Dems Open Session With Plan to End Shutdown
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House Democrats are on target to open the new session of Congress by passing legislation to fund the federal government, end the partial shutdown, and reinstate a 1.9 percent federal pay raise President Donald Trump eliminated Dec. 28, 2018. The plan funds Homeland Security under a separate continuing resolution through Feb. 8, to give time for more negotiation over border security funding.
Sweeping reforms and updates to the Uniform Code of Military Justice began Jan. 1, reports Military Times. Changes include the addition of some crimes, an expansion of victims’ rights and standardizing the legal blood-alcohol limit for drivers on some military bases.
Tuesday was the first day on the job for Patrick Shanahan, reports The Hill. “As acting secretary of defense, I now look forward to working with President Trump to carry out his vision alongside strong leaders including the service secretaries, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the combatant commanders, and senior personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense,” Shanahan wrote. Shanahan has superb qualifications in the defense industry, he has little experience dealing with the White House, Congress, the allies, military operations, or the intelligence community — and he lacks Mattis’ stature with any of them, reports Breaking Defense.
Dana White is out as chief spokeswoman for the Pentagon, Fox News reports. Charles E. “Charlie” Summers Jr., a former Maine Republican politician and Navy reserve captain, has been named to replace White, who held the post under outgoing DefSec Jim Mattis. The Washington Post reports White had been under investigation since May over whether she mistreated employees.
The delivery of the first KC-46 tanker to the Air Force was delayed, reports Defense News, due to DefSec Mattis’ surprise departure from the Pentagon.
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson says that whether or not Congress goes along with President Donald Trump’s plan to establish a Space Force, the nation is prepared to protect and advance its dominance in space, reports Space News. She said the Air Force is keeping focused on the space mission while supporting the Space Force proposal.
USNI News compiled what it considered the most important military and maritime stories in 2018. Among them is the US Navy’s F-35C, which saw its first integrated air wing operations and the first operational F-35C squadron being given a safe-for-flight certification.
Military Times remembers those who died in 2018 and who served and made their mark on the military and the country.
The Pentagon is urging US Pacific allies to increase their military presence in the South China Sea, reports Stars and Stripes, in line with its own efforts to confront China. Task & Purpose reports China’s futuristic electromagnetic railgun may be at sea now, way ahead of schedule. New photos appear to show the railgun perched on the bow of its test ship at sea. In June, a US intelligence assessment estimated that the Chinese military planned on fielding its own version of the electromagnetic railgun on naval vessels as early as 2025.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said he is ready to meet with President Trump again to achieve their common goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but warned he might have to take an alternative path if US sanctions against the country continue, Reuters reports.
The Fifth Domain lists the four big cybersecurity questions in 2019: What will the new Pentagon chief do with expanded cyber powers? What’s next in US-China cyber relations? Will the US suffer blowback for more offensive cyber operations? Will Congress streamline cybersecurity contracting and research?
Safety tops the list of urgent issues involving drones, The Washington Times reports. The UAVs are generating more interest and concern these days as their fliers find more uses for them. Aviation policy experts say laws and regulations on drones will evolve as the technology transforms all manner of commerce, from farmers using UAVs to create 3D soil analysis maps and real estate agents providing prospective home buyers with aerial views of neighborhoods to retailers delivering goods and news outlets collecting data with drones.
Contracts:
Risk Mitigation Consulting Inc., Destin, Florida, is awarded a maximum amount $95,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for mission assurance assessments of installation/facilities infrastructure and facility-related control systems for the Department of the Navy. The work includes, but is not limited to the collection and evaluation of data concerning the criticality of facilities, utilities, industrial control systems, and supporting infrastructure based on mission impacts, probable threats and hazards, and degrees of vulnerability to determine the overall risk posture of the asset. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic area of responsibility, both inside and outside the continental US, including, but not limited to, California (24.6 percent); Virginia (13.0 percent); Florida (10.1 percent); Maryland (7.2 percent); Washington (5.8 percent); Hawaii (4.3 percent); Texas (4.3 percent); South Carolina (4.3 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (2.9 percent); North Carolina (2.9 percent); Mississippi (2.9 percent); Georgia (2.9 percent); Tennessee (1.5 percent); Rhode Island (1.5 percent); Pennsylvania (1.5 percent); New York (1.5 percent); New Jersey (1.5 percent); Louisiana (1.5 percent); Indiana (1.5 percent); Illinois (1.5 percent); Connecticut (1.4 percent); and Arizona (1.4 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of January 1, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and Federal Business Opportunities website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-2002).
Bell-Boeing JPO, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $23,325,145 for cost-plus- fixed-fee delivery order N0001918F5004 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0002) in support of the V-22. This order provides support of ongoing flight test and evaluation of the V-22 test aircraft. Work will be performed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (90 percent); and Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2018. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $23,325,145 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.
SRA International Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded an $11,336,940 firm-fixed-price contract for command, control, communications, and computer system afloat operations and sustainment support for capabilities aboard the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet of ships, and the MSC network operations centers. This contract includes a six-month period of performance. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and work is scheduled to commence Jan. 1, 2019, and is scheduled to be completed June 30, 2019. This contract will be funded with Navy working capital funds; and US Transportation Command working capital funds. Funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded as an other than full and open requirement under unusual and compelling urgency procedures. Only one offer was solicited and received. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (N3220519C1000) (Awarded Dec. 31, 2018)
CORRECTION: An $89,520,585 modification (0053 09) to contract W52P1J-11-G-0053 awarded to BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia, announced Dec. 31, 2018, listed the wrong amount of funds obligated. The correct amount of obligated funds is $7,895,422. All other information in the announcement was correct.
