Cyber Worker Shortage Still Plagues Army Combat Teams

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.

A DoD Inspector General report issued late last month says the most common personnel shortages plaguing the US Army’s active-duty brigade combat teams are cyber network defenders and electromagnetic spectrum managers, reports Army Times. Read the report here.

To help safeguard the security of its aircraft weapon systems, the US Air Force is working on a new 1D7 cyber career field for airmen in cyber jobs such as mission defense teams, reports Air Force Times.

US Navy officials can’t figure out how to keep dirt and sand from clogging the V-22 Osprey’s tiltrotor engines and causing potentially catastrophic mechanical failure, reports Military Times. A DoD IG report says “despite two unsuccessful redesign efforts, the PMA‑275’s third [Engine Air Particle Separator] redesign effort will also not meet the engine manufacturer’s specification.”

Three of four Americans think US troops should intervene overseas when freedom is threatened or human rights abuses are apparent in other countries, reports Military Times. The survey was conducted by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.

Lockheed Martin will provide the Australian government with 15 F-35As, reports International Business Times. The $831 million contract is expected to be completed by March 2023.

India has put an $800 million down payment on a Russian S-400 missile defense system, reports Military Times, with plans to complete the purchase by 2025.

The Commission of Fine Arts has approved a design concept for a Desert Storm and Desert Shield memorial in Washington, DC, reports WTOP News. It is expected to be completed by Veterans Day 2021.

North Korea ridiculed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for mistaking Pyongyang’s test-fire last week of its super-large multiple launch rocket system for a ballistic missile launch, reports USA Today. The BBC reports that North Korean state media said Japan “may see what a real ballistic missile is in the not distant future.”

South Korea fired warning shots toward North Korea last week after a merchant boat from the north violated its sea border, reports Reuters.

The Russian Defense Ministry says it has shown its latest Avangard hypersonic weapon to US inspectors, reports Military Times. Last year, The Associated Press reported that the hypersonic glide vehicle can fly 27 times faster than the speed of sound, making it impossible to intercept.

 

 

The Office of Personnel Management clarified in new guidance given to agencies that state and local minimum wage rates don’t apply to federal employees, reports Federal News Radio.

A study suggests shoppers should browse on their laptop or desktop computers instead of their smartphones, reports WTOP News. Researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel found that websites viewed on a phone may look good, but they tend to leave out crucial details that consumers need to make buying decisions.

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources collected a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle found in St. Michaels harbor on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, reports Chesapeake Bay Magazine. DNR’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Response Program enables crews to respond to sea turtles in distress. The turtle was taken to Baltimore’s National Aquarium.

Contracts:

Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, California, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $218,749,892 modification (P00006) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPRPA1-20-F-CD01) with four one-year option periods for performance based logistics and engineering support for the V-22 platform. This is a firm-fixed-price requirements contract.  Locations of performance are Texas and Pennsylvania, with a Nov. 30, 2020, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Foreign Military Sales to Japan. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Air Force, US Special Operations Command, Navy and FMS appropriated funds.  The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, California, is awarded a $74,726,993 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for design agent engineering services for networks and network user systems on operational landing platform/dock (LPD)-17 class amphibious transport dock ships. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (80%); Norfolk, Virginia (15%); Mayport, Florida (5%) and is expected to be complete by December 2024.  Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, (Navy) funding in the amount of $689,680 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 2304 (c) (1), only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, as implemented by Part 6.302-1 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. This contract was issued on a sole-source basis to Raytheon Integrated Defense Services. This requirement is for design agent engineering and technical services for the overall management, development, testing, troubleshooting, repair, configuration, maintenance and fleet sustainment of fielded networks and associated network user systems/clients on operational LPD 17-class amphibious transport dock ships. These services are in support of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Code 52, which is responsible for the lifecycle in-service engineering agent support of mission critical interior communications data networks. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-0001).

W.R. Systems, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a modification to a previously awarded (N65236-19-D-8001) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, with provisions for firm-fixed-price task orders, performance based contract. This single award contract (SAC) is currently in its first year with a Feb. 15, 2020, contract expiration date. This modification increases the basic contract estimated ceiling by $61,999,996, and changes the cumulative estimated value of the contract from $49,999,995, to $111,999,992. This SAC is for position, navigation and timing and geospatial information services support to naval ships and shore facilities. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by February 2020. This SAC was previously procured competitively by full and open competition via the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-commerce central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website. This sole-source contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) and only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1).  The Naval Information Warfare Center, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics/Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut (N66604-20-D-D001); Huntington Ingalls/Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia (N66604-20-D-D002); and Oceaneering International Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia (N66604-20-D-D003) are being awarded a $49,921,536 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ) multiple-award contract to fabricate submarine safety/Level 1 (SUBSAFE/L1) hardware, and provide technical and engineering services. For these base ID/IQ five-year contracts, funding will not be obligated at time of award; the $1,000 minimum guarantee will be executed on each awardee’s initial task order. Work will be performed at the contractors’ locations and minimally at government locations, and is expected to be completed by November 2024. This multiple-award contract was competitively procured with three acceptable offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. This requirement is to provide SUBSAFE/L1 (or related) hardware, systems engineering, technical analyses, mechanical and electrical design, manufacturing, installation, test and evaluation, maintenance and repair services required to support existing and future fleet programs. In accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), only a limited number of responsible sources and no other supplies or services will satisfy the needs of the agency. This tasking was limited to those activities qualified to perform SUBSAFE work per the Naval Sea Systems Command Notice 5000, fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity.