F-35 Will Miss Readiness Mark
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Presumptive DefSec Mark Esper says the F-35 won’t hit 80 percent readiness this year, reports Breaking Defense. Problems acquiring a cockpit part that improves stealth performance is cited as the main obstacle to meeting the marker.
Can Esper save the DoD? Military Times reports US senators are asking. The Pentagon has been without a full-fledged leader for more than seven months, 14 top Pentagon jobs have no confirmed official. During Mr. Esper’s confirmation hearing, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) expressed concern “that the Defense Department may be adrift in a way I have not seen in my whole time on Capitol Hill.” He encouraged Mr. Esper to “impress” upon the White House the “importance of filling these positions.”
After days of silence about whether Turkey will be punished for accepting a Russian-made air defense system, lawmakers say President Donald Trump is locked into Turkey sanctions, reports Defense News. Mr. Trump reluctantly seemed to agree Turkey will now be cut off from the F-35.
An oil tanker disappeared July 13 into Iranian waters traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, reports Navy Times. Tracking data shows the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Riah, based in the United Arab Emirates, traveling through the strait Saturday night, drifting into Iranian waters and then stop transmitting its location.
The House version of the defense policy bill would require DoD to share water contamination data with local communities concerned with the chemical known as PFAS, widely used in firefighting foam at military bases, reports Military.com.
Cyber espionage may mean taking some defense contractors completely “off the net,” according Lt. Gen. Paul Ostrowski, deputy to the Army acquisition chief. The military can stop cyber attacks by independent criminals, but state-sponsored attacks, not so much. Mr. Ostrowski noted this is not only a top concern for the Army but throughout DoD.
Army modernization officials eye the Navy’s high-powered laser to fight enemy drone swarms, reports Military.com. The Navy is helping make the Army’s High Energy Laser more than twice as powerful for fending off aerial attacks from swarms of enemy drones.
With a $150 million price tag, Navy’s CIC simulators now running on both coasts, reports Navy Times. The high-tech trainers are in San Diego and Norfolk now, giving shipboard Combat Information Center teams the most realistic education possible, short of actual combat.
News reports out of Australia and $211 million in the US Senate’s annual defense bill suggest the Marines are planning a commercial port near Darwin, Australia, reports Marine Corps Times. This could cause Australia diplomatic headaches. While one of the most important US allies in the Pacific, Australia has grown increasingly economically intertwined with China.
Pentagon: ‘Robust’ counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan must continue even with a Taliban peace deal, reports Military Times. The Pentagon is warning that a “robust” counter-terrorism capability must remain in Afghanistan against groups including al-Qaida, even if a peace deal with the Taliban is secured.
Apollo 11 astronaut returns to launch pad 50 years later, reports The Associated Press. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins returned Tuesday to the exact spot where he flew to the moon 50 years ago with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
Contracts:
Naval Systems Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $23,043,905 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides cost estimating and analysis support. Specifically, to provide analyses including acquisition and logistics estimating, independent evaluations, case studies and recommendations, along with associated data in support of cost estimating and analysis that spans all phases of the life cycle (i.e., material solution analysis, technology demonstration, engineering and manufacturing development, production and deployment, and operations and support). Work will be performed in Lexington Park, Maryland (56%); Patuxent River, Maryland (30%); Lakehurst, New Jersey (7%); and Orlando, Florida (7%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0075).
HII Fleet Support Group LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0020); General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0021); M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0022); Prism Maritime LLC, Chesapeake, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0023); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0024); and VT Milcom Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00039-19-D-0025), are awarded a combined $2,450,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-incentive fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm-target, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price multiple award contract to provide worldwide installation services for all afloat command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) and supporting systems, current and future, under the cognizance of the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR). C4ISR installation services include decommissioning and modernization of existing platforms, as well as installation design and installation of integrated C4ISR systems, program and project management, engineering design, industrial work, troubleshooting, operational verification, end-user training and other installation services and material necessary to accomplish NAVWAR C4ISR maintenance, modernization and new system installation. Work will be performed in various worldwide locations based on the requirement for each task order placed, and work is expected to be completed July 2024. If the option is exercised, ordering could continue until July 2029. No contract funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $5,000 will be obligated on the first task order under each contract utilizing fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy). All awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. The types of funding to be obligated include fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This requirement was solicited using full and open competition via the NAVWAR e-Commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with seven offers received. The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded an $87,793,895 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price ordering provisions for engineering and program support services in support of the relocatable over-the-horizon radar at the Forces Surveillance Support Center in Chesapeake, Virginia. The contract will include a 60-month base period with no option periods. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia (60%); Marlborough, Massachusetts (20%); New Kent, Virginia (6%); Corpus Christi, Texas (3%); San Juan, Puerto Rico (3%); England (2%); Adelaide, Australia (1%); Dayton, Ohio (1%); Colorado Springs, Colorado (1%); Washington, District of Columbia (1%); Arlington, Virginia (1%); and Key West, Florida (1%). Work is expected to be completed by August 2024. Fiscal year 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,000,000 will be obligated to fund the contract’s minimum amount and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-sourced requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 US Code 2304(C)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center, Norfolk, Contracting Department, Philadelphia Office, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00189-19-D-Z030).
Management and Technology Solutions Inc., doing business as MTS Group, Dumfries, Virginia, is awarded a $39,300,000 firm-fixed-priced contract for general warehousing services at Navy Expeditionary Medical Support Command, Cheatham Annex, Williamsburg, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024. Fiscal 2020 Defense Health Program operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,830,490 will be obligated on an initial task order at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-19-D-5008).
General Dynamics Missions Systems Inc., McLeansville, North Carolina, is awarded a $9,207,817 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N61331-11-C-0017 for engineering services in support of ongoing development, test, and production of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) program, also known as Knifefish. The Knifefish program is an ongoing effort to provide a UUV that will provide persistent mine hunting ability in a contested environment. Engineering services hours are used for a number of efforts, including test and evaluation, engineering change proposal development, and pre-planned product improvement initiatives. Work will be performed in Quincy, Massachusetts (52%); McLeansville, North Carolina (27%); Braintree, Massachusetts (10%); Hanover, Maryland (5%); Reston, Virginia (5%); and Ann Arbor, Michigan (1%), and is expected to be completed by July 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $150,000 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.
Group W Inc., Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded a $24,553,592 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for professional technical support of the Air Force’s synthetic theater operations research module. This contract provides for system maintenance, system help-desk support, and development of additional capabilities for the Air Force’s campaign modeling software suite. Work will be performed at Air Force’s Studies and Analyses Directorate and the Air Force Warfighting Integration Capability office, Arlington, Virginia, and, if all options are exercised, is expected to be completed by Nov. 28, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive source acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $747,060 was obligated on the task order coinciding with contract award. Air Force District Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-19-D-A001). (Awarded Nov. 28, 2018)
