Esper’s Farewell: ‘Do the Right Thing’
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As former DefSec Mark Esper packed up his Pentagon office Monday, he released a final memo to the department urging troops and DoD civilians to “always do the right thing,” reports Military Times.
President Donald Trump removed Esper and named Christopher Miller acting DefSec, by tweet, reports USNI News. In his farewell memo to the Defense Department, Mr. Esper touted both efforts to execute the National Defense Strategy and the Pentagon’s shipbuilding proposal for the Navy as accomplishments during his tenure. Military Times reports he takes umbrage at being consider a “yes man” to the president.
Mr. Miller has a thin resume for defense secretary, but deep experience in counterterrorism, reports The Washington Post, including with the hunt for Osama bin Laden. But he has never served in the Pentagon’s most senior ranks and only recently became the director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
FDA gives emergency OK to Lilly’s antibody treatment for COVID-19, reports CNN. It has issued the emergency use authorization for monoclonal antibody therapy to treat mild to moderate coronavirus infections in adults and children. The single antibody treatment, called bamlanivimab, must be infused in a hospital or other health care setting. It is the first monoclonal antibody to be authorized for use in treating coronavirus. The idea is to kick-start an immune response against infection.
Despite more than three decades of studies and recommendations, a Pentagon advisory board finds the DoD fails to address the health care needs of female troops, reports Military.com. The failure to provide female service members the medical care and equipment needed for their well-being costs millions of dollars and hurts operational readiness.
The Navy freezes diversity and inclusion training for sailors and Marines, reports Navy Times, following an executive order signed in September barring the armed services from conducting training suggesting the US is “fundamentally racist.” Task Force One Navy, created in June to address systemic racism, the advancement process, and other things to eliminate “destructive biases” in the service, continues. Since Tf1N has no training role it is not impacted by the freeze.
CNO ADM Mike Gilday says Navy needs “fundamental change” in how it develops fighters, reports USNI News. A decade from now, the backbone of the Navy’s tactical air fleet will begin to retire with no clear successor in line yet. The Navy needs to avoid repeating the procedural mistakes that led to a 20-year process for the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter to make it into the fleet.
Pilot error, leadership failures, and a faulty ejection seat led to the fatal June 30 F-16 crash of a nighttime training flight at Shaw Air Force Base, SC, reports Air Force Times. “This accident is a tragic reminder of the inherent risks of fighter aviation and our critical oversight responsibilities required for successful execution,” Air Combat Command head GEN Mark Kelly said.
US Southern Command expanded rescue efforts and assistance to Guatemala on Sunday over the weekend as Hurricane Eta swept through Central America, reports Military.com. At the close of the weekend JTF-Bravo’s helicopters and Navy Boat Team sailors had rescued 56 Hondurans and Panamanians and transported 19 Panamanian rescue workers to communities isolated by the hurricane. About 69 JTF-B personnel and two Black Hawks have already staged in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, to coordinate support efforts with the Honduran response force.
Lockheed Martin will build a mid-range missile prototype for US Army, reports Defense News, landing a nearly $340 million contract to take elements from naval missiles to forge the new weapon. Through another transaction authority agreement, Lockheed will take the Navy’s Raytheon-built SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles to put together a Mid-Range Capability, expected to hit targets at distances beyond 500 kilometers.
Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a deal increasing US troop presence in the central European country and said it should be a symbol of a partnership that continues regardless of political developments, reports AP. “I believe that our partnership is above political divisions,” Duda said during the ratification ceremony at the Presidential Palace.
Some German officials hope President-elect Joe Biden will reverse US plans for a troop drawdown in the nation, reports Defense News.
US Army floats the option of fielding high-altitude balloons as an additional and less expensive layer of communications, reports Defense News. The balloons add resiliency to the service’s existing architecture of space assets and aircraft supporting multi-domain operations.
The Air Force’s new combat rescue helicopter is officially here to save the day, reports Task & Purpose. The Air Force officially took possession of its first two HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopters at Moody Air Force Base last week. The Air Force’s program of record calls for the purchase of 113 of the new combat rescue helicopters to replace its predecessor, the Sikorsky-made HH-60G Pave Hawk, which has been in service for nearly three decades.
US Space Force chief lays out his priorities in new guidance, reports C4ISRNET. Chief of Space Operations John “Jay” Raymond said the still nascent service must prioritize being lean, agile, and willing to take risks. The document lays out Raymond’s five priorities in organizing the Space Force.
A partnership between two leading Turkish defense companies has launched the country’s first armed unmanned surface vessel, the ULAQ, reports Defense News. The ULAQ was built from advanced composites, according to Ares Shipyard and Meteksan Defence, and has a 400-kilometer range and can travel up to 65 kph.
Contracts:
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,319,026 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Pulsed and Continuous Wave Innovation for Integration and Effects Research (PACIFIER). This contract provides for enhanced experimental and predicative capabilities to address existing and emerging laser systems and to quantify the effects of high power continuous-wave lasers interacting with a variety of materials and targets. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,800,233 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity (FA9451-20-C-0026). (Awarded Sept. 29, 2020)
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $33,921,325 cost-plus-fixed-fee job order with a two-year period of performance, to procure supplies, services, and repairs for the AN/ALQ-218 and AN/ALQ-240 systems and their variants. Work will be performed at the Baltimore, Maryland facility and will be completed by November 2022. Contract funds in the amount of $40,000 will be obligated at the time of contract award. Obligated funding is fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement, Navy. In accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; only one responsible source and no other sources will satisfy agency requirements. The contracting agency is Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana (N0016421GWS42).
