A growing number of bipartisan lawmakers is questioning President Joe Biden’s legal authorities to conduct missile strikes on Yemen’s Houthis. Defense News reports Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) led three other senators in a Tuesday letter to Biden pushing him on the strategic and legal rationale for the recent tit-for-tat strikes against Houthi assets in Yemen without a military authorization from Congress.

On Monday night, US and British militaries bombed multiple sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, reports Military Times. This is the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes the rebels’ missile-launching capabilities. They used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets Monday night to take out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers.

F/A-18 fighter jets struck Iranian-backed Houthi rebel sites for the sixth time Friday, reports AP News, taking out three anti-ship missiles in Yemen that were prepared to fire, according to US officials. The attacks, carried out by aircraft off the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier resembled similar US attacks on Houthi launchers that have been occurring almost daily.

Iranian-backed militias launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and rockets at Al-Assad airbase in western Iraq on Saturday requiring evaluation of several US personnel for traumatic brain injuries, reports ABC News. Most of the incoming missiles and rockets were intercepted by the air defense systems at the base, which is used by both the Iraq and US militaries, but some impacted the base. At least four American service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the Saturday attack, reports Stars and Stripes

Recent intelligence gathered by the US and other Western countries indicates Iran-backed Houthi rebels are seeking more weapons from Tehran, raising concerns that the militant group is determined to continue attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and threatening a wider conflict in the Middle East, reports Politico.

More than 40 Russian missiles slammed into Ukraine’s two largest cities Tuesday morning, killing at least seven people and leaving 60 more wounded, reports CBS News. The Russian missiles targeted Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and Kharkiv, damaging about 30 residential buildings in the latter and shattering around 1,000 apartment windows, exposing residents to frigid winter weather. Moscow again dismissed any diplomatic resolution to the two-year war.

US Naval Forces Europe-Africa and 6th Fleet are separating after 19 years as a single command, a move that comes as the service adapts to growing demands that include missile defense in the Baltics and carrier operations in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, reports Stars and Stripes.

The United Kingdom will send close to 20,000 troops to one of NATO’s largest military exercises since the Cold War, in which the alliance will practice repelling an invasion by Russian forces, reports Sarajevo Times. The exercise involves 31 countries in a bid to provide “essential security against the threat” of Vladimir Putin, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said, warning that the West stands at a “crossroads.”

The US Navy has identified the two Navy SEALs who went missing during a Iranian weapons seizure mission this month. Military Times reports Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers and Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan G. Ingram perished during a mission to board an “illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons” on Jan. 11 when they went missing off Somalia.

Mexico wants an urgent investigation into how US military-grade weapons are increasingly being found in the hands of Mexican drug cartels, Mexico’s top diplomat said Monday. AP News reports Mexico’s army is finding belt-fed machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades that are not sold for civilian use in the United States.

Defense News reports Lockheed Martin’s production of the latest upgraded F-35 Joint Strike Fighters is slipping further behind schedule, and deliveries likely will not resume until the third quarter of 2024. Shares were down by about 3% in mid-day trading in New York on Tuesday after the company’s CEO said profits from F-35 jets could be depressed into the third quarter, reports Reuters.

US Navy programs have made recent headlines for falling behind schedule. Now, Coast Guard officials say their service, too, fears several of its acquisition programs are at risk of delays, as four separate shipbuilders vie for limited workers along the Gulf Coast, reports Defense News.

A trio of senators want the DoD to speed up monitoring military brain injuries caused by concussive blasts from service members’ own weapons and outline efforts to protect the force from future trauma. Military Times reports that in a Jan. 18 letter sent to DefSec Lloyd Austin, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) said recent research has shown disturbing damage to troops’ health from their own equipment.

A former commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade, at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, COL Meghann Sullivan, was relieved of command Oct. 13 for multiple sexual assaults against several male subordinates. This is the first time her firing has been reported, according to Military.com. According to 2022 DoD data military sexual assault cases, male victims account for 10% of cases; women are 6% of sexual harassment offenders, the bulk of those junior enlisted. Senior female offenders are so rare to not appear in DoD’s statistics. Senior male officers account for 8% of offenders.

Researchers have located more than 120 possible graves on the base from a Black cemetery the base was built on top of, reports Task & Purpose. This week officials with MacDill Air Force Base announced that it had located 58 probable graves and 63 possible graves that would have been part of Port Tampa Cemetery, an African American cemetery from the time of segregation.

Army helicopters have delivered nearly 2,000 pounds of supplies in support of earthquake relief efforts in central Japan, reports Stars and Stripes. The earthquake struck the west coast of Japan on New Year’s Day, killing 232 dead and injuring 1,025, has damaged 12,000 homes, and forced 16,000 people to evacuate to temporary shelters.

AP News reports its first-ever Academy Awards nomination in its 178-year history, for best documentary: “20 Days in Mariupol,” Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing chronicle of the besieged Ukrainian city and the international journalists who remained there after Russia’s invasion.

Contracts:

Calibre Systems Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $14,795,239 firm-fixed-price contract to support models and database tools used to cost Army organization structure and capabilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 19, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-24-D-0013).

Anchor Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, was awarded a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92240-24-D-0009) with a potential maximum value of $9,750,000 for repair, maintenance, and upgrade support services for the 11 Meter Rigid Inflatable Boat in support of US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Naval Special Warfare Command. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $182,596 are being obligated at time of award. These contract task orders will be funded with operation and maintenance funds under the appropriate fiscal year of the task order and is not multiyear. This contract was competed through full and open competition with a small business set-aside. USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

SIGMATECH Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $10,724,818 firm-fixed-price with a four-month base period and four, two-month option periods for Space Systems Engineering Technical Assistance. This contract is a bridge action and is awarded to provide continuity of support for the Space Force Chief Operations Office, which requires contractor technical, operational, acquisition related, and support advisory and assistance services to develop policy and guidance for field organizations, and lastly, provide operational expertise and oversight to Headquarters Space Force and other defense agencies. This contract provides on-going service during the protest period for the follow-on contract FA7014-24-F-0035, awarded to Strategic Alliance Business Group LLC, Dec. 19, 2023. The location of performance is the Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 23, 2025. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $898,577 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-24-F-0062). (Awarded Jan. 22, 2024)

Advanced Acoustic Concepts LLC, Happauge, New York (N66604-24-D-C401); Innovative Defense Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia (N66604-24-D-C403); L3 Technologies Inc., Millersville, Maryland (N66604-24-D-C405); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (N66604-24-D-C406); DRS Naval Power Systems Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin (N66604-24-D-C407); Lockheed Martin Corp., Liverpool, NY (N66604-24-D-C408); McLaughlin Research Corp., New London, Connecticut (N66604-24-D-C409); Mike Inc., Middletown, Rhode Island (N66604-24-D-C410); Progeny Systems LLC, Manassas, Virginia (N66604-24-D-C412); QorTek Inc., Linden, Pennsylvania (N66604-24-D-C413); Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp., Cambridge, Massachusetts (N66604-24-D-C414); Research and Development Solutions Inc., McLean, Virginia (N66604-24-D-C415); Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia (N66604-24-D-C418); Sonalysts Inc., Waterford, Connecticut (N66604-24-D-C419), and Sparton DeLeon Springs LLC, DeLeon Springs, Florida (N66604-24-D-C420), are each awarded $2,500, toward a combined $245,932,500 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract, for Undersea Weapons Undersea Defensive Family of Systems development efforts, with firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-only provisions for supplies and services to support research, development, and test and evaluation efforts for undersea weapons, and undersea defensive technologies. Services include design, development, fabrication, testing, installation, documentation, production, and delivery of rapid prototype material solutions and services. Work will be performed at Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, Rhode Island (70%); Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport, Washington, and other government locations (30%). Work is expected to complete January 2029. Fiscal 2023 weapons procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $37,500 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the delivery and task order level as contracting actions occur. The contract was competitively procured via the System for Award Management website with 15 acceptable offers received. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. 

Systems & Technology Research LLC, Woburn, Massachusetts, was awarded a $7,935,337 modification (P00005) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HR001123C0018 for Phase 2 to support a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $15,066,230 from $7,130,893. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts (80%); and Arlington, Virginia (20%), with an expected completion date of January 2025. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and engineering funds in the amount of $1,823,564 are being obligated at time of modification award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under Broad Agency Announcement HR001122S0018. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 19, 2024)

Tech Inc., Sterling, Virginia, is being awarded a maximum ceiling $200,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HDTRA1-24-D-0001) with a five-year base ordering period and an additional five-year optional ordering period. The contract allows for firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee type task orders. The contract provides for research, development, test, and evaluation in support of counter proliferation to combat weapons of mass destruction. Work will be performed in Sterling, Virginia; and Centennial, Colorado, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 21, 2034. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,957,442 are being obligated under the first task order at the time of award. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

American Water Operations & Maintenance LLC, Camden, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $12,157,992 modification (P00166) to a 50-year contract (SP0600-07-C-8254) with no option periods for one water and one wastewater utility system at Fort Walker, Virginia. This is a fixed-price with economic-price adjustment contract. Location of performance is Virginia, with a Dec. 31, 2057, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2024 through 2057 Army operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.