Debate Reopens on Atlantic Wind Farm Project
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economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.
The Maryland Public Service Commission is reopening discussion about a wind turbine project in the Atlantic off the shores of Ocean City, The Baltimore Sun reports. Developers of the project say they want to build the turbines more than 200 feet taller that originally proposed.
Amazon Web Services is protesting the Pentagon’s decision to award its Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud contract to Microsoft, reports Federal Times. In an email to CNBC, Amazon wrote, “Numerous aspects of the JEDI evaluation process contained clear deficiencies, errors, and unmistakable bias — and it’s important that these matters be examined and rectified.” Amazon and its founder and CEO Jeff Bezos are often targets of President Donald Trump.
President Trump will likely intervene in three military justice cases involving service members charged with war crimes, reports The Washington Post, issuing pardons or otherwise clearing them of wrongdoing and preventing the military from bringing the same charges again.
DefSec Mark Esper signed a memo last week that establishes new guidelines for athletes at US military academies. Military Times says the athletes can play professional sports after they graduate, and delay their active-duty service. It would require them to eventually fulfill their military obligation or repay the costs of their education.
Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon’s Joint Program Office are still embroiled in a long-running dispute over who owns the F-35’s complicated algorithms, a debate that could chart the future of the program, reports The Washington Post.
Four US Air Force B-52 bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana arrived in England with about 300 airmen in early October for a bomber task force deployment, reports Business Insider, in support of US Air Forces in Europe and the US European Command. Bomber exercises over Europe are meant to reassure US partners and to be a deterrent to Moscow.
Russia has established a helicopter base in Qamishli in northern Syria, reports Military Times. The move into the Kurdish-controlled city comes as the US continues to withdraw its troops from the region.
Nearly a dozen military families at Fort Meade are suing their on-post landlord, reports The Washington Times, saying they have been forced to live in substandard homes filled with mold, rotting wood, and standing water. Eight military families filed a lawsuit in October over their mold- and pest-infested housing at Randolph Air Force Base, reports Military.com.
The Defense Department is looking for an aqueous film-forming foam ― the kind it uses to put out fires after aircraft crashes and other incidents ― that doesn’t contain potentially cancer-causing chemicals that leach into groundwater, reports Military Times.
Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette is in line to head the department with the departure of Secretary Rick Perry, reports The Advocate. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) says Mr. Brouillette is the obvious choice.
A team of ocean explorers say a US submarine with 80 sailors on board when it disappeared in 1944 has been discovered in Japanese waters, reports The Associated Press. The World War II submarine Grayback was found in June after it had disappeared in February 1944 during its final combat mission.
The Howard County Police Department is purchasing three drones for a one-year field test, seven months after disbanding its aviation program, reports The Baltimore Sun.
The official 2019 White House Christmas ornament will feature a likeness of a Sikorsky Marine One helicopter, reports Hartford Courant. The ornament honors President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the first chief executive to use helicopters, beginning in 1957.
Contracts:
AT2 LLC, Severn, Maryland, has been awarded a $14,495,776 modification (P00010) to previously awarded contract FA4890-18-C-0008 for Air Combat Command and Air Force Global Strike Command Primary Training Ranges operations and maintenance support services. This contract provides for operating materials and supplies of range threat, scoring and feedback systems. Work will be performed at Dare County Range, North Carolina; Poinsett Range, South Carolina; Grand Bay Range, Georgia; Avon Park Range, Georgia; Snyder Range, Texas; Belle Fourche Range, South Dakota; Holloman Ranges, New Mexico; Mountain Home Ranges, Idaho; and Guam Range, Guam. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,871,092 are being obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,855,080 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for services and hardware systems in support of the Undersea Warfare Decision Support Systems (USW-DSS) Command and Control program. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $50,711,886. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (79%); Norfolk, Virginia (11%); Keyport, Washington (8%); Charleroi, Pennsylvania (1%); and San Diego, California(1%), and is expected to be completed by November 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through November 2024. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $3,752,402 will be obligated at time of award and funding in the amount of $807,804 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. In accordance with Section 1709 of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that modifies 15 US Code 638(r)(4), this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III contract is being awarded to Progeny Systems Corp., the same firm that received the SBIR award. USW-DSS provides a common set of integrated cross-platform and command decision support tools to enable integrated USW operations. The contract award is a follow-on to contract N00024-14-C-5209 for production and modernization of USW-DSS systems developed under the prior SBIR Phase III Contract. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5213).
Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded $209,636,983 for a ceiling-priced, indefinite-delivery, performance-based logistics requirements contract for the repair, upgrade or replacement of 361 NIINs within two of the 13 major subsystems of the Aegis Weapon System: the MK99 fire control system and the Army Navy Joint Electronics Type Designation Systems Water/Surface Ship Radar Surveillance and Control (AN-SPY-i) Transmitter Group. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (70%); and Marlborough, Massachusetts (30%). This contract includes a five-year base period with no options. Work is expected to be completed by November 2024. Annual working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $34,290,659 will be issued for delivery order (N00383-20-F-0W80) that will be awarded concurrently with the contract and will initially be obligated at the time of award as an undefinitized contract action with a commitment of $11,430,220 for a year’s period of performance. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-20-D-W801).
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $15,029,055 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2116 for the purchase of additional Ford (CVN 78) Class shore based spares in support of the Ford Class. Work will be performed in Santa Fe Springs, California (99%); and Newport News, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be completed by May 2022. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $15,029,055 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The design and construction of a nuclear powered aircraft carrier requires highly technical and specialized knowledge of the ship’s mission, design, systems and nuclear reactor plants. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. (HII-NNS) is the nation’s only designer and builder of nuclear powered aircraft carriers. HII-NNS has developed a unique capability encompassing all aspects of aircraft carrier design, construction, modernization, repair and technical and engineering support which, because of its uniqueness, cannot be acquired elsewhere. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
