March 29, 2024

Global Effort Addresses Shipping Crisis

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Over 300 entities have signed a declaration to resolve the crisis of crew changes across the globe, reports gCaptain. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of seafarers are stranded working aboard ships and unable to be relieved. Crew changes are among actions called for in the Neptune Declaration to keep global supply chains functioning during the pandemic and recognizing seafarers as key workers with priority access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Colorado is fighting the prior administration’s selection of Huntsville, AL, as headquarters for the new Space Command and led Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO) to write to President Joe Biden, “to request you conduct a thorough review of the Trump Administration’s last-minute decision to move US Space Command from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Huntsville, Alabama and suspend any actions to relocate the headquarters until you complete the review.”

Antony Blinken was confirmed as secretary of state on Tuesday, taking the reins of US foreign policy amid major global challenges and following years of turmoil at the State Department, reports Politico. Blinken won bipartisan approval in the Senate, with a vote of 78-22.

Beginning Tuesday, all travelers who enter the US through any airport nationwide must show that they have recently tested negative for COVID-19, reports UPI.

About 5,000 National Guard troops will remain on the streets of Washington, DC, with most protecting the US Capitol for almost two more months, in response to requests from federal agencies and local police who anticipate additional unrest, reports Air Force News. As of Jan. 25, there were about 13,000 Guard personnel still in the District, down from the more than 25,000 in DC to protect the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Biden after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Twitter’s pilot program “Birdwatch” may help solve its misinformation problem, reports The Washington Post. Selected users write corrections and fact checks on potentially misleading tweets.

While private social media platforms can withhold access to users, as happened to former President Donald Trump, reports FCW, as president, Trump’s tweets – along with his executive orders, memos, emails, texts messages, meeting logs, and other archival material – are presidential records and owned by the public. The National Archives and Records Administration is charged with stewardship of federal and presidential records. A list of material archived thus far is at the NARA’s Trump Presidential Library Website.

After a year’s delay, the Army finally is fixing its newest Bradley’s turret battery problem, it was overheating and producing toxic gas. Defense News reports the problem was old batteries and new chargers that lacked voltage regulators.

Defense News reports the DoD will focus on preventing interference to aviation instruments rather than trying to stop the FCC from auctioning C-band spectrum used for 5G communication, described by C4ISRNET.

 

 

All three USAF bomber types to fly over the Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, reports Air Force Magazine. But Budweiser and its iconic Clydesdales are skipping the game, reports The Washington Post, for the first time since 1983, “reallocating the media investment” to partner with the Ad Council and Covid Cooperative’s awareness initiative. The Air Force flyover at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, will coincide with the national anthem.

US military uses 3D printing to make N95 respirators, reports Defense News. A group has been working on what is called an elastomeric half-mask respirator, which is a reusable frame produced by a 3D printer, with a disposable media or cartridge that filters at the 95% level. Eighteen variants of the N95 have been developed and tested by the team.

Everyday activities are more dangerous now that new COVID-19 variants are circulating, reports CNN Health. Fox News reports a Brazilian variant is thought to be more transmissible than the initial strain.

Nearly 200 National Guardsmen have tested positive for COVID-19 since 25,000 troops deployed to DC, nearly three weeks ago, reports Military Times.

Afghanistan veteran and former NY Congressman Max Rose is named the Pentagon’s new COVID-19 coordinator, reports Military.com. Mr. Rose represented a Staten Island/south Brooklyn district and served one term in Congress before losing reelection in November. Before his surprise appointment he was filing papers to run in the crowded Democratic primary for a shot to succeed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The Infantry Squad Vehicle is a cramped ride, but the Army says it meets the requirements, reports Defense News: It does not exceed 5,000 pounds and fits inside a CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter. But its resultant dimensions complicate fitting soldiers and gear for a 72-hour mission on the move.

LT GEN Charles Flynn has been nominated to lead US Army Pacific, reports Stars and Stripes. Currently stationed in DC, as deputy chief of staff in the Army’s G-3/5/7 section, he faced scrutiny over the sluggish deployment of National Guard on Jan. 6. If confirmed by the Senate he will be promoted to a four-star general. His older brother is Michael Flynn who briefly served as national security adviser and admitted to lying to the FBI in 2017 and received a presidential pardon last November.

The US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as Treasury chief, reports Business Insider, with an 84-15 vote. She will play a critical role in shepherding President Biden’s rescue package through Congress.

Contracts:

Jacobs Government Services Co., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to exercise an option under previously awarded contract N40080-17-D-0018 for architectural/engineering design services within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Washington, DC, area of responsibility. Award of this option brings the total cumulative contract value to $90,000,000. Work will be performed at various administrative facilities located within, but not limited to, Maryland; Washington, District of Columbia; and Virginia, and is expected to be completed by December 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Task orders under this award will be primarily funded by fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps); and fiscal 2021 Navy working capital funds. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Perspecta Enterprise Solutions LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $15,304,502 firm-fixed-price contract for an eight-month bridge to continue support to integrate, sustain, modernize and protect the information technology (IT) architecture, infrastructure and associated IT services of Human Resource Command. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Fort Knox, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of June 26, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $7,427,207 were obligated at the time of the award. The US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J21C2001).

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