Forbes on Short List For NavSec

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.

Randy Forbes, a Republican congressman from Virginia and a military adviser to Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and makes it plain on his website that he is “one of the nation’s most forceful advocates for a strong national defense.” Business Insider reports that Forbes is the man likely to be the next secretary of the US Navy.

The next director of national intelligence may be Pete Hoestra, the former head of the House Intelligence Committee, and the next Army secretary is likely to be Van Hipp, head of consulting firm American Defense International, Breaking Defense reports.

Trump’s lack of foreign policy experience will prove challenging to the Pentagon, retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey tells Military Times. He says he is confident military leaders will try to work constructively with the unpredictable president-elect. Trump is “remarkably uneducated about almost every aspect of defense and foreign policy,” says McCaffrey, who was a member of Bill Clinton’s administration.

Russia is hopeful that a Trump presidency will herald improved relations with the US, Military Times reports. But, in a sign of the cold realism that Vladimir Putin is known for, Moscow is not betting on an immediate drastic turnaround in the strained relationship. A Putin spokesman said late last week that Russian experts were in contact with some members of Trump’s staff during the campaign, a period in which the US accused Russia of hacking into Democratic Party emails systems. A spokeswoman for Trump denied the assertion.

Dallas News reports that Lockheed Martin, aware that Trump voiced strong misgivings about the capabilities and cost of the F-35 Lightning II during his campaign, is already meeting with the transition team about the fighter jet and other programs.

The F-35B Lightning II completed a new milestone during its third and final Developmental Test Phase by successfully completing the first power module and engine swap at sea in the hangar bay of amphibious assault ship USS America, Scout Warrior reports.

2017 could be a decisive year for the Air Force’s future fighter jet, as the service begins multiple efforts that will help determine the requirements of its so-called Penetrating Counter Air capability, Defense News reports.

US military is working with Australia, Japan, South Korea, and other allies to bring them up to speed on the power and potential of fifth-generation aircraft like the F-35 and F-22, Military.com reports. Pacific Air Forces, the Hawaii-based major command whose area of responsibility stretches to the Asian coastline, is leading the effort to integrate the F-35 with allies.

American, British, and South Korean air force fighter pilots wrapped up the 10-day Invincible Shield exercise on the Korean Peninsula last week, a show of force in the face of continuing North Korean provocations, Air Force Times reports.

Roughly one in every 13 troops is clinically overweight, defined by a body mass-index greater than 25, according to Defense Department data obtained by Military Times. The Navy is launching a new program to get the number of overweight sailors down and keep them from being kicked out of the service.

Defense News reports that barely two weeks after the Navy commissioned its newest and most futuristic warship, armed with two huge guns that can hit targets 80 miles away, the service is moving to cancel the projectiles for the guns, citing excessive costs that run up to $800,000 per round or more.

The Army is reinforcing its combat brigades with cyber soldiers. Mock wargames exercises have revealed cybersecurity shortfalls, Breaking Defense reports, that prompted the Army to add two network defense specialists to the permanent communications staff of every brigade.

Contracts:

IAP Worldwide Services Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida, is being awarded $61,389,606 for modification P00009 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable contract (N00019-15-C-0120) to exercise an option for logistics services in support of the Take Charge and Move Out and Airborne Command Post aircraft and support equipment. Work will be performed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma (70 percent); Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska (10 percent); Travis Air Force Base, California (10 percent); and Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2017. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $24,194,637 are being obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Woodland Hills, California, is being awarded a $9,874,900 modification to firm-fixed-price delivery order 3000 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-15-G-0026) for the procurement of 50 tech refresh mission computers and 50 trays in support of Lot 14 H-1 aircraft. Work will be performed at Baltimore, Maryland (42 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (38 percent); and Woodland Hills, California (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2019. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,874,900 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $8,545,528 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00013) to a previously awarded contract (HR0011-12-C-0086) for a cost-growth and within-scope change to support an extended test phase for the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program. Fiscal 2017 research and development funds in the amount of $275,511 are being obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (37 percent); Long Beach, Mississippi (23 percent); San Diego, California (21 percent); Bowie, Maryland (9 percent); Newport, Rhode Island (5 percent); Bristol, Rhode Island (2 percent), Dorchester, Massachusetts (2 percent); Weaverville, North Carolina (1 percent); and Gulfport, Mississippi (less than 1 percent), with an estimated completion date of December 2017. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.