Contractors Face Uncertain Future
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 necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Defense contractors continue to face an uncertain future, according to National Defense. Congress appears unlikely to pass a defense appropriations bill by September and overall policy decisions are on hold pending mid-term elections. Automatic budget cuts, starting in 2016 and extending through 2021, could be initiated if federal agencies fail to comply with spending limits set by the 2011 Budget Control Act. The defense industry doesn’t know how the Pentagon will alter existing programs as spending declines or how long a projected “procurement holiday” might last.
The third stage turbine of the F135 engine is the focus of an investigation trying to determine the source of an F-35A fire as it was preparing for takeoff at Eglin AFB last month, reports Aviation Week. The June 23 fire prompted a fleet-wide “grounding.”
A recent court decision may lead to federal contractors facing potentially massive liability based solely on the number of invoices submitted in previous years, even if those invoices were accurate, reports National Defense. The ruling will make the defense industry more vulnerable to a growing number of suits brought under the False Claims Act (FCA). Contractors could be subject to millions of dollars in civil penalties under the FCA even if the government has not suffered any damages.
A Congressional committee created to address service members’ future pay and benefits issued an interim report that questions whether overall personnel costs need dramatic cuts, according to the Military Times.
A carbon-fiber “fog” that Navy officials hope will defeat missile guidance systems aimed at Navy ships is being sea tested, reports Stars & Stripes. The “Pandarra Fog” shrouded three ships south of Guam recently and is one part future tech, one part throwback.
Navy football player Blake Carter died unexpectedly last Sunday at the age of 27 in his Norfolk home where he was serving as a surface warfare officer aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, reports CapitalGazette.com. Lt. Carter was a star defensive back for Navy from 2006 through 2009.
Legal action against former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette is underway to seize the payment he received for writing a best-selling memoir about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, reports Foreign Policy. The DOJ and the Pentagon are in settlement talks with the “No Easy Day” author who wrote the book in 2012 but didn’t submit it for a pre-publication review designed to prevent the disclosure of top-secret information.
Iraq’s disintegrating security situation puts on hold plans to deliver F-16s to Iraq in September until the environment improves, according to the Military Times. Last month, the US evacuated contractors building a base for the F-16s as Sunni militants seized large parts of Iraq.
