More Troops Being Deployed to Europe
Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division jump from a C-17 Globemaster III during Joint Forcible Entry Exercise on June 18 at Fort Bragg, NC. The exercise allows the US Army and Air Force an opportunity to properly execute large-scale heavy equipment and troop movement. (US Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob N. Bailey)
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.
Three thousand members of the 82nd Airborne Division are scheduled to join 3,000 troops already mobilized to Poland, Germany, and Romania, reports Air Force Times, as tensions mount along the Ukraine-Russia border. Ukraine and its allies are preparing for a possible military conflict with Russia.
The White House on Friday delivered a warning to US civilians in Ukraine: Get out now, because the military won’t help rescue you if Russia invades, reports Army Times.
US Air Force F-15 fighter jets arrived in Poland late last week, reports The Hill. They will work alongside Polish and Danish F-16 aircraft executing the air policing mission ahead of a potential conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The confirmation process for the National Security Council’s former Russia director and former US Russia Foundation CEO Celeste Wallander was blocked last week by Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, reports Defense News. Wallander is President Joe Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
The US Navy is moving fast on repairs to barracks at Naval Support Activity Bethesda, MD, home of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, reports Navy Times, after the publication’s investigation revealed how junior enlisted troops have gone without hot water for years in the barracks aboard the base.
Military family members affected by the fuel-tainted water crisis in Hawaii came to Capitol Hill to press for answers about the contaminants in their water and more action, reports Air Force Times. They want more medical tests and home testing, long-term medical care, and follow-ups. The contamination was linked to a November 2021 incident at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to serve as chair of DoD’s Defense Innovation Board, reports The Hill. DefSec Lloyd Austin nominated Bloomberg to “leverage his experience and strategic insights on innovation, business and public service.”
USMC BRIG GEN Matthew Mowery, assistant deputy commandant for aviation, said the Marine Corps will publish a new aviation plan this year, reports Breaking Defense. It will be the first update since 2019. “We are going to publish an [aviation] plan this year and we need to do — I think the Marine Corps needs to do a better job of starting to re-engage with industry, getting some [science and technology] money and [research and development] money out there to help industry develop some of these things so we can have a common understanding of when these technologies are going to be ready,” Mowery told attendees at the NDIA’s Expeditionary Warfare conference.
In an agreement with the French, Indonesia will purchase up to 42 Dassault fighter jets and Naval Group attack submarines for its air force and navy, reports Defense News.
With the past few months centering on Russia, a summit last week in Australia kick-started a week of Asia-Pacific diplomacy, reports Foreign Policy. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, summit with Indian, Japan, and Australia was the first stop for US SecState Antony Blinken as he began a tour of the Pacific.
DoD is looking for new ways to gird the F-35 against cyberattacks and improve the systems’ ability to detect and respond to threats, reports fcw.com. The F-35 Joint Program Office wants to create a process that would enhance the security of F-35’s – and supporting ground systems – through newly developed or integrated technologies, such as real-time, automated in-flight detection, response, and recovery, according to the February 9 notice.
A French-made Mirage F1 fighter jet operated by a military contractor Airborne Tactical Advantage Co. pilot crashed near Luke Air Force Base in Arizona but the pilot ejected and no one on the ground was hurt, reports Air Force Times.
President Joe Biden has signed an executive order starting the process of taking $3.5 billion in frozen assets connected to Afghanistan to be used for humanitarian aid and victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack by al-Qaeda, reports UPI.com.
The United Nations chief says that just one in three researchers in science and engineering are women, reports UPI. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was speaking about the gender gap in science, math, engineering, and technology fields on International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Boeing will offer the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft currently flown by several militaries to the Canadian Royal Air Force as a replacement for the CP-140 Aurora aircraft, reports Breaking Defense.
NASA has announced that Lockheed Martin will build the Mars Ascent Vehicle, a small rocket that will carry samples from the surface of Mars back to Earth, reports Fox35 Orlando.
Alexa owners will be able to ask Amazon’s virtual assistant to hear about the upcoming launch of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, reports The Denver Post. Lockheed Martin is partnering with Amazon and Cisco in testing new technology for the upcoming NASA flight.
The team behind NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released some of the first images from the much-anticipated observatory on Friday, reports Space.com.
Land & Liberty Coalition has set up a new chapter in Maryland, reports Maryland Matters. The national group aims to bring more conservatives into the conversation about how to expand clean energy development in the US. It plans to work with property owners and local governments to build large-scale solar and wind installations on private land in the state.
The US Naval Academy’s football team filled two coaching vacancies and announced other assignments, reports The Baltimore Sun. Chuck Peterson, who spent 17 seasons with Air Force football, will be an offensive assistant. Wake Forest secondary coach Ryan Crawford will be a defensive assistant. Navy will open the 2022 season against the Delaware Blue Hens on September 3 in Annapolis.
Contracts:
Alutiiq Solutions LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded a $7,838,583 modification (P00005) to a previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042120D0007). This modification exercises an option, increasing the ceiling, to provide research and analysis, strategic initiative, executive leadership management, administrative, operational, and technical program support for the Command Strategic Leadership Service Team in support of the Commander, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and direct reporting teams; the NAVAIR Corporate Operations Group Business Financial Management Competency; the Joint Strike Fighter front office; and the NAVAIR Washington Liaison Office. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (60%); and Arlington, Virginia (40%), and is expected to be completed in February 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Amentum Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $7,932,336 modification (P00146) to contract W58RGZ-17-C-0011 for logistics support for fixed-wing fleets. Work will be performed in Germantown, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2022. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation, Army funds and operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,932,336 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Lyon Shipyard Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded an estimated $16,365,770 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the management, technical, procurement, production, testing and quality assurance necessary to plan, prepare, and execute all maintenance, repair, and alterations required to complete the dry-docked availability phased maintenance availability onboard the USS Dynamic (AFDL-6) and Barge (YFND-30). The work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by January 2023. Fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,365,770 will be obligated at time of award. The requirement was competitively procured as a small business set-aside solicited through the beta.sam.gov website, with two offers received. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
AT&T Corp., Oakton, Virginia, was awarded a competitive, firm-fixed-price, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Defense Information Systems Agency’s Voice Internet Service Provider for the U.S. Africa Command, European Command, Central Command, Indo-Pacific Command and Hawaii regions, to provide session initiation protocol trunking and telephony services. The total amount of all orders placed against the contract shall not exceed $78,056,017. The guaranteed minimum amount is $500 and will be funded by fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance funds. Primary performance will be at the contractor’s facility in Oakton, Virginia. The period of performance is 10 years, with a six-year base period and four one-year option periods, beginning Feb. 14, 2022, through Feb. 13, 2032. Proposals were solicited via www.sam.gov and two proposals were received. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1013-22-D-0003).
QualiX Corp., Springfield, Virginia (HQ0034-22-D-0004), was awarded a firm-fixed-price and labor hour, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in the amount of $95,000,000. This contract of information management and information access support services provides comprehensive information management services and business solutions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Headquarters Servicers (WHS), and 14 Department of Defense (DOD) agencies and field activities. WHS directorates execute lawfully and federally mandated regulatory programs regarding information access, use, storage, retention, and transparency within DOD, externally to executive branch agencies and departments, and the general public. Work will be performed at the Pentagon, the Mark Center, government facilities in College Park, Maryland; Centreville, Virginia; Arlington, Virginia; and the contractor facility in Springfield, Virginia. Fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,070,716 have been obligated for this action. The expected completion date is Feb. 16, 2027. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Range Generation Next LLC, Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,886,332 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00373) to previously awarded contract FA8806-15-C-0001 for the modernization of the Eastern Range Network – Eastern Range Internet Protocol Network Phase 2 project. This modification supports the integration of the communications infrastructure necessary for Range of the Future connectivity. Work will be performed in the Eastern Range at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2021 Space Force procurement funds in the amount of $7,886,332 are being obligated at the time of award. Space Systems Command, Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity.
