Iranian Ships Harass USCG Patrol in Persian Gulf

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Harth 55, left, crosses bow of US Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Monomoy (WPB 1326), as the Monomoy conducts a routine maritime security patrol in international waters of the southern Arabian Gulf on April 2. (US Navy photo)

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.

Iranian ships swarmed two US Coast Guard vessels on patrol in the Persian Gulf earlier this month, reports Radio Free Europe. A ship and fast boats of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps came within 70 yards in “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuvers, according to Navy officials. The two US ships were patrolling international waters in the southern portion of the Persian Gulf.

More say US defense isn’t strong enough, but most are content, Defense News reports on a recently released Gallup poll. Progressives work to cut President Joe Biden’s flat defense budget request for 2022; Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) push to increase it; and public views aren’t expected to provide much momentum to either side.

Navy mine countermeasures unit used undersea drones in exercise, reports Navy.mil.  A 27-person platoon of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 2 completed the exercise earlier this month at Naval Support Activity Panama City, FL.

The US territory of Guam tells the US Supreme Court that the US Navy should share the cost of toxic-dump cleanups, reports Stars and Stripes, arguing the federal government has shielded the Navy from paying its fair share to clean up a toxic dump on Guam by selective use of two key environmental laws. At issue is the cleanup of the 23-acre Ordot Landfill, which the Navy created during World War II for the vast amount of refuse generated during that conflict and later during the Cold War. It was also the primary dump used by Guam residents for decades.

There is a virtual meeting tonight, Wednesday, April 28, from 6 to 7 pm, for an update on the US Navy’s site inspection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River and Webster Outlying Field, reports LexLeader. Join by clicking the hyperlink Microsoft Teams Virtual RAB Meeting-PFAS Update. For additional information regarding the meeting, including the site inspecting brief, visit the Pax Advisory Restoration announcement website and the SecNav website.

The National Guard still at the Capitol will assist with security at Biden’s first address to Congress, reports Defense News. COVID-19 precautions have limited the attendance for the president’s first major indoor event since taking office, a few weeks after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Fencing, as well as the Guard, are still there.

The Congressional Budget Office says the Navy’s latest shipbuilding plan would require “unprecedented” funding levels, at a scale not seen since World War II, reports Navy Times. Total shipbuilding costs, including funds for nuclear refueling and drones, will average roughly $34 billion annually, 10% higher than the plan’s estimates, according to the CBO.

The US Army will replace its criminal investigations chief in wake of Vanessa Guillen’s death, reports Defense One. The service’s Criminal Investigation Command has faced criticism for its lax casework on soldier deaths, assaults, and suicides. MG Donna Martin became provost marshal general of the Army and commanding general of Army Criminal Investigation Command last July, just 10 days after Guillen’s body was found outside Fort Hood, TX, recounted by The New York Times. Martin will be replaced by BG Duane Miller as a normal rotation of officers.

Booze, a strip club, and a major gone missing: How a 101st Airborne unit went off the rails in Poland, reports Stars and Stripes. A US Army Apache helicopter unit’s planned visit to World War II sites in Poland devolved into a drunken escapade at an off-limits strip club, leading to the suspected drugging of a battalion executive officer who went missing and wasn’t found until the next day, an Army investigation found. The incident involving the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade’s “No Mercy” battalion during its recent deployment to Europe now has multiple officers facing the possible end of their military careers.

The US will begin sharing AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine doses soon, reports CNN. Multiple world leaders have pressed Biden to share doses as other countries have struggled to ramp up vaccinations. One of those countries is India, which is currently going through one of the worst COVID surges in the world. A senior administration official said later on Monday that there could be up to 60 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine available to be shared with other countries in the next two months, assuming the FDA issues an emergency use authorization for the vaccine.

The US is sending around 650 troops to Afghanistan to protect forces as they withdraw, reports CNN. The ground troops are largely expected to come from the 75th Ranger Regiment, which already has some personnel in the region as part of a special operations force unit. The Rangers being sent are expected to have dedicated aircraft able to transport them around the country as well as close air support such as AC-130 gunships to protect them if they are attacked along with departing troops.

Britain deployed an enormous carrier strike group to the Indo-Pacific, the largest fleet of Royal Navy warships to deploy internationally since the 1982 Falklands War, reports Defense News. The maiden deployment of a UK carrier strike group led by the Royal Navy’s new 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth has been readying for months but this is the first time the MoD has detailed the destinations, ships, aircraft, and submarines involved.

The USS Ford Carrier Strike Group is wrapping up its final at-sea testing before preparing for full-ship shock trials that will take place this summer, reports USNI. Among its test events, Ford, its escorts, and its air wing have conducted opposed strait transits, long-range maritime strikes, emissions control drills, and air defense exercises.

Contracts:

Advanced Technology Systems Co. Inc., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $12,641,849 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract action for the T53 depot-level engine maintenance. The contractor will provide maintenance, repair and overhaul repairs of the T53 engine. Work will be performed in both McLean, Virginia; and Hooper, Nebraska, and is expected to be completed in April 2031. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $187,193 are being obligated at the time of award under task order FA8124-21-F-0023. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8124-21-D-0002).

Eagle Industries Unlimited Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded an $8,668,143 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification to previously-awarded contract N61331-20-D-0007 for Maritime Armor Systems to support the Antiterrorism Afloat Equipage Program. This modification will increase the contract value up to a maximum of $23,244,921. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 2022. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity.