For the CH-53K, a Real-World, Heavy-Lift Mission
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 US Marine Corps CH-53K King Stallion completed its first official fleet mission, reports The Drive. The heavy-lift helicopter recovered another helicopter from a mountain ridge in California after it made a hard landing during a search for missing hikers. “Heavy lift is a unique and invaluable mission for the Marine Corps. Horsepower is our weapon system and the CH-53K is armed to the teeth,” said Marine Corps LT COL Luke Frank, the CH-53K Detachment Officer in Charge for VMX-1.
The US State Department and DoD are meeting with private rescue groups to find ways to evacuate American citizens and their allies who still remain in Afghanistan, reports Military Times.
On Friday, the US halted all US-bound flights of evacuees from two main bases overseas for unspecified “health safety concerns,” a move officials warned would have an impact on the evacuation operation, reports The Associated Press.
Tens of thousands of Afghan citizens were evacuated, and now the DoD is reviewing the process to see how personnel were involved and how closely the department is tracking evacuees, reports Military Times.
The ultimate winner of two decades of war in Afghanistan? It likely will be China, reports Defense One. The military equipment left behind when the US forces left will give China — through the Taliban — a look into how the US builds its war machines.
Business Insider reports that China is sending aid to the Taliban. China pledged $31 million worth of food, medicine, and COVID-19 vaccines, to Afghanistan, the first sizeable foreign-aid promise from a major nation since August 15.
North Korea test fired new long-range cruise missiles over the weekend, reports The Associated Press, that country’s first known testing activity in months.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group took part in maritime exercises with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Philippine Sea last week, reports Navy Recognition. The operations are part of what the US says is its routine presence in the Indo-Pacific region, reports UPI.
The US Air Force is working on a new weapon — a ship-killing GPS-guided bomb, reports Military.com. Last month, dummy versions of 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, were tested on stationary and moving targets on the water.
The US Army is looking for a replacement for its unmanned RQ-7B Shadow, reports Space War. The service wants quieter tactical drones that can be transported easily and can take off and land vertically, unlike the runway-dependent Shadow aircraft.
The US Missile Defense Agency launched a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Ground Based Interceptor on Sunday, flying a mock-up of the EKV, or Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle, reports Defense News. “It was the first flight test of a three-stage booster operating in two-stage mode meaning the third stage was not ignited, allowing earlier release of the kill vehicle providing increased battlespace,” according to MSA.
The Biden administration is making $482 million available to aviation industry manufacturers to help them avert job or pay cuts in the pandemic, reports ABC News. The administration believes the relief could help save up to 22,500 jobs.
Eleven service members died of COVID-19 complications in August 2021, reports Military Times, making it the deadliest month for the military. None of the service members who had died in August were fully vaccinated.
Neurovation Labs believes it may have found the secret to treating PTSD, reports Defense One. While current treatments for post traumatic stress disorder range from virtual reality to electronic brain stimulation to hallucinogens and ecstasy, the start-up company might have found that a direct form of medicine will work. Dr. Jennifer Perusini said PTSD has a unique biomarker called GluA1. It’s a protein that is part of a glutamate receptor system, which helps memory formation. But trauma can also spur the creation of GluA1. Blocking the protein can remove anxiety.
Richard Meleski, 60, of Pennsylvania pleaded guilty earlier this summer to a count of health care fraud, two counts of mail fraud, one count of stolen valor, and two counts of fraudulent military papers, reports Navy Times. Meleski pretended to be a Navy SEAL and former POW to collect Veterans Administration benefits. He was sentenced to 40 months in jail.
A VA inspector general’s report detailed several missteps at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Bedford, MA, that allowed for the death of a veteran to go unnoticed for more than a month, reports AP. The man was found in an emergency stairwell. The stairwell down the hall from his room was VA property and not leased to the company that operated the hospital, the report states.
The new permanent installation, “Women in Aviation: Exploring Their Diverse Contributions to NAS Patuxent River and Beyond,” is being prepared at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum, reports The Baynet. It is scheduled to open Veterans Day weekend.
Historic Annapolis is presenting an exhibit until October 11 titled “Founding Freedoms: The Essential American Documents,” reports WTOP News. The exhibit features printings of the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. The exhibit at the state house is open 9 am to 5 pm daily, and entry is free.
Contracts:
Science Application International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $11,691,110 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract including cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost only provision for services, and firm-fixed-price provisions for spare parts in support of the MK 695 Torpedo System Test Set (TSTS). This contract combines purchases for the US government (50%); and the government of the Netherlands (50%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The services under this contract cover repair services, obsolescence management, prototype spares hardware and software fabrication and on-site technical assistance. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $24,476,114. Work will be performed in government site locations (10%) and contractor site locations (90%). Work will be performed in Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island; New London, Connecticut; and Hanover, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by September 2026, if all options are exercised. Foreign Military Sales funds (NE-P-LHP) in the amount of $50,000 (50%); and fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $50,000 (50%) will be obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with two acceptable offers received. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 10, 2021)
Lumen Technologies Government Solutions Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a non-competitive, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for the continued operations and maintenance support for dark fiber and commercial facilities in the continental US to support the Department of Defense. The total amount of all orders placed against the contract shall not exceed $196,475,450. The guaranteed minimum amount is $1,000 and will be satisfied through an initial task order awarded with the basic contract using fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance funds. Primary performance will be at the contractor’s facility. The period of performance is Oct. 1, 2021 – Sept. 30, 2028. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1013-21-D-0010).
Science Application International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $40,672,323 modification (P00011) to contract W52P1J-20-C-0010 to support the Army Enterprise Service Desk. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 25, 2023. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,967,739 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Contrack Watts Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $26,845,944 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of a non-permanent modular billeting facility at Prince Sultan Air Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Saudi Arabia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 11, 2023. Fiscal 2021 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $26,845,944 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Middle East District, is the contracting activity (W912ER-21-C-0022).
Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, was awarded a $12,374,452 modification (P00017) to contract W9132V-19-F-0005 for systems engineering and technical assistance support/expertise for technical, analytical, management, training and testing services. Work will be performed in Alexandria, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2022. Fiscal 2021 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi, is the contracting activity.
