Guard Short of Funds as Role Grows

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.

After an unprecedented year of back-to-back domestic missions and combat deployments, the National Guard’s top general expects the Pentagon to lean even more heavily on the Guard moving forward, reports Military.com. However, the Guard is facing a severe funding shortage after its months-long mission securing the US Capitol. If the force isn’t reimbursed $520 million soon, it will have to cancel training events, schools and weekend drills, and even ground aircraft.

The top officers in each of the military services have delivered lawmakers a cautionary note on legislation gaining momentum in Congress that would overhaul the way commands handle major crimes in the ranks, reports Politico. The legislation, which has bipartisan support in both chambers, would remove commanders’ authority on decisions involving prosecution of all major crimes and hand them to experienced military prosecutors.

The US Justice Department seized 36 Iranian-linked websites this week, taking them offline for violating US sanctions, reports Reuters. Many of the sites are associated with either disinformation activities or violent organizations. Several were back online within hours with new domain addresses.

The Maryland Department of Labor says it has detected over 508,000 fraudulent new unemployment insurance claims since the beginning of May, reports NewsBreak.

Space.com reports that Stephen Hawking’s famous black hole theorem has been proven right, using ripples in space-time caused by the merging of two distant black holes, concepts describe here by LiveScience. This interests physicists because the areas of black holes are tied to the amount of disorder in the universe.

As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani prepares to visit the White House this week, Pentagon leaders say plans to withdraw military forces from Afghanistan remain unchanged, despite the worsening security situation, reports Military Times.

The Senate Armed Services Committee zeroed in on aspects of the Navy’s 2022 shipbuilding plans that would cost the nation more than $1 billion in contract penalties and lost savings by reducing a multi-year contract intended for two destroyers down to only one, reports Seapower Magazine. The contract breach with Huntington Ingalls Industries and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works would generate a $33 million penalty.

 

 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) floated the idea of establishing a new Space Force academy dedicated to the fledgling service branch, reports Air Force Magazine.

China has urged NATO this week to stop exaggerating the “China threat theory,” reports Reuters. The scolding from China comes a day after NATO leaders took a forceful stance toward Beijing in a communique at President Joe Biden’s first summit with the alliance.

Another US guided-missile destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait this week, the sixth transit since the start of the Biden administration, reports USNI News. China has protested the transits as “sending wrong signals to the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces, deliberately disrupting and sabotaging the regional situation and endangering peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

Three weeks after accusing China of sending 16 military aircraft near Malaysian airspace over the South China Sea, Malaysia released a long-awaited tender for a new light combat aircraft and advanced fighter trainer, reports Defense News. The country’s defense ministry seeks 18 Fighter Lead In Trainer-Light Combat Aircraft to replace its aging fleet of aircraft currently serving in both roles.

British and American F-35B fighter jets flew anti-ISIS strike missions from the UK Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth – a first for the UK in a decade, defense officials confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday.

Lockheed received a $472.5 million contract modification from NAVAIR to develop and integrate F-35 aircraft weapons for the British and Italian governments, reports GovConWire. Naval Air Systems Command will obligate $116.5 million at the time of award using non-DoD participant funds. Lockheed received $83.1 million in November 2018 to build and test dual-capable aircraft capability for the US Air Force’s F-35A.

The Australia-based shipbuilding firm, Austal USA, won two US Navy contracts, which include a $58.7 million modification for the Littoral Combat Ship program, reports Defence Connect.

The crew of Maryland State Police Aviation Command at Easton Airport performed an aerial rescue last week of a patient from the 750-foot-long Breakbulk Cargo Carrier as it was passing Cove Point in the Chesapeake Bay, reports NewsBreak.

Contracts:

Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland (FA8210-21-D-0002); Applied Research Associates Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico (FA8210-21-D-0003); Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (FA8210-21-D-0004); Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colorado (FA8210-21-D-0005); Dynetics Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (FA8210-21-D-0006); EWA Government Systems Inc., Herndon, Virginia (FA8210-21-D-0007); Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (FA8210-21-D-0008); IERUS Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (FA8210-21-D-0009); KIHOMAC Inc., Reston, Virginia (FA8210-21-D-0010); DRS Training & Control Systems LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Florida (FA8210-21-D-0011); Lockheed Martin Corp., Grand Prairie, Texas (FA8210-21-D-0012); Amherst Systems Inc., Buffalo, New York (FA8210-21-D-0013); Radiance Technologies Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (FA8210-21-D-0014); Raytheon Co., Tewksbury, Massachusetts (FA8210-21-D-0015); Saab Inc., Syracuse, New York (FA8210-21-D-0016); Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia (FA8210-21-D-0017); Signature Research Inc., Calumet, Michigan (FA8210-21-D-0018); SRC Inc., Syracuse, New York (FA8210-21-D-0019); Technology Service Corp., Arlington, Virginia (FA8210-21-D-0020); and Viasat Inc., Tempe, Arizona (FA8210-21-D-0021), have been awarded a not-to-exceed $950,000,000 multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for support of Range Threat Systems Branch, including Advanced Radar Threat Systems, Joint Treat Emitter and Branch Modernization programs. This entails threat radar systems, along with supporting tools and infrastructure to the Air Force combat training ranges. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and/or at the contractor’s facility, depending on the individual task order, and is expected to be completed June 22, 2027. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with 20 offers received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluations funds in the amount of $5,000 are being awarded to each contractor at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity.

CACI NSS LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $45,088,976 firm-fixed-price task order for medical readiness logistics/program support services. This contract provides for functional and technical support for the Manpower Equipment Force Packaging program and expeditionary/contingency medical equipment management operations. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois; Dupo, Illinois; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Travis AFB, California; Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; Kadena Air Base, Japan; Yokota AB, Japan; and a European location yet to be announced. The work is expected to be completed Nov. 30, 2026. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,048,688 are being obligated at the time of award. The 763rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity (FA4452-21-F-0035).

Garry Jacques doing business as JCMCS, Washington, DC (N40080-18-D-0025); RH Contracting Inc., Atlantic, Virginia (N40080-18-D-0026); Signature Renovations LLC, Capitol Heights, Maryland (N40080-18-D-0027); Honu’Apo LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, (N40080-18-D-0028); Battle Creek Construction LLC, La Plata, Maryland (N40080-18-D-0029); and ACTS-Meltech JV1 LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, (N40080-18-D-0030), are awarded a combined $19,800,000 firm-fixed-priced, multiple award contract for new construction, repair, alteration, and related demolition for facilities within the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of operations (AO). The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $99,000,000. No task orders are being issued at this time. The work to be performed provides for repairs, new construction and alterations to shore facilities and utilities at Navy and Marine Corps facilities. Additionally, work may include but is not limited to, engaging in installing and serving mechanical, electrical, plumbing, heating, air-condition, building equipment and other specialized trades. Work will be performed within the NAVFAC Washington AO, including but not limited to, Washington, DC (40%); Virginia (40%); and Maryland (20%). The term for this option is from June 2021, to June 2022. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operation and maintenance (Navy); operation and maintenance (Marine Corps); Navy working capital funds; and military construction. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded an $8,357,473 cost-plus fixed-fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2415. This effort is to provide long lead time material procurement and management services. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Funding in the amount of $8,357,473 will be obligated at time of contract modification release. These contract funds in the amount of $8,357,473 will expire at the end of the fiscal 2023. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is the contracting activity.