March 27, 2024

DoD Eyes Reduced Spending on Carriers

Carrier

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

The Pentagon is considering a reduction in its aircraft carrier force structure as part of the upcoming fiscal 2022 budget submission to Congress, reports USNI News. Aircraft carriers have been an important part of the US Navy, but there may be better options available going forward, reports The National Interest.

The Pentagon is also revisiting the idea of retiring the Navy’s Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, reports The Drive.

The US Navy and Air Force $414 million deal will buy dozens of Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles, reports Defense News, a closely watched program that seems to introduce a new sophisticated guidance system into lethal ship-killing missiles. The contract comes as tensions have continued to simmer in the Western Pacific.

South Korea has maintained low COVID-19 infection rates compared to the US, reports Military.com. “Of the 58,000 people who touch US Forces Korea bases daily, we’ve seen a total of 110 local affiliated cases — and only about 28 service members tested positive,” Army GEN Robert Abrams said.

An agreement with South Korea on sharing the cost of keeping US troops on the Korean Peninsula is early evidence that President Joe Biden is shifting America’s approach to alliances in Asia and beyond, reports Military Times. Seoul will pay 13.9% more this year for hosting American troops, reports The Associated Press.

Biden’s first in-person meeting with a foreign leader in Washington, DC, will be with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, reports The Hill. No firm date has been scheduled.

StateSec Antony Blinken and DefSec Lloyd Austin are expected to travel together to Japan and South Korea this week, reports The Hill. DoD says the trip is all about partnerships with America’s Asian allies.

France is stepping up its presence in the Indo-Pacific region, reports Breaking Defense. France has been positioning itself as a “stabilizing power” in a zone which “spans from Djibouti to Polynesia,” as stressed in the 2019 “French Defense Strategy In the Indo-Pacific.”

ADM John Aquilino has been promoted to lead the US Indo-Pacific command and VADM Samuel Paparo to run the Pacific Fleet, reports Breaking Defense. The swap of commanders comes as the Biden administration looks for ways to put its own imprint on the intensifying competition with China in the Pacific region.

 

 

A man was arrested March 6 after repeatedly ramming a swing arm barrier at the main entry control point of Joint Base Andrews, reports Air Force Times.

Human error and a malfunctioning gate led to a Feb. 4 security breach at Joint Base Andrews, reports UPI. A man entered the base and proceeded to the 89th Airlift Wing terminal, accessing the flightline through a gap in the broken gate. In addition to the review of the JBA situation, the Air Force is conducting a global security review that launched about two weeks ago, reports Air Force Times.

Lawmakers Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) reintroduced legislation to combat hate crime targeting Asian-Americans during the pandemic, reports UPI.

A 41-year-old Thai woman was recently extradited and charged with defrauding the US Navy of $5 million for her alleged role in the “Fat Leonard” bribery case, reports Navy Times. The scandal has so far seen at least 33 people charged.

How do you get more young people interested in serving in the military? The National Commission on Public Service has a few ideas: better marketing, more incentives, and increased career flexibility, reports Military Times.

One of three surviving members in Arizona of the famed all-Black Tuskegee Airmen has died, reports The Associated Press. The Archer-Ragsdale Chapter Tuskegee Airmen confirmed in a news release that Robert Ashby died March 12 at his home. He was 95.

Maryland has extended the state income tax filing deadline by three months until July 15, reports Maryland Matters. No interest or penalties will be assessed as long as returns are filed and taxes owed are paid by the new deadline. Comptroller Peter V.R. Franchot made the announcement Thursday. He also wants the state to investigate how state and federal COVID-19 relief funds are being spent in Maryland.

The crew of the Connecticut says the submarine has been subjected to a bed bug infestation, reports Navy Times. Sailors say the boat’s command has been slow to fix the problem.

SpaceX now has 60 more Starlink satellites in orbit, reports Tech Crunch. The company launched its latest full complement of the internet broadband spacecraft Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has begun using its SuperCam instrument on Mars, reports Scientific American. SuperCam is equipped with a microphone, which has picked up the gentle whoosh of Red Planet wind as well as the snaps generated by the laser when it hits a rock target.

The largest asteroid predicted to pass by Earth this year will be at its closest March 21, reports NASA.

Contracts:

Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded a $25,624,720 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-21-F-0008) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-17-G-0002. This order provides flight test support for the V-22 aircraft in support of the Navy, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (68%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (17%); Fort Worth, Texas (11%); and Hurlburt Field, Florida (4%), and is expected to be completed in March 2026. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,798,744; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,566,405; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $3,294,642; fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $2,194,929; and FMS funds in the amount of $1,770,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Q.E.D. Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0013); Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Fleet Support Group LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0014); General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Falls Church, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0015); Técnico Corp., Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0016); L-3 Unidyne Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0017); Delphinus Engineering Inc., Eddystone, Pennsylvania (N64498-21-D-0018); Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Portsmouth, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0019); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0020); Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc., Wyomissing, Pennsylvania (N64498-21-D-0021); La Playa Inc., of Virginia, Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0022); and Oceaneering International Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-21-D-0023), are awarded a combined maximum dollar value of $778,932,139 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for the procurement of engineering and technical support services in support of the Hull, Mechanical and Electrical Systems Modernization Program for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division. Each awardee will be awarded $2,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. Q.E.D. Systems Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $720,469,303. HII Fleet Support Group LLC is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $768,902,443. General Dynamics Information Technology Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $804,155,104. Técnico Corp. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $814,812,661. L-3 Unidyne Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $826,835,591. Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $841,014,199. Serco Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $877,402,903. Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $912,529,146. La Playa Inc. of Virginia is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $920,885,225. Delphinus Engineering Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $932,897,858. Oceaneering International Inc. is awarded $2,000 and the total value will be up to $955,113,643. It is estimated that work will be performed on the East Coast (45%); West Coast (40%); and outside continental U.S. (15%), at the following locations: Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; Mayport, Florida; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Everett, Washington; Bremerton, Washington; Groton, Connecticut; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Yokosuka, Japan; Sasebo, Japan; Rota, Spain; Manama, Bahrain; Portland, Oregon; and Yokohama, Japan. Work will be assigned according to individual task orders and is expected to be completed by March 2027. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funding in the amount of $22,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the task order level as contracting actions occur. This multiple award contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with 11 offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

CACI, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $15,024,845 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for intelligence services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of June 14, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $15,024,845 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W911W4-21-C-0001).

Textron Systems Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $9,730,016 firm-fixed-price modification (P00006) to contract FA4890-19-C-0002 for the exercise of Option Period Three. This modification provides for force-protection efforts at airfields located within the Air Force Central Command’s area of responsibility, including a non-developmental contractor-owned and contractor-operated unmanned aerial system, intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance solution to perform operational, engineering and sustainment efforts necessary to effectively execute pre-deployment, deployment operations, post-deployment and engineering support activities. Work will be performed at Bagram, Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed March 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $124,044,412. Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

CACI, Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $10,247,939 modification (P00007) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SP4701-19-C-0009) with three one-year option periods for technical and functional services for the Defense Agencies Initiative. This is a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. Location of performance is Virginia, with a March 28, 2022, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 operation and maintenance funds; and research, development, test and evaluation funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency, Contracting Services Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado, is being awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee $1,537,874,213 modification (PZ0023) to previously awarded and announced un-priced letter contract modifications PH0001 and PH0006 to contract N00030-19-C-0025 for the design, development, build and integration of equipment for missile flight test demonstrations and fielding. This modification provides the definitization of the un-priced letter contract modifications PH0001 and PH0006. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $2,826,155,717. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado (32.1%); Sunnyvale, California (19%); Magna, Utah (12.9%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (5.3%); East Aurora, New York (3.1%); Huntsville, Alabama (3.1%); Baltimore, Maryland (2.9%); Tucson, Arizona (2.2%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (1.8%); Michoud, Louisiana (1.4%); Simsbury, Connecticut (1%); and various other locations (less than 1% each, 15.2% total). Work is expected to be completed Feb. 25, 2024. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is awarded a $17,578,531 fixed-price, incentive-firm and firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6311 for procurement of six organic airborne mine countermeasure module kits, six reduced weight common support containers, 20 reduced weight basic outfitting assemblies (20 feet), and six common support container kits for integration into the Littoral Combat Ship framework. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia (45%); Marion, Virginia (45%); and Bethpage, New York (10%), and is expected to be completed by April 2024. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $17,578,531 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Salient Federal Services, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $24,905,656 modification (P00019) to contract W52P1J-18-C-0020 to provide mission critical information technology communications infrastructure and services. Work will be performed in Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $24,905,656 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract option modification (P00006) in the amount of $7,736,491 to previously awarded contract H98210-18-F-0062. This contract provides for administering critical functions of the National Language Services Corps, a major activity of the National Security Education Program. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia. The option period of performance is from March 15, 2021, to March 14, 2022. The initial contract award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one solicitation and two offers received. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $32,043,210 from $24,306,720. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds. Defense Human Resources Activity, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Leave A Comment