March 29, 2024

DoD Likely Unchanged by Biden Administration

Biden

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National Defense says a Democratic Biden administration with Republicans maintaining sway over the Senate, shouldn’t created a radical change in military spending or strategy.

DoD declines comment on whether the SolarWinds’ Orion platform hack affiliated with Russia’s foreign intelligence agency impacted military systems, reports C4ISR. SolarWinds counts all five military services, the Pentagon, and the NSA among its clientele for the network management platform. The company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the hack between March and June affected “fewer than” 18,000 customers — both government agencies and businesses. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency late Sunday night issued an emergency mandate that all federal civilian agencies stop using SolarWinds’ Orion products “immediately,” reports FCW.

More Pentagon advisers have been replaced with Trump administration loyalists, reports Defense News, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appointed to the Defense Policy Board, an independent outside body, weeks after former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright were removed in a sudden purge of longstanding experts. The administration made similar moves with the Defense Business Board last month.

The Trump administration imposed sanctions this week on NATO ally Turkey over its purchase of a Russian air defense system, in a striking move against a longtime partner, reports Defense News. This sets the stage for further confrontation between the two nations as President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office.

The government-controlled engine maker Tusas Engine Industries delivered for testing Turkey’s first indigenous helicopter engine, reports Defense News. The indigenous engine is designed to replace the current engine developed out of a joint venture between British company Rolls-Royce and American firm Honeywell.

The National Guard is on tap to serve in some capacity with COVID-19 vaccine distribution in 26 states and territories, reports Military Times.

Military Times wants to hear about your most memorable holidays spent away from home to publish later this month. They seek the good ones, the bad ones, the funny ones, and the ones you hated at the time but now look back on fondly. Send stories and pics to [email protected].

 

 

Army CAPT Carey DuVal is using a new robotic prosthetic hand so successfully he has become the only amputee to get through Special Forces assessment selection, reports ABC News. The Westlake Village interface company, Biodesign’s prosthetic is changing the game for amputees across the world. “I can literally just flex inside the cuff and it automatically changes the setup of the hand to a different grip,” said DuVal.

Camp Lejeune, NC, holds the training range of the future with an AI design to incorporate lifelike robotic targets that can dodge, change direction, shout, and even charge the attacking Marine Corps force, reports Military.com. It is expected to become the final event in 2nd Marine Division’s Marine Corps Combat Readiness Evaluation, for soon-to-deploy troops.

Paratroopers in China are turning to virtual reality to try to boost their combat readiness, South China Morning Post reports. Their military commands are shifting the training focus from a Russian model to an American one to address a lack of real combat experience.

Google says its worldwide outage that hit 6:55 am ET on Monday was a problem with an automated quota management system that was fixed for the “vast majority” of users by 7:52 am ET, reports The Verge. The world’s dependence on Google services led to a truly staggering number of reports on DownDetector, with the number of reported YouTube problems peaking at over 100,000.

The Marine Corps  is partnering with state and national organizations to form the longest living shoreline rehabilitation project on the North Carolina coast, reports Carolina Public Press. DoD’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration program awarded $1 million to plant 2,100 linear feet along the Neuse River bordering the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, 18 miles southeast of New Bern.

A key House lawmaker on Monday called for the chamber’s ethics committee to launch an investigation into Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) for his role in a controversial campaign by Veterans Affairs officials to discredit a sexual assault victim, reports Military Times. Leaders on the Democratic Women’s Caucus called for VA SEC Robert Wilkie to resign for his conduct in the case. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) also called for Wilkie to resign, reports The Hill, following others in the House, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

About 60 female recruits will begin training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in February, reports Military.com. The plan is part of a test run as the Marine Corps experiments with ways to end its long-held tradition of separating enlisted recruits by gender when they arrive at boot camp.

Another female Marine is on the verge of graduating the Corps’ Infantry Officer Course, reports Marine Corps Times. As of August, 11 women had attempted IOC since the infantry field was opened to women in 2016. Two have passed. Three more women are expected to start IOC on Jan. 11, 2021.

The Navy is offering early outs to some enlisted ratings at specific paygrades that have become overmanned due to high retention, reports Navy Times. Check the Enlisted Early Transition Program for eligible job ratings and year groups.

Corvias, the company that manages base housing at Fort Meade, MD, has halted its participation in discussions with residents about their concerns with its housing at the Army base because company officials said some families are using the talks to advance a lawsuit, reports Stars and Stripes.

Contracts:

Bell Textron Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $22,791,652 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N00019-21-F-0228) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-16-G-0012. This order provides engineering and logistics support, procures four resident integrated logistics support detachment computer seats, trailer lease site for flight test engineers, support equipment workaround material and aircraft wiring integration remote terminal and flight control computer test station material in support of Marine Corps (USMC) AH-1Z; the governments of Bahrain and the Czech Republic UH-1Y and AH-1Z production aircraft; and USMC UH-1Y and AH-1Z aircraft modifications and sustainment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (70%); and Patuxent River, Maryland (30%), and is expected to be completed in February 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $957,796; fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $703,526; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,842,613; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $2,645,319 will be obligated at time of award, $15,800,409 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Saxman One LLC, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $50,750,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Navy Internship and Apprenticeship Programs. This contract provides for the promotion of student internship opportunities such as the Science and Engineering Internship Program (SEAP), the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP), Naval Horizons and other short-term internship programs. The work to be performed includes web site development, provide customer service, increase program awareness, develop virtual training opportunities, provide intern notification, make payment of intern stipends, work with Naval Commands to obtain the proper security paperwork for the intern(s), coordinate internship agreements and provide reports to the Office of Naval Research. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is estimated to be completed by Dec. 15, 2025. The total cumulative value of this contract is $50,750,000. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $125,000 are being obligated on a task order on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis at the time of award. These funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was solicited on a sole-source basis using an Alaska Native Corporation in accordance with 13 Code of Federal Regulations 124.506(b). The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-21-D-4002).

CSRA LLC, a General Dynamics Information Technology Co., Falls Church, Virginia, is awarded a $28,092,546 modification to previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract N00039-17-D-0002 to extend network and information technology services being provided under the Outside Continental U.S. Navy Enterprise Network (ONE-Net) contract. The services provided under ONE-Net include service desk support, networks and systems operations support, field services support, information assurance services support, network technical support, business management office support, Tier II/III support, Tier IV support and host based security system support. Work will be performed in various locations outside the U.S. based on the requirement for each task order placed. Work is expected to be completed by September 2021. The total cumulative value of this contract is an estimated $171,828,967. No contract funds will be obligated on the base contract at the time of award. Contract funds will be obligated on individual task orders and will at the end of the fiscal year. This modification extends the period of performance of the contract by adding Option Period Five (Dec. 28, 2020, to June 27, 2021) with a ceiling of $17,717,296; and Option Period Six (June 28, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2021) with a ceiling of $10,375,250, which are both exercised with award of this modification. The contract type of the modification is an IDIQ hybrid contract with firm-fixed-price and cost only contract line item numbers. This contract includes options, which are being exercised at the time of award of this modification. This contract was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1). The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $8,000,000 fixed-price incentive (firm target) undefinitized contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for extra-large unmanned undersea vehicle maintenance analyses and logistics products. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (52%); and Huntington Beach, California (48%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

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