March 28, 2024

GOP Lawmakers Urge Hike in Defense Budget

Defense Budget

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Eight GOP lawmakers, led by House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mike Rogers (R-AL), are urging President Joe Biden to increase the defense budget by 3% to 5%, reports Defense News. They say the hike would be a prudent investment to stay ahead of China and other threats. “… [I]t is imperative that we improve force proficiency on new battlefields such as cyber; continue work at DoD and the National Nuclear Security Administration to modernize our nuclear triad; grow our naval and projection forces; and quickly incorporate the latest innovations and enhancements into warfighting capabilities, including air and sealift, space, missile defense, munitions, and electronic warfare,” they wrote in the March 4 letter.

Indo-Pacific Command chief ADM Phil Davidson delivered last week a $27.3 billion plan to buy new missile defense systems, place radar and missile defense systems on the ground, launch satellites, and build state-of-the-art training ranges across the region, reports Breaking Defense. The plan sketches out the budget for 2022 and in the years out to 2027.

President Biden called off an airstrike against a second target in Syria earlier this month after a woman and children were spotted in the area, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Biden administration is calling cybersecurity a “top priority” that requires both a diplomatic and military response from the federal government, reports Federal News Network.

William Burns, Biden’s pick to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told senators at his confirmation hearing last week that cyber threats “pose an ever greater risk to society” and improving the agency’s digital capabilities will be a top priority, reports Defense Systems.

A February congressional hearing focused on the hack linked to vulnerabilities in SolarWinds’ IT management software. Members of Congress learned the hackers were particular about what they were looking for, reports Defense Systems.

LT GEN Richard Clark, superintendent of the US Air Force Academy, says the academy’s information technology infrastructure is “woefully behind where we need to be a provider of cyber excellence,” reports Defense Systems.

As it attempts to sharpen its global competitiveness, China unveiled a plan to upgrade its manufacturing capabilities by 2025, reports South China Morning Post. China also announced a 6.8% growth in its defense budget, reports Defense News, representing a slight increase from last year’s increase of 6.6% as it continues to modernize its military.

Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division engineers are developing augmented reality headset applications to connect engineers with maintainers across the globe to maintain and repair Navy aircraft and systems, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle.

The US Air Force has reconfigured the F-15E Strike Eagle to carry more Joint Direct Attack Munitions, reports Military.com, proving the fighter jet can be used to transport a heavier payload and eliminating the need for a cargo plane.

Flight demonstrations of a handful of prototype drones built for vertical takeoffs and landings took place last week at Fort Benning, GA, which the US Army hopes will lead to a rapid replacement of the 30-year-old RQ-7B Shadow, reports Military.com. The four potential replacements for the Shadow wowed soldiers and their commanders during the demos that took place in the rain, Vertical Magazine reports. That kind of weather would have grounded the RQ-7B.

 

 

The Aviationist has video of American F35Bs from NAS Pax River landing on the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour. Watch the video here.

A Singapore aerospace company has unveiled its supersonic Arrow drone, reports Forbes, a stealthy, autonomous aircraft capable of flying missions alongside manned jets. This is the latest in a list of new high-performance combat drones known as “Loyal Wingmen” being introduced by countries around the world.

The US Army is studying the Israeli SkyCeptor interceptor as an option for mid-tier air and missile defense, reports Breaking Defense. Among the benefits of the SkyCeptor is the high probability of kill against a broad spectrum of current and projected air and missile defense threats, say Rafael and its American partner Raytheon.

Lockheed Martin ran a successful test of its next-generation Extended-Range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, reports UPI.com.

Defense officials are reviewing a request from the Capitol Police to have members of the National Guard continue to provide security at the US Capitol for another two months, reports The Associated Press. Law enforcement was on high alert Thursday at Capitol after intelligence uncovered a  plot by a militia group to storm the building.

Army Spc. Nestor Berrios adheres a Band Aid to someone’s arm after administering the COVID vaccine at the California State University Los Angeles Community Vaccination Center on Feb. 27, 2021. Active-duty troops will be administering vaccines at 10 more sites, bringing the told number of mass vaccination centers to 35 around the country. (US Army photo by CAPT Daniel Parker)

It’s been a year since the first COVID-19 case appeared in Maryland. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, says “there is light at the end of the tunnel, particularly that we have multiple, highly efficacious vaccines,” reports WTOP News.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says the state is making new efforts to reach minority and low-income residents about vaccines, reports Maryland Matters. The campaign will give community organizations that want to host vaccination clinics the opportunity to apply for doses and support.

Spacex’s Starship SN-10 prototype, its newest and biggest rocket, pulled off its first successful landing, then exploded a brief time later, reports Bloomberg. Despite the mishap, the test is likely to signal progress for the vehicle.

The Biden administration is moving closer to a final approval of Vineyard Wind LLC’s $2.8 billion offshore wind farm planned near the coast of Massachusetts, reports Bloomberg. If approved, it would be the first major wind farm in federal waters.

Contracts:

Zenetex, Herndon, Virginia (FA4890-21-D-0001); Walker Engineering Solutions, Annapolis, Maryland (FA4890-21-D-0002); Radiance Technologies, Huntsville, Alabama (FA4890-21-D-0003); Phoenix Operations Group LLC, Woodbine, Maryland (FA4890-21-D-0004); NEANY Inc., Hollywood, Maryland (FA4890-21-D-0005); Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida (FA4890-21-D-0006); Linquist Corp., Los Angeles, California (FA4890-21-D-0007); Cyberspace Solutions LLC, Herndon, Virginia (FA4890-21-D-0008); CACI Inc. – Federal, Florham Park, New Jersey (FA4890-21-D-0009); Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (FA4890-21-D-0010); and Altamira Technologies Corp., McLean, Virginia (FA4890-21-D-0011), have collectively been awarded a $51,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for several technical requirement areas in a research and development environment. Work will be performed in Dahlgren, Virginia, and is expected to be completed March 3, 2029. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 11 offers were received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,000 are being obligated to each contractor at the time of award. Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0053); General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Falls Church, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0054); HII Mission Driven Innovative Solutions Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (N66001-21-D-0055); KAB Laboratories Inc., San Diego, California (N66001-21-D-0056); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0057); Northrup Grumman Systems Corp., McLean, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0058); Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California (N66001-21-D-0059); Peraton Inc., Herdon, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0060); Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0061); Solute Inc., San Diego, California (N66001-21-D-0062); and Trandes Corp., Virginia Beach, Virginia (N66001-21-D-0063), are awarded a $145,395,547 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-with-no-fee pricing by the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific. Technical support includes systems engineering, program and configuration management, hardware and software development, installation, maintenance, sustainment, and training in support of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) activities, ISR systems, and cybersecurity operations. This three-year contract includes one two-year option period which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $249,743,883. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (90%); and outside the continental US (10%). The period of performance of the base award is from March 3, 2021, through March 2, 2024. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through March 2, 2026. Awardees will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2021 funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); Working Capital Fund (DOD); Department of Homeland Security; and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via a request for proposal (N66001-20-R-3412) published on the beta.SAM.gov web site and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central web site. Twenty-two offers were received and 11 were selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 3, 2021)

Hercules Fence Co., Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $37,072,090 for maintenance, repair and alteration of fences, high security fencing and incidental work related to fences at locations in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. The initial task order is being awarded at $5,000 for the minimum guarantee. The work to be performed includes providing security fences and gates to define the perimeter of protected areas and to provide deterrents to entry. This work includes but not limited to the installation of vehicle barriers and bollards, digital keyless and card reader entry systems, grounding, concrete barriers and underground tunneling prevention. Work will be performed in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One proposal was received for this contract. Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-21-D-0031).

Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $9,664,230 task order to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00174-18-D-0018 for Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) waterfront installation support on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Indian Head Division has a requirement for CIWS waterfront installation support. This contract was awarded on a competitive basis in September 2018. This contract provides support in performing the functions of an Alteration Installation Team with the installation of ship alterations, ship change documents, and ordnance alterations as related to the CIWS on Navy, Army, Coast Guard, and Foreign Military Sales vessels. Work will be performed in Bremerton, Washington (59%); and Norfolk, Virginia (41%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2021 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,664,230 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Radiant Mission Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $48,279,014 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for support services in gathering, analyzing and manipulating geospatial intelligence information using signature analyst and predictive analysis tools and technologies. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Chantilly, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 3, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $101,420 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGU-21-C-0005).

Advancia Aeronautics LLC, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is awarded a $48,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 collection kits, laboratory operation and testing site standup, including all necessary support services to provide on-site COVID-19 screening testing capability for asymptomatic personnel for the purpose of establishing infection rates and mitigating the risk of spread across the Naval Air Systems Command enterprise. Work will be performed in various locations within the continental US, and is expected to be completed in December 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside; 18 bids were received. The Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N68520-21-D-0003).

American Rheinmetall Munition Inc., Stafford, Virginia, is awarded a $16,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for grenade first article units, nine-bang flash bang diversionary hand grenades production units, inert diversionary grenades and cutaway diversionary grenades. This procurement is for grenade first article unit and the nine-bang flash bang grenades that are sound and flash devices, producing an intense light and sound display, used as a non-lethal means to distract and disorient in hostile environments that require less than lethal force. Inert and cutaway of the production units will be used for demonstration and teaching purposes. This procurement is in support of the US Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Trittau, Germany, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2021 ammunition procurement (Navy and Marine Corps) funding in the amount of $399,696 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured on the basis of full and open competition and three offers were received via the beta.SAM.gov website. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contract activity (N00164-21-D-JR77).

CORRECTION: The contract announced on Feb. 26, 2021, for CACI Enterprise Solutions Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (SP4701-21-D-8002); and Tritus Technologies Inc., Gainesville, Virginia (SP4701-21-D-8003), for $34,145,675, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is Feb. 27, 2021.

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