Naval Academy Drops Race from Admissions Process

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The US Naval Academy will no longer consider race in its admission process despite winning the right to do so in federal court in December. VADM Yvette Davids, the academy’s superintendent, changed the academy’s policy in February in response to an executive order by President Donald Trump, reports Military Times.

The Naval Academy had removed nearly 400 books from its library on Monday after being told by DefSec Pete Hegseth’s office to review and get rid of ones that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, reports AP News.

Trump has signed an executive order purporting to outlaw collective bargaining across two-thirds of the federal government, invoking a national security provision of federal labor law. In 2020, Trump granted then-DefSec Mark Esper the ability to exclude the Pentagon from federal labor law. Bipartisan pushback in Congress followed and Esper did  not use the authority. Defense One further reports that both the White House and federal employee unions are already trading lawsuits over the edict.

Hegseth has ordered a review of combat arms standards to ensure exceptions are not made for female troops in physically demanding roles. Hegseth has concerns that military readiness has diminished since 2016, when combat roles were first opened to women. Roughly 4,800 women serve in Army infantry, armor, and artillery jobs, reports Military Times.

In a memo sent Monday, Hegseth gave senior DoD leaders less than two weeks to submit proposals to shrink and reorganize their commands, agencies, and departments, reports Defense One.

In a follow-up memo, Hegseth clarified another deferred resignation offering to eligible DoD civilian employees will run April 7-14, reports Defense Scoop. Approved employees must leave federal service by Sept. 30. Probationary employees are eligible, but not Non-Appropriated Fund employees, Foreign Local National employees, Dual-Status Military Technicians, Highly Qualified Experts, or Re-Employed Annuitants.

Hegseth’s younger brother, Phil Hegseth, is serving in a key position inside the Pentagon as a Homeland Security liaison and senior adviser, which has included meetings with a UFC fighting champion, a trip to Guantanamo Bay, and traveling on the Pentagon’s 747 aircraft as his big brother makes his first trip as defense secretary to the Indo-Pacific, reports Military Times. Phil Hegseth’s experience includes founding his own podcast production company and working on social media and podcasts at The Hudson Institute think tank.

The body of the fourth US soldier who vanished in Lithuania was recovered Tuesday, reports Military Times. The soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division were found dead after their submerged armored vehicle was pulled from a muddy bog. Stars and Stripes reports extraction of the M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle took nearly a week and involved hundreds of personnel from multiple countries. Names of the three soldiers found Monday have been released: Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, IL; Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, CA; and Pfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam, reports Military Times.

Multiple A-10 attack aircraft and more than 300 airmen from the Idaho Air National Guard deployed to the Middle East over the weekend. The move came two days after the Air Force confirmed the arrival of “a number of” B-2 stealth bombers on the island of Diego Garcia, within striking distance of Yemen, where the US has launched a renewed campaign against the Houthis, reports Air and Space Forces Magazine.

On a mission to bolster security on the southern US border, the destroyer USS Spruance recently helped the Coast Guard and agents with US Customs and Border Protection take 13 people into custody, reports Task & Purpose.

Finland, which shares NATO’s longest border with Russia, will withdraw from the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel landmines, according to President Alexander Stubb. Defense News reports the decision comes shortly after Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland said they were assessing the possibility of exiting the treaty, which would allow them to stockpile and use landmines to secure their respective borders with Russia.

The US has said it expects “all parties on the ground” in Gaza to comply with international humanitarian law but declined to confirm whether it was carrying out its own assessment into the killing by the Israeli military of 15 people — paramedics, civil defense workers, and a UN official, reports BBC.com.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday a major expansion of the military’s operation in Gaza involving the seizure of large areas of land that would be “incorporated into Israel’s security zones.” CNN reports Katz said the operation would also involve a “large-scale evacuation of Gaza’s population from combat zones,” without specifying details.

The US Space Force is preparing a series of experiments to test in-space satellite refueling technologies, positioning commercial competitors at the forefront of an emerging sector of the space industry, reports Space News.

The USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker reports the approximate positions of the US Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world. Here’s the March 31, 2025 report, based on Navy and public data.

Contracts:

Imagine One Technology & Management Ltd., Lexington Park, Maryland, was awarded a $42,043,544 cost-plus-fixed-fee definitized bridge contract action for informational technology services in support of the Naval Sea Systems Command, Digital Industrial Operations, Navy Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Solution Program. This contract includes an option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $76,386,763. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (88%); Lexington Park, Maryland (2%); Rocket Center, West Virginia (6%); Bremerton, Washington (1%); Kittery, Maine (1%); Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (1%); and Washington, D.C. (1%), and is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,500,000 (92%); and fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $500,000 (8%), will be obligated at time of award, of which $5,500,000 will expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) (only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements). Naval Surface Warfare Center, Corona Division, Corona, California, is the contracting activity (N6426725C2354).

ENSCO Inc., Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded an $ 84,245,018 ceiling, firm-fixed, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for modeling, software, and engineering support. This contract provides qualified personnel, services, materials, equipment, supplies and facilities necessary to perform scientific and technical support and services needed through the life of contract. Work will be performed at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2032. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,846,239 will be obligated at time of the award. Air Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Patrick SFB, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA702225D0005).

SMS Data Products, McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $26,775,717 fixed-price contract for contract deliverable sustainment. This bridge contract is being issued to procure service and support for the Cyber Support Services Two program that will provide Tiers II/III sustainment to the Air Force Information Network Response Center, technical publications support, system administration, engineering, and management services for three integration and test facilities, and field engineering representatives, at various bases worldwide. Work will be performed at Hanscom Air Force Base and at various base locations worldwide and is expected to be complete Sept. 30, 2025.  Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,797,313 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Lifecycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA872625CB001).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $14,215,800 firm-fixed-price modification (P00144) to previously awarded (FA8615-17-C-6047) for Active Electronically Scanned Array radars of Air Force F-16 aircraft. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $1,688,385,697 from $1,674,169,897. Work will be performed in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2031. Fiscal 2023 procurement funds in the amount of $5,686,320; fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,984,851; and fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,544,629, are being obligated at the time of award for a total obligation of $14,215,800. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

AMP United LLC, Dover, New Hampshire (N4523A-25-D-0800); Delphinus Engineering Inc., Newton Square, Pennsylvania (N4523A-2-D-0801); Everett Ship Repair LLC, Freeland, Washington (N4523A-25-D-0802); Ice Floe LLC, Freeland, Washington (N4523A-25-D0803); IMIA LLC, Spanish Fort, Alabama (N4523A-25-D-0804); Oceaneering International Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia (N4523A-25-D0805); and Propulsion Controls Engineering LLC, Everett, Washington (N4523A-25-D-0806), are awarded a combined $88,100,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the accomplishment of preservation of critical and non-critical surfaces and installation of new coatings on Naval submarines. Each awardee will be awarded $1,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. Work will be performed at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington; Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington; Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, Washington; and Naval Station Everett, Washington; and other locations under the area of responsibility of Northwest Regional Maintenance Center, according to individual delivery orders as assigned and is expected to be completed by March 2030. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,000 ($1,000 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. All other funding will be made available at the delivery order level as contracting actions occur. This contract was competitively procured via SAM.gov website and Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment solicitation module, with seven offers received. Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $13,436,786 modification to a firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N0001923C0058). This modification adds scope to provide continued program management, non-recurring unique requirements, and training in support of integration efforts for the government of Germany into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program as a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60%); Orlando, Florida (18%); Greenville, South Carolina (11%); El Segundo, California (5%); Lancashire, United Kingdom (4%); and Baltimore, Maryland (2%), and is expected to be completed in August 2026. FMS customer funds in the amount of $13,436,786 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competed. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Cellphire Inc., Frederick, Maryland, is awarded a $70,334,798 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (W81XWH20C0030). This effort is to increase the cost ceiling of the current contract and add an additional 20-month extension to the period of performance to Oct. 31, 2028. The necessity of a contract modification is due to an increase in the number of subjects required to statistically show non-inferiority between cryopreserved and liquid stored platelets. Fiscal 2025 research, development, test and evaluation funding is obligated at the time of award. Place of performance is Fort Detrick, Maryland. The US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Contract Branch Seven, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Strategic Communications LLC, Louisville, Kentucky, is awarded $25,335,318 for a firm-fixed-price task order (HT001525F015) under the NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement catalog. This order will provide commercial cloud environment Amazon Web Services for Defense Health Agency applications in accordance with the Department of Defense Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide. This task order is awarded from a single award catalog that provided fair opportunity. The place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia, and all work is expected to be completed by March 30, 2026. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $25,335,318 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Defense Health Agency, Enterprise Medical Services Contracting Division, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.

Affigent LLC, Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $20,730,383, firm-fixed-price delivery order (HS002125FE034) for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). This award is the result of a competitive small business set aside acquisition in which two offers were received. The order provides an Oracle Unlimited License Agreement for enterprise-wide licenses and support to DCSA program offices. No on-site work is required, and the estimated completion date is March 31, 2028 (inclusive of options). Fiscal 2025 defense working capital funds in the amount of $13,406,120; and fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,324,263 were obligated at the time of award. DCSA Contracting and Procurement Office, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The $12,672,496 modification (P00001) announced on March 31, 2025, for Affigent LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was announced with the wrong award date. The correct date is April 1, 2025.

Saab Inc., Orlando, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0031); Riptide Software, Oviedo, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0032); Vertex Aerospace LLC, South Madison, Mississippi (W900KK-25-D-0033); Theissen Training Systems Inc., Gainesville, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0034); Shock Stream LLC, Casselberry, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0035); HII Mission Technologies Corp., McLean, Virginia (W900KK-25-D-0036); Cubic Defense, San Diego, California (W900KK-25-D-0037); Lockheed Martin, Orlando, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0038); General Dynamics One Source, Fairfax, Virginia (W900KK-25-D-0039); Tyto Athene, Herndon, Virginia (W900KK-25-D-0040); and Corps Solutions, Stafford, Virginia (W900KK-25-D-0041), will compete for each order of the $378,719,231 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, order-dependent, time-and-materials) contract for life cycle support for live training ranges and combat training centers. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2033. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.

Cardno TEC-Leidos LLC, Charlottesville, Virginia, is awarded a $50,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architectural-engineering and environmental services. Work will be performed at ranges and installations throughout the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic area of responsibility. Fiscal 2025 operation and maintenance, (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award for the minimum guarantee and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was advertised on an unrestricted basis to allow maximum competition via the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment Solicitation Module and www.sam.gov website, with one proposal received. NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-25-D-4006).