The United States will immediately lift the pause in intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine, according to a joint statement issued after a meeting of Ukrainian and US delegations in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. reports Politico. In return, Ukraine has agreed to accept a US proposal for the immediate introduction of a temporary, 30-day cease-fire, which can be extended by mutual agreement, subject to acceptance and simultaneous implementation by Russia. The United States will convey to Russia that reciprocity from Russia is key to achieving peace, reads the statement.
MD Hit Hardest by Federal Cuts
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.
A Moody’s Report released this week says Federal austerity measures including cuts to US government head count and office space pose a greater threat to Maryland (Aaa negative) than to any other state. Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore) warned of a “Maryland recession” Tuesday, after the top bond rating agency released the report highlighting Maryland’s unique vulnerability to federal budget and employment cuts, reports Maryland Matters.
If federal layoffs target defense funding, St. Mary’s County could get hit especially hard with nearly 10% of its workforce considered a federal employee, reports Maryland Matters. The county’s largest employer is the NAS Patuxent River, which employs 9,800 civilian employees, 5,700 contractors, and 2,400 active-duty military personnel, according to the base’s website.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency ended classes at the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, reports Maryland Matters. A Friday email announced the cancellation effective Monday, catching firefighters throughout the country as well as local legislators by surprise. Del. William Wivell (R-Frederick) said, “Emergency services was an area we thought the administration was going to protect.”
European Union countries must purchase military equipment made in Europe under a new loan program to help the continent provide its own security, reports Military.com. Currently most of the EU’s defense materiel comes from US suppliers.
Lockheed Martin and several governments have pushed back on European media reports that F-35s have a discreet “kill switch” allowing US authorities to remotely disable the jets. According to The War Zone, there is no evidence of such a dedicated capability, but the jets’ dependency on proprietary support from the US government and contractors would prevent foreign F-35s from performing as designed, if US support is cut.
Another 600 troops are headed to the US border with Mexico, about 40 intelligence analysts from Air Force active-duty and Reserve units and about 590 engineers from the Army Corps of Engineers and the 18th Airborne Corps. Stars and Stripes reports this will increase the number of troops assisting Homeland Security to 9,600. An executive order declaring an emergency at the border permits deployment of active-duty service members. Before President Donald Trump signed the order on Jan. 20, about 2,500 National Guard troops remained along the border.
DefSec Pete Hegseth has made the “five things I did this week” email a weekly task for DoD’s roughly 760,000 civilian employees, but not troops, reports NextGov. The five bullet points are due no later than noon Eastern time every Tuesday. Hegseth said civilian employees will receive a Friday reminder, must respond, and copy their immediate supervisors. “Non-compliance may lead to further review.”
Hegseth has mandated DoD use a standardized process to speed up acquisition of software that supports business and weapon system programs. The process, initially set up during the first Trump administration, also calls on DOD personnel to prioritize commercial solutions for these types of technologies, reports Defense Scoop.
Despite solid recruiting totals on paper, the Army is grappling with a staggering attrition rate among newly enlisted troops, reports Military.com. Nearly one-quarter of soldiers recruited since 2022 have failed to complete their initial contracts.
Military officials from more than 30 nations will take part in Paris talks on the creation of an international security force for Ukraine, reports Stars and Stripes. The international force aims to dissuade Russia from launching another offensive after any ceasefire in Ukraine comes into effect. The long list of participants in Tuesday’s discussions will also include Asian and Oceania nations that will join remotely, but the US has not been invited.
European countries should “absolutely” be introducing conscription to combat the threat of Russian aggression, Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs said Sunday, as Europe grows increasingly concerned about the trajectory of the war in Ukraine, reports CNN. Latvia reintroduced compulsory military service for adult males on Jan. 1 last year, having abolished it in 2006. The Baltic country shares a 180-mile border with Russia to its east and is particularly vulnerable to Russian aggression.
The National Transportation and Safety Board has concluded that the separation distances allowed between helicopter and airplane traffic on the route where an Army helicopter and a commercial passenger jet collided midair on Jan. 29 near Washington “pose an intolerable risk to aviation safety,” reports Defense News, and recommends helicopter flights be immediately prohibited along that route.
Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets were scrambled over Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, FL, twice last weekend to intercept civilian aircraft, reports Military.com. Since the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, the North American Aerospace Defense Command has “responded to over 20 tracks of interest” in the temporary flight restriction area.
An armed man believed to be traveling from Indiana was shot by US Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday. No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight, reports Stars and Stripes. The man was hospitalized. The Secret Service said his condition was unknown.
Israel cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, officials said Sunday, affecting a desalination plant producing drinking water for part of the arid territory, reports Stars and Stripes. Hamas called it part of Israel’s “starvation policy.” Israel last week suspended supplies of goods to the territory of more than 2 million Palestinians, an echo of the siege it imposed in the earliest days of the war.
The US government has approved a Foreign Military Sale to Israel for Caterpillar D9 bulldozers and related equipment, with an estimated cost of $295 million, reports UK Defence Journal. The sale, which includes D9R and D9T models alongside spare parts, maintenance support, and logistics services, has been authorized under an emergency determination by the secretary of state, bypassing the usual congressional review process.
A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel for the US military off eastern England on Monday, setting both vessels ablaze and sending fuel pouring into the North Sea, reports Defense News. One sailor was presumed dead in the collision, reports Military.com, which sparked fears of significant environmental damage. British police arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of “gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.” The man has not been named or charged. The US-flagged chemical and oil products tanker MV Stena Immaculate was at anchor near the port of Grimsby after sailing from Greece. The Portugal-flagged container ship Solong was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands when it struck the side of the tanker.
A Howard County, MD, resident who recently traveled internationally has tested positive for measles, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Howard County health officials. Anyone who visited Dulles Airport’s international arrivals area March 5 from 4pm to 9pm, or Howard County Medical Center Pediatric Emergency Department on March 7 from 3:30pm to 7:30pm might have been exposed, reports The Baltimore Sun. It will likely be weeks before public health agencies know the full extent of measles exposure in Virginia and Maryland. Dr. Greg Schrank, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Maryland Medical Center, said measles typically has an incubation period of up to three weeks.
Marylanders can see a total eclipse of the moon tonight, Thursday, and watch the moon turn blood red, if weather permits. The beginning of the eclipse becomes visible over Maryland around 11:57 pm, reports The Baltimore Sun. By 1:09 am, it will appear as if a bite was taken of the moon, and by 2:26 am will reach totality and the moon begins to glow a coppery red until around 3:31am. The color fades until the eclipse ends by 6am Friday.
Contracts:
Sabre Systems LLC, Warrington, Pennsylvania, is awarded $14,000,000 modification (P00015) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042120D0072). This modification increases the contract ceiling to provide continued digital transformation planning and execution to include enterprise alignment; technology exploration, acceleration and integration; digital and information technology (IT) consultation; business intelligence; application portfolio management; system integration; enterprise architecture design and management; web management; Navy Marine Corps Intranet and Next Generation Enterprise Network program management; IT operations; cybersecurity; information assurance; cloud services; maintenance functions; network security; automated data processing support services; digital modeling and virtual environment support; talent management; change management; data analytics and integration; and business process management and improvement in support for the Naval Air Systems Command Digital Transformation Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by November 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This modification was completed. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, is awarded a $7,508,976 modification (P00006) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001924F0008) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001922G0006). This modification exercises an option to extend services to continue to provide engineering and logistics support services for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Expeditionary/Medium Altitude Long Endurance in support of capability development and sustainment of the Marine Corps MQ-9A UAS. Work will be performed in Poway, California (42%); Indo-Pacific Command Theater (20%); Yuma, Arizona (13%); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (11%); Patuxent River, Maryland (7%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (7%); and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (1%), and is expected to be completed in May 2025. Fiscal 2025 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,737,571; and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $560,517, will be obligated at the time of award, $560,517 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Blind Industries and Services of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $17,301,000 modification (P00004) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-24-D-B014) with two one-year option periods for physical fitness uniform jackets. This is an indefinite-delivery contract. Locations of performance are North Carolina and Virginia, with a March 20, 2026, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2025 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Solipsys Corp., Fulton, Maryland, is awarded a $182,000,000 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of software licenses, lifecycle support activities needed for the sustainment of software, and technical support services for the software applications that provide processing, display, and sensor software functionality within the Common Aviation Command and Control System software baseline. Work will be performed in Fulton, Maryland (100%), with an expected completion date of March 9, 2029. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery and task orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-25-D-0016).
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $15,150,568 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-6117) to exercise options for Navy hardware procurement to support Sound Navigation and Ranging systems. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (65%); Clearwater, Florida (32%); Syracuse, New York (2%); and Marion, Florida (1%), and is expected to be completed by February 2028. Fiscal 2025 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,150,568 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.
System High Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $34,766,063 modification (P00021) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HR001122C0073 for program security services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $124,455,992 from $89,689,929. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 2026. Fiscal 2024 research and development funds in the amount of $2,833,028 are being obligated at the time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
GCubed Enterprise Inc., Stafford, Virginia, was awarded a $11,392,661 firm-fixed-price level of effort contract for information technology services. This contract provides for cyberspace mission assurance for the Air Force Technical Applications Center global enterprise information technology services. Work will be performed at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2030. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,322,364 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA7022-25-F-0042).
Credence Dynamo Solutions LLC, Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,737,025 modification (P00002) to a previously awarded contract (FA4890-24-F-0071) to exercise the first option year for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $16,549,095. Work will be performed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed July 15, 2029, if all options are exercised. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,737,025 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Combat Command Acquisition Management Integration Center, Langley AFB, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Davis Management Group Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $12,746,959 modification (P00015) to contract W52P1J-22-F-0086 for technical support services to the Headquarters, Department of the Army offices of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-6. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia; and Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of July 23, 2027. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $226,276 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
L3 Technologies Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded an $18,862,198 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001925F2268) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001924G0004). This order provides engineering support for the Acoustic System Performance Estimate Performance Computer Tool software development and sustainment in support of improving fleet operations on multiple platforms for the Navy. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in March 2030. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $800,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
FBSG-GForce, Norristown, Pennsylvania (FA4484-25-D-0004); Ranco Construction Inc., Southampton, New Jersey (FA4484-25-D-0005); Eastern Construction Inc., Wrightstown, New Jersey (FA4484-25-D-0006); Kaser Mechanical, Burlington, New Jersey (FA4484-25-D-0007); Ritz Construction Inc., Frederick, Maryland (FA4484-25-D-0008); and Benaka Inc., New Brunswick, New Jersey (FA4484-25-D-0009), were awarded a ceiling $300,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for construction services. This contract provides for plant, labor, equipment, tools, supplies and materials to perform work necessary for replacement, repair and improvement for construction services. Work will be performed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 18, 2032. These contracts were competitive acquisitions, and 25 offers were received. No funds being obligated at the time of award. The 87th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
The Ventura Group Inc., Ashburn, Virginia, has been awarded a $32,359,258 firm-fixed-price contract for Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) information technology services. This contract provides for a full range of technical and professional information technology support personnel to maintain the JPRA enterprise network in support of its mission. The location of performance is Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 15, 2030. This award is the result of a competitive fair opportunity selection with five offers received. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $275,848 are being obligated at the time of award. The 316th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA2860-25-F-0017).
Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $9,148,556 option modification (P00035) to a previously awarded contract (FA2517-20-C-0003) for the ground-based, electro-optical deep space surveillance system. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $49,580,565 from $40,432,008. Work will be performed at Socorro, New Mexico; Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory; and Maui, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by April 30, 2026. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,148,556 are being obligated at time of award. The Space Acquisition and Integration Office, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity.
