March 28, 2024

Contaminated Water Halts Fuel Operations at Pearl Harbor

PEARL HARBOR (Sept. 15, 2015) Capt. Ken Epps, commanding officer of NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, left, briefs members of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, Moanalua Valley Community Association and Pearl City Neighborhood Board No. 21 during a visit to one of the fuel tanks at the Red Hill Underground Fuel Storage Facility near Pearl Harbor. The group visited the modernized Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, where subject matter experts showed how the Navy maintains the facility as a national strategic asset. Red Hill provides fuel to operate overseas while ensuring drinking water in the area remains safe. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Laurie Dexter/Released)

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The Hawaii Department of Health demanded the Navy halt operations at a Navy fuel storage facility after a leak led to contaminated drinking water — forcing 700 people from their homes and sickening families. The Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility is located 100 feet above the Red Hill aquifer — which supplies drinking water to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and other areas of Hawaii.

The Navy’s halt of the use of a massive fuel storage complex above the Red Hill aquifer, that supplies nearly 20% of Honolulu’s drinking water, follows days of complaints that tap water smells like fuel and has sickened some people, reports Military Times.

The DoD and University of Maryland have launched the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security, reports Defense Systems. ARLIS is DoD’s 14th university-affiliated research center and the only one focused on the security and intelligence communities.

Politico reports two new secret combat drones designed to operate alongside fighter planes and bombers are in the works, says USAFSec Frank Kendall. “I’ve got two that I’m going to have in the ‘23 budget in some form,” Kendall said in an interview at the Reagan National Defense Forum.

The NDAA will not require women to register for a military draft, reports Politico, a stunning turnaround after the proposal gained bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. The move is a victory for conservatives.

Broad overhaul of the military justice system is being sidelined in favor of narrower focus on sexual assault, reports Military Times. The proposal to establish an independent authority to determine when charges should be filed for numerous crimes was spearheaded by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), says The Washington Post (Paywall). But the widely popular proposal to force sweeping changes in how the military prosecutes felony crimes is likely to be left out of this year’s defense authorization bill, ending for now what advocates called watershed legislation for equal justice in favor of a competing plan that focuses more narrowly on sexual assault and related offenses.

DefSec Lloyd Austin pressed Congress to pass a funding package for 2022, warning that an extended stopgap bill would have “enormous” negative effects on the Pentagon, reports The Hill. Military leaders have annually warned against stopgap occurrences which maintains funding at current levels, which can delay new programs and hurt innovation and national security.

Stars and Stripes (paywall) reports Austin said stopgap funding for a full year would limit the Pentagon’s China-focused programs and harm troops. Neither chamber of Congress has yet passed a fiscal 2022 defense appropriations bill and lawmakers continued to indicate through Tuesday that they are not yet close to voting on the critical measures.

 

 

DoD is still working on accounting for software in weapons systems, reports FCW. The struggle is to determine the best way to buy software and track that spending, particularly of big-ticket weapons systems. Separating out software and hardware costs helps in some areas, but brings other problems with it, said David Cadman, acting assistant secretary of defense for acquisition enablers.

There could be a downside to the DoD’s voracious appetite for buying technology faster, according to David Tremper, the electronic warfare director for the Defense Department, including skipping key requirements that protect against electronic vulnerabilities, reports Defense Systems.

A 101-year-old returns to Pearl Harbor to remember those lost, reports Military Times. When Japanese bombs began falling on Pearl Harbor, Navy Seaman 1st Class David Russell first sought refuge below deck on the battleship Oklahoma. But a split-second decision on that December morning 80 years ago changed his mind, and likely saved his life. Russell returned to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday for a ceremony in remembrance of the more than 2,300 American troops killed in the December 7, 1941, attack that launched the US into World War II.

DC Guard official says the Army is lying about its role in deploying troops on January 6, reports Military Times. Writing on behalf of the then-DC Guard adjutant general, former staff judge advocate Army COL Earl Matthews sent a 36-page memo, first reported by Politico, to the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Wednesday, questioning the Pentagon’s official timeline of that day and specifically calling out a recently released Defense Department inspector general report that found officials took appropriate action in response to the riot at the Capitol. According to Politico, Matthews called GEN Charles Flynn, who served as deputy chief of staff for operations on January 6, and LT GEN Walter Piatt, the director of Army staff — “absolute and unmitigated liars” for their characterization of the events of that day.

Bath Iron Works is playing catch-up on ship delivery after years of upheaval, reports Defense News. It is one of two shipyards that builds the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the workhorse of the Navy fleet. Years of workforce challenges preceded a global pandemic and a nine-week strike by its largest labor union.

34,000 Afghan refugees remain on seven military bases in the US three months after evacuation mission, reports Stars and Stripes (Paywall). The number is down from 53,150 evacuees living on eight installations in the US as reported October 26.

US officials say a humanitarian effort in Syria is another means to counter ISIS, reports CNN. US special operations forces in northeastern Syria have been quietly visiting local villages to help provide medical care to communities which have seen little health care in the wake of years of war. The visits are done in partnership with the Syrian Defense Forces, which operate in the region alongside the US in a years-long effort to root out any ISIS fighters.

Contracts:

ASRC Federal Space & Defense LLC, Beltsville, Maryland, has been awarded a $225,500,000 ceiling cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Rocket Systems Launch Program Mission Assurance. This contract provides for systems engineering, risk management, technical analysis, independent verification and validation, and quality assurance for launch missions, and planning and analysis for logistics concerns such as motor/component sustainment, aging surveillance, motor refurbishment, booster build, booster test, transportation/handling and system integration. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and if all options are exercised, is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2030. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three bids received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $277,414 will be obligated at the time of award. Space Systems Command, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA8818-22-D-0001). (Awarded Dec. 6, 2021)

Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,235,824 fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6201 to exercise options for production of the Next Generation Electronic Warfare Tactical Upgrade Version 2 systems. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (65%); and Charleroi, Pennsylvania (35%), and is expected to be completed by September 2023. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,235,824 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Baker – AECOM Environmental Compliance JV, Moon Township, Pennsylvania, is awarded a $75,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering (A-E) contract (N62470-22-D-2007) for A-E services at Navy, Marine Corps and other Department of Defense (DOD) installations and federal agencies. The work to be performed provides for the preparation of studies, plans, specifications, design, reports, cost estimates, and all associated engineering services in support of Navy and other DOD environmental compliance programs. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of December 2026. Initial task order is being awarded at $6,161,260 for 2022 regulatory compliance and best management testing in support of Defense Logistics Agency, Energy fuel facilities. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic area of operations, including, but not limited to California (30%); Washington, DC (14%); Virginia (10%); Japan/British Indian Ocean Territory (9%); Florida (8%); Texas (4%); Maryland (4%); Georgia (4%); Europe (4%); Hawaii (3%); and the rest of the US and other countries (10%). Work for this task order is expected to be completed by February 2023. Fiscal 2022 working capital (DOD) contract funds in the amount of $6,161,260 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance, Navy. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.sam.gov website with three proposals received. NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

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