Congress Backs Trump’s Warning Against Huawei
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backs President Donald Trump’s warning to European allies against Chinese telecom giant Huawei building their 5G communication network, C4ISR.net reports. US leaders warn allies that China’s communist leaders could force the company to use its equipment for cyber espionage and other subversive aims. DefSec Mark Esper tells allies using Huawei can put their security ties with the US at risk, reports Defense News.
Retina shape and fingerprints, long recognized as individually unique biomarkers, have been joined over the past decade by vein patterns, body odor, and even heartbeats, reports Fox News. And now the Pentagon has developed a laser capable of measuring heartbeats at 650 feet and identifying the individual. The laser has been named “Jetson,” after the 1960s cartoon family living in a world full of futuristic gadgets.
In its FY21 budget request, the Department of Homeland Security seeks $2.6 million for an internal Joint Cyber Coordination Group, reports Fifth Domain.
The FAA announced Saturday that American civilian flights can resume operations over much of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman region, loosening restrictions announced five weeks ago amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran, reports Navy Times. The FAA said it made the decision because Iran has de-escalated its military posture, reducing the danger to US civil aviation operations.
Energy Secretary Dan Broulliette talks to Defense News about the 20 percent increase in his budget and where it would be spent, which includes on more aggressive infrastructure around the National Nuclear Security Administration complex ― “Oak Ridge National Laboratory in particular.”
The F-35 gets a thumbs up from Singapore’s air chief, reports Defense News, but challenges remain in the acquisition process for his country’s efforts to buy new fifth-generation aircraft.
The Army restores 12 programs in its fiscal 2021 budget — totaling nearly $200 million — which it cut in its FY20 budget, reports Defense News. The Army is restoring funds to munitions, some networking and communications programs, test range assets, and a vehicle program, but is not restoring FY20 cuts to the Bradley and Chinook programs.
Although an Afghan soldier killed two Americans, peace talks forge ahead, reports The New York Times. On Feb. 8 an Afghan soldier turned his American-supplied M249 light machine gun on a group of American and Afghan commandos waiting for an airlift. The burst of fire killed Staff Sgt. Javier J. Gutierrez and Staff Sgt. Antonio R. Rodriguez and wounded six other Americans.
US-Taliban ceasefire to begin Feb. 22, reports Task & Purpose, and to extend into a seven-day “reduction in violence” negotiated between the US and the Taliban. The Washington Post reports the top US negotiator describing himself as “cautiously optimistic” about the process.
Esper says there was no White House pressure on JEDI, reports FCW. Last week a federal judge granted a temporary injunction to Amazon Web Services to stop work on the contract. AWS’s protest alleges Trump took a hand in steering the contract away from AWS with his public utterances and because of a well-documented animus toward Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of AWS parent company Amazon.
Military Times reports on the Navy’s testing a robot ship as a protector of the waters off Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base.
More than 100 Americans cannot return home for at least two more weeks, after having been on a cruise ship in Japan that is a hot spot for the coronavirus, reports The New York Times. A steady, steep increase of infections in people aboard the Diamond Princess reached 542 cases by Tuesday evening. That is more than half of all reported infections outside China.
On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced an official name for the disease that is causing the current outbreak of coronavirus disease, COVID-19. CDC will update its website where information can be found COVID-10.
A historic flood emergency grows in the South as parts of Mississippi are inundated, reports NBC News. Mississippi’s Pearl River has crested, water levels expected to fall later this week. Hundreds of homes are impacted in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Contracts:
East Coast Repair & Fabrication LLC, Norfolk, Virginia (N00024-20-D-4411; Lot 1) (N00024-20-D-4413; Lot 2); and Colonna’s Shipyard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N00024-20-D-4412; Lot 1) (N00024-20-D-4414; Lot 2), are awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts for ship repair, maintenance and modernization of non-nuclear surface ships assigned to or visiting Norfolk, Virginia, via the rolling admissions solicitation process. Awards reflecting the final option period under Lot 1 have a maximum ceiling value of $250,000,000; awards reflecting the final option period under Lot 2 have a maximum ceiling value of $100,000,000. At the time of the IDIQ awards, each awardee under both Lot 1 and Lot 2 will receive the $10,000 minimum guarantee via delivery order. These multiple award IDIQ contracts are for repair, maintenance and modernization of non-nuclear Navy surface ships undergoing Chief of Naval Operations-scheduled maintenance availabilities in Norfolk, Virginia. These availabilities can be docking or non-docking availabilities and will be procured via competitive delivery order solicitations amongst the IDIQ contract holder. Each awardee of a delivery order for an availability will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,000 per delivery order (four delivery orders total; $40,000 total) will be obligated at time of each IDIQ award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received in response to solicitation N00024-19-R-4412. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Vane Line Bunkering Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded contract modification P00040 on contract HTC711-13-C-W015 in the amount of $11,516,430. This modification provides continued transportation of bulk jet fuel and marine diesel fuel by barge for the Defense Logistics Agency-Energy in the Atlantic Region. Work will be performed in ports and points along the inland waterways and East Coast locations in the Atlantic Region. Period of performance is March 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $178,740,305 from $167,223,875. US Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Two Six Labs LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,970,711 modification (P00008) to previously awarded contract HR0011-18-C-0134 for additional in-scope work under a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research project. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of September 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $850,108 is being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
