Military Struggles to Reach Recruitment Goals

US DefSec Lloyd Austin congratulates new recruits at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station after administering the oath of enlistment at Fort George G. Meade on July 5. (DoD photo by Chad J. McNeeley)

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.

US DefSec Lloyd Austin swore in new military recruits last week. As the Defense Department marked the 50th anniversary of the country’s all-volunteer force, the armed services are struggling to meet recruitment goals. Austin traveled to the processing center at Fort Meade in Maryland on July 5 to swear in 85 young men and women. “Fifty years ago this week, the United States stopped drafting citizens into service and turned instead to an all-volunteer force,” Austin said. “Ever since then, Americans like you have joined our military, out of conviction and not out of compulsion.” Nearly 80% of new military recruits are related to those who have already served their country, reports Fox News.

The US Navy Future Sailor Preparatory Course aims to launch hundreds of new recruits into the fleet, reports Navy Times. The service still expects to miss its recruitment targets this year. The prep course is modeled after a similar program in the Army.

Desperate for new recruits, the Army has invested millions in fitness schools to bring recruits who fall short of academic and physical standards into shape, reports USA Today.

The US Marine Corps is tripling its enlistment bonuses for those who enlist for jobs in the cyber and crypto operations, reports Defense News.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has proposed a ban on marijuana testing in the military in order to spark recruitment, reports New York Post. The measure would end required tests for cannabis as a condition of enlistment or as a condition of being commissioned as an officer.

Recent analysis by Bloomberg Opinion says that the country’s military recruiting woes are a national security crisis, reports The Washington Post.

Town & Country took a look back at how and where some US presidents celebrated the Fourth of July. Presidents have been celebrating July 4 since the early 1800s. Remember in 1996 when President Bill Clinton made the trip to NAS Pax River to release a 3-year-old bald eagle to the wild? The event didn’t go well as the eagle was attacked by four osprey after she was released, according to the Los Angeles Times archives.

Four of the last five Amphibious Ready Group-Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments have failed to deploy on time, said GEN Eric Smith, the Marine Corps’ assistant commandant and soon-to-be acting commandant, reports Breaking Defense.

Retired Navy CAPT Jerry Hendrix said the Navy should create an “Area 52” amid the concerns about China and Russia, reports Task & Purpose. He is advocating for the service to create a new ultra-secret research development and test range for unmanned vessels on Lake Michigan, where there is no chance the experimental vessels could be captured by rivals.

The Navy said three E/A-18G Growler jets were struck by lightning earlier this month while conducting operations over southern Japan, reports Navy Times. No injuries were reported.

The US Air Force said Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several US drone aircraft over Syria last week, reports Military Times, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers.

Estonia is one of the many nations looking to make ground robots an important part of their military structure and doctrine as a complement to their existing capabilities, reports C4ISRNET. Drawbacks of the technology include spotty performance in rain, snow, or fog, while laser-spoofing techniques can disrupt its perceptive abilities. It can also be fooled by dust and dense flora.

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Keyport in Washington has conducted a “first of its kind” warfighting readiness tabletop exercise, focused on command, control and communication, reports Navy Times. The evaluation of the response plan featured three scenarios in which participants identified solutions to deal with damage to aircraft, ships, submarines, and ashore infrastructure during sustained conflict.

The US Air Force’s largest-ever premier mobility exercise got underway last week in the Pacific Ocean, reports Air Force Times. Around 3,000 airmen and 70 cargo planes and tanker planes participated in Mobility Guardian 2023.

The US will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions in the latest military aid, reports The Associated Press. The new aid package will be worth up to $800 million. The weapons will come from Pentagon stocks and will also include Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles and other ammunition.

BAE Systems’ Global Combat Air Platform fighter design will be ready for demonstration within five years, company executives said last week. Breaking Defense reports that the GCAP is currently in development with Italy and Japan is projected to achieve an in-service date of 2035.

The first Australian submariners graduated from the US Navy’s Nuclear Power School, reports The Drive. This is an important step in the Royal Australian Navy’s effort to establish a fleet of nuclear-powered, but conventionally armed submarines. The initiative is part of the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense cooperation agreement.

OceanGate officials said the company has suspended its exploration and commercial operations, reports CNN. The company’s CEO, Stockton Rush, was among the five people who perished when OcenGate’s Titan submersible imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean last month.

The US Census Bureau found that the median age rose in almost every state in 2022, continuing a long-term trend that is pushing states to prepare for aging populations, reports Maryland Matters. The median age in Maryland is 39.6, up from 39.2 in 2020 and 38 in 2010.

The reins have been loosened slightly on Chesapeake Bay blue crab harvest this year, reports Bay Journal. Results from a just-released wintertime survey were promising enough to relax some of the restrictions on crabbing.

Contracts:

Imagine One Technology & Management Ltd., Lexington Park, Maryland, is awarded a $29,668,215 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-22-C-4312 to exercise options for the continued support of system modernization and sustainment for the Naval Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Solution (NMMES) program. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (79%); Lexington Park, Maryland (9%); Rocket Center, West Virginia (8%); Bremerton, Washington (1%); Kittery, Maine (1%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%); and Washington, DC (1%), and is expected to be completed by December 2023. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,000,000 (91%); and fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,500,000 (9%) will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $16,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity. (Awarded June 29, 2023)

Applied Training Solutions, Greensburg, Pennsylvania (W900KK-23-D-0004); Check Defense, Raleigh, North Carolina (W900KK-23-D-0011); FITT Scientific LLC, Colonial Heights, Virginia (W900KK-23-D-0007 and W900KK-23-D-0013); MP Solutions LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (W900KK-23-D-0009 and W900KK-23-D-0014); Calibre Solutions Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (W900KK-23-D-0006); JANUS Research Group, Evans, Georgia (W900KK-23-D-0008); and Valiant Global Defense Services Inc., Herndon, Virginia (W900KK-23-D-0010), will compete for each order of the $610,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for realistic live, virtual, constructive and gaming integrated training and program support. Bids were solicited via the internet with 16 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 6, 2028. US Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Fluke Electronics Corp., Everett, Washington, is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity single award contract (HT942523D0001) for a maximum of $18,208,954 to obtain next generation X-ray calibration systems for use in a wide variety of clinical and environmental conditions, including deployment to austere environments throughout the world and contingency operations for the US Army Medical Material Development Activity (USAMMDA), located at Fort Detrick, Maryland. These systems will support the calibration and safety measures of USAMMDA’s deployed radiologic imaging systems. This contract has a continuous five-year ordering period from July 5, 2023, through July 4, 2028. The first delivery order will be funded by other procurement, Army fiscal 2021-2023 appropriations. This contract was competitively solicited via the sam.gov website, with two offers received. The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Techwerks LLC, Arlington Heights, Illinois, is awarded a $10,578,087 firm-fixed-price, best-value trade-off contract (HT942523C0063) to provide research support services to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience. Support services will include scientific and technical development; program and administrative management; clinical trials; physiological research; psychological research; veterinarian and animal care; statistical analysis; polysomnographic penetrating ballistic-like brain injury research; polytrauma research; mitochondria research; non-conclusive seizures research; molecular mechanisms; biomarkers identification and therapeutic intervention research; field research; projectile concussive impact brain injury research; traumatic brain injury neuroprotection and neurorestoration research. The period of performance is July 20, 2023, to July 19, 2024. The place of performance is Silver Spring, Maryland. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation funds will be obligated at the time of award. The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California (W912DR-23-D-0008); Arcadis U.S. Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado (W912DR-23-D-0009); HGL-APTIM Applied Science and Technology JV LLC, Reston, Virginia (W912DR-23-D-0010); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (W912DR-23-D-0011); Parsons Government Services Inc., Centreville, Virginia (W912DR-23-D-0012); Seres-Arcadis Small Business JV 2 LLC, Charleston, South Carolina (W912DR-23-D-0013); Tetra Tech Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (W912DR-23-D-0014); and Weston-EA JV, West Chester, Pennsylvania (W912DR-23-D-0015), will compete for each order of the $200,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architectural and engineering services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 21 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 29, 2028. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aeronautics Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $76,046,196 firm-fixed-price order (N0001923F0220) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001920G0005). This order procures spares to support flight test and an initial two year sustainment after the delivery for three unique configuration E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft for the government of France. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (19.8%); Melbourne, Florida (16.1%); Indianapolis, Indiana (15.7%); St. Augustine, Florida (7.6%); Menlo Park, California (7.1%); Bethpage, New York (6%); Edgewood, New York (4.9%); Woodland Hills, California (4.7%); Baltimore, Maryland (3.1%); Provo, Utah (1.8%); Valencia, California (1.3%); Falls Church, Virginia (1.2%); West Chester, Ohio (1%); Clemmons, North Carolina (1%); various locations within the continental US (CONUS) (8.7%); and various locations outside the CONUS (0.30%), and is expected to be completed in August 2027. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $76,046,196 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Progeny Systems LLC, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $11,900,206 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Advanced Mission Planning System (AMPS). This contract provides for programmatic and engineering services required to execute the following tasks in support of the Office of Naval Research: program management, operational security planning, AMPS requirements expansion, AMPS architectural design updates, AMPS interface updates, AMPS visualization tools, AMPS software prototype development, AMPS demonstration planning and execution, unmanned/autonomous vehicle (UAV) requirements, UAV design, UAV prototype development, and UAV demonstration planning and execution. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 5, 2027. The total cumulative value, including a 48-month base period, is $11,900,206. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,900,206 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-23-S-B001 titled “FY23 Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science and Technology.” Since proposals were received throughout the year under the long-range BAA, the number of proposals received in response to the solicitation is unknown. The Office of Naval Research, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00014-23-C-1035).