MD Air Guard Going Cyber
US Air National Guard photo by Laura Weaver.
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 battle to ban TikTok is escalating. NBC News reports. A bill to force TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance to divest the popular social media company passed a crucial vote Thursday, when the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted unanimously to pass the bill. The company sought to rally users to its defense with a push notification call to action to all users 18 and older that flooded some congressional offices with phone calls.
US intelligence officials are planning to brief Donald Trump on national security matters if he secures the GOP nomination this summer, a tradition that dates back to 1952, reports Politico. It would mark the first time an administration has volunteered to share classified information with a candidate who is facing criminal charges related to the mishandling of classified documents.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) railed against the Pentagon’s anticipated lifting this week of the three-month ban on flying the MV22B Osprey. “Serious concerns remain such as accountability measures put in place to prevent crashes, a general lack of transparency, how maintenance and operational upkeep is prioritized, and how DoD assesses risks.” The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft with technology that allows it to take off and land like a helicopter but fly at higher speeds like an airplane.
The Navy announced last week it had extracted the last of the “accessible residual fuel ” from the Navy’s underground Red Hill storage facility, reports Military.com. Since beginning in October, 104,703,574 gallons were removed. It’s a major milestone in the long Red Hill saga, but far from the end.
The Pentagon needs to replace its entire resourcing process or it risks falling behind its top adversary: China, reports Defense News. Congress mandated a study of DoD’s 1960s budgeting system, which after two years and 400 interviews, says scrap it and replace it with a budget organized around capabilities.
The Navy awarded Boeing a contract worth up to $3.4 billion for the procurement of 17 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, according to the Pentagon’s daily contract announcements. The majority of those planes, 14, will go to the Royal Canadian Air Force and the three remaining P-8s will join the German navy’s fleet, reports Breaking Defense.
Newsweek reports, American military aircraft are flying dozens of reconnaissance missions in the South China Sea each month, according to a Chinese think tank. In February, crewed and uncrewed aircraft of the US Air Force, Navy, and Army flew 60 sorties in the region, according to data compiled by the South China Sea Strategic Probing Initiative, a Peking University think tank that tracks US and allied military movements off China’s shores.
Stars and Stripes reports, the US needs to get small, off-the-shelf drones immediately into the hands of junior soldiers, who are getting left behind by a lethargic military bureaucracy and playing catch-up with their Russian counterparts, according to a new report by the Modern War Institute at West Point.
The Marine Corps is searching for a new system to defend its bases from small drones, according to a solicitation released last week. Defense One reports, the solicitation seeks systems that combine anti-drone weapons with methods of taking drones down without destroying them, such as by jamming or capturing them. The system must also be able to detect, track, and identify incoming drones.
Britain will deliver more than 10,000 drones to the Ukrainian armed forces, reports Politico. Britain’s DEFSEC Grant Shapps said the drones are part of a £325 million military aid package. Most are first-person view drones mainly used for reconnaissance.
Democrats on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee pressed SpaceX last week over allegations that Russia is using the company’s Starlink terminals in its war against Ukraine, “potentially in violation of US sanctions and export controls,” The Hill reports.
Ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment, Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reports AP News.
Updated accounts of Yemen’s Houthi rebels’ first fatal missile strike last week, report three crew members were killed. Survivors were forced to abandon the commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden, reports AP News.
The US Army sent four Stryker-mounted 50-kilowatt laser prototypes to the Middle East for real-world testing, Breaking Defense reports. Initial testing has begun. Once live-fire testing begins it can take several months to process observations for tech maturation and acquisition decisions.
Lockheed Martin has won a DoD contract to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft for exploration and national defense, Yahoo reports. The award comes at a time when US-based space companies, along with Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are competing for the burgeoning demand for commercial space operations and space travel.
Maryland is one of the eight states plus the District of Columbia to receive technical assistance from a new federal initiative to help states expand services to homeless people with complex medical needs and receive stable housing. This includes older adults people with disabilities, and people with mental health and with substance use disorders. Other states selected are Arizona, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Washington.
Army Times reports, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will deploy 750 members of the National Guard to the New York City subway system to help police search passengers’ bags for weapons at entrances to busy train stations, following a series of high-profile crimes on city trains.
The House approved a $460 billion spending package last week to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs and five other federal agencies through the fall, signing off on a long overdue budget for veteran health programs and military construction, reports Stars and Stripes.
The Senate cleared a six-bill funding package Friday night, sending the $459 billion measure to President Joe Biden’s desk just in time to thwart a partial government shutdown after midnight, reports Politico.
Contracts:
Cellphire Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded $20,000,000 for a cost-reimbursement, ceiling increase, in-scope modification (W81XWH-20-C-0030) to achieve a commercially viable cryopreserved platelet product for U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensure. The new contract ceiling is $44,909,972. Place of performance is Frederick, Maryland. The period of performance is Dec. 20, 2019, to July 31, 2028. The awardee will conduct all development, test and evaluation, manufacturing, and regulatory activities to achieve an FDA-licensed cryopreserved platelet product that is suitable for both civilian and military use. The awardee will explore development strategies that will enable rapid licensure and availability of CPP. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test, and evaluation funding is obligated at the time of award. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $8,570,199 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Quantum Augmented Network (QuaNET) program. QuaNET seeks to integrate quantum and classical networking approaches to provide quantum physics-based security capabilities to critical network infrastructures. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (34%); Huntsville, Alabama (26%); Vista, California (22%); and Austin, Texas (18%), with an expected completion date of June 2028. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,057,807 are being obligated at time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition under Broad Agency Announcement HR001123S0035, and 18 offers were received. The Defense Advanced Research Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-24-C-0438).
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $18,824,820 contract for cryptologic training-intelligence operations support. Work will be primarily performed in San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 16, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,700,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Detachment 2, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA7037-24-C-0004).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $15,636,492 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-18-C-6258) to exercise options for engineering support, component procurements, and other direct costs in support of the Integrated Submarine Imaging System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (49%); Orlando, Florida (33%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (15%); Clearwater, Florida (1%); Andover, Massachusetts (1%); and Arlington, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be completed by September 2024. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,700,000 (94%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $627,146 (4%); and fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $309,346 (2%), will be obligated at time of award, of which $309,346 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Marlborough, Massachusetts, is awarded a $38,902,047 firm-fixed-price order under previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00024-22-G-5311) for the procurement of Japan AEGIS system equipped vessel components and AEGIS components for Navy guided-missile destroyers. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (4%); and the government of Japan (96%), under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Andover, Massachusetts (88%); Marlborough, Massachusetts (10%); and Chesapeake, Virginia (2%), and is expected to be completed by July 2027. FMS Japan funds in the amount of $37,173,966 (96%); and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,728,081 (4%), will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 3204(a)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Q.E.D. Systems Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia, was awarded a $30,799,231 cost-plus-award-fee modification to previously awarded contract N0002424C4201 for the specification development and availability execution Support requirements for the DDG, CG, LPD, LSD, LHA, LHD, and LCS Navy ship classes. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia (50%); San Diego, California (30%); Marysville, Washington (10%); and Atlantic Beach, Florida (10%), and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,306,225 (98.69%); fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $54,700 (0.73%); and fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $43,200 (0.58%), will be obligated at time of award, of which, $7,306,225 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 7, 2024)
Marine Hydraulics International LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a not-to-exceed $19,084,186, firm-fixed-price, procuring contracting officer modification to the previously awarded, undefinitized contract action (N0002424C4406) for the repair, maintenance, and modernization of USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) fiscal 2024 selected restricted availability. The scope of this procurement includes all labor, materials, supervision, facilities, equipment, production, testing, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the Chief of Naval Operations availabilities for critical modernization, maintenance and repair programs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $147,248,303. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,349,955 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $17,105,151 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded delivery order (N00024-23-F-6313) under indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00024-20-D-6337 to exercise an option for Overlord Unmanned Surface Vessels and Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicles operations and sustainment. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia (51%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (26%); La Jolla, California (7%); Morgan City, Louisiana (6%); Lexington Park, Maryland (5%); Newport News, Virginia (4%); and Bethpage, New York (1%), and is expected to be completed by March 2025. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,500,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Technical Systems Integration, Inc.,** Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $15,298,603 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for aviation training analysis and evaluation products to include, training situation documents, instructional performance requirements documents, instructional media requirements documents, military characteristics documents, training effectiveness evaluation plans, and training device fidelity reports to support the acquisition lifecycle phases for the Naval Aviation Enterprise. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed in March 2029. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business set-aside; seven offers were received. Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (N6134024D0005).
