Key GOP Sen. Wants $55B Increase in Defense Spending
An EA-18G Growler launches off the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt on May 28, 2024. The Roosevelt is underway with the US 7th Fleet area of operations in the Indo-Pacific region. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) cites Russia’s war with Ukraine and China’s military investments as reasons to increase defense spending in the US. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Aaron Haro Gonzalez)
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Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) wants to increase defense spending beyond previously agreed upon budget caps, reports Defense News. Wicker, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a plan calling for an additional $55 billion above the fiscal 2025 defense spending caps imposed under last year’s debt ceiling deal. Some of the additional $55B Wicker seeks to add above the FY25 spending caps mirrors the unfunded priorities lists each military service and combatant command submitted to Congress earlier this year.
US officials said American and British forces struck 13 Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday in response to a recent surge in attacks by the militia against ships in the Red Sea and the neighboring Gulf of Aden, reports Navy Times. As of May 31, here is a running list of every instance where a US Navy ship or jet has shot down a Houthi attack, and every instance where the US and its allies have hit back at Houthi sites, since October.
Sierra Nevada Corp. says it plans to turn five Boeing 747-8 aircraft into the US Air Force’s new fleet of Survivable Airborne Operations Center, or SAOC, planes, reports Defense News. The modifications would allow the president to direct forces during a nuclear war or other massive catastrophe aboard these “doomsday” planes. Among the changes: communications antennas, computers and mission systems, and hardening against radiation and electromagnetic pulses.
US Navy officials say the service is committed to buying and operating small unmanned systems on and under the water. But what isn’t clear is how these systems will be paid for, reports Defense News. Defense contractor L3Harris says it is pitching ideas, even if the path to the Navy buying them remains unclear.
As the US military works at keeping ahead of its rivals technologically, several new startups have emerged to help meet that need. 24/7 Wall St. examines five startups — Anduril, Shield AI, ZeroEyes, Epirus, and Mach Industries — worth keeping an eye on.
Anduril was one of two companies, along with General Atomics, chosen in April to prototype a new kind of autonomous fighter jet called the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCA, for the US Air Force and Navy, reports Wired. The Air Force wants the new CCA attack drones to be more capable and more independent than existing uncrewed craft, which still depend heavily on ground staff.
Virginia-based defense contractor BlueHalo will expand operations and add 200 new jobs in Maryland, reports Post Online Media. The company plans to establish a new 57,000-square-foot facility in Germantown for research, development, and manufacturing and as part of the expansion is creating a total of 200 new jobs at its facilities bringing its statewide employment to 600 workers.
The US Army recently said that it had not only deployed a pair of 20-kilowatt palletized high-energy laser (P-HEL) systems — built on BlueHalo’s Locust Laser Weapon System — abroad to protect troops from drones in recent months, but that those systems had proven successful against threats in the Middle East in the first-ever use of laser weapons in combat, reports Fast Company on MSN.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and State of South Australia Premier Peter Malinaukas renewed earlier this month an economic memorandum of understanding between Maryland and South Australia. The agreement — first signed in September 2019 and focused on collaboration in cybersecurity, small satellites, and space — has been expanded to include testing ranges, workforce development, and unmanned autonomous vehicles.
A new MOU with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and the Maryland Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) will support growth in Maryland’s aerospace economy in the area surrounding Goddard in Greenbelt and on the Lower Eastern Shore near the rocket launch site Wallops Flight Facility, reports The UBJ on MSN.
Maryland’s gas tax rate in set to go down starting July 1, reports Maryland Matters. This is the third decrease in the gas tax since the General Assembly passed a law in 2013 linking the rate to annual inflation.
The US Coast Guard’s response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse earlier this year reveals how strained the service is, reports Defense News. The Coast Guard became one of several federal agencies mobilized to close the Port of Baltimore waterway, initiate search-and-rescue, and begin clearing wreckage and debris. That was done by an already lean force that experts say has been underfunded for much of its modern history. “There’s an immediate-area impact to readiness, certainly, but what we know is that for unplanned incidents like this where we mobilize a lot very quickly, there are also readiness impacts that happen well beyond the initial site,” said VADM Peter Gautier, deputy commandant for operations of the Coast Guard.
The Airborne Electronic Attack Systems Program Office (PMA-234) Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band team received the Edward H. Heinemann Award at the NAVAIR Commander’s Awards on May 22 at NAS Pax River, reports NAVAIR News. The team won the award for implementing a critical design change to the NGJ-MB pod by removing the Aft Pivot Assembly from the pod design, saving millions of dollars and hundreds of hours in testing, and fielding the capability.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee is expected to hear from Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough this week on improper benefits awarded to dozens of senior department officials last year as congressional concerns mount regarding the scandal, reports Military Times. McDonough will field questions from lawmakers on the errors and steps taken to correct them.
High school students in Russellville, AL, created a rocket that won the top spot in the world’s largest rocketry competition, reports Space.com on MSN. The team was named the National Champion out of 922 teams at this year’s American Rocketry Challenge at Great Meadow in The Plains, VA. The students will now represent the US in the International Rocketry Challenge at the Farnborough Air Show in July.
Retired Navy vice chief of naval operations ADM Robert Burke, 62, is facing up to 30 years in prison after he was arrested Friday along with two business executives on criminal charges involving a federal government contract bribery scheme while in uniform, reports Navy Times. The indictment alleges that Burke took part in the scheme from 2020 to 2022, while serving as commander of US Naval Forces Europe-Africa from 2020 until his retirement in 2022.
Former Chief Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini, convicted of attempted espionage last month, was sentenced to 18 years in a military prison, reports Navy Times.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans held its annual conference in Washington, DC, last week. Hundreds of community and veteran activists gathered to hear the group’s updates on new federal program rules, best practices for civic organizations, and networking opportunities to share ideas on how to house more veterans, reports Military Times. Organizers also had sessions on ways to better share the stories and struggles of homeless veterans in the wake of what they see as rising opposition to outreach efforts. Housing advocates are worried about the rising number of vets experiencing homelessness as well as the growing apathy and anger toward the problem.
Maryland Matters reports that a text-alert scam is claiming people have unpaid toll fees and tries to get them to pay. The FBI has received more than 2,000 complaints since early March from people in three states, including Maryland, who said they received texts claiming they have “an outstanding toll amount of $12.51 on your record” and directing them to a website to pay and avoid a $50 fine.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently released its Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Winter Dredge Survey, which estimates a slight dip in the population from a year ago, reports Patch. According to the report, 317 million blue crabs are in the Chesapeake Bay in 2024, compared to 323 million crabs last year.
Contracts:
Techflow Mission Support LLC, doing business as EMI Services, Idaho Falls, Idaho, is awarded an $18,766,803 firm-fixed priced modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N62470-21-D-0002) to exercise option year three for base operating support services at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Award of this option will bring the total cumulative value of the contract to $72,616,093. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and outlying areas and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance (Navy); non-appropriated funds; and fiscal 2024 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $14,799,654, for recurring services will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Washington, Public Works Department Patuxent River, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
The Mathworks Inc., is awarded a $14,852,179 modification (P00002) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042120D0113). This modification increases the contract ceiling to provide MATLab and Simulink software, toolsets, training, software maintenance and updates, consultation services and associated products in support of the Digital Analytics Infrastructure and Technology Advancement Group at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD). Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland and expected to be completed May 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. NAWCAD, Patuxent, River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Austal USA, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $516,481,569 fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-2203) to exercise an option for ordering long lead time material, continue/complete detail design and Construction of the Lead Ship of the T-AGOS 25 Class. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama (42%); Houma, Louisiana (13%); Camden, New Jersey (13%); Shelton, Connecticut (6%); Cincinnati, Ohio (5%); Grove City, Pennsylvania (3%); Semmes, Alabama (3%); Chesapeake, Virginia (2%); Milford, Delaware (2%); New Orleans, Louisiana (1%); and various locations across the US, each less than 1% (10%), and is expected to be completed by May 2028. Fiscal 2024 Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy funds in the amount of $516,481,569 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire through the delivery date of T-AGOS 25. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-2203).
Raytheon Technologies Corp., doing business at Pratt and Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Connecticut, is awarded a $301,762,768 modification (P00002) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive (firm-target), cost-plus-incentive-fee advanced acquisition contract (N0001923C0030). This modification procures Lot 19 long-lead time materials as well as the manufacture, assembly, inspection, acceptance, and delivery of 108 conventional takeoff and landing F135 propulsion systems, 27 short takeoff and vertical landing F135 propulsion systems, and 13 Carrier Variant F135 propulsion systems. Additionally, this effort provides global spares requirements to include spare engines, power modules, and other hardware supporting the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corp, non-US Department of Defense (DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut (17%) (labor surplus area); Indianapolis, Indiana (10%); Middletown, Connecticut (8%); Kent, Washington (7%); North Berwick, Maine (4%); El Cajon, California (3%) (labor surplus area); Cromwell, Connecticut (3%); Whitehall, Michigan (3%) Portland, Oregon (2%); San Diego, California (2%); South Bend, Indiana (2%); Columbus, Georgia (1%); Hampton, Virginia (1%); Manchester, Connecticut (1%), Cheshire, Connecticut (1%); Elmwood Park, New Jersey (1%); and various locations outside the continental US (34%), and is expected to be completed in June 2027. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $45,759,000; fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $21,319,250; fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,408,000; FMS customer funds in the amount of $195,364,769; and non-US DoD participant funds in the amount of $20,911,749, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Systems Planning & Analysis, Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $191,209,223 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-2103) for program support, Foreign Military Sales administrative requirements, and travel/other direct costs. Work will primarily be performed in Alexandria, Virginia; and Washington, DC, and is expected to be completed by March 2028. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) and foreign partner funds in the amount of $7,150,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-2103).
GEON Technologies LLC, Columbia, Maryland, was awarded a $9,898,552 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order to develop real-time signal processing solutions for command and control, and size, weight, and power constrained platforms to exploit next-generation 5G communications waveforms and associated technologies. This contract provides for the development of a 5G scanner to map out the 5G radio frequency environment and enable cyber activities. Work will be performed in Rome, New York, and is expected to be completed by May 16, 2027. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $383,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-24-F-B009).
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $44,896,319 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-23-C-5123) for in-service AEGIS Foreign Military Sales (FMS) combat system baseline sustainment. This contract involves FMS to several countries. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (96%); and Dahlgren, Virginia (4%), and is expected to be completed by December 2030. FMS (Japan) funding in the amount of $24,800,000 (75%); FMS (Korea) funding in the amount of $7,733,596 (24%); and FMS (Spain) funding in the amount of $183,806 (1%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-23-C-5123).
Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $19,119,832 modification (000197) to contract W52P1J-17-G-0091 for delivery of critical maintenance, supply and transportation requirements. Work will be performed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 13, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $5,044,965 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $56,141,510 firm-fixed-price contract for the Cadet Operational Management Planning and Admission Support System service contract. This contract provides for the procurement of the managed services to operate, maintain, sustain and perform system changes for the Cadet Operational Management Planning and Admission Support System for the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) and US Air Force Academy Preparatory School. Work will be performed at the USAFA, Colorado, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2029. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with one offer received. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,223,797 are being obligated at the time of award. The 10th Contracting Squadron, USAFA, Colorado, is the contracting activity (FA7000-24-F0027).
Defense Maritime Solutions, Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $14,699,232 firm-fixed-priced stand-alone contract for the procurement of 12 main shaft seal assemblies in support of the submarine main propulsion system on Virginia-class submarines. The contract has no options. All work will be performed in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount of $14,699,232 will be obligated at time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement under the authority of 10 US Code 3204(a)(1) with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-24-F-ZL02).
BAE Systems, Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., Greenlawn, New York, is awarded a $9,051,138 modification (P00005) to a firm-fixed-price contract (N0001923C0046). This modification exercises an option for the production and delivery of 18 AN/UPX-50(C) digital identification boxes in support of the Navy and Coast Guard. Work will be performed in Greenlawn, New York (70%); Austin, Texas (18%); and Manassas, Virginia (12%), and is expected to be completed in April 2026. Fiscal 2024 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,028,410; fiscal 2024 other procurement (Coast Guard) funds in the amount of $1,508,523; fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,005,682; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,005,682; and fiscal 2023 other procurement (Coast Guard) funds in the amount of $502,841, will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
