DefSec: No Surprise DoD Fails Audit
Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks to reporters at the Pentagon last week.
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Deputy DefSec Patrick Shanahan said last week he isn’t surprised that DoD failed its first-ever audit, reports Defense News. Mr. Shanahan said it was widely expected the audit would find issues. “We never thought we were going to pass an audit, right? Everyone was betting against us that we wouldn’t even do the audit,” he said.
Since a US Air Force estimate for a Space Force branch of the military came in at $13 billion in September, Pentagon officials have been pledging that the cost estimate from the department will be much smaller, reports Defense News. Mr. Shanahan said his team’s initial estimate for the new branch will be in the “single digits” of billions of dollars, and could be lower than $5 billion.
The USS Sioux City (LCS -11) was commissioned Saturday at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, the first such ceremony held for a warship on the Severn River, reports Capital Gazette.
On the heels of a national report that the US military lacks the global resources to meet China or Russia in a potential future conflict, the Pentagon began some belt-tightening, announcing a reduction in forces for US Africa Command, reports Military Times.
Despite increasing uncertainty over defense budget cuts, Michael Griffin, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, says he’s confident more money will be pumped into laser weapons and new space capabilities, reports Breaking Defense. It should take “no more than a few years” to get directed energy weapons such as lasers into the hands of troops in the field, he said.
Two Navy SEALs and two Marine Raiders will face murder charges in the death of an Army Special Forces staff sergeant in Mali, reports Military Times. The four face charges that include felony murder, involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, hazing, and burglary in the strangulation death of Army Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar in June 2017.
Lockheed Martin has secured a $22.7 billion modification contract for delivering 255 aircraft related to the F-35 program, reports Yahoo Finance.
The first of three F/A-18B Hornets scheduled to join NASA’s research fleet arrived at Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, reports AVweb. The Hornet made the trip from NAS Pax River.
A US Air Force training jet crashed last week at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, killing one pilot and injuring a second, reports Popular Mechanics. The incident is the fifth such crash of the T-38 Talon jet trainer in just one year.
South Korea exploded one of its own front-line guard posts Thursday, reports The Associated Press, in an effort to reduce animosities with North Korea that sparked last year’s fears of war.
China has been designing and building its answer to US’ B-2 long-range stealth bomber, and Chinese state media have recently hinted that the Hong-20 will soon undergo trial flights, reports Stars and Stripes. Defense analysts suggest the introduction of this new generation of stealth bomber could usher in a sea change for US military operations in the Pacific region.
US analysts said they have located 13 secret North Korean missile development sites, reports AP.
The US Navy is targeting 2024 to field an operational prototype of its Next Generation Jammer – Low Band system on the EA-18G Growler attack aircraft, reports Jane’s 360.
Contracts:
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $348,915,105 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract to provide the infrastructure to support developmental laboratory facilities and flight test activities in support of F-35 development, production and sustainment. Work will be performed at Edwards Air Force Base, California (35 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (35 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy); and non-Department of Defense (DOD) participant funds in the amount of $177,042,349 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($70,932,017; 40 percent); Marine Corps ($35,466,009; 20 percent); Navy ($35,466,008; 20 percent) and non-DOD participants ($35,178,315; 20 percent). This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-0004).
CSRA LLC, a General Dynamics Information Technology Co., Falls Church, Virginia, is awarded a $64,664,646 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides project management and engineering support for Navy and Marine Corps land, sea, and air platforms with a responsive, efficient, and reliable means to collect, detect, assess, identify, exploit, neutralize, and disseminate products to the US and its interests. The procurement supports the execution of systems engineering activities to meet current and future electronic warfare mission information engineering capabilities and security protection needs for Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division integrated product teams. Work will be performed in Point Mugu, California (80 percent); Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (15 percent); and other locations in the US (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2023. Fiscal 2018 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated at the time of award. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals; three offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N68936-19-D-0016).
Avix-BGI JV LLC, Yorktown, Virginia, is awarded a $45,262,100 firm-fixed-price contract for the EC-130H/A-10C Contract Aircrew Training and Courseware Development program. The contractor shall furnish all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision and all other items and services that are required to perform the contract. Work will be performed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona; Moody AFB, Georgia; and other places as required. Work is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-19-C-0004).
Federal Prison Industries Inc., doing business as Unicor, Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $49,920,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various types of trousers. This is a four-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are District of Columbia, Texas, and Alabama, with a May 15, 2023, performance completion date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-19-D-F016).
Peraton Government Communications Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $9,289,610 contract modification (P00021) exercising Option Period Three on task order GS-35F-5497H / HC1013-16-F-0005. Performance directly supports American national security interests on the continent of Africa. This action is funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative face value of the task order is $50,089,527. Proposals were solicited via the General Services Administration’s Federal Supply Schedule, Information Technology Schedule 70, and two proposals were received from 27 proposals solicited. The period of performance for Option Period Three is Nov. 15, 2018 – Nov. 14, 2019, and there is one remaining unexercised option period for this task order. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Nov. 14, 2018)
Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $282,085,646 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract action modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-2301 for long-lead-time material and detail design in support of the construction of four Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships (MMSC). The MMSC is a lethal and highly maneuverable surface combatant capable of littoral and open-ocean operation. This contract involves foreign military sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (55 percent); Baltimore, Maryland (23 percent); Herndon, Virginia (11 percent); Moorestown, New Jersey (6 percent); Manassas, Virginia (1 percent); San Diego, California (1 percent); and various places below one percent (3 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2025. Foreign military sales (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) funding in the amount of $124,201,733 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(4) (international agreement). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z012); Cydecor Inc., Arlington, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z013); and Whitney, Bradley and Brown Inc., Reston, Virginia (N00189-19-D-Z014), are awarded an estimated $69,920,361 multiple award cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders to provide management support services to facilitate warfighting, manpower and business transformation initiatives in support of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Information Dominance. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a 60-month base ordering period with no additional options. Work will be performed at government facilities in Arlington, Virginia (90 percent), and at the various contractor locations in which the percentage of work at each of those locations cannot be determined at this time (10 percent). The ordering period will begin March 2019 and is expected to be completed by February 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated (approximately $33,333 on each of the three contracts to fund the contracts’ minimum amounts) and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured for the award of multiple contracts pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504. The requirement was posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 10 offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Military Aircraft Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded $32,730,879 for modification P00003 to a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-18-C-1037) for long-lead items for Japan E-2D Aircraft JAA5 under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Syracuse, New York (22.04 percent); Potez, Aire-sur-l’Adour, France (11.50 percent); Edgewood, New York (8.42 percent); Menlo Park, California (6.12 percent); Woodland Hills, California (5.53 percent); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (5.01 percent); Marlborough, Massachusetts (4.59 percent); Greenlawn, New York (3.06 percent); Owego, New York (3.06 percent); Independence, Ohio (3.06 percent); Gardena, California (2.29 percent); Melbourne, Florida (2.09 percent); Clemmons, North Carolina (1.81 percent); Falls Church, Virginia (1.53 percent); Melville, New York (1.49 percent); Long Beach, California (1.17 percent); Laval, Quebec, Canada (0.04 percent); and various locations within the U.S. (17.19 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2022. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $32,730,879 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Harmonia Holdings Group LLC, Blacksburg, Virginia, is awarded a $15,028,289 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple-award contract to provide systems engineering support for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence programs. This is one of six contracts awarded. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes three, one-year options which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $39,540,512. Work will be performed at government facilities in San Diego, California (90 percent), and at contractor facilities in Blacksburg, Virginia (10 percent). The period of performance of the base award is from Nov. 16, 2018 through Nov. 15, 2020. If the options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Nov. 15, 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy, Air Force and Defense Agency); operations and maintenance (Navy, Air Force and Defense Agency); other procurement (Navy and Air Force); foreign military sales; and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-16-R-0180 published on the Federal Business Opportunities and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with 21 offers received and six selected for award. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-19-D-0004).
Grove Resource Solutions Inc., Frederick, Maryland, is awarded a $14,704,521 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple-award contract to provide systems engineering support for Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence programs. This is one of six contracts awarded. All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This two-year contract includes three, one-year options which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $39,258,893. Work will be performed at Government facilities in San Diego (90 percent) and at contractor facilities in Frederick, Maryland (10 percent). The period of performance of the base award is from Nov. 16, 2018 through Nov. 15, 2020. If the options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Nov. 15, 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy, Air Force and Defense Agency); operations and maintenance (Navy, Air Force and Defense Agency); other procurement (Navy and Air Force); foreign military sales; and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured via Request for Proposal N66001-16-R-0180 published on the Federal Business Opportunities and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with 21 offers received and six selected for award. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-19-D-0003).
Trandes Corp., Lanham, Maryland, is awarded an estimated $11,619,097 contract modification to increase the ceiling of an existing indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursement contract (N66001-15-D-0146). Support includes removal of old and installation of new commercial-off-the-shelf precision approach radar; logistics and training support; remote landing site tower generator repair; tactical air navigation systems installation support; and Marine Air Traffic Control and Landing System, and Amphibious Assault Direction System sustainment support. This modification increases the estimated value of the contract from $19,226,946 to $30,846,043. This ceiling increase does not obligate funds. Funding will be obligated via task/delivery orders, which will be placed using operations and maintenance (Navy); and other procurement (Navy) funds. This modification is issued using other than full and open competition in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
VSE Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $13,068,557 modification (P00014) to contract W911SA-16-C-0002 for labor, equipment and transportation necessary to provide logistics readiness support services to perform and assist with property accountability, vehicle operations and supporting functions, maintenance management services, field and sustainment level maintenance, storage site operations, hands-on-training mission support, and refurbishment support at various locations in Arizona, California, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Arkansas, and New Mexico. Work will be performed in Mountain View, California, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 29, 2019. Fiscal 2019 other funds in the amount of $11,715,802 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, is the contracting activity.
