Geneva Conventions @ 75, Ignored Everywhere

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.

The Geneva Conventions — the world’s rules of war — are 75 years old and ignored nearly everywhere. Adopted by nearly all the world’s countries since finalized on Aug. 12, 1949, the conventions are back on their heels as armed militia groups and national forces regularly disregard the rules of war, reports AP News. “International humanitarian law is under strain, disregarded, undermined to justify violence,” Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which oversees the conventions, said Monday. The Red Cross has counted more than 120 active conflicts around the world, a six-fold increase from the half-century anniversary in 1999.

US Navy warship production is in the worst state in 25 years, says Navy Times, leaving the US behind China in the number of ships at its disposal — and the gap is widening. A labor shortage has required employer-sponsored training of thousands of young workers as shipyards struggle to hire and retain employees. Labor shortages, shifting defense priorities, last-minute design changes, and cost overruns and have led to backlogs in ship production and maintenance at a time when the Navy faces expanding global threats.

To boost fighting spirit, Air Force and Space Force basic trainees are now issued inert M-4 rifles early in boot camp to carry and maintain throughout the course at Lackland Air Force Base, TX, reports Task & Purpose. Carrying a weapon through boot camp is a long-standing practice in the Army and Marine Corps but has been an on/off policy at the Air Force’s Basic Military Training course. Getting new recruits used to handling weapons instills a warrior mindset, even among those who might never carry a weapon in their eventual jobs, according to 737th Training Group Commander, COL Billy Wilson Jr.

Air Force lawyers are fighting an emergency order from the EPA to clean contaminated drinking water in Arizona, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling restricting regulatory agencies as a justification to dodge the mandate, according to Military.com. Air Force lawyers argue the ruling referred to as “Chevron deference” makes the EPA’s order to clean contaminated water from the Tucson International Airport moot.

US Coast Guard failures to investigate and prosecute incidents of sexual assault and harassment extend beyond its service academy and are ongoing, systemic problems, according to a Senate Homeland Security committee. The report released Wednesday by the panel said the Coast Guard cultivated a culture of “silencing, retaliation, and failed accountability” to address cases of rape, assault, and harassment across the service, reports Military.com.

An Osprey crash in Australia that killed three Marines last August was caused by multiple pilot errors during a near mid-air collision, a military investigation has found. It also found that squadron leadership had permitted “a culture that disregarded safety of flight.” Marine Times reports two Marines were killed by the Aug. 27 crash, pilots CAPT Eleanor V. LeBeau, 29, and MAJ Tobin J. Lewis, 37. A third Marine, crew chief CPL Spencer R. Collart, 21, was killed as he “heroically re-entered the burning cockpit of the aircraft in an attempt to rescue the trapped pilots,” the investigators said in a report released late Friday. For his valor, Collart will be posthumously awarded the service’s highest non-combat award: the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. It is an honor awarded for acts of heroism at great risk to the service member’s life.

The first Space Force Guardian scheduled to launch into space, COL Nick Hague, may be left in limbo after a NASA and SpaceX mission has been significantly delayed by ongoing issues with the Boeing Starliner that have stranded two astronauts on the International Space Station, reports Military.com.

Norway’s communications satellites over the Arctic region lifted off on Sunday night carrying the first US military payload hosted on a commercial satellite and operated by an allied partner. Breaking Defense reports the Arctic satellite constellation, built by Northrop Grumman for Space Norway, lofted from Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA, sending a SpaceX Falcon 9 into an orbit which will provide coverage of the northern latitudes including Russia.

Germany’s Rheinmetall announced plans to acquire Michigan-based Loc Performance for just under $1 billion, reports Breaking Defense. Matthew Warnick, American Rheinmetall Vehicles managing director, expects the deal completed by the end of this year and said, “Loc brings with it tremendous manufacturing capabilities for producing vehicle designs and related activities.”

For an undisclosed price, Rheinmetall recently purchased a majority stake in South African engineering firm Resonant Holdings to meet demand for ammunition factories, reported Defense News. Breaking Defense reported Rheinmetall’s announcement of the Spanish army signing a “framework agreement” to order “around half a million modular propellant systems for 155mm extended-range artillery ammunition” in a $224.6 million contract booked in July, which follows a similar size and price contract with Madrid in March.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development announced policy changes expanding homeless veterans’ access to housing, reports Military Times. Going forward, a veteran’s service-connected disability benefits will no longer be considered as additional income when determining income-based housing eligibility.

To handle the influx of new patients after the signing of the PACT Act in 2022, the Veterans Health Administration hired nearly 62,000 new employees in 2023. That included bringing on 340 psychiatrists, the second biggest category of physician hires behind only primary care doctors, according to Military.com. In the wake of PACT, more than 700,000 veterans had newly enrolled in VA health care, including more than 150,000 who were freshly eligible because of the law and now asking for medical support. The PACT Act is a law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances, according to the VA website.

Eight US service members were treated for traumatic brain injury and smoke inhalation after a one-way drone attack in Syria over the weekend, reports Military.com. Of those eight, three service members have already returned to duty, and the rest are still under medical observation, Pentagon spokesman MAJGEN Patrick Ryder told reporters at a briefing.

Federal health regulators on Friday rejected the psychedelic drug MDMA as a therapy for PTSD, a major setback for groups, including veterans, seeking a breakthrough decision in favor of using mind-altering substances to treat serious mental health conditions, reports Military Times.

Vietnam has dramatically accelerated its effort in 2024 to expand islands and reclaim land in the contested South China Sea, challenging rising Chinese assertiveness, reports The Washington Post. Vietnam has been enlarging its presence since 2021 across the remote collection of rocks, reefs, and islets called the Spratlys. Vietnam is on pace this year to create more than 1,000 acres of new land there, more than in any year prior.

Washington and Beijing are figuring out what to make of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s connections to China and how they might shape policy if he and Vice President Kamala Harris win in November. Politico reports Walz taught in China when he was 25, at the same time as the Tienanmen Square protests. He has visited 30 more times in the years afterward. In Congress, he established himself as an advocate for human rights in China and a critic of its government.

A Chinese rocket, carrying satellites intended to rival Starlink’s communication constellation, broke up in low-Earth orbit, spreading debris across the orbital regime and worrying experts. Air & Space Forces Magazine reports the Long March 6A rocket launched Aug. 6 had successfully deployed 18 satellites for the Qianfan, or “Thousand Sails,” communications constellation when it broke up in space. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said the launch was a complete success, but observers noted that the rocket’s second stage appeared to break apart.

Military officials are rejecting demands from California to better monitor and mitigate effects of rocket launches and sonic booms from Vandenberg Space Force Base. LA Times reports tensions increasing between the US Space Force and the state agency tasked with preserving the California coast. The Space Force’s leading contractor, SpaceX, wants to rapidly increase rocket launches from the base in Santa Barbara County. Space Force officials have been negotiating with the California Coastal Commission for months over a plan to allow 36 launches this year, six times more than the previous agreement allowed.

Wallet Hub found that Maryland has the top community college system in the nation. WalletHub drew from its 2024 ranking of the Best and Worst Community Colleges to create a state-by-state ranking of community-college systems.

Contracts:

KBR Wyle Services LLC, Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $25,751,029 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable modification (P00018) to a previously awarded contract (N0042120C0032). This modification exercises an option to provide program management, engineering, financial, and logistics services for F/A-18 air vehicles, subsystems, armament, engine, and airborne weapons in support of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers to include the countries of Kuwait, Finland, Australia, and Switzerland. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (86.6%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (3.98%); Dübendorf, Switzerland (3.87%); Whidbey Island, Washington (2%); North Island, California (1.86%); and various locations within and outside of the continental U.S (1.69%) and is expected to be completed in August 2025. FMS customer funds in the amount of $21,802,248 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $12,394,386 modification (P00016) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001921F0550) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0006). This modification exercises an option to provide additional development, production, sustainment engineering, and flight test support to include Operational Safety and Improvement Program modifications in support of the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (82%); and St. Louis, Missouri (18%), and is expected to be completed in August 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $246,825; fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $108,883; and fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,162,043, will be obligated at time of award, $108,883 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Seacoast Construction Inc., West Sayville, New York, was awarded a $39,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for stone structure restoration. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fishing Creek, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 12, 2027. Fiscal 2022 civil construction funds; fiscal 2023 and 2024 civil operation and maintenance funds; and fiscal 2024 Maryland Department of Transportation – Maryland Port Administration funds in the amount of $39,900,000, were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-24-C-0020).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, has been awarded a $10,981,620 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research project. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (40%); Beavercreek, Ohio (40%); and Woodland Hills, California (20%), with an expected completion date of April 2026. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and engineering funds in the amount of $6,381,959 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition in which eight offers were received. DARPA, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001124C0459).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Mission Systems Sector, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, is awarded a $16,338,295 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-22-C-5520) to exercise an option for design agent engineering of Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block Three systems. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (55%); Tampa, Florida (6%); Andover, Massachusetts (5%); Chelmsford, Massachusetts (4%); Rochester, New York (3%); San Diego, California (3%); Los Angeles, California (2%); Winona, Minnesota (2%); Stafford Springs, Connecticut (2%); Glendale, Arizona (1%); Nashua, New Hampshire (1%); Elk Grove Village, Illinois (1%); White Marsh, Maryland (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Chandler, Arizona (1%); Washington, North Carolina (1%); Woodridge, Illinois (1%); Richardson, Texas (1%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (1%); El Cajon, California (1%); Hiawatha, Iowa (1%); Littleton, Colorado (1%); Glendale, California (1%); and miscellaneous locations each less than 1% (4%). Work is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, testing, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,160,174 (47%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,594,873 (38%); and fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $992,173 (15%); will be obligated at time of award, of which $992,173 will expire at the end of the fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

SpinSys-Diné, Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $35,129,896 firm-fixed-price contract (HT003824C0005) to provide program management, engineering, IT operations on existing systems, and cybersecurity services in support of the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Enterprise Intelligence and Data Solutions Program Management Office. The contract will support the ongoing programmatic and technical support tasks associated with operations and support of CarePoint, Business Intelligent Tools, Defense Medical Surveillance System, data sharing system, enterprise data quality, DAVINCI, pharmacy enterprise data warehouse, shared services, data solutions, managed systems and software lifecycle processes, and development, security, and operations alignment. These customer products provide data access for online information, research tools, applications for data entry, aggregation, and data insights, all supporting medical readiness. The action includes help desk support and the 24/7 operations necessary to maintain an information system. This contract was awarded using direct award procedures in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 with an estimated completion date of July 25, 2025. This award will be incrementally funded by fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds and research, development, test and evaluation funds. DHA, Defense Healthcare Management Systems-Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded July 26, 2024.)

Salient Federal-SGIS Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, has been awarded a $46,496,753 firm-fixed-price task order (HS0021-24-F-0043) issued against a General Services Administration multiple award schedule contract (GS-35F-0609S) for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition in which one offer was received. This task order provides non-personal services to provide case processing operations and enhancement support to DCSA. Work will be performed at multiple DCSA facilities to include Washington DC; Macon Georgia; Boyers Pennsylvania; Quantico, Virginia; and Fort Meade Maryland, with an estimated completion of March 4, 2030 (inclusive of options). Fiscal 2024 DCSA Defense Working Capital Fund funds in the amount of $5,727,784 were obligated at the time of award. The cumulative face value of the contract to date is $8,110,879. This is not a multiyear contract. DCSA Contracting and Procurement Office, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

New Dominion Construction, Dumfries, Virginia (FA8501‐24‐D‐0002); Apex FSE JV, McDonough, Georgia (FA8501‐24‐D‐0003); Gulf Pacific Contracting, Bonifay, Florida (FA8501‐24‐D‐0004); and RCA Contracting, Montezuma, Georgia (FA8501‐24‐D‐0005), have been awarded a firm-fixed-price, multiple award, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity contract, with a maximum ceiling of $95,000,000. This contract provides for maintenance, repair, and alteration of mechanical, electrical, and electrical sub-systems, demolition, asbestos remediation, HVAC repairs, renovations, and upgrades, HVAC direct digital controls, hot and chilled water, steam underground distribution, fuel distribution systems gas, electric, and oil-fired boiler repairs and replacements, primary and secondary electrical, electrical repair and upgrades, generators repairs and replacements, airfield interior and exterior lighting repairs, renovations, and upgrades, lightning protection systems, fire suppression, and fire alarm and mass notification system repairs, renovations, and upgrades. Work will be performed on Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 13, 2029. These awards are the result of a competitive acquisition, and six offers were received. Fiscal 2024 funds in the amount of $8,000 which will provide $2,000 per awardee, are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Material Command, Operational Contracting, Robins AFB, Warner Robins, Georgia is the contracting activity.

Flatter Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia, has been awarded with an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of $22,000,000 for the Air Force Senior Leadership Development Program. This contract provides for leadership development for Department of the Air Force Total Force General Officers, Civilian Senior Executives, Colonels, Chief Master Sergeants and General Schedule 15s, or equivalent, civilians. Work will be performed in Washington, DC, and is to be completed by Aug. 15, 2025. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,528,330 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-24-D-0009).

Aimpoint Inc., Manassas, Virginia, was awarded an $8,643,252 firm-fixed-price contract for reflex sights. 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 March 8, 2025. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W912CH-24-C-0004).

Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-24-A-0060); Collabralink Technologies, McLean, Virginia (N66001-24-A-0061); and DLT Solutions, Herndon, Virginia (N66001-24-A-0062), are awarded an estimated $145,902,412 multiple-award, firm-fixed-price, blanket purchase agreement (BPA) using the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule. The Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative (DOD ESI) BPAs will provide Appian commercial off-the-shelf software and hardware, propriety appliances, and maintenance support Information Technology. 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. 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.

The MITRE Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $49,219,981 cost-reimbursement, ceiling increase contract modification (P00024) to previously awarded contract FA8702-23-C-0002 for support to the Air Force from MITRE as the administrator of the National Security Engineering Center Federally Funded Research and Development Center. This modification provides for an increased quantity of congressionally appropriated staff years of technical effort under the basic contract. Work will be performed in Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia; and various locations throughout the continental US; and outside the continental US and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to various countries under the basic contract. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation; procurement; operation and maintenance; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $30,231,888 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

The QualX Corp., Springfield, Virginia, is awarded a modification (P00004) in the amount of $50,000,000 on an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price contract line-item numbers (HQ0034-22-D-0004). No funds are being obligated at the time of the award. The cumulative total of the contract is $145,000,000. The total if all options are exercised is $145,000,000. The contractor shall provide information management and information access support services. Provides comprehensive information management services and business solutions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services (WHS), and 14 Department of Defense agencies and field activities. WHS directorates executes lawfully and federally mandated regulatory programs regarding information access, use, storage, retention, and transparency within Department of Defense, externally to Executive Branch Agencies and Departments, and the general public. The work will be performed at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia; The Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia; Government Facility, College Park, Maryland; Government Facility, Centreville, Virginia; Government Facility, Arlington, Virginia; and Contractor Facility, Springfield, Virginia. The estimated completion date is Feb. 16, 2027. WHS, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.