Many Firsts Aboard the USS America
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Somewhere near San Diego on the Pacific Ocean, the Marines have been putting F-35Bs and their pilots through a series of qualifications and tests with an eye to better understanding just how the small-deck carriers, the F-35s, V-22s, and combat-ready Marines can best function together. Breaking Defense offers a summary and videos of what’s been happening on the USS America for the past month. Among many firsts: First integration of ALIS SOU version 2 aboard a ship, first live ordnance operations aboard a ship, first F-35B integration with AEGIS, and the first Royal Navy pilot was carrier qualified.
President-elect Donald Trump’s conflicting comments during his campaign about where he stands on the issue of nuclear weapons has some world leaders feeling uneasy, The Hill reports. Many world leaders fear a new global arms race could be triggered by a change in US policy. Questions are swirling about whether Trump will follow through on suggestions that he might allow other countries to develop nuclear weapons.
Former defense industry executives are helping guide the Pentagon transition team for Trump, alongside several retired Army officials, Defense News reports. The list leans heavily on retired officers, primarily from the Army, but also features strong reorientation from industry.
Many Republican foreign policy experts, business leaders and elected officials broke party ranks to come out against Trump during the presidential race. Now, they’re facing a difficult choice: “Get on the Trump train or watch it leave from the station,” The Associated Press reports.
The Washington Post reports Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress are drawing up plans to take on the government bureaucracy they have long railed against, by eroding job protections and grinding down benefits.
President Obama was on his last foreign trip at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru, last week. The Washington Post reports he spent the last day of the trip attempting to make headway on one of the most painful aspects of his foreign policy portfolio: the civil war in Syria. Obama also spoke briefly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
US and Chinese troops staged joint drills in China last week in an effort to better coordinate responses to humanitarian disasters, Military Times reports. Military commanders have stressed the importance of maintaining military-to-military exchanges, saying they are crucial for building confidence between the two armed forces that are wary of each other.
Britain has requested the purchase of 16 General Atomics Certifiable Predator B remotely piloted vehicles along with an option for another 10, according to a US State Department notification to Congress of the proposed $1B foreign military sales deal, Defense News reports.
The US Army plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony next week for a new cyber headquarters at Fort Gordon, Georgia, ExecutiveGov.com reports, that will consolidate the Army’s cyber, capability development, education, and training operations.
Craig Nixon, an experimental test pilot flight instructor teaching all aspects of the Rotary Wing curriculum at the US Naval Test Pilot School, was presented the Cross Award, The Tester newspaper reports. The award — named after the late Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard G. Cross Jr., a highly respected figure in testing and evaluation and one of the first directors of ITEA – is presented to an individual, team, or organization for a significant contribution to education for T&E in teaching, administration, or research.
The nation’s only memorial for women in the military needs help to keep serving the women it honors. Almost 20 years after it opened, the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia is experiencing some financial struggles, and a grassroots effort to raise $20 million is underway to keep the site open for decades to come. Click here to donate.
Contracts:
DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $38,147,231 modification (P000094) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-11-C-0033) to exercise an option for organizational level maintenance and logistics support for all aircraft and support equipment for which the Naval Test Wing Atlantic has maintenance responsibility. This includes all rotary, fixed, lighter-than-air, and unmanned aircraft on-site for project testing, transient aircraft, loaner aircraft, leased aircraft, and tested civilian aircraft assigned to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland. In addition, this option provides supportability/safety studies and off-site aircraft safety/spill containment patrols and aircraft recovery services. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in March 2017. Fiscal 2017 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $21,334,000 will be obligated at time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Engility Corp., Andover, Massachusetts (HQ0034-17-D-0003); Decisive Analytics Corp., Arlington, Virginia (HQ0034-17-D-0002); and Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (HQ0034-17-D-0004), are being awarded a combined maximum ceiling $240,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract to provide professional engineering services in execution of the statutory and regulatory policy, guidance, specialty engineering, and human capital functions. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia; and is expected to be completed by May 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation funding in the amount of $6,614,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office.
Iridium Satellite LLC, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,708,119 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support commercial satellite-based network services for the Department of Defense in the areas of satellite, ground node, user equipment/terminal software and hardware development, integration, and testing. This is a follow-on requirement to procure continued communication support services that may be implemented for use in tactical, operational, and strategic-level activities. This effort will include enhancements to the existing Distributed Tactical Communications System Phase 3 and Advanced Concepts Development Support Services. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $45,807,778. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia (50 percent); and Tempe, Arizona (50 percent), and is expected to be complete by November 2021. Fiscal 2016 research, development, training and evaluation funding in the amount of $250,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) – only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-17-C-0001).
General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is being awarded a $7,178,141 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-15-C-6228) to exercise options for the production of Technology Insertion 16 (TI-16) Multipurpose Processors and Total Ship Monitoring Systems. The multipurpose processor serves as a multi-array interface receiver which provides array signal conditioning and signal processing required for the Acoustic Rapid Commercial-Off-The-Shelf Insertion display. Total Ship Monitoring Systems is a sensor telemetry system based on Asynchronous Transfer Mode commercial-off-the-shelf technology, and a processing system utilizing Transportable Middleware, commercial-off-the-shelf hardware and software. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia (53 percent); and Pittsfield, Massachusetts (47 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2018. Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,178,141 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
