FBI & DHS Warn of Threats to Law Enforcement
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.
The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are warning of a surge in threats to federal law enforcement after the search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, reports Axios.
The US Space Force has taken over all military satellite communications, reports Military.com. The Army transferred some of its satellite operations to the Space Force on Monday, marking the latest move to reorganize and grow the youngest military branch. In addition to control of the communication satellites, 500 people will transfer from the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, based in Huntsville, AL, to Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado as part of the expansion.
Canadian start-up North Star Earth and Space is planning to launch up to 30 satellites for monitoring near-Earth obits to create almost constant coverage of where and how systems are operating in space — creating a revolutionary capability beyond that of most nations right now, reports Breaking Defense.
Despite plans to decommission Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City (LCS-11) next fiscal year, the Navy is preparing funds to repair a latent issue with the ship’s propulsion system, USNI News reports. Sioux City, which is currently deployed to US Central Command, is the next Freedom-class LCS slated to undergo the repairs to its combining gears in an upcoming maintenance availability, which marries the ship’s diesel engines to its gas turbines.
All US Air Force F-35s are flying again after ejection seat checks, reports Defense News. The checks of 706 ejection seat initiator cartridges from 349 F-35s, as well as additional supplies of spare cartridges, discovered no problems.
The USAF is experimenting with electronic warfare, reports Popular Science. Fighter jets flew 30 training missions in April at China Lake, CA, testing “Angry Kitten,” a device developed by the Georgia Tech Research Institute to simulate the electronic warfare devices of other country’s aircraft. Broadly, electronic warfare involves transmission and obstruction of signals along the electromagnetic spectrum, which are used for radar, weapons guidance, and communication.
Torch.AI, a data infrastructure artificial intelligence company based in Leawood, KS, has won a multimillion-dollar contract to support the Pentagon’s efforts to combat cyber attacks and insider threats, reports C4ISRNET. The Pentagon will use the company’s NEXUS software to implement the cybersecurity analysis capability, called the System for Insider Threat Hindrance, or SITH, an apparent Pentagon reference to the “Star Wars” film franchise. SITH aims to track insider threat risks and bring awareness to them before they become detrimental to the department.
A military drone tournament has been launched in central Iran with Russia, Belarus, and Armenia in attendance, reports Al Jazeera. Iranian state television showed footage from a ceremony on Monday in the city of Kashan, where dozens of representatives from the four countries gathered to inaugurate the tournament that is judged by members from all delegations.
Moscow denounced sabotage and Ukraine hinted at responsibility for new explosions on Tuesday at a military base in Russian-annexed Crimea that is an important supply line for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Reuters. The blasts engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of the Crimean peninsula, disrupting trains and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village, according to Russian officials and news agencies.
More than 40 countries and the European Union called on Russia on Sunday to withdraw its military personnel and weaponry from Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying its presence there is “unacceptable,” reports Axios. Russia has maintained military activity at or near the plant since seizing it in March. Ukraine and Russia have recently accused each other of shelling areas near the facility, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
New data on heat risks forecast an “extreme heat belt” will emerge in large parts of the country by 2053, reports The Hill. The heat model released Monday by researchers from the nonprofit group First Street Foundation estimates heat risks at the property level across the US and how the intensity of hot days will change over the next three decades. Find your home here.
Defense News reports Philippine officials are considering a US offer to provide heavy-lift helicopters like its widely used Chinooks after Manila scrapped a deal to buy military choppers from Russia due to fears of Western sanctions, the Philippine ambassador to Washington said Monday.
An attack with drones hit a compound run by American troops and US-backed Syrian opposition fighters in eastern Syria on Monday, reports Military Times. The US military said there were no casualties or damage.
DefSec Lloyd Austin is quarantining with his second bout of COVID-19, reports Military Times. He first contracted COVID early this year, though both cases have presented only mild symptoms.
Charges have been reinstated against Navy Hospital Corpsman Chief Petty Officer Eric Gilmet in a MARSOC homicide case, reports Marine Corps Times. Charges against Gilmet were dismissed but upon government appeal a three-judge panel from the US Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals heard arguments from both sides in July. Their ruling, released Monday, overturned the dismissal. Gilmet could again face trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, obstruction of justice, and negligent homicide along with two Marine Raiders in the death of retired Green Beret and defense contractor Rich Rodriguez following a brief fight outside of a nightclub in Irbil, Iraq, on January 1, 2019.
Contracts:
Vane Line Bunkering LLC, Baltimore, Maryland, was awarded a modification (P00020) on firm-fixed-price contract HTC711-20-C-W003 in the amount of $26,907,756. This modification provides continued scheduled fuel barge transportation service in the Atlantic Region. Work will be performed at ports and points along the Atlantic coast as well as inland and coastal waterways from Texas to Maine, and also supports Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The period of performance is from Sept. 1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2022 defense working capital funds were obligated at award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract from $55,845,912 to $82,753,668. US Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $9,222,277 modification (P00042) to contract W81XWH-17-F-0078 for administrative support services for the US Army Medical Materiel Development Activity. Work will be performed in Fort Detrick, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2021 and 2022 research, development, test and evaluation, Army; and research, development, test and evaluation, defense-wide funds in the amount of $9,222,277 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Cognito Systems LLC, Newport News, Virginia, was awarded a $22,536,738 firm-fixed-price contract for credentialing branch services in support of the US Army Reserve Command. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Forrest Park, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of March 18, 2027. Fiscal 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 operation and maintenance, Army Reserve in the amount of $22,536,738 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W81K04-22-C-0017).
VSE Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded an $85,991,000 ceiling increase to indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00024-22-D-4205 for Foreign Military Sales supportability follow-on technical support to provide eligible foreign navies access to a broad range of life cycle support, systems upgrades, systems integration, and other related efforts associated with the transfer and acquisition, operation, and maintenance of naval vessels and systems within their inventory. This ceiling increase is necessary to support an urgent sole source delivery order to VSE Corp. to provide material and labor in support of overhaul, maintenance, and repair of the Egyptian Navy long range maintenance plan schedule for four Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates (FFG-7 class ships), four fast missile crafts, and two mine hunter coastals. Work for this contract in its entirety will be performed outside the continental US (80%); and within the continental US (20%) based on delivery orders as assigned. Work is expected to be completed by March 2023. Foreign Military Sales (Egypt) funds in the amount of $85,131,090 (99%); and fiscal 2023 Foreign Military Sales Administration funds in the amount of $859,910 (1%) will be obligated at the delivery order level and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured via the System for Award Management website. This sole-source award is justified pursuant to 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements; and in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii)(B) — requirements may be deemed to be available only from the original source in the case of follow-on contracts for the continued provision of highly specialized requirements when it is likely that award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency’s requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-22-D-4205).
CACI Technologies LLC, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $20,820,661 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0018922C0013) for a six-month base period with one three-month option period valued at $10,506,914 that could result in a total of $31,327,575 if the option is exercised. The contract provides Naval Forces Logistics services in support of US Fleet Forces Command, which includes tasks necessary to provide global logistics support, oversight, training and management services to support Naval Operation Forces in all aspects of logistics (supply and maintenance) management, automated information systems, software applications, business processes, inspections, readiness, inventory, training and financial management. Work will be performed at various locations across the continental U.S. (91.25%), for which the percentage of work at each of those locations cannot be determined at this time; Japan (5.25%); Hawaii (2.69%); and Bahrain (0.81%) and is expected to be completed in February 2023; if the option is exercised, the work will be completed May 2023. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding appropriations will expire on Sept. 30, 2022. This announcement does not involve Foreign Military Sales. The requirement was not competitively procured. The requirement was solicited as a sole source procurement in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements; and therefore, only one offer was received. The contracting activity is Navy Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia.
