Marines Seek Ways to Combat Armed Drones

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.

The Marines are using “everything from shotguns to water cannons to other kinetic means” and even lasers to counter the growing threat of armed drones, reports Marine Times.

Two of Moscow’s top cybersecurity officials face treason charges for cooperating with the CIA, the Guardian reports on Russian news report.

President Donald J. Trump surprised cyber officials at a White House meeting this week by not signing the expected and previously circulated executive order on cybersecurity, reports FCW. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, asked by Trump to chair a cybersecurity advisory group to work with the private sector, attended the meeting and said, “Some of the private sector have to wake up to the fact that they have to do more,” Giuliani said.

DefenseOne reports on concerns that Trump’s signaled willingness to roll back sanctions and other rules considered critical to curbing the development of Russian military capabilities.

The nominee for VA secretary grew up on a military base, but has never served in the ranks, which, Military Times reports, is causing little controversy in the military community.

GovExec keeps track of the growing exceptions, including in the Postal Service and CIA, to Trump’s hiring freeze.

Shoppers at commissaries save 23.7 percent compared to costs at civilian grocery stores, but that’s less than the commissary shoppers have always been told, reports Military Times.

Defense News reports, Northrop Grumman is the second company to pull out of the Air Force’s competition for the T-X trainer aircraft program, leaving Boeing’s clean-sheet design, the Lockheed Martin-Korean Aerospace Industries T-50, and an unknown offering from Sierra Nevada and Turkish Aerospace Industries. The Raytheon and Leonardo-Finmeccanica partnership pulled out last month, reports UPI.

ABC News has details and video of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s warning in the wake of Iran’s ballistic missile test, “we are officially putting Iran on notice.”

Virginia joins lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order on immigration, reports PilotOnLine.

The forward-deployed cruiser Antietam ran aground this week off the coast of Japan near its home port of Yokosuka, according to two Navy officials familiar with the incident, reports Navy Times.

Lawmakers in statehouses across the country introduce proposals to increase penalties for protestors who block roadways, reports NPR.

England’s Prime Minister Theresa May’s invite to Trump to a state visit puts the Queen in a difficult position, reports BBC.

The acting Secretary of the Army Robert Speer orders the Army Corps of Engineers to allow the work necessary to complete the Dakota Access Pipeline, reports BBC. Native Americans, who have protested against the pipeline for months, vowed legal action to stop it.

Contracts:

Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $9,699,808 modification (P000247) to contract W31P4Q-15-A-0024 for engineering and software support services. Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 14, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,699,808 were obligated at the time of the award.  Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, is being awarded a $166,034,417 firm-fixed-price contract for the full-rate production of 36 electronic Consolidated Automated Support Systems. This contract also provides for sustaining logistics and engineering support. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (34.7 percent); Hunt Valley, Maryland (21 percent); North Reading, Pennsylvania (10.6 percent); Irvine, California (9.2 percent); San Diego, California (7.3 percent); Austin, Texas (3 percent); and various locations within the continental U.S. (14.2 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2021. Fiscal 2015, 2016, and 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $166,034,417 will be obligated at time of award, $2,308,038 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-17-C-0253).