week, reports The Baltimore Sun, as it offered a virtual tour of some of the academy’s lessen known sites.

Veterans Affairs officials said coronavirus cases among VA patients topped 4,000 cases for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, Oct. 13, reports Military Times, possibly signaling another spike within the department.

Twenty-two service members have tested positive for COVID in South Korea, reports Military Times.

The virtual Night of Engineering on Oct. 27 will give students an opportunity to get information about local mechanical engineering and electrical engineering degree programs and how they transfer to the University of Maryland College Park and provide opportunities at Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle.

The Navy has plans to build a new museum to replace the National Museum of the US Navy in Washington, DC, reports WTOP News.

A recent Goucher College poll surveyed Maryland residents’ attitudes about the government’s COVID-19 response, reports Maryland Matters. The wide-ranging poll’s cross-tabs looked at gender, ideology, race, geography, and other characteristics and revealed fairly broad demographic differences.

Contracts:

Schuyler Line Navigation Co. LLC, Annapolis, Maryland, is awarded an $11,406,250 modification under previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N32205-18-C-3508 to fund the second one-year option period. The option will continue to provide one US flagged chemical and oil products tanker MT SLNC Goodwill in support of the Department of Defense Logistics Agency Energy for the transportation of clean petroleum products in the Far East region. The current contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods and one 11-month option period. Work will be performed in the Far East region, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 14, 2021. The option will be funded by working capital funds (Navy) for fiscal 2021. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

SecuriGence LLC, Leesburg, Virginia, was awarded a $68,745,415 (excluding unexercised options) fixed-price-award-fee, firm-fixed-price, time and materials, labor hour task order for multi-network support services. This task order provides and manages the entire range of information technology (IT) services, support, engineering and infrastructure necessary to implement the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency IT operational, mission and research objectives. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of February 2022. Fiscal 2020 research and development funds in the amount of $4,500,000 are being obligated at time of award. This task order was a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (GS-35F-626GA HR0011-21-F-0006).

CORRECTION: A contract awarded on Sept. 9, 2020, to Core Services Group Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00189-20-D-0020), to provide test and evaluation support services for Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force Aviation Warfare Division, was announced with an incorrect value amount. The correct amount is $42,000,000, and if options are exercised, the total amount will be $47,000,000.