Innovate Within Contracting System
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 necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
While the defense industry awaits Congressional acquisition reform results, some experts believe there’s a lot of freedom to innovate within the existing federal contracting system, reports Breaking Defense. “Even in traditional procurement contracts, there’s a lot more flexibility than most contractors and agencies take advantage of,” said lawyer Fernand Lavallee. “But there are also tools that are meant specifically to be extremely flexible,” such as Other Transaction Authority (OTA).
Boeing executive Chris Chadwick said nearly two-thirds of a $6 billion cost cut to its defense, space and security business will come from savings in its supply chain, reports Reuters. The defense giant already cut $4 billion in costs from the defense unit, which has annual sales of $33 billion. The company plans to cut an additional $2 billion.
The F/A-18F Super Hornets conducting the first airstrikes in Iraq in three years were selected for their effectiveness in surveying the battlefield, identifying targets and painting them with lasers for bombs, reports The Washington Post. The aircraft is used for the Navy’s “forward air controller-airborne” missions.
Hiring Our Heroes is taking its veterans job fairs to the people by launching its first online job fair this week in conjunction with the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, reports the Military Times. The new Virtual Job Scout is designed to bring the meet-and-greet experience of the live event to veterans and spouses on their computers.
The Navy postponed the stand-up of an expeditionary electronic attack squadron, to be equipped with EA-18G Growlers, as it awaits environmental clearance, according to SEAPOWER Magazine. The deployment had been planned for October at NAS Whidbey Island.
Tom Hruby, an active 32 year old Navy SEAL with a wife and three kids, is trying to earn a spot on the Northwestern football team, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. He’s a junior trying to walk on as a defensive end, meaning he is competing against scholarship athletes aggressively pursued by the university.
NAVAIR is aiming to evolve 3-D printing technology at a rapid pace and a lower cost, reports NAVAIR News. They plan to do this by teaming up with industry as was apparent at a recent NAVAIR Additive Manufacturing (AM) Industry Day where the discussions targeted current opportunities and challenges.
Washington-based sailor, Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Mike McCastle, made a recent attempt at the Guinness World Record for pullups but ended up in the hospital, reports the Navy Times. He made it to 3,202 pullups, just 828 shy of the current record, before health concerns forced him to head to the emergency room.
