Hike in Hazardous Duty Pay Proposed

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.

A proposal in the House defense bill would give servicemembers a 10% increase in hazardous duty pay next year, reports Military Times. The proposal has the potential to add up to $300 a year in extra pay for tens of thousands of troops stationed in imminent danger areas or performing dangerous jobs like flight deck duty or demolitions work. The House Armed Services Committee OK’d its version of the bill 56-0 last week, reports The Hill. An amendment to the House version of the bill would move some funding for the secretive B-21 bomber program from its research and development account to procurement, reports Defense News.

A bipartisan group of House members expressed support last week for a measure that would require women to register with selective service, reports Military.com, but the proposal to include it in the chamber’s national defense bill was withdrawn.

Lawmakers have introduced the National Cyber Director Act to create a new cyber position within the White House, reports Homeland Preparedness News, who would serve as the president’s principal adviser on cybersecurity issues. Members of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission are working to figure out what specific objections the White House might have to the proposal, reports Defense Systems. Proposals from the commission were introduced as part of the Senate’s defense bill process.

The US Air Force has identified the pilot in last week’s fatal F-16M Fighting Falcon crash at Shaw Air Force Base. First Lt. David Schmitz died during a training sortie in South Carolina, reports Air Force Times.

A US Marine Corps review board found several flaws in the investigation of a December 2018 midair collision off the coast of Japan that killed six Marines, reports Marine Corps Times. The new report claims the initial probe was flawed and came to incorrect conclusions. The initial report was issued in September 2019.

The program manager for the USS Gerald R. Ford has been relieved of his duties, as US Navy acquisition chief James Geurts looks to boost performance in the new carrier program, reports USNI News. Capt. Ron Rutan has been moved from the program office to the Naval Sea Systems staff.

US Naval Forces and the United Arab Emirates conducted a joint operation in late June in the Arabian Gulf, reports Navy Recognition. These maritime operations are held regularly to maintain interoperability, and ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce throughout the heavily trafficked waterways, according to the US Navy.

China has condemned the aircraft carrier drills the US conducted last week in the South China Sea, reports UPI News. China claims the exercises between the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz were a showy display of “paper tigers.”

South Korea wants to develop the KF-X supersonic air-to-surface missile, reports janes.com. It is expected to fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.5, weigh less than 3,000 pounds, and have a range of at least 155 miles.

 

 

Test your knowledge of several symbols associated with America. The Defense Department has a quick quiz in honor of the 244th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Installations in Naval District Washington, including NAS Pax River, have transitioned from Health Protection Condition Charlie to Bravo, reports Southern Maryland Chronicle. The HPC changed because of declining COVID-19 transmission in the region.

The Tester reports that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft readiness at the US Navy Test Pilot School grew by more than 20% in the period between April and June 2020.

The Air Force conducted an aeromedical evacuation using a transport module called the Negatively Pressurized Conex, or NPC, that was developed for transporting COVID-19 patients, reports Air Force Times.

Iran made mask-wearing mandatory on Sunday as cases surge again, reports The Hill.

Lt. Gen. Richard Clark has been nominated to be the next superintendent of the US Air Force Academy, reports Air Force Times. Lt. Gen. Clark will be the first African-American to hold that position at the academy if the Senate confirms the nomination.

House Democrats passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure-spending bill last week that would give the US Postal Service $25 billion to modernize postal infrastructure and operations, reports Federal News Natwork.

Some of Maryland’s craft beer breweries are joining together to help the Brewers Association of Maryland, reports WTOP News. The breweries are releasing their own Brew for BAM beers. Some of the proceeds will go to the association. Among the participants is Mully’s Brewery in Prince Frederick.

Contracts:

Avian-Precise Co., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $19,700,000 modification (P00006) to previously-awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00421-18-D-0016. This modification provides sustainment engineering, training and tools in support of the Naval Air Systems Command engineering group. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (91%); and Jacksonville, Florida (9%), and is expected to be completed by April 2023. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Signal Systems Corp., Millersville, Maryland, is awarded a $13,467,258 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N68335-20-F-0324) against previously-issued basic ordering agreement N68335-20-G-1062. This order provides for advanced Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) products for airborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and undersea warfare continued research and development efforts under SBIR Topic N04-007, “Continuous Active Sonar Signal Processing;” Topic N093-168, “Target Localization Using Multi-Static Sonar with Drifting Sonobuoys;” and Topic N101-005, “Spread Spectrum Techniques for Sonar Ping Technology.” Work will be performed in Millersville, Maryland (83%); and Lexington Park, Maryland (17%). The applications to be further developed include acoustic ASW sensors and systems; telemetry and recording systems; signal and data processing; algorithm development; mathematical modeling; system and application prototyping; active and passive display enhancements; information assurance, anti-tampering and cybersecurity concepts; and techniques and analysis to predict the performance of the associated ASW systems. Work is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $683,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $12,805,321 not to exceed, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for materials and engineering services required to develop and integrate technological improvements for the DDG-51 hull; mechanical and electrical machinery control systems (MCS); Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Freedom class MCS; and Landing Helicopter Dock/A (LHD/A) MCS installed onboard current Navy ships in support of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (65%); the remaining (35%) will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Diego, California; Norfolk, Virginia; and Mayport, Florida, as determined by the individual task orders. The services under this contract will support the development, implementation, execution and life cycle sustainment of shipboard MCS for LCS class, LHD/A class and DDG class surface ship machinery control equipment and systems, as well as serve the Logistics Management Branch of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division. This statement of work requests highly specialized services that only Lockheed Martin can support. As such, Lockheed Martin has developed proprietary test scripts and test equipment to provide for delivery and support of MCS systems and components. Work is expected to be completed by July 2026. Fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $500 ($500 minimum guarantee for contract) will be obligated at time of award via an individual task order and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities. In accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured; there was one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-0009).

Federal Prison Industries, doing business as UNICOR, Washington, DC, has been awarded a maximum $14,220,050 modification (P00006) exercising the second one-year option period of one-year base contract SPE1C1-18-D-1069 with two one-year option periods for physical fitness uniform trunks. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Washington, DC; Minnesota; Colorado; Louisiana; Kentucky; and New Jersey, with a July 11, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.