GAO: On Drones, Safety Oversight Is Lagging
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A recent Government Accountability Office report finds that as the nation’s fleet of small recreational and commercial drones keeps soaring — the government projects nearly 3 million will be in the skies by 2022 — safety concerns are rising even as federal oversight stalls, reports Fair Warning.
Chris Shank, a former Air Force officer, has been selected by Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin to take over the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, reports Defense News.
Senate Republicans are holding their fire for now on the creation of a sixth branch of the military — the Space Force — to guard America’s interests in space, reports Defense One.
After the FY19 defense authorization act is signed into law, Defense Department officials will be handed the most sweeping changes to the military officer personnel system in the past 38 years, reports Military Times. Robert Hood, assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs, said officials are still working through the details of the military policy bill, which includes promoting some officers ahead of traditional schedules and allowing others to stay in rank longer than the current up-or-out system allows.
The Pentagon is doubling the size of its Hawaii-based team responsible for identifying Korean War remains after North Korea turned over 55 boxes believed to contain missing US troop, reports Stars and Stripes. Under the best-case scenario, work could yield identifications in early 2019, reports Military Times. If technicians run into problems, the work could stretch well into the 2020s.
The military has contacted the family of a service member missing from the Korean War whose dog tag was found among the 55 cases of war remains returned to the US, reports Military Times. His family will be presented that tag in Arlington, Va., this week as they arrive with hundreds of others for an annual meeting on the efforts to find their missing family members.
The Air Force is looking to install technology in its aircraft that could give an alert if a part needed maintenance before it actually breaks, reports Air Force Times. The goal is to outfit planes with instruments that will monitor specific equipment and relay information back to the maintainers, giving them a heads up if a part is worn out and needs to be repaired or replaced.
Sweden has OK’d a deal to buy Raytheon-made Patriot air and missile defense systems from the US after Swedish opposition leaders questioned whether Swedish government could actually pay for the systems, reports Defense News.
Eat more chicken? Service members are making their voices heard with a petition calling for more Chick-fil-A restaurants on US bases, reports Military Times. Senior Airman Emily Carby initiated the Bring Chick-fil-A to military base installations effort via change.org.
West Virginia has been awarded a $400,000 federal grant to provide agriculture training for military veterans, reports The Associated Press. Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center in Huntington will train participants to pursue agricultural vocations while addressing their behavioral and mental health needs.
NAWCAD employees from the Research and Engineering and Test and Evaluation departments were presented with Length of Service Awards and pins July 11 at NAS Pax River, reports The Tester. The 25-year awardees were Cynthia Davis, David Oberst, Fred Briggs, Jason Walker, Jennifer Long, and Scott Suckow.
Contracts:
Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nevada, was awarded $12,503,726 for cost-plus-fixed-fee task order N0042118F2061 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00421-15-G-0001) for maturation of the AN/SPN-35D system design through critical design review; manufacture of five AN/SPN-35D Engineering Development Model (EDM) systems; land-based integration testing and shipboard testing; and development of the AN/SPN-35D system logistics support plans and documentation references. This order also provides for the performance of E3/Environmental and Shock Qualification testing on configuration items of the AN/SPN-35D EDM system, and support the Navy-led qualification of a shipboard AN/SPN-35D EDM system. Work will be performed primarily in St. Inigoes, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in August 2020. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,500,000 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. (Awarded July 31, 2018)
Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, was awarded a $14,870,220 modification (P00006) to contract W81XWH-15-D-0046 for the purchase of oxygen generator, field portable systems. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2019. US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Volant Associates LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded an $11,058,269 modification to previously awarded contract FA8750-17-C-0001 for Defense Intelligence Information Enterprise Framework Integrated Collaborative Environment software. The contract modification changes the specifications for the Defense Intelligence Information Enterprise Framework Integrated Collaborative Environment software being produced under the basic contract to include developing and deploying the Defense Intelligence Information Enterprise reference implementation on unclassified Five Eye. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 13, 2019. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $25,063,367. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity.
Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z042); CACI Inc. – Federal, Chantilly, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z043); Deloitte & Touche LLP, Arlington, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z044); Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z045); and Whitney, Bradley & Brown Inc., Reston, Virginia (N00189-18-D-Z046), are awarded an estimated $68,606,390 multiple award cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts that will include terms and conditions for the placement of both cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task orders to provide contractor support of strategic assessment and planning; manpower assessment; planning and programming analysis support; financial program management; manpower, personnel, training and education program and policy assessment and management; and quantitative analysis, forecasting, performance assessment, and research, development, test and evaluation program management support in support of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) manpower, personnel, training and education domain comprised of the DCNO, the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Navy Personnel Command, the Navy Manpower Analysis Center, Commander Naval Education and Training, and Commander Navy Recruiting Command. The contracts will run concurrently and will include a 36-month base ordering period and two 36-month optional ordering periods which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $223,902,299. Work will be performed in Millington, Tennessee (50 percent); Arlington, Virginia (30 percent); Pensacola, Florida (10 percent); various locations throughout the continental US (8 percent); and various contractor facilitates (2 percent). The base ordering period of the contract is expected to be completed by August 2021; if all options are exercised, the ordering period will be completed by August 2027. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $50,000 will be obligated ($10,000 on each of the five contracts to fund the contracts’ minimum amounts) and funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured for the award of multiple contracts pursuant to the authority set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation 16.504. The requirement was solicited through the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 11 offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.
Desbuild Inc., Hyattsville, Maryland, is awarded $9,948,340 for firm-fixed-price task order N6945018F0723 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N69450-16-D-1111) for the replacement of missile magazines on Naval Station Mayport. The work to be performed provides for the demolition of two existing earth covered missile magazines and the design and construction of two new magazines at the missile magazine compound. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida and is expected to be completed by August 2020. Fiscal 2018 military construction, (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,948,340 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity.
