March 29, 2024

Cyber Chief: Mission Force Needs to Grow

Cyber

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

GEN Paul Nakasone, head of US Cyber Command, told a House subcommittee last week that he believes his cyber force could soon see a growth in personnel, reports C4ISRNET. “I would anticipate that as we lay out the case, we have to look at some critical elements that will influence the future size of the cyber mission force, now 133 teams,” he said, adding that the original 133 teams are not enough. More than a year ago, a commission set up to study the US cyber strategy recommended the Defense Department add more “cyberwarriors” to its ranks.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers reintroduced a bill Friday that would codify agency responsibilities for securing the country’s natural gas and oil pipelines in the wake of a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline Co. that has disrupted gasoline distribution up and down the East Coast, reports FCW. The Pipeline Security Act is expected to be before the House Homeland Security Committee today, May 18.

Before Colonial Pipeline had announced it was restarting its pipeline operations, the Biden administration had discussed calling in the US military to help, reports NBC News. One of the options was the possibility of using the military to assist, including potentially relying on its stockpile of fuel or mobilizing the National Guard.

Afghani interpreters and other civilians who helped the US military war effort are afraid of retaliation from the Taliban when the US troops leave Afghanistan, reports The Associated Press. US SecState Antony Blinken said the US is committed to helping them.

Congress continues with a series of hearings this week on the troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, reports Military Times.

US, Japanese, and French troops held the first joint drill on Japanese soil last week, reports Marine Corps Times. The scenario: defending a remote island from an enemy invasion.

A bomb threat forced the shutdown of the main gate at Joint Base Andrews late Friday afternoon, and the area was cleared of all personnel, reports Air Force Times. The suspect was taken into custody short after that and no explosives ere found.

Joint Base Andrews is among the six candidate locations in the US to host the next Reserve-led KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueling tanker aircraft, reports Airforce Technology. The other bases are Beale Air Force Base in California, Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana, March ARB in California, Niagara Falls ARB in New York, and Tinker AFB in Oklahoma.

The UN Security Council met virtually to deliberate on the escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians, reports NPR. Last week, more than 180 Palestinians and 10 people in Israel have been killed.

A groundbreaking was held at the Quantico, VA, Marine base for a state-of-the-art, $79 million war gaming center to direct war fighting experiments and pull feedback from across the fleet to continuously refine how Marines fight, reports Marine Corps Times.

 

 

A-10 Warthog pilots at the 355th Training Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona are using a highly sophisticated computer game, known as Digital Combat Simulator World, as part of their training, reports The Drive, providing for a low-cost way of augmenting more traditional training.

Nebraska’s Offutt Air Force Base’s 45th Reconnaissance Squadron has bid farewell to one of its most trouble-prone jets, an OC-135B that logged 36,064 flight hours and 6,135 takeoffs and landings in nearly 60 years of military use, reports Air Force Times.

NASA’s Black Brant XII rocket launched at 8:44 pm ET Sunday from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and created somewhat of a light show that could be seen along the East Coast, reports NPR. “Vapor tracers” that were released into the atmosphere created clouds glowing bright green and violet.

SpaceX had another successful launch over the weekend. The company launched 52 more Starlink satellites, plus payloads for two other firms, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reports UPI.

More than a dozen military families are suing their privatized housing landlord at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA, alleging the conditions of their homes caused health problems and financial losses, reports Military Times.

Hundreds of US Air Force members have decided to leave as part of the service’s effort to rebalance a glut of troops who stayed in longer than expected during the coronavirus pandemic, reports Air Force Times. The service had reported late last year the AF’s active duty segment was significantly overmanned.

Families of more than 20 fallen soldiers were on hand for the unveiling of a memorial in Columbia Falls, ME, over the weekend, to honor the men who perished when their plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean nearly 60 years ago, reports Army Times. The soldiers were part of a top secret mission to Vietnam years before the US sent troops to that country.

With fewer options for transporting pets to and from overseas during a permanent change of station move, service members might find they’re having to pay more to ship their pets, reports Military Times.

Maryland rural counties are seeing an increase in home sales, reports Capital News Service. If the trend continues, economists say it could trigger a resurgence for communities that have been in decline.

Contracts:

AllCom Global Services, St. Louis, Missouri (FA8217-21-D-0010); Computer Sites Inc., Denver, Colorado (FA8217-21-D-0011); Eaton Corp., Raleigh, North Carolina (FA8217-21-D-0012); and MC Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia (FA8217-21-D-0013), have collectively been awarded an $875,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for power conditioning and continuation interfacing equipment. This contract provides for the commercial design and purchase of uninterruptable power supplies for all federal entities. Work will be performed on federal installations worldwide, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2031. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four proposals were received. Fiscal 2021 other procurement funds in the amount of $3,000 are being obligated to each contractor at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity.

Textron Systems Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is awarded a $17,246,349 firm-fixed-price order (N0001921F0315) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0008). This order provides unmanned aircraft systems intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data collection support services for the Department of Defense, other government agencies, and domestic and overseas contingency operations. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (20%); and various locations outside the continental US (80%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,246,349 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $11,219,955 firm-fixed-price contract for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance modernization support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $5,609,977 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W50NH9-21-F-0034).

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