DoD Issues Report on Its Telework Practices
A Defense Department employee teleworks April 1, 2020. (US Army photo by April Gail Pilgrim)
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.
Defense Department employees say they became more productive when they began teleworking at the beginning of the pandemic, reports Military.com. The Pentagon inspector general’s office released a report on teleworking practices last week. Among the findings: 47% of those responding said their productivity increased while working from home during the pandemic, 41% felt they were about as productive while teleworking as they were in the office, and nearly 12% felt their productivity slipped. More than 54,600 people responded to the survey.
Friday’s security threat at the US Capitol again raises concerns about security, reports vox.com, just three months after the January riots. The “lone wolf” attack left the suspect, Noah Green, 25, dead as well as Capitol Police officer William “Billy” Evans, who was struck when Green’s vehicle rammed into a barricade, reports Fox News. A second officer was injured.
During a routine flight March 22 at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California, a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was damaged after hitting a bird, reports Navy Times.
RADM Gregory Harris said the Navy is pursuing both manned and unmanned platforms for the aircraft that will replace its rotary-wing fleet, reports USNI News. He said the service’s Future Vertical Lift program will include a family of systems.
The Marine Corps’ Compact Laser Weapon Systems, which can be used on land or at sea, have been upgraded with stronger beams to take out drones, reports Military.com. Earlier this year, Marine GEN Kenneth McKenzie Jr. of US Central Command said that off-the-shelf- drones were becoming a threat. “The growing threat posed by these systems coupled with our lack of dependable, networked capabilities to counter them is the most concerning tactical development since the rise of the improvised explosive device in Iraq,” McKenzie was quoted by Task & Purpose.
The USS Fort McHenry has been decommissioned after 33 years in the fleet, reports Navy Times. The amphibious dock landing ship is headed to a Philadelphia facility for inactive vessels, reports Military.com. For more than three decades, the ship supported wartime and humanitarian missions around the world.
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower and its carrier strike group have started conducting flight operations against ISIS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, reports Navy Times.
The large-deck amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli is awaiting sea trials after completing its “fitting out availability,” reports UPI. The Tripoli is the second of three in the Navy’s America-class. The third, the USS Bougainville, will feature a return of the much anticipated well-deck configuration, a known design enabling ship-to-shore maritime transport, surveillance, and attack, reports The National Interest.
CAPT William Selk is the new commander of AIRTEVRON ONE (VX-1) at NAS Patuxent River, reports The Baynet. The change of command ceremony was held March 18. Selk previously served at VX-1 as the chief operational test director.
COL Vasilios Pappas has taken over command of the US Marine Corps H-1 Light/Attack Helicopters program office (PMA-276) at Patuxent River, reports dcmilitary.com. Pappas began his career flying the UH-1N, and subsequently transitioned to the UH-1Y. After multiple deployments, he reported to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 as an H-1 engineering test pilot.
National security advisers from the US, Japan, and South Korea met Friday at the US Naval Academy, reports Voice of America. Top on the meeting’s agenda — North Korea.
California start-up Exosonic has been issued a contract to develop supersonic executive transport that could be used as Air Force One, reports CNN. A low-boom supersonic Mach 1.8 twinjet caught the eye of the US Air Force’s Presidential and Executive Airlift Directorate.
The US Government Accountability Office says cleanup on two Puerto Rican islands used as Navy bombing ranges and now popular with tourists will continue through 2032, reports Military Times. Cleanup efforts by DoD and the US Army Corps of Engineers will cost $420 million more, bringing the total price tag to $800 million.
Tens of thousands of landmines remain in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina after the Balkans war in the 1990s. Experts are using bees and drones to detect the explosives, reports BBC.com. According to the report, bees can pick up the scent of explosives and the drones are used to monitor the bees.
Russia is warning NATO against sending any troops to help Ukraine, reports BBC News, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders. The US has condemned Russian’s aggression and expressed “unwavering” support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, reports UPI.
The White House wants veterans groups to act as “trusted voices” in communities across the country as it tries to convince Americans to get COVID-19 vaccines, reports Military Times. Joseph Chenelly, national executive director of AMVETS, in an interview with WHAM ABC13, said that about half of eligible vets in the US have gotten vaccinated.
Gov. Larry Hogan said Maryland is opening up COVID-19 vaccine registration to all Marylanders and expects to be able to offer them shots ahead of a previously announced April 27 date, reports WTOP News.
The Pentagon issued new rules for transgender people serving in the military, reports The Associated Press, that offer them wider access to medical care and assistance with gender transition. The new policies will take effect in 30 days to give the service branches time to update policies and provide guidance, reports Military.com.
The US added 916,000 jobs in March, according to the latest figures from the US Labor Department. It’s a sign that recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold, reports The Associated Press, as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen. Employers have added back nearly 14 million, or 62%, of the 22.4 million jobs lost in spring 2020, reports New York Post.
Veterans unemployment in March reached its lowest level since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago, reports Military Times.
Daniel Hale, 33, of Tennessee, a former Air Force intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty last week to leaking classified documents about military drone strikes against al-Qaida and other terrorist targets, reports The Associated Press.
Contracts:
CACI Inc.-Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $372,853,235 maximum labor hour contract (H92402-21-C-0005) for joint geospatial analytic support services to US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The contract will provide proficient and capable geospatial analysts experienced with the processing, exploitation and dissemination of traditional and non-traditional intelligence data. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,731,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The places of performance include Fayetteville, North Carolina; Newport News, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; and multiple other locations in the US and overseas. This contract was awarded competitively in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Part 15 procedures. USSOCOM Headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Lafayette Group Inc., Vienna, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0096); and Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0097), were awarded a combined $51,828,272 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-with-no-fee pricing to provide communications interoperability technical assistance, programmatic and strategic support, software lifecycle engineering and upgrades, and other command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) efforts. This two-year contract includes two three-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $220,218,046. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (20%); and Washington, DC (80%). The period of performance of the base award is from April 1, 2021, through March 31, 2023. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through March 31, 2029. Awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2021 funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operations and sustainment funds; and DHS procurement, construction and improvements funds. This contract was competitively procured via a request for proposal (N66001-21-R-0015) published on the beta.SAM.gov web site and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central web site. Four offers were received and two were selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 31, 2021)
Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, is awarded a $12,956,653 fixed-price-incentive modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-14-C-6322 to exercise an option for an additional low rate initial production unit for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System unmanned surface vehicle program. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland (70%); and Slidell, Louisiana (30%), and is expected to be completed by September 2022. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $12,956,653 will be obligated at 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.
Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., doing business as Collins Aerospace, San Dimas, California, is awarded an $8,323,306 cost-plus-fixed fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development, design, and on-site support services in support of the Central Atmosphere Monitoring System (CAMS), including CAMS Mk I, CAMS Mk II, and CAMS IIA. Work will be performed in San Dimas, California (85%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1%); Groton, Connecticut (1%); New London, Connecticut (1%); Kittery, Maine (1%); Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1%); Norfolk, Virginia (1%); Portsmouth, Virginia (1%); Newport News, Virginia (1%); Kings Bay, Georgia (1%); Bremerton, Washington (1%); Silverdale, Washington (1%); Bangor, Washington (1%); San Diego, California (1%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%); and Santa Rita, Guam (1%), and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $31,934 will be obligated at 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 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-21-D-4014).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis Junction, Maryland, has been awarded a $42,536,432 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursement task order to obtain appropriately skilled contractor support staff for sustainment of the Cyber Mission Platform and future Generation-3 platform baselines and associated continuous integration/continuous delivery pipeline activities to meet the program management office’s customer needs. Work will be performed at government facilities throughout the continental US and is expected to be completed March 31, 2026. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds; and fiscal 2021 other procurement funds in the amount of $10,706,951 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8307-21-F-0004). (Awarded April 1, 2021)
Salient Federal – SGIS Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $7,635,866 firm-fixed-price task order modification (P00002) to exercise an option on a contract (HS0021-20-F-00023) that was transferred to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This order includes maintaining, upgrading, and providing production support to the DCSA Program Executive Office’s case processing applications. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia. This option is fully funded with fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds. The anticipated period of performance of this option is for one year, from April 5, 2021, through April 4, 2022. The total value of the contract, including a base year and option periods, is $37,765,001. The total obligated amount of the contract is $22,491,270. The original award was issued by OPM with a one year base period plus four 12-month option periods via contract 243226-19-F-0043 on March 18, 2019. This notification is submitted as DCSA believes this order was not previously announced by OPM in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 5.303. DCSA Acquisition and Contracting, Quantico, Virginia, is now the contracting activity.
