MD Opens Elective Medical Procedures, Beaches & More
Photo by Lee Cannon some rights reserved by Creative Commons.
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.
After Mayor Richard W. Meehan stepped out ahead of the governor to announce the opening of Ocean City beaches this weekend, reported by Maryland Matters, Gov. Larry Hogan announced a loosening of some coronavirus restrictions. As of today, Thursday, elective medical procedures may resume, reports The Washington Post, and the list of safe outdoor activities has expanded. However, Maryland schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
Brett Crozier, the former captain of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt fired last month after sounding the alarm to help his coronavirus-stricken crew, has taken a temporary staff job as special assistant to the Naval Air Forces chief of staff in San Diego. Navy brass recommended late last month Crozier be given back his job, but instead a second investigation into Crozier’s firing was launched, Politico reported last week. It is unknown if the temporary duty reflects decisions regarding Mr. Crozier’s reinstatement as captain of the Big Stick.
The warnings about profit drops and rising worries about the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the economy suggest that stock prices could be due for another round of trouble, reports Politico.
The COVID-19 pandemic will dramatically reshape the aerospace industry, reports Aviation Week. Just for a start, the industry is shrinking fast and bankruptcies almost guaranteed, and not limited to smaller, weaker firms. Even the survival of Airbus, one of the soundest commercial aircraft manufacturers, is at risk, according to its CEO.
Coronavirus connected deaths in the Veterans Affairs health system rose more than 80% over the last week, reports Military Times. As of Tuesday morning, at least 770 patients had died from complications related to the illness, an increase of 346 cases from April 26.
DefSec Mark Esper says tighter defense budgets will cut legacy programs first, reports Defense News, in order to preserve funding for modernization requirements.
States, municipalities and critical infrastructure, which have borne the brunt of ransomware attacks, may get federal COVID-19 funds to bolster the nation’s cybersecurity risk at this level, reports FCW. One such bill would set aside $400 million per year for states to tackle ransomware and other cyber threats.
The total number of service members who have tested positive for COVID-19 hit 5,019 on Wednesday morning, reports Military Times. DoD’s testing capacity is currently about 30,000 a week.
Regarding the failed attempt at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and the arrest in Venezuela of two former Green Berets — Military Times reports DefSec Esper’s immediate statement disavowing US involvement was backed-up by his boss. “Whatever it is, we’ll let you know,” President Donald Trump told reporters. “But it has nothing to do with our government.”
North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs is one of a number of US-based units taking dramatic steps officials hope will prevent COVID-19 from ravaging teams of specially trained personnel. NORAD, responsible for preventing the US and Canada from aerial attack, has 130 troops sequestered in a Cold War-era bunker complex bored into the granite core of a nearby peak command center, reports The Washington Post.
An ailment related to COVID-19 is showing up in children, reports The New York Times. Most children infected with the virus have not developed serious respiratory failure of the kind that has afflicted adults. But in recent weeks, a mysterious new syndrome has cropped up among children on Long Island, in New York City and in other hot spots around the country.
In response to increased teleworking at DoD, the Defense Information Systems Agency accelerated its web-browsing pilot that protects networks by putting space between enterprise networks and the internet, reports FCW. The program helps isolate about a third of internet-based threats via an air gap between DOD’s networks and web browsing.
Despite disagreement from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Anthony Fauci, a leading member of the White House’s coronavirus task force, SecState Mike Pompeo continues to say the pandemic came from a Chinese lab, reports The Hill. JCS Chairman Gen. Mike Milley and Dr. Fauci both said the virus likely originated in the wild and transferred from animal to human.
Contracts:
Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded an $187,126,853 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2106 to prepare and make ready for the refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia (65%); and Norfolk, Virginia (35%). This modification will extend the period of performance for continued advance planning efforts including material forecasting, long lead time material procurement, purchase order development, technical document and drawing development, scheduling, resource forecasting and planning, development of cost estimates for work to be accomplished, data acquisition, pre-overhaul tests and inspections, pre-overhaul preparations, refueling preparations and other technical studies as required to prepare and make ready for the CVN 74 RCOH accomplishment. Work is expected to complete by January 2021. This modification constitutes the award of an existing option for an additional six months of effort. The original contract and this modification will be accomplished by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News, Virginia, under the authority of 10 US Code 2304(c)(1). Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. is the original building yard contractor for all ships of the CVN-68 class, the reactor plant planning yard, the lead design refueling yard and the only private shipyard capable of refueling and overhauling nuclear powered aircraft carriers. Therefore, it is the only source with the knowledge, experience and facilities required to accomplish this effort in support of the CVN 74 RCOH. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $187,126,853 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.
W.M. Jordan Co. Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded $26,929,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N40085-20-F-5271, under a multiple award construction contract for the design-build repair and renovation of Bachelor Enlisted Quarters Building (BEQB) 3609, Joint Expeditionary Base, Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The work will provide for the design and construction renovation of BEQB 3609 to meet current quality standards and facility criteria for unaccompanied housing for the Navy. The site and building will be modified to meet anti-terrorism force protection requirements. Major building systems such as plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air condition, electrical and fire protection will be replaced with new systems. Work is expected to be complete by October 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $26,929,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-19-D-9089).
L3 Adaptive Methods Inc., Centreville, Virginia, is awarded a $12,719,770 cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost contract for engineering services and capability development in support of the Undersea Warfare and Surface Warfare systems. Work will be performed in Keyport, Washington (30%); Centreville, Virginia (25%); Rockville, Maryland (15%); Manassas, Virginia (10%); Herndon, Virginia (5%); Dahlgren, Virginia (5%); Newport, Rhode Island (5%); Austin, Texas (1%); Moorestown, New Jersey (1%); Honolulu, Hawaii (1%); Fairfax, Virginia (1%); and Laurel, Maryland (1%), and is expected to be complete by April 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2025. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $69,458,660. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (98%) and the government of Japan (2%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy); 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and FMS Japan funding in the amount of $6,142,292 will be obligated at time of award. Funding in the amount of $1,191,829 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with Section 1709 of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that modifies 15 U.S. Code 638(r), this Small Business Innovative Research Phase (SBIR) III contract is being awarded to L3 Adaptive Methods Inc., which is the same firm that was competitively selected for the SBIR Phase I and II awards. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-5211).
AT&T Government Solutions Inc., Oakton, Virginia; and El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $8,449,798 modification (P00047) to contract FA8819-15-F-0005 for continued mission support services to the Space Force, Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Special Programs Directorate. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,976,668; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $453,295; and fiscal 2019 Space production funds in the amount of $76,500 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $54,074,819. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity.
