Cyber Threats Outpacing Protections

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 World Economic Forum warns that cybersecurity threats are outpacing the abilities of the governments and companies to overpower them, reports Business Standard.

Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford hopes military relationships can bridge any political divide between Washington and Islamabad, reports Defense News. “I’m committed to try to improve the relationship, and I do believe a military-to-military dialogue … is the right approach.”

The command master chief of a Submarine Force Pacific unit was fired over sexual misconduct allegations, reports Navy Times. Master Chief David Pojar was relieved of his duty Dec. 17, 2017, following reports of misconduct.

Later this month, a new wave of broader Russian sanctions roll out, which will close loopholes that allowed Russia to skirt punishment as well as identifying and potentially going after the Kremlin’s inner circle of smaller fish, reports NPR. An influential Russian newspaper reports as 300 people close to President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle could be identified. And financial institutions are taking steps to minimize their risk. The new measures, expected to be rolled out beginning Jan. 29, stem from a bill passed overwhelmingly by Congress last summer and signed reluctantly into law by President Donald Trump in August.

The Pentagon’s $675 million, four-year effort to boost the business sector in Afghanistan failed to meet objectives in such projects as cashmere goat farming and pomegranate storage, reports Military.com. About half of the funding went toward administrative costs for projects that did not produce reliable data to show  increased jobs, investment, exports, or that Afghan government revenues resulted.

Trying to develop guidelines to help sailors get more consistent and better sleep, the Navy reports that being tired is often part of the job, reports Navy Times. “You’ve got to be able to handle fatigue,” ADM Phil Davidson, head of US Fleet Forces Command, said at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.

This is what’s in the Coast Guard’s secret sauce for its high retention rate of 90+ percent, reports Federal News Radio.

A Senate bill, Protecting Veterans from Predatory Lending Act of 2018, would prevent homeowners with VA-backed loans from refinancing their deals within six months of signing them, reports Military Times, as one measure to limit loan “churning” and protect veterans from loan scams.

The Afghan Air Force must start maintaining its own aircraft, reports Military Times. According to the Defense Department inspector general, the Contractor Logistic Support contracts were responsible for 80 percent of the maintenance work conducted, while Afghan mechanics conducted the remaining 20 percent. This distribution of workload was the inverse of the coalition’s stated aspirational goal.

Aviation Week opines the tax reform package will only be good for defense in the short term.

The Navy’s first court-martial in the “Fat Leonard” scandal ended with a guilty plea Jan. 11, 2018, in a military courtroom at Norfolk Naval Station, reports Navy Times. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brian T. Ware pleaded guilty to four specifications of a single charge of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice — violation of lawful order — and two specifications of a single charge of Article 135 — graft.

Contracts:

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is being awarded $34,246,470 for modification P00024 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract (N00421-17-C-0028). This modification exercises an option for an estimated 313,632 hours of technical services for the rapid design, development, customization, fabrication, integration, test and evaluation, installation, certification, maintenance and upgrade, logistic, and life cycle support of new and/or existing communication-electronic platforms, equipment/systems and subsystems. These efforts are in support of the Naval Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (30 percent); Lexington Park, Maryland (25 percent); Chesapeake, Virginia (25 percent); Spring Lake, North Carolina (15 percent); and California, Maryland (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018.  Fiscal 2018 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,000,000 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity

CACI-ISS Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded $18,232,339 for modification P00060 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract (N00421-15-C-0021). This modification exercises an option for an estimated 224,761 hours of technical services for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) in support of the Naval Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. Work will be performed in St. Inigoes, Maryland (50 percent); Lexington Park, Maryland (43 percent); Fayetteville, North Carolina (5 percent) and New Bern, North Carolina (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2018.  No funds are being obligated at time of award.  The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Service, Rockville, Maryland, is being awarded $14,361,151 for modification P00039 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee term contract (N00421-16-C-0035). This modification exercises an option for an estimated 181,876 hours of life cycle support services and incidental materials for fielded communications-electronics equipment/systems and subsystems, including maintenance, logistic, and lifecycle sustainment. These services are in support of the Naval Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s Special Communications Mission Solutions Division. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (30 percent); San Diego, California (19 percent); St. Inigoes, Maryland (15 percent); Panzer Kaserne, Germany (15 percent); Fayetteville, North Carolina (10 percent); Afghanistan (6 percent); Fort Walton Beach, Florida (3 percent); Fort Bliss, Texas (1 percent); and Homestead, Florida (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2018.  No funds are being obligated at time of award. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

QualX Corporation, Springfield, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,918,675 firm-fixed-price contract. The contract will provide information management and information access support services for Washington Headquarters Services. Work performance will take place in Arlington, Virginia; and Springfield, Virginia.  iscal 2018 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated at the time of the award.  The expected completion date is Jan. 16, 2022.  Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office (HQ0034-17-C-0022).