Might a Fitness Band Replace Fitness Tests?

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.

Wearable technology might end the Navy’s fitness test, reports Navy Times. A former Navy top official calls for scrapping the semi-annual fitness test and “shift to a year-round culture of fitness,”says the former assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs and retired Navy Reserve captain Juan M. Garcia III.

More than a dozen US military aircraft flew in international airspace near Iran’s borders the day the country downed an RQ-4 Global Hawk drone over the Strait of Hormuz, yet the US was never “warned” before Iran took out the drone, contrary to the regime’s statements, reports Military.com.

A new Coast Guard order bans entering any businesses dealing with marijuana. Military.com reports on the order issued by Coast Guard Commandant ADM Karl Schultz.

Gen. John Hyten denies sexual assault accusations, but new questions cloud his confirmation, reports Military Times, regarding previous military leadership pushback against the accuser. Senior military officials and key Senate Republicans rallied around President Donald Trump’s pick for next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff but upon learning more about the accuser’s attempts to address her grievances, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said to Hyten, “You continued to endorse her. You only did something about it when concerns were raised about your own leadership.”

The suspect sailor in the SEAL Team 6’s sexting and salacious snapshots spoofing scandal says the brass are breaking the law to put him behind bars while the real culprit goes free, reports Navy Times.

Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher strolled out of a Naval Base San Diego courtroom a free man. The four Navy prosecutors whose case collapsed in court still netted Navy Achievement Medals, reports Navy Times.

Korean Fat Leonard? Feds probe a new US Navy corruption case in Asia, reports Defense News, filing corruption charges against the head of a Busan, Korea-based service, provide unmistakable echoes of the Fat Leonard scandal that has rocked the Navy since the investigation was revealed in 2013.

Despite diplomatic efforts, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles, reports Reuters only days after it launched two similar missiles intended to pressure South Korea and the US to stop upcoming military drills.

Afghanistan highway blast kills at least 35 on bus, wounds 27, reports Reuters. The blast comes ahead of the resumption of peace talks between the US and Taliban, with hopes to strike a deal on a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees by the Taliban.

More civilians have died by Afghan forces and allies than by militants in Afghanistan in the first half of 2019, Military Times reports on a UN report.

F-22 pilots in Hawaii got the Air Force’s state-of-the-art flight suit, reports Military.com.

Canada wants 152 American-made radios, for $44 million, reports C4ISRNET, in a deal that still needs to clear Congress. Contract figures can change during future negotiations.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 29, 2019

Contracts:

Two Six Labs LLC, Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $95,119,268 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for project IKE. The objective of IKE is to develop automated artificial intelligence/machine learning techniques to assist human understanding of the cyber battlespace, support development of cyber warfare strategies and measure and model battle damage assessment. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 30, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with two offers received. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,400,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-19-C-1507).

IBM Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,729,010 firm-fixed-price contract for advisory and assistance support. This contract will provide for the development, implementations, analysis and provision of policies, guidance, oversight, career field management and human capital management programs across the civil engineer enterprise. Work will be performed at Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by May 17, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with three offers received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,729,010 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force District of Washington Contracting Directorate, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA7014-19-F-A152).

Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $290,577,495 cost-plus-fixed fee modification to add Year Two to previously-awarded contract N00024-18-C-2106 to prepare and make ready for the refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). This modification will provide for fiscal 2019-2020 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, and other technical studies as required to prepare and make ready for the CVN 74 RCOH accomplishment. This contract action includes options for the third year of planning which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $476,949,310. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 2020. Fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) incremental funding in the amount of $107,500,000 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.

Quality Performance Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia, was awarded $7,021,996 for modification P00003 to a previously awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68335-15-D-0031). This modification increases the ceiling of the contract to procure up to 14 additional Moriah Wind Systems as well as associated sub-components, ancillary components, repair services and as required, non-recurring engineering to support engineering change proposals for the Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Moriah program. Work will be performed in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and is expected to be completed in September 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. (Awarded July 29, 2019)

Deloitte LLP, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a five-year contract (one-year base and four option periods) with an estimated value of $197,277,630. This contract supports the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Deputy Assistant Director for Information Operations, Solutions Delivery Division (SDD). This entails performing a variety of functions, such as configuration management, information assurance, training support, deployment activities, and other business, technical and administrative functions necessary for sustaining existing SDD products and project lines, including: Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application; the Composite Health Care System; the Clinical Data Repository; Essentris®; the Health Artifact and Image Management Solution; the Interagency Comprehensive Plan for Care Coordination Support; the Defense Medical Logistics Support System; and the Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System – Industrial Hygiene. This contract was competitively awarded under the General Services Administration’s eBuy vehicle; DHA received three offers. Location of performance is inside the US. The base year will be funded with fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $34,213,809. The Defense Health Agency, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HT0011-19-F-0068).