Five-County Study Supports Bay Ferry

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.

A group of five counties has released a study on the feasibility of a Chesapeake Bay ferry system for recreational passengers, reports Chesapeake Bay Magazine. The Chesapeake Bay Passenger Ferry Consortium includes Anne Arundel, Calvert, St. Mary’s, Queen Anne’s, and Somerset counties. The study identifies Maryland waterfront communities that could be connected with a ferry service using high-speed catamarans. Six potential routes have been outlined.

No ship has had a complete loss of power since the Dali at the Key Bridge, but in Maryland waters since March 26 there have been at least seven instances of ships experiencing a loss or reduction of power or steering, according to the US Coast Guard. Only two instances occurred near infrastructure and danger averted. While the Key Bridge collapse is considered an anomaly, it has spurred a renewed focus on infrastructure protection, including a Coast Guard probe analyzing the security of 11 ports across the country, says Military.com.

CAPT Guillermo Carrillo has assumed command of the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office (PMA-231) at NAS Pax River, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. Carrillo replaced CAPT Pete Arrobio.

NAVAIR News reports that the US Navy’s Next Jet Competition invites students from kindergarten through 12th grades across Southern Maryland’s to submit their futuristic jet designs for a chance to earn a tour with a NAWCAD squadron and experience naval aviation up close. The top designs will be featured at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum in Lexington Park.

The Navy recently installed the world’s first Unmanned Air Warfare Center aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, where air vehicle pilots will control future MQ-25 Stingray airborne operations, reports Interesting Engineering via MSN.

The DoD and National Nuclear Security Administration have a new supercomputing system focused on biological defense to provide large-scale simulation and AI-based modeling for a variety of defensive activities, including bio surveillance and accelerated medical countermeasures, reports NextGov.com.

The Navy has run out of pants. Specifically, reports Military.com, the Navy Exchanges are “experiencing severe shortages of NWU trousers” both in physical stores and online, according to Courtney Williams, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s Exchange Service Command. An online out-of-stock notification indicates that more pants won’t reach store shelves any earlier than October.

The US Coast Guard Sector Miami announced new restricted “security zones” in the water surrounding former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago that it will enforce whenever he or other protected visitors are in town, reports Military.com.

Former President Donald Trump is working to clarify controversial remarks he made concerning the Presidential Medal of Honor, calling the military award “the ultimate” honor America can bestow while noting the bodily sacrifices of troops who earn it, and how “it is a painful thing to get,” reports Navy Times. Trump was speaking last Thursday in New Jersey when he said that the civilian Medal of Freedom is “actually much better” than the Defense Department’s Medal of Honor (YouTube video here) because service members have to sacrifice their lives or health to receive the military’s highest honor.

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley defended the former president against backlash from his remarks about the Medal of Honor, reports The Hill. “Well, look, there is nobody who supports the military, our veterans’ communities and all of the military families more than President Trump,” Whatley told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.” The Veterans of Foreign Wars has criticized Trump’s remarks. “These asinine comments not only diminish the significance of our nation’s highest award for valor, but also crassly characterizes the sacrifices of those who have risked their lives above and beyond the call of duty,” said VFW National Commander Al Lipphardt.

The FBI and federal cybersecurity agency have released a new public service announcement assuring the general public that even if ransomware attacks disrupt the digital aspects of the 2024 election infrastructure, it will only cause delays, and not pose threats to counting votes. NextGov.com reports the announcement acknowledges the growing cyber threat landscape due to the increased digitization of US voting records and sophistication of cyberattacks but emphasizes the overall security in election technology.

The US said 10 sailors aboard two MH-60S Seahawk helicopters were hospitalized last week following a mishap on the training ranges at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, reports Navy Times. The helos were assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 and were at Fallon to conduct training.

The sale of up to 36 AH-64E Apache helicopters, logistics, and support to South Korea — a deal worth $3.5 billion — was approved by the US State Department, reports Defense News. South Korea would also buy up to 76 GE T700 engines, two installed in each helicopter, plus four more spares.

Chinese and Philippine coast guard ships collided at sea, damaging at least two vessels, in an encounter early Monday near a new flashpoint in their increasingly alarming confrontations in the disputed South China Sea, Military.com reports. Each blamed the other for the collision near Sabina Shoal, a disputed atoll in the Spratly Islands, where Vietnam and Taiwan also have overlapping claims. There were no reports of injuries.

Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) left the South China Sea and is now in the Indian Ocean, reports USNI. DefSec Lloyd Austin ordered last week the carrier to “accelerate its transit” to the Middle East as regional tensions rise following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. The Navy posted on X a timelapse video asking “What is it like for a 96,000 ton supercarrier to transit the world’s busiest maritime shipping route?”

Independent watchdog group Senior Citizens League — an affiliate of TREA: The Enlisted Association — noted its latest projection for Social Security COLA rates for the upcoming year, estimating the figure will be less than 2.6%, reports Marine Corps Times. Recipients of Social Security checks and veterans benefits payouts could see a cost-of-living adjustment of less than 3% in 2025, the lowest mark since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maryland added 6,100 jobs, including 5,300 in the private sector, in July, according to the US Department of Labor, reports WBFF Fox45 News Baltimore. That job growth ranged across industries, but was stronger in certain areas, including cybersecurity, life sciences research, and transportation.

State and local officials are calling for continued efforts to reduce highway fatalities in Maryland, which are on pace to exceed 550 this year, reports Maryland Matters. “Last year our fatalities were the highest number we’ve seen since 2007,” said Chrissy Nizer, Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration administrator. “It was really a tough year in terms of what we were seeing on the roadways.”

Personal finance website WalletHub released its report on the Best & Worst States for Women’s Equality in 2024. The report ranks Maryland No. 10 overall. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 17 key metrics. The data set ranges from the gap between female and male executives to the disparity in unemployment rates for women and men to the income gap.

Gov. Wes Moore announced $7.3 million in workforce grants to upskill Maryland’s workforce and make Maryland more competitive in emerging health care, information technology, skilled trade, and hospitality industries, reports WBFF Fox 45 News Baltimore. The Employment Advancement Right Now, or EARN, grants will be administered by the state’s Department of Labor. They are aimed at strengthening the homegrown talent pipeline for Maryland businesses to meet increasing demand for their products and services.

Contracts:

Oceanetics Inc., Annapolis, Maryland, is awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N39430-23-D-4050) for a capacity increase of the firm-fixed-price contract line-item number. This award brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $114,989,368. Work will be performed at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering (NAVFAC) and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) area of responsibility and will be completed by May 2028. No funds are associated with this modification as the capacity increase solely raises the not to exceed limit under the firm-fixed price contract line-item number. The contracting activity is NAVFAC EXWC, Naval Base Ventura County, Port Hueneme, California.

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $82,742,559 firm-fixed-price, level-of-effort contract for continued life cycle management process – integrated data environment (LCMP-IDE) support. This contract provides for support of the LCMP-IDE program management tool and software system, plus infrastructure, applications, and related IT management services. Work will be performed at McLean, Virginia; and Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 17, 2029. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,147,556 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8219-24-F-0010). (Contract awarded on Aug. 17, 2024)

Plateau Software Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general application support, system management, operations and maintenance, cybersecurity and training in support of the Army’s Environmental Health and Safety system. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 21, 2029. US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-24-D-0054).

SRI International, Menlo Park, California (HR0011-24-A-0001); Capital Factory Properties LLC, Austin, Texas (HR0011-24-A-0002); The General Hospital Corp., Boston, Massachusetts (HR0011-24-A-0003); Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, Wake Forest, North Carolina (HR0011-24-A-0004); and Hyperion Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia (HR0011-24-A-0005), were awarded a maximum value $25,000,000 (total sum among all five contractors) hybrid, firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials, multiple-award blanket purchase agreement for the Commercial Accelerator program. This agreement provides for expert technological and industry proficiency to conduct ongoing, iterative assessments of the technical solutions’ commercial viability. Work will be performed in Menlo Park, California; Austin, Texas; Boston, Massachusetts; Wake Forest, North Carolina; and Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of August 2027. This agreement will not obligate funds at the time of award. This agreement was a competitive acquisition under solicitation HR0011-24-Q-0002, and 39 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Fluor Marine Propulsion LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $1,396,995,054 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-18-C-2130) to exercise fiscal 2025 options for naval nuclear propulsion work at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory. Work will be performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (52%); Schenectady, New York (39%); and Idaho Falls, Idaho (9%). Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $14,979,962 (79%); fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation in the amount of $3,551,000 (19%); and fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $495,000 (2%), will be obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $495,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $61,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-5392) for engineering integration, technical support, and depot operations in support of the MK 41 vertical launching system electronic systems and computer programs. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (60%); Ventura, California (16%), San Diego, California (10%); Seattle, Washington (4%); Mayport, Florida (4%); Norfolk, Virginia (4%); and Virginia Beach, Virginia (2%), and is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,635,000 (43%); fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,441,483 (41%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,254,750 (9%); and fiscal 2024 Defense-wide research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $927,322 (7%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a $9,672,322 modification (P00005) to a firm-fixed-price order (N0001921F0060) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001916G0006). This modification provides for the procurement and installation of upgraded dual gate drivers for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System Power Conditioning Subsystem Half Bridges to address reliability and obsolescence concerns. This includes a total of 686 kits that will be installed on Navy aircraft carriers (CVN 78, CVN 79) and the Lakehurst System Functional Demonstration test site, including on-board and site spares for each location. Additionally, this modification includes associated labor for engineering, program management, and logistics products. Work will be performed in Tupelo, Mississippi (56.1%); San Diego, California (40.7%); Newport News, Virginia (1.7%); and Lakehurst, New Jersey (1.5%), and is expected to be completed January 2027. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount $3,442,009; fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount $2,277,737; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,676,182; and fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,276,392 will be obligated at the time of award, $1,276,392 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, Corpus Christi, Texas, is awarded an $8,254,953 fixed-price, indefinite-delivery, requirements contract for the acquisition of miscellaneous items for the Navy Exchange Service Command Ship Store Program. The contract will include a 12-month base period, four one-year options, and a six-month extension option in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.217-8. If all options are exercised, the total value of this contract will be $48,472,179. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (24%); Seattle, Washington (18%); Norfolk, Virginia (16%); Mayport, Florida (15%); Oahu, Hawaii (14%); and Diego Garcia (13%). Work is expected to be completed by September 2025; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by March 2030. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Appropriate fiscal year working capital funds (Navy) will be used as individual orders are issued. This sole-source requirement is authorized or required by statute in accordance with FAR Part 8.7 Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act (41 US Code 46-48c) and the rules of the Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled (41 Code of Federal Regulations Chapter 51) which implements the AbilityOne Program. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N00604-24-D-4001).

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $262,430,360 contract bridge modification (P00013) to previously awarded Government Wide Acquisition Contract Alliant 2 vehicle for continued Air Force cloud computing capability. The contract modification is for continued support of commercial cloud services, common architectural and foundational services, and software engineering services to assist with migration and modernization. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,246,163,495. Work will be performed at the contractor’s designated facilities and is expected to be completed by Sept. 8, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $13,804,881 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8726-24-F-0001).

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded an $8,769,536 modification (P00004) to contract W912GB-24-F-0305 for construction surveillance technicians. Work will be performed in Baumholder, Germany, with an estimated completion date of June 11, 2028. Fiscal 2022 military construction, Army funds in the amount of $8,769,536 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, European District, is the contracting activity.

Modern Technology Solutions Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a competitive, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $73,568,329. Under this new contract, the contractor will build advance the state-of-the-art in collaborative, constructive experimentation and evaluation of missile defeat kill webs (MDKW). The contractor will create a digital engineering ecosystem that enables experiments and evaluations of MDKW including left-through-right of launch. A task order in the amount of $11,919,845 is being issued. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. The ordering period is from Aug. 19, 2024, through Aug. 18, 2029. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the government-wide Point-of-Entry website under the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) Broad Agency Announcement HQ0860-23-S-0001. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation Congressional-Plus-Up funds in the amount of $1,804,347 are being obligated on the first task order. MDA, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0860-24-D-0001).

OptumHealth Care Solutions LLC, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is awarded a modification (P00002) valued at $25,777,598 to bridge a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (HT001124C0011) for Global Nurse Advice Line (GNAL) support services. The GNAL is a service to the Military Health System eligible beneficiaries and provides access to telehealth registered nurses for triage services, self-care advice, and general health inquiries 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds are obligated to exercise and fully fund Option Two contract line items 2001-2007 for six months from Sept. 18, 2024, through March 17, 2025. The place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. The Defense Health Agency, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

J&J Worldwide Services, Austin, Texas (W91278-24-D-0055); Facility Services Management Inc., Clarksville, Tennessee (W91278-24-D-0056); Korte Construction Co., St. Louis, Missouri (W91278-24-D-0057); Johnson Controls Building Automation Systems, Huntsville, Alabama (W91278-24-D-0058); NAN Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (W91278-24-D-0059); Valiant Government Services, Fayetteville, North Carolina (W91278-24-D-0060); 2A LLC, Aberdeen, Maryland (W91278-24-D-0061); Bering-J&J JV, Anchorage, Alaska (W91278-24-D-0062); Global Engineering & Construction LLC, Renton, Washington (W91278-24-D-0063); Strategic Industry, Kingsburg, California (W91278-24-D-0064); and Su-Mo Builders, Honolulu, Hawaii (W91278-24-D-0065), will compete for each order of the $99,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design-build construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with 15 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 19, 2029. US Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Avalon Contracting Inc., Tacoma, Washington (W911S8-24-D-0003); CMEC LLC, Post Falls, Idaho (W911S8-24-D-0004); Cannon Constructors LLC, Milton, Washington (W911S8-24-D-0005); M.J. Takisaki Inc., Seattle, Washington (W911S8-24-D-0006); and F.L. Pinto Companies LLC, McLean, Virginia (W911S8-24-D-0007), will compete for each order of the $24,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for minor maintenance, repair and construction work. Bids were solicited via the internet with 10 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 18, 2029. 418th Contracting Support Brigade, Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, is the contracting activity.

Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-24-A-0056); TD Synnex, Greenville, South Carolina (N66001-24-A-0057); and EC America, McLean, Virginia (N66001-24-A-0058), are awarded a multiple award, firm-fixed-price, blanket purchase agreement (BPA), with an estimated value of $848,400,000, using the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule. The Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative (DOD ESI) BPAs will provide Red Hat subscription software licenses for on-premises and cloud environments. Red Hat software products are required by the DOD to support warfighting operations and missions, protect against network vulnerabilities, ensure compatibility across network systems, and reduce costs. Additionally, Red Hat software products are required as the Linux operating system is used extensively on a range of workloads in physical, virtual, and cloud environments. Red Hat Enterprise Linux editions are available for servers, mainframe, SAP applications, OpenStack platforms, desktops, data centers, and edge servers. These agreements are issued under DOD ESI in accordance with the policy and guidelines in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 208.74. The ordering period will be for five years, base ordering period of three years and one option period of two years. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using primarily operations and maintenance funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the GSA E-Buy web site with 990 vendors solicited, three responses received, and three selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

Innovative Defense Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $39,683,997 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-21-C-5100) to increase engineering labor and support for Automated Test and Analysis requirements. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (63%); Mount Laurel, New Jersey (21%); San Diego, California (8%); and Boston, Massachusetts (8%). Work is expected to be completed by November 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,232,288 (82%); fiscal 2024 Defense-wide research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $1,000,000 (8%); fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funding in the amount of $688,000 (5%); and fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $577,059 (5%), will be obligated at time of award, of which $577,059 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.