Japanese Team Finds US WWII Sub
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USS Albacore (SS-218) had one of the most successful combat records of all Navy submarines in World War II when it sank near the strait between Hokkaido and Honshu islands, a main shipping channel on November 7, 1944. A team of Japanese researchers, including Tamaki Uki, a University of Tokyo specialist in developing autonomous underwater vehicles, located the missing submarine Albacore off Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, reports USNI.
Russia offered weapons for sale Monday at a biennial arms fair in the United Arab Emirates, ranging from Kalashnikov assault rifles to missile systems — despite facing sanctions from the West over its war on Ukraine, reports Military.com.
In a rare setting, for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both Russian and Ukrainian companies are exhibiting their weapons in close proximity to each other at the IDEX and NAVDEX exhibitions, reports Defense News.
Chinese defense company Poly Technologies showcases a brand new unmanned surface vessel (USV) A45 at NAVDEX 2023 exhibition in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, reports Naval News. According to Poly Technologies, the USV can be armed to attack surface targets.
Governments around the world are reassessing everything from ammunition stocks to weapons systems and supply lines as the first anniversary of Russia’s February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine approaches. Some nations are reexamining the very defense doctrines that define what kinds of wars to prepare for, reports Military.com.
As Ukraine resists Russian advances ahead of the anniversary, Business Insider reports, the average life expectancy of a front-line soldier in eastern Ukraine is just 4 hours, according to a former US Marine. He said the fighting is especially deadly in Bakhmut, dubbed “the meat grinder.”
Manufacturers of counter-drone weaponry are miniaturizing and simplifying to meet the rising demand for man-portable weapons, reports Defense News. In a 2019 report compiled by the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, out of 537 market products analyzed, 111 (21%) were hand-held solutions, offered by over 29 different countries.
Uncrewed vessels with the ability to jam electronics, spy on faraway activities, and even help coordinate the flow of fighting will play an increasingly important role in the service’s mission, according to CNO ADM Michael Gilday, reports C4ISRNET.
President Joe Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Monday ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion. The president’s visit marked the first time in modern history that a US commander-in-chief visited an active war zone without a US military presence, reports Military Times and also presents photos of US presidents visiting war zones.
China pledged a deeper partnership with Russia on Wednesday as Biden reaffirmed security assurances for NATO’s “frontline” eastern members, highlighting global tensions as the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, reports Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared Tuesday that Moscow was suspending its participation in the New START treaty — the last remaining nuclear arms control pact with the United States — sharply upping the ante amid tensions with Washington over the fighting in Ukraine, reports Defense News.
Iranian attacks in the waterways of the Middle East and elsewhere in the region “have the attention of everyone” as tensions rise over Tehran’s advancing nuclear program, the head of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet said Tuesday. Military Times reports VADM Brad Cooper also told The Associated Press that he’s seen a rise in what he described as Iran’s “malign activities” in the region over his two years leading the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
The US military’s Special Operations Command is investigating a report from a cybersecurity researcher that the command was leaking a trove of unclassified email data on the internet, reports CNN. TechCrunch first reported on the data leak, which was discovered by independent cybersecurity researcher Anurag Sen. The command reports that no one has hacked US Special Operations Command’s information systems.
VADM John Wade has a mixture of Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard service members as well as federal civilians and contractors under his command at Joint Task Force Red Hill working to remove 104 million gallons of fuel, which sits just 100 feet above a critical aquifer that most of Oahu relies on for drinking water, reports Military.com.
The White House appears set to direct GSA to scale up its homegrown Login-dot-gov identity verification and authentication services to reach the entire US population, reports FCW. The draft order also calls for Login-dot-gov services to be made available for use in state and local programs and reusable across agencies. The order was first promised in the 2022 State of the Union address to address fraud in benefits programs identified in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
An unusual oyster farming cooperative in Charles County, MD, is paying a dozen members to raise oysters on 28 acres of leased bottom in the Wicomico, a Potomac River tributary, reports Bay Journal.
Contracts:
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $9,202,500 modification (P00004) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-21-D-B107) with four one-year option periods for wind and cold weather jackets. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The ordering period end date is Feb. 25, 2024. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Aptim Federal Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded an $8,183,019 modification (P00013) to contract W912DY-20-F-0164 for maintenance and minor repair of petroleum systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work will be performed in Birmingham, Alabama; Montgomery, Alabama; Avon Park, Florida; Fort Walton, Florida; Homestead, Florida; Panama City, Florida; Tampa, Florida, Biloxi, Mississippi; Columbus, Mississippi; Gulfport, Mississippi; Jackson, Mississippi; Meridian, Mississippi; and Carolina, Puerto Rico, with an estimated completion date of March 7, 2024. Fiscal 2023 revolving funds in the amount of $8,183,019 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc. PBC, Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $25,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for environmental remediation services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 20, 2028. US Army Corps of Engineers, Concord, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (W912WJ-23-D-0010).
CACI Inc. – Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded an $11,012,897 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-only contract for technical engineering services and program support for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $92,559,179. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Canada. Work will be performed in Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed by February 2024. If all options are exercised, work will continue through February 2028. Foreign Military Sales (Canada) funds in the amount of $9,853,750 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c) (4) — the terms of an international agreement or a treaty between the United States and a foreign government or international organization. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-4122). (Awarded Feb. 17, 2023)
Blue Ivy Partners LLC, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a maximum $148,591,972 firm-fixed-price contract for Software as a Service 2.0. This contract provides for licensing for the Sentinel systems from the cradle to the grave. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; and Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by Feb. 22, 2026. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $14,256,864 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8204-23-F-0003).
Alion Science and Technology Corp., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $70,832,989 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, and cost reimbursement task order (FA9422-23-F-0001) under contract GS00Q14OADU303 for professional and engineering support. This contract provides program management, engineering, and other specialized support services for key programs executed by the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center – Secure Storage Division. Work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; and Lackland AFB, Texas, with some performance occurring at other installations and contractor facilities and is expected to be completed by Feb. 23, 2028. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2021 procurement funds in the amount of $2,645,043; fiscal 2022 procurement funds in the amount of $662,507; fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $1,939,000; and fiscal 2023 operational and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,827,718 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, is the contracting activity.
ITSC Secure Solutions LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a not to exceed $415,000,000 cost-reimbursable and fixed-price task order for Support for Technical, Advisory, and Resource Services (STARS). This contract provides the Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management Office with a broad range of professional services to include program management, contract management, financial management, engineering, information assurance, administrative support, intelligence support, security management support, analysis, policy support, and technical assistance services. Work will be performed in Washington, DC; Fairfax, Virginia; and Tampa, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2027. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and four offers were received. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $150,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management Office, Fairfax, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA714623F0007). (Awarded Feb. 21, 2023)
Group W Inc., Vienna, Virginia, is awarded a five-year, hybrid (firm-fixed-price, labor hour, and time and materials) contract (HQ003423C0014) valued at $12,087,919 for Information Management & Analysis Group support services to the Office the Secretary of Defense, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE). Fiscal year 2023 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $12,087,919 are being obligated at the time of the award. The total value of the contract if all options are exercised is $69,666,855. The contractor will support CAPE staff with information and information systems software to conduct timely, high-quality analyses, as required by CAPE’s Program Resources Information Systems Management Division. Such analyses will be provided to senior leadership at the Department of Defense. The work will be performed at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia; the Mark Center, Alexandria, Virginia; and other CAPE offices in the National Capital Region. The estimated contract completion date is March 21, 2028. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
