Kingsley New CO at NAS Patuxent River

CAPT Derrick Kingsley, new NAS Pax River commanding officer, salutes CAPT John Brabazon, outgoing CO, during a ceremony June 14. (US Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Anaid Balmes)

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.

CAPT Derrick Kingsley is the new commanding officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, reports The BayNet. Kingsley’s change of command ceremony was held last week. Kingsley’s role as Pax River commanding officer follows his previous position as the base executive officer.

Other personnel changes at Pax River include CMDR Daniel Kitts taking over command of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 and CAPT Kevin “Tripper” McGee now leading the Naval Aviation Training Systems and Ranges program office (PMA-205), reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle.

The US Navy and the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy officially opened a joint London-based “tech bridge” to increase investment in new technologies for both countries last week, reports Breaking Defense. “The opening of the London Tech Bridge’s innovation hub represents a new way for great minds to come together in a unique atmosphere, share ideas and technologies, and foster more effective research collaboration,” US Navy RADM Lorin Selby said. Selby is the chief of naval research.

The US Air Force might get its chance to start retiring some of its older A-10 Warthog attack planes as the Senate Armed Services Committee advances its 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, reports Military Times. The new version supports the services’s plans to divest 21 A-10s. The Air Force said earlier this year, when it released its proposed fiscal 2023 budget, it would replace those Warthogs with F-16s.

Next year could see the Air Force on track to buy and start fielding its first electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft, reports Defense News. The “flying cars” could carry passengers or cargo under the Agility Prime program in 2023.

The Navy said that CMDR Peter Lesaca was relieved of his command post on the guided-missile destroyer Preble last week after being “arrested on suspicion of DUI,” reports Navy Times.

The Pentagon wants to make the general who manages the Air Force’s nuclear weapons and bombers the commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command, reports Air Force Times. GEN Anthony Cotton was nominated to lead the nuclear enterprise at US Strategic Command. The Air Force has not announced who is next in line to replace Cotton at Global Strike.

 

 

Ukraine now has killer robots equipped with machine guns, reports Task & Purpose. Temerland, a Ukrainian robotics company, said it will deploy GNOM robotic vehicles equipped with 7.62 mm machine guns to the front lines.

Ukrainian Ministry of Defense officials at the Eurosatory expo played video showing the military weapons Ukraine is relying on to defend itself against Russia, reports Navy Times. The montage of footage from the war ran on a continuous loop at the defense industry trade show in France.

House Republicans want the US to outline a stronger response to Russia’s threat of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, reports The Hill. “Every tool of national power should be leveraged to achieve deterrence of Russian nuclear aggression,” they wrote in a letter to the US President Joe Biden last week.

Israel will next year begin testing an unmanned combat vehicle armed with a 30mm autonomous turret, reports Defense News. The Medium Robotic Combat Vehicle, which incorporates a number of cutting-edge technologies, was shown by Elbit Systems at Eurosatory.

Neal Higgins, the US deputy national cyber director for national cybersecurity, said that the prolonged war in Ukraine might make Russia more cyber aggressive, reports C4ISRNET. Higgins was speaking last week at the Defense One Tech Summit.

The US Space Force wants a bigger voice in military operations, reports Air Force Times, by expanding its role in everyday ops through stronger partnerships with regional commands around the world.

LT GEN Steven Rudder, head of the US Marine Corps in the Pacific, said his forces are committed to defending the southwestern Japanese islands as allies in the region try to bolster defenses amid growing threats from China and Russia, reports The Associated Press.

Three US senators are calling on the Commerce Department to develop a plan to deal with the lack of a common charger standard for electronic devices, reports UPI. A comprehensive charger plan has been adopted by the European Union. “We urge you to follow EU’s lead by developing a comprehensive strategy to address unnecessary consumer costs, mitigate e-waste, and restore sanity and certainty to the process of purchasing new electronics,” their letter reads.

Maryland’s Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D) and Ben Cardin (D) announce legislation to invest more than $600 million in a major infrastructure overhaul at Curtis Bay Coast Guard Yard near Baltimore, reports The Baltimore Sun.

Residents in some Pennsylvania counties want more information from the Maryland National Guard about its low-fly training zone, reports The Bradford Era. The Guard has proposed changes to the current Duke Military Operations Area, which is at high altitudes over the Pennsylvania Wilds region.

A new Dahlgren Heritage Museum exhibit will explore not just the activity of the US Navy base, but its impact on the surrounding community, reports The Free Lance-Star. “The Navy Lands at Dahlgren” is being unveiled this summer.

The Internal Revenue Service said last week that people delinquent on their taxes and owe less than $25,000, who receive a mailed notice from the agency, can call an artificial intelligence-powered bot and set up a payment without having to wait on the phone to speak with an IRS employee, reports Federal News Network.

The Maryland Department of Health said the first suspected Maryland case of human monkeypox has been identified, reports The Baltimore Sun. Monkeypox is a rare but contagious infection that has emerged in the US. The resident with the infection is in isolation, health official said.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Marine Systems, Sunnyvale, California, is awarded a $458,006,503 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0003022C1013) for fiscal 2022-2026 shipyard field operations, program management, systems engineering, documentation, logistics and hardware production activities in support of the Columbia and Dreadnought Fleet Ballistic Missile Program. This contract action contains option line items. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, California (88%); Bangor, Washington (4.3%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (3.3%); Annapolis, Maryland (.8%); Kings Bay, Georgia (0.5%); and the United Kingdom (3.1%). Work is expected to be completed November 30, 2027. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000; fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,921,054; and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $61,668,000 are obligated on this award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis under 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management online portal. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

CACI Inc.-Federal (CACI), Chantilly, Virginia (N3220522C4002), is awarded a $16,165,377 firm-fixed-price second bridge contract for worldwide support services in the functional areas of sustainment logistics including, Corrective Maintenance Logistics System support, combat logistics force load management, material handling equipment and ordnance handling equipment support and ordnance management. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed if all options are exercised, by December 19, 2023. This contract includes a one-year base period with one six-month option period which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $24,381,038. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $13,093,956; and working capital funds (Transportation) in the amount of $3,071,421 will be obligated in fiscal 2022 and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was an other-than-full and open competition requirement as CACI is the only responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements in accordance with 10 US Code 2304 (c) (1), and solicited via the beta.sam.gov website, with one timely offer received. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220522C4002).

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $84,938,062 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to increase the speed and agility of Defense Intelligence Agency operations through supporting design and implement a data centric architecture that leverages cloud-based computing to develop and field state-of-the-art digital enrichment tools, processes and infrastructure; automating labor-intensive, time-consuming processes; and providing external customers and partners the means to remotely access and discover data. Work will be performed in the National Capital Region, with an expected completion date of June 14, 2032. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (HHM402-22-D-0010). (Awarded June 15, 2022)

Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, has been awarded a $45,966,308 contract modification (P00031) to previously awarded contract FA7014-18-F-5045 for executive airlift aircraft maintenance and back shop support services. This contract provides for maintenance and support of aircraft assigned to the 316th Wing and 89th Wing at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2023. The cumulative face value of the contract is $197,332,680. The 316th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-18-F-5045).

HPE Government LLC, Annapolis Junction, Maryland, was awarded a $25,480,000 firm-fixed-price contract for High Performance Computing Modernization Program computers. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 12, 2028. Fiscal 2022 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $25,480,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-22-F-0238).

Ambit Group LLC, Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,759,671 firm-fixed-price contract (HQ003422F0235) to support the Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment platform. The Defense Acquisition Visibility Environment provides easily accessible front-end applications, data repositories, capabilities, and a well-defined and managed data framework to offer perspective and context for the use of acquisition data. It provides the Department of Defense timely access to accurate, authoritative, and reliable acquisition data to support insight, analysis, and decision-making. The contractor shall, employing Agile methodologies, provide the technical expertise to refactor, develop, unit test, document, and deliver the Acquisition Information Repository. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $100,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed at the Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The estimated contract completion date is Dec. 27, 2024. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems and Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, was awarded a $698,967,197 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Defense Supercomputing Resource Center operations, maintenance, and management services, including program-wide services for high-performance computer users. 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 June 15, 2027. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-22-F-0105).

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $11,457,943 firm-fixed-price modification (P00043) to contract W52P1J-16-C-0074 for technical support services. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2023. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $3,135,352 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin, is awarded a $536,875,440 fixed-price incentive (firm target) and firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-2300 to exercise options for detail design and construction of one Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, the future USS Chesapeake (FFG 64), and integrated digital environment support. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (51%); Camden, New Jersey (17%); Chicago, Illinois (7%); Green Bay, Wisconsin (4%); Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (3%); Hauppauge, New York (3%); Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (3%); Cincinnati, Ohio (3%); Kaukauna, Wisconsin (2%); Charlotte, North Carolina (2%); Bethesda, Maryland (2%); Millersville, Maryland (2%); and Atlanta, Georgia (1%); and is expected to be completed by August 2028. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $536,875,440 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.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded a $20,467,939 modification (P00039) to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract (N0001917C0018). This modification provides additional labor and material to incorporate production engineering change proposals that modify MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system production assets (B13-B15) to an Integrated Functional Capability 4.0 multiple intelligence configuration for the Navy. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (43.6%); Palmdale, California (37.9%); Chantilly, Virginia (7.6%); Medford, New York (3.2%); Salt Lake City, Utah (2.3%); Verona, Wisconsin (1.8%); New Town, North Dakota (1.4%); and various locations within the continental US (2.2%) and is expected to be completed in April 2023. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $20,467,939 will be obligated at the time of award. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Global, a 1st Flagship Co., Newport Beach, California, is awarded a $17,797,049 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to acquire services and material necessary to support and maintain all vessels assigned to the Naval Sea Systems Command Inactive Ship Maintenance Office Philadelphia, and active vessels assigned to the Guided-Missile Cruiser/Dock Landing Ship Modernization Detachment Norfolk. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $84,893,232. Work will be performed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (70%); and Norfolk, Virginia (30%), and is expected to be completed by June 2027. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,949,568 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two offers received via the beta.sam.gov website. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-4203).

Geotechnical Environmental and Testing Solutions Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract for geotechnical engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic area of operations (AO). The work to be performed provides for subsurface investigations with subsequent geotechnical/foundation analysis – including monitoring, sampling and analysis of soil and groundwater for geotechnical properties and environmental contamination using various field and laboratory tests and construction or materials testing and engineering inspection services. Work will be performed at various locations throughout NAVFAC Atlantic AO and is expected to be completed by June 2027. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and four option years, is $10,000,000. Supervision, inspection and overhead funds in the amount of $5,000 (minimum contract guarantee) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 12 offers received. NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-22-D-0003).

Federal Prison Industries Inc., Washington, DC, has been awarded a maximum $18,079,200 modification (P00013) exercising the third one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-F027) with four one-year option periods for utility, improved flame-resistant coveralls. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Georgia, Arizona and Mississippi, with a June 20, 2023, ordering period end date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.