Commerce Launches Tech Hub Grant Program

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 US Commerce Department on Friday launched a program where cities can apply for grant funding to become technology hubs, reports FedScoop. The agency will accept proposals from regions across the country. The grants are part of a $10 billion authorization from last year’s CHIPS and Science Act to stimulate investments in new technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotech.

Emerging technology could introduce a new form of blacksmithing where artificial intelligence makes the fine-tuned decisions involved in bending metal into specific shapes that can help military aircraft stay ready for action, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. A robot prototype, nicknamed AI-FORGE, is being tested at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, GA.

US Fleet Forces Command is eyeing private capital to modernize its dated facilities, reports Defense News. ADM Daryl Caudle said the military construction budget isn’t sufficient to address some issues at bases and shipyards.

DefSec Lloyd Austin testifying before the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee said that busting the debt ceiling would put the country’s reputation at “substantial risk” in the world, reports The Hill. GEN Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, also joining Austin, said China already describes the US as a declining power. Defaulting on the debt “will only reinforce that thought and embolden China and increase risk to the United States,” he said.

The US Naval Academy is prepping for its Commissioning Week, reports The Baltimore Sun. Activities run from May 16 until the graduation and commissioning ceremony May 26. The Navy’s Blue Angels will arrive in Annapolis at 11am May 23. Practice will begin at 2pm and end around 4pm. Demonstration flights also will be performed at 2pm May 24. The commencement speech is given by either the president, vice president or Defense secretary. This year’s speaker has not been announced yet.

President Joe Biden will be the US Air Force Academy commencement speaker for the 2023 graduating class, reports Colorado Politics. Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver the commencement speech at West Point on May 27, Scripps News reports.

Precise Systems Inc., based in Lexington Park, has received a strategic investment by Bluestone Investment Partners, a McLean, VA-based private equity firm, to accelerate the growth of its business, reports PRNewswire. Precise Systems provides mission readiness and software development services to the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The company was founded in 1990.

Metrea Strategic Mobility made aviation history last month, reports Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. “This is a major milestone in the 100-year history of air-to-air refueling. A commercial tanker has never done this before,” said Jon “Ty” Thomas, head of Metrea’s Air and Space Group. “Teamwork with the US Navy, NAVAIR, and the P-8 [Poseidon] unit led to this success, which is a testament to the significant value commercial tankers present to augment national military tanker fleets. We look forward to making boom contacts with a USAF receiver and a foreign air force receiver. There is more history to be made here.”

The Naval Air Systems Command at NAS Pax River wants Bell-Boeing JPO to build four CMV-22B tiltrotor aircraft for the Navy as part of CMV-22 lot 27, reports Military Aerospace.

General Electric is disappointed in the US Air Force’s decision to ditch the F-35 Adaptive Engine Transition Program and is lobbying Congress to keep the program alive, reports Breaking Defense. “We were disappointed that the Air Force did not request the funding in the [fiscal] ‘24 budget cycle to move forward with the AETP program,” said David Tweedie, GE Edison Works vice president. “That doesn’t change our perspective, that we truly believe that to keep the F-35 relevant — and not only the F-35 — but to continue this technology forward into other future platforms that adaptive cycle engines are the way to go.”

Military contractor Phoenix Learjet’s plane, with three people aboard, crashed off the coast of California last Wednesday, reports Navy Times.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at NAS Pax is conducting the US Navy’s first comprehensive aircrew study since 1964 to update aviator size requirements, improve aircrew gear and equipment, and expand access for prospective future aviators, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle.

The US Army training base Fort Benning was renamed Fort Moore on Thursday, as part of a larger effort by the military to remove associations with the Confederacy, reports The Hill. The new name honors LT GEN Harold Moore and his wife, Julia. LT GEN Moore commanded the 7th Cavalry Regiment stationed at the base during the Vietnam War, while his wife served as an advocate for military families.

The Army’s Fort Hood in Texas will be renamed to honor a pioneering four-star Hispanic general, reports The Washington Post. A company commander in Korea in June 1953, 1st LT Richard Edward Cavazos earned the Distinguished Service Cross after safely leading his unit back to friendly lines under enemy shelling.

Iceland held a ceremony earlier this month to mark the 80th anniversary of the B-24 Liberator bomber “Hot Stuff” crash that killed 14 of its 15 passengers and crew, including LT GEN Frank Maxwell Andrews, Joint Base Andrews’ namesake, reports Southern Maryland News. Andrews was commander of the European Theater of Operations at the time of the crash. In 1945, Camp Springs Army Air Field, MD, was renamed Andrews Air Force Base in honor of Andrews and later became Joint Base Andrews, which it is still named today.

US Coast Guard Commandant ADM Linda Fagan wants to consider a part-time, active-duty employment track to draw new personnel, reports Military.com.

Edward Air Force Base’s 412th Electronic Warfare Group, 445th Test Squadron in California recently celebrated the opening of its Digital Test and Training Range facility, reports Antelope Valley Press. The $34.4 million state-of-the-art facility will provide high-end modeling and simulation capabilities for the Air Force. The Air Force has established two DTTR facilities — the first at Edwards AFB, closely followed by a second at Nellis AFB in Nevada. Both facilities are enabled by the architecture developed by NAWCAD at Pax River.

Floating solar panel systems are catching on in the US after rapid growth in Asia, reports PBS. These panels could power entire towns, according to a Weather Channel video.

Knowledge Boxing Center in Lexington Park held its Southern Maryland SMOKE 5 on May 6 at the Willows Recreation Center, the venue’s final event, reports Southern Maryland Chronicle. The rec center opened in winter 2019 and offered an array of sporting and family activities. WRC announced in April that it would be closing, The BayNet reported early last month.

Contracts:

The Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, was awarded a task order with a $10,000,000 ceiling on a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) Software Integrator, Facilitator, and Tester (SWIFT). The contract will provide for the primary survivable and endurable satellite communications capability for the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) mission in all operational environments. The work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, and is expected to be completed by May 10, 2025. This contract was a sole source University Affiliated Research Center acquisition. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8819-23-F-1002). (Awarded May 10, 2023)

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory LLC, Laurel, Maryland, has been awarded a ceiling of $18,338,306 modification P00004 to previously awarded contract FA8819-18-D-0009 for the National Space Test and Training Complex support. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $24,944,536 from $6,606,229. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base and is expected to be completed by May 10, 2025. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Space Systems Command, Los Angeles AFB, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 10, 2023)

DBISP LLC, Indianapolis, Indiana (SP7000-23-D-0010); Intelli-Tech, La Verne, California (SP7000-23-D-0011); Federal Merchants Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana (SP7000-23-D-0012); JTF Business Systems Corp., Springfield, Virginia (SP7000-23-D-0013); Netsync Network Solutions, Houston, Texas (SP7000-23-D-0014); OMNI Business Systems, Alexandria, Virginia (SP7000-23-D-0015); and Paragon One Group LLC, Gaithersburg, Maryland (SP7000-23-D-0016), are sharing a maximum $17,100,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SP7000-22-R-1003 for A4 desktop multifunctional devices, desktop printers, flatbed scanners and accessories. This was a competitive acquisition with eight responses received. These are five-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are throughout the continental US, Guam and Puerto Rico, with a May 10, 2028, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2028 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Contracting Services Office, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania.

MIG GOV, Virginia Beach, Virginia (N4008523D0043); CCI Group LLC, Manchester, Maine (N4008523D0044); Etolin Strait Associates, Norfolk, Virginia (N4008523D0045); Goshawk LLC, San Antonio, Texas (N4008523D0046); Ocean Construction Services Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N4008523D0047); and TYBe-Garney Federal JV LLC, Newbern, Tennessee (N4008523D0048), are awarded a combined-maximum-value $95,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity design-build and design-bid-build multiple-award construction contract for utility mechanical construction services in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. Work will be primarily performed in the Hampton Roads Virginia, area; however, work may also be required in other areas of the Navy Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic area of responsibility if deemed necessary. Work is expected to be completed by May 2028. Each awardee will be awarded $5,000 at time of award in order to satisfy the minimum guarantee. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $30,000 will be obligated at time if award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance (Navy) and military construction (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via the www.SAM.gov website, with seven proposals received. NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

BahFed Corp., Portland, Oregon (N6893623D0025); GovTec Ventures LLC, Annapolis, Maryland (N6893623D0026); Noble Supply and Logistics LLC, doing business as Federal Resources Supply Co., Stevensville, Maryland (N6893623D0027); Pacific IC Source Yucaipa, California (N6893623D0028); and Unistar-Sparco Computers Inc., Millington, Tennessee (N6893623D0029), are each awarded a firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. These contracts procure various types of commercial digital information technology hardware, software products and licenses, and laboratory equipment in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) Weapons and Energetics Department for the Navy. The estimated aggregate ceiling for all contracts is $49,000,000, with the companies having an opportunity to compete for individual orders. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon (20%); Annapolis, Maryland (20%); Stevensville, Maryland (20%); Yucaipa, California (20%); and Millington, Tennessee (20%), and is expected to be completed in May 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. These contracts were competitively procured as a small business set-aside, 18 offers were received. NAWCWD, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity.

Iridium Satellite LLC, McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $22,158,610 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Iridium Satellite communications for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division Weapons Control and Integration Department, Asymmetric Systems Division. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by May 2028. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was solicited on a sole source basis via a synopsis posted in System for Award Management (SAM) and was awarded in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N0017823C2401).

Systems & Technology Research LLC, Woburn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $27,875,536 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for Phase 3 of the Joint All-Domain Warfighting Software (JAWS) program. This contract provides for continuation of Systems & Technology Research LLC’s Phase 1 and 2 research to maximize the effectiveness of military force through theater-scale battle management command and control with automation and predictive analytics. Phase 3 efforts will build upon and extend the orchestration services, predictive analytics and user interfaces developed during the first two program phases. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (83%); Malden, Massachusetts (3%); Poway, California (3%); Tewksbury, Massachusetts (3%); Fairfax, Virginia (7%); and Churchville, Maryland; Arlington, Texas; and Brewster, Massachusetts (totaling 1%), with an expected completion date of August 2024. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a sole-source acquisition. The Defense Advanced Research Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-23-C-0095).