March 29, 2024

DoD Photos Take a Look Back at 2020

DoD Photos

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 Department of Defense regularly chronicles US military members who train and conduct operations around the globe 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure our nation’s security. DoD offers a glimpse into their lives and their work through the work of military photographers in 2021.

The US Senate voted late last week to turn a $741 billion defense authorization bill into law over the objections of President Donald Trump, reports Politico, making it the first successful veto override of his presidency.

President Trump signed an executive order Thursday implementing a federal pay raise for civilian employees and military members in 2021, reports Federal News Network. Civilian employees will receive a 1% across-the-board federal pay raise in 2021.

Kathleen Hicks is President-elect Joe Biden’s choice as deputy secretary of defense, reports Defense News. Mr. Biden’s choice for undersecretary of defense for policy is Colin Kahl.

The plan to pull 12,000 troops out of Germany now has an uncertain future as the Biden administration prepares to take office, reports Military Times.

The US Navy released request for proposals for its Snakehead Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle Phase 2 program right before Christmas, reports USNI News. It will be the largest underwater drone that a nuclear submarine can deploy, reports The Drive.

Boeing’s first commercial flight of the 737 Max jet left Miami for New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 29, almost two years after the aircraft was grounded, reports NBC News.

Aviation Today compiled its 2020 top 10 most-read articles on international avionics — from how airlines adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic to Boeing’s 737 Max certification.

 

 

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued new regulations for small drones and their operators, reports The Associated Press. Most drones will need to be equipped so they can be identified remotely by law enforcement.

Southern Maryland has had a proposal for a partial solution to some of its traffic woes for more than two decades, reports Greater Greater Washington. It’s a light rail project called Southern Maryland Rapid Transit. SMRT is an 18.7-mile-long light rail project from Branch Avenue to White Plains.

Australia’s Defense Ministry has declared the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter ready for use in its combat operations, reports Military.com.

The Navy and Boeing tested the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s capability to take off from a ski-jump-type ramp at Naval Air Station Pax River, reports Military.com. The demonstration was conducted for India, which is looking to buy new carrier-based fighters that can launch from its short-runway ships.

Lockheed Martin missed its target to deliver 141 F-35 fighter jets to the US and its allies in 2020, reports Reuters, as it built 8% fewer jets after the coronavirus pandemic hampered its supply chain and factories.

The US Army wants to make changes to its hair and grooming rules, reports Task & Purpose. Among those changes: allowing some women to wear pony tails and braids and allowing beards for men in some instances. In July, a directive from then-DefSec Mark Esper ordered a review of rooming policies for racial bias.

Consortium Management Group Inc., manager of the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium, provided $30,000 to St. Mary’s College of Maryland for the purchase of a research-grade microscope, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle.

Some new laws took effect in Maryland on Jan. 1, reports WTOP News. These include: Minimum wage in Maryland is rising from $11 an hour to $11.75 an hour for businesses with 15 or more employees and health care providers can’t charge patients copays or deductibles for prostate cancer screenings.

State public health departments are scrambling to put together plans for administering the COVID-19 vaccines, reports The Associated Press. Last week, Maryland was listed as the worst for the vaccine rollout among states evaluated by Bloomberg, reports The Baltimore Sun. According to the St. Mary’s County Health Department, health care personnel and first responders began receiving the vaccine last week.

Michele Evans, 55, head of Lockheed Martin’s Aeronautics division, died Jan. 1, reports Defense News. Her death was not related to the coronavirus. “Throughout her career, Michele led some of the most important programs that ensure the security of our nation and its allies and help make our world a safer place,” the company said in a statement issued Saturday.

The New York Times reports that Daniel Tellep, an aerospace engineer who initiated a merger between Lockheed and Martin Marietta to form the world’s largest military contractor, died at age 89 in late November. The merger, in 1995, created a  “defense industry behemoth.”

Contracts:

AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $36,680,072 fixed-price-incentive contract for contractor logistics support for the Tactical Unmanned Aircraft System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $36,680,072 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-21-C-0013).

Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC, Houma, Louisiana, is awarded a $178,082,877 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously-awarded contract (N0002419C2216) to exercise options for the detail design and construction of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Auxiliary General Oceanographic Research Variant (NAV) Ship 1 and Ship 2. This award completes Phase II of the NAV two-phase, down-select competition. This option exercise is for the detail design and construction for the NAV Ships 1 and 2. Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors LLC will be the shipyard responsible for the ship construction of the two NAV vessels (lead ship and additional ship). Work will be performed in Houma, Louisiana (60%); Alpharetta, Georgia (15%); Lynnwood, Washington (7%); New Orleans, Louisiana (6%); Gray, Louisiana (5%); Crozet, Virginia (3%); Alesund, Norway (2%); Amelia, Louisiana (1%); and various locations across the US (each less than 1%), and is expected to be completed by June 2024. Procurement, acquisition, and construction (NOAA) funding in the amount of $178,082,877 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.

CACI Enterprise Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $28,438,031 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00013) to a previously awarded contract (N3220519F1044). This modification exercises Option Year Two of four planned options for continued integrated business systems support to Military Sealift Command’s business systems and ashore operations. The contract assists the command’s integrated business systems support services which manage, operate, and maintain the command’s business systems, as well as interfaces with Navy enterprise defense business systems. Additionally, this contract allows MSC to integrate all of its business systems into a single, integrated business system to meet emergent and newly mandated requirements — specifically, federal compliance mandates such as financial improvement and audit readiness, growing cybersecurity concerns, cloud migration, and interoperability and integration with Navy and federal programs of record. This modification exercises and funds Option Year Two, a 12-month period of performance commencing Jan. 1, 2021, through Dec. 31, 2021. Work under this modification will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Serco – IPS Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded an $18,325,525 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract (N00174-18-C-0015) to procure professional support services for the Naval Sea System Command’s deputy commander for surface warfare. Work will be performed in Washington, DC (55%); Norfolk, Virginia (19%); San Diego, California (18%); Mayport, Florida (2%); Yokosuka, Japan (2%); Sasebo, Japan (1%); Manama, Bahrain (1%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (1%); and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%), and is expected to be complete by April 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,350,000 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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