DoD Under-Utilizing Talent, Experts Say

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.

The Defense Innovation Board warns that the Pentagon needs to take a serious look at how it trains and assigns troops for high-tech jobs if it ever hopes to fulfill the potential promise of artificial intelligence to the military, reports Military Times. Jen Pahlka, founder of Code for America, says the Defense Department is under-utilizing existing talent and losing people to civilian jobs.

North Korea has conducted its third test-firing of a new multiple rocket launcher that it says expands its ability to destroy enemy targets in surprise attacks, reports Military Times.

Stephen Biegun, the US top negotiator in North Korea, has been nominated to become the next deputy secretary of state, reports The Washington Post. As for SecState Mike Pompeo, rumors circulate that Pompeo is planning to run for the US Senate from his home state of Kansas, reports BBC.

The US government has launched a review of TikTok owner Beijing ByteDance Technology’s acquisition of US social media app Musical.ly, NBC News reports, believing it might pose a national security risk.

Navy Vice ADM Charles Richard is the new head of US Strategic Command, reports Defense News. Richard is a former deputy commander at STRATCOM who most recently served as the Navy’s head of submarine forces. He succeeds Air Force Gen. John Hyten, reports Omaha World-Herald.

STRATCOM has just completed Global Thunder 20 exercise, which included a Bomber Task Force mission in Europe, focused on joint operations, command and control objectives, and nuclear force readiness, the command reported last week.

US Africa Command has completed its air base in Agadez, Niger, reports Air Force Times. The base is a hub for armed drones and other aircraft.

​New Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett reaffirmed her commitment to the service and its airmen at a ceremonial swearing in Saturday at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado, reports Air Force Magazine.

The US Air Force’s Special Warfare Training Wing has its first female airman in the training pipeline to become a combat controller, reports Air Force Times.

Latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that veteran unemployment rates dropped slightly in October 2019, reports Military Times, even as the national unemployment rate rose.

House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee Chairman John Garamendi (D-CA) and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) have introduced a bill to look into the military’s dependence on China for pharmaceuticals, reports Federal News Radio.

Tests for the abort system for Boeing’s newest astronaut capsule, the CST-100 Starliner, were conducted at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, reports UPI News. Starliner is set for an unmanned test flight to the International Space Station in December.

An unpiloted Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship arrived at the ISS on Monday, reports Space.com. Among the 4-ton delivery: cookie dough, fresh supplies and car parts. Italian automaker Lamborghini sent samples of carbon fiber for testing, reports Digital Trends. There is already a car orbiting, the cherry-red Tesla Roadster that was the payload for the  launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket in February 2018.

Contracts:

Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $20,700,000 firm-fixed price contract for the design, fabrication, procurement, delivery, installation, integration, configuration, technical documentation, test, modernization and concurrency of the Littoral Combat Ship Freedom Variant Integrated Tactical Trainer devices installed at Naval Station Mayport, Florida; and Naval Station San Diego, California. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (51%); Moorestown, New Jersey (35%); Baltimore, Maryland (8%); Clearwater, Florida (3%); and Marion, Massachusetts (3%), and is expected to be completed in March 2022. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,700,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to US Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61340-20-C-0003).

High Desert Support Services, Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $30,000,000 modification (P00019) to contract W9124B-18-C-0004 for installation support services. Work will be performed in Fort Irwin, California, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $2,968,096 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, Fort Irwin, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Oct. 31, 2019)