Dorian Threatens East Coast Bases
Aircraft were moved from Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, GA to Little Rock, AK, in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian.
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Military bases continue preparations for Hurricane Dorian, reports Business Insider, from Florida to southern Virginia. Some consider shutting down.
The Weather Channel anticipates the powerful, slow-moving storm reaching Georgia and the Carolinas Wednesday. CNN reports life-threatening storm surges expected from Florida to Virginia for the rest of the week.
Donald Trump backs off his prior budget’s pay freeze and now proposes a 2.6% pay raise for federal employees, reports FCW. However, Trump nixed 2020 locality pay increases, averaging just over 24%. The House’s budget bill provides a 3.1% pay raise, which Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) calls on Trump to match and criticizes the locality cut, saying it has a disparate impact on “hard working federal employees in high-cost regions like the DC-metro area.”
There are no traffic rules in space and no deference given those who were there first — that became apparent this week, reports Forbes, when a European Space Agency satellite had to change orbit to avoid collision with a SpaceX satellite. ESA suggested SpaceX’s lack of communication and refusal to move was due its satellite’s lack of maneuverability. ESA’s satellite altered its orbit to avoid collision, which was factored at a risk of 1 in 1,000, that’s 10 times greater than ESA’s triggering threshold for a collision avoidance maneuver.
The Navy hired YouTube influencers to recruit a new generation for cryptologic technicians, nuclear machinist mates, explosive ordnance disposal technicians, and other difficult to fill positions, reports The Virginian Pilot.
USA Today reports a preliminary agreement with the Taliban has the US withdrawing 5,000 troops within five months, if the Taliban reduces violence and prevents Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorists. The closed-door discussions leave war-weary Afghans frustrated, with little voice in their country’s fate, reports Military Times. “We don’t know what is going on but we are just so tired,” said a teacher in the capital of Kabul. Also out of the loop is National Security Adviser John Bolton, whose staunch opposition to the peace deal has annoyed Trump, according to aides. As a result, Bolton is being left out of Afghanistan policy discussions, reports The Washington Post.
On his book tour for Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead, former DefSec James Mattis describes US Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria strategies as “misaligned,” reports National Public Radio. Mattis says, “Nations with allies thrive, nations without allies wither.”
Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Ard, a Green Beret from 1st Special Forces Group, dies from wounds sustained during combat operations in Afghanistan, reports Army Times.
Iran blames a technical test malfunction for the rocket explosion appearing in an aerial photo tweeted last week by Trump. An Iranian official says a test malfunctioned, reports Military Times, and that Trump’s tweeting about it “is not understandable.”
Iraqi leadership must pre-approve US troops flying missions against ISIS in Iraqi airspace, reports Military Times. The Aug. 15 order from Iraq’s prime minister said those not approved would be considered hostile. Emergency flights receive blanket approval, said a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve.
USS Harry S. Truman suffers a major electrical malfunction in the face of a scheduled autumn deployment reports USNI News. Technicians at Norfolk Naval Shipyard are working to determine the cause and scope of the malfunction in the ship’s electrical distribution system. “The safety of the ship’s crew and reactor plants are not affected,” said US Fleet Forces Command spokesman Capt. Scott Miller.
Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $69,929,520 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded contract N00024-16-C-6425 to exercise Option Year Three for the production of Mk 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedo afterbody/tailcone sections, production support material, spares, auto-electrical power source test sets, engineering support, other direct costs and hardware repair services. Work will be performed in Bedford, Indiana (50%); Marion, Massachusetts (29%); Middletown, Rhode Island (16%); and Indianapolis, Indiana (5%), and is expected to be completed by March 2021. Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and Foreign Military Sales funding in the amount of $69,929,520 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin, Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $50,307,909 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-5151 to exercise options for ship integration and test of the Aegis Weapon System (AWS) for AWS Baselines through Advanced Capability Build 16. The contract provides for Aegis shipboard integration engineering, Aegis test team support, Aegis modernization team engineering support, Ballistic Missile Defense test team support, Aegis ashore support and AWS element assessments. This contract will cover the AWS ship integration and test efforts for nine new construction DDG 51 class ships and the major modernization of seven DDG 51 class ships. It will additionally cover the integrated combat system modifications and upgrades for all current ships with all AWS Baselines up to and including ACB 16. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (49%); Deveselu, Romania (12%); Norfolk, Virginia (8%); San Diego, California (8%); Washington, District of Columbia (7%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (5%); Mayport, Florida (4%); Bath, Maine (3%); and various places each below one percent (4% cumulative), and is expected to be complete by September 2024. Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,774,574 will be obligated at time of award and $1,452,864 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Homeland Security Solutions Inc., Hampton, Virginia, is awarded a $10,951,521 firm-fixed-priced modification to previously awarded contract M00264-19-C-0007 to exercise Option Year One. The work to be performed provides program management support, training, human resources services and non-guard security support services to the Marine Corps. Work will be performed in Camp Lejeune/New River, North Carolina (11%); Camp Pendleton, California (10%); Washington, District of Columbia (9%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (8%); Miramar, California (8%); Quantico, Virginia (8%); Camp Smith and Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (7%); Beaufort/Parris Island, South Carolina (6%); Yuma, Arizona (5%); Barstow, California (5%); San Diego, California (5%); Albany, Georgia (5%); Okinawa, Japan (5%); Bridgeport, California (2%); Blount Island, Florida (2%); New Orleans, Louisiana (2%); and Iwakuni, Japan (2%), and is expected to be completed by September 2020. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $10,095,934 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Installations, National Capitol Region – Regional Contracting Office, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $10,688,154 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-6410 to exercise Option Year Two for the production of MK54 MOD 1 lightweight torpedo proof of design components, test equipment, associated production support material, spares, and engineering and hardware support services. This modification combines purchases for the Navy (99%); and the government of the United Kingdom (1%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Charleroi, Pennsylvania (70%); Salt Lake City, Utah (26%); and Manassas, Virginia (4%), and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,680,514; and FMS funding in the amount of $32,306 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
CACI-ISS Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $10,172,707 modification (P00058) to contract W15QKN-15-C-0049 for the Integrated Personnel and Pay System. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2019. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,172,707 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
