Naval Aviator to Lead Moon Mission

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.

Naval aviator and Baltimore native, NASA’s G. Reid Wiseman, will serve as the commander for the Artemis II mission, reports Military Times. The journey will mark the first crewed lunar mission for the space agency since the Apollo program ended in 1972. CAPT Wiseman is one of four astronauts NASA selected for its first crewed moon mission in 50 years, reports CNN, with two other NASA astronauts, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. The historic Artemis II lunar flyby set to take off in November 2024.

Richard Branson’s rocket firm Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy, reports BBC. The British billionaire’s rocket company filed for bankruptcy in the US after failing to secure new investment. The satellite launch company halted operations weeks ago but it hopes to find a buyer for the business. The company, based in California, announced last week that it would cut 85% of its 750-strong workforce.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine gave NATO’s eastern flank an ideal proving ground for the F-35 Lightning II when 12 jets and around 300 airmen arrived at Spangdahlem on February 16, 2022, reports Air Force Times. F-35s soak up electronic emissions from nearby radars identifying friendly and unfriendly forces. “We weren’t crossing the border. We’re not shooting anything or dropping anything,” said 388th Fighter Wing Commander COL Craig Andrle. “But the jet is always sensing, gathering information. And it was doing that very, very well.”

The F-35  will need a more resilient supply chain to keep flying in a highly contested war, reports Defense News. The supply chain was set up for parts to arrive right before they’re needed and little inventory is stockpiled, according to USAF LTGEN Michael Schmidt, the program executive officer, which works well in the private sector to keep costs low but could lead to disaster at war.

With a flood of new aircraft programs taking shape, the Pentagon has no overall tactical aviation plan, the Government Accountability Office told the House Armed Services Committee. According to Air & Space Force News, the GAO further reported, the F-35 continues to lag behind schedule and its engine issues are being addressed without a business case analysis. GAO’s Jon Ludwigson, director of contracting and national security acquisition, said the DoD is in the midst of updating almost all of its TacAir programs, roughly half of which “were first produced before 2000 and are more than 25 years old.”

Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, and Raytheon Intelligence and Space are teaming up to bid on the Navy’s next command-and-control aircraft, to be used if a nuclear war breaks out, reports Defense News.

The US announced this week a large package of military aid headed to Ukraine and focused on air defense, including “10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems.” Citing SAIC as the source of the information, Defense One reports that the US is sending anti-drone missiles as part of an experimental platform to help Ukraine down the Iranian-built drones that have devastated its energy infrastructure.

Task and Purpose reports the Navy’s latest budget request includes an experiment that would see the service slap surface-to-air missiles onto unmanned surface vessels, a potential defense for transport ships underway.

A SpaceX rocket launched the Space Development Agency’s first satellites April 2, sending a mix of 10 missile tracking and communication spacecraft into low Earth orbit in the agency’s highly anticipated debut mission, reports C4ISRNET.

More troops will soon be eligible for a Basic Needs Allowance designed to help them put food on the table, reports Military Times. Defense officials plan to change eligibility rules in July, increasing the income eligibility cap to 150% of federal poverty guidelines. In a related move, two members of the House have introduced legislation to make the Basic Needs Allowance tax exempt.

Former Austal USA executives have been indicted for alleged accounting fraud including the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships, reports USNI News. It is alleged that they intentionally manipulated costs and earnings reports and mislead company investors and shareholders about the true costs of building the ships. A grand jury in Alabama issued the March 30 indictment against Craig Perciavalle, 52, who was president of Mobile, AL-based Austal USA and oversaw shipbuilding and financial operations; William Adams, 63, who was director of Austal USA’s LCS and the Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport programs; and Joseph Runkel, 54, formerly Austal USA’s director of financial analysis and who was fired from Austal USA shortly after the indictment was announced.

The Philippine government on Monday identified four new local military camps, including some across a sea border from Taiwan, where rotational batches of American forces with their weapons would be allowed to stay indefinitely despite strong objections from China, reports Military Times.

The Pentagon named Apple Inc. Vice President Doug Beck to lead its innovation hub, the Defense Innovation Unit, elevating the role to report directly to DefSec Lloyd Austin, reports C4ISRNET.

Kellen Curry, an Afghanistan war veteran and former vice president at J.P. Morgan, announced a primary challenge against Rep. George Santos (R-NY) this week, becoming the first Republican to take on the embattled congressman who has faced calls to resign, reports The Hill.

Colorado plans to leverage federal grant dollars to help its smaller communities protect themselves and expand a shared security operations center to track threats, reports GCN.com. The need for cybersecurity assistance is particularly acute for rural areas, said Trace Ridpath, director of IT governance and cybersecurity in the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information and Technology.

As Russian forces shelled a town near the eastern city of Bakhmut on Sunday, killing six people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council was undermining the body’s credibility, reports Wall Street Journal. The attack came after Russia assumed charge of the month-long rotating presidency of the UN Security Council on Saturday, a development Mr. Zelensky described as “absurd and destructive.”

A well-known Russian military blogger was killed in an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday, officials said, in what appeared to be an audacious attack on a high-profile pro-Kremlin figure. Vladlen Tatarsky died when a blast tore through the cafe where he was appearing as a guest of a pro-war group called Cyber Front Z. Authorities said they were treating the case as suspected murder, reports CNN World.

Leading Aljazeera’s start of the week key events of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the European Union saying it will guard against any abuse during Russia’s presidency of the United Nations Security Council during the month of April. And further reporting on the Tatarsky murder, that a pro-Russian official in Ukraine held Kyiv responsible for the blast, but a top Ukrainian official speculated that internal Russian opposition to the Kremlin’s invasion was to blame.

BBC reports Russian investigators have detained Darya Trepova in their hunt for the killers of Tatarsky. In video released by authorities — most likely recorded under duress — Trepova admits she handed over a statuette that later blew up. But the 26-year-old does not say she knew there would be an explosion, nor does she admit any further role. Investigators said they had evidence the attack was organized from Ukraine. However, Kyiv officials said it was a case of Russian infighting.

Ukraine is unlikely to expel all Russian forces from its territory this year, said GEN Mark Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, giving a grim reality check to the expressed goal and hopeful ambitions of policymakers, diplomats, and defense leaders from Washington to Kyiv. “I don’t think it’s likely to be done in the near term for this year,” Miley said Friday in an interview with Defense One.

Finland joined the NATO military alliance this week, dealing a major blow to Russia with a historic realignment of the continent triggered by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, reports Defense News.

Navy sailor David Elizalde, charged Monday with storming the US Capitol, was stationed aboard the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier in Norfolk, VA, when he joined a mob’s attack on the building, reports Navy Times.

Three weeks after a new study revealed rising reports of unwanted sexual contact at the military service academies, an Air Force official said the US Air Force Academy is doubling its sexual assault prevention and response workforce from 12 to 24 employees, reports Air & Spaces Forces Magazine.

Another Navy sailor has died by suicide. The death earlier this week is the ninth suicide in the service in a little over a year, according to the region’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The Hill reports Electronics Technician Navigation 3rd Class Devon Faehnrich, assigned to the USS Montana, a submarine undergoing maintenance at Newport News Shipbuilding, was found Monday on the pier next to the submarine. He died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Contracts:

BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia, was awarded a $46,425,270 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to address workplace safety issues, including process safety actions, equipment replacement, equipment enhancement, process improvements, environmental improvements and infrastructure improvements at Radford Army Ammunition Plant. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Radford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2026. Fiscal 2023 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $46,425,270 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-23-F-0173).

Enlighten IT Consulting LLC, Linthicum Heights, Maryland, has been awarded a $13,292,362 firm-fixed-price modification (P00016) to the Enterprise Logging Ingest and Cyber Situational Awareness Refinery contract (FA8307-21-C-0006) for expansion of Enterprise Logging Extreme Lower Echelon Analytic Platform Tactical development for the Air Force community. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $97,557,065. Work will be performed primarily at the contractor facility in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2024. Fiscal 2023 other procurement funds in the amount of $2,964,267 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Joint-Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity.

Echelon Services LLC, Manassas, Virginia, has been awarded a modification (P00005) in the amount of $28,745,930 for Option Year One on firm-fixed-price, labor-hour contract HS0021-22-C-0004. The original award was for a total contract value of $144,898,872 for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). The contract provides comprehensive cybersecurity support to the current enterprise and transformational cybersecurity support for the future DCSA organizational enterprise. Work will be performed in Quantico, Virginia. This option year is incrementally funded with $6,356,136 in fiscal 2023 DCSA operations and maintenance funds at the time of the option exercise. The period of performance for this option year is from June 29, 2023, to June 28, 2024. DCSA Contracting and Procurement Office, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Professional Contract Services Inc., Austin, Texas, is awarded a $34,997,838 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification for contract N40085-20-D-0040. This modification provides for the exercise of Option Number Three for base operating support services at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, and its outlying support sites. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $134,741,490. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia. This option period is from March 31, 2023, to March 29, 2024. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, (Navy) funds in the amount of $32,545,920 for recurring work will be obligated on an individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

U.S. Marine Management Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (N3220523C4007), is awarded a $27,372,005 firm-fixed-price contract for the operation and maintenance of three government-owned large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) vessels. The vessels under this award include USNS Seay (T-AKR 302), USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304), and USNS Brittin (T-AKR 305). Work will be performed worldwide, with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2024. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and six-month option, is $40,977,737. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $13,739,119 are obligated for fiscal 2023. Contract funds in the amount of $27,372,005 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The contract was prepared under the authority of 41 US Code 3304(a)(2), as implemented by Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N6238723C4007).

Workplace Solutions Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded a $39,529,524 modification (P00003) to contract W9127S-22-C-6001 to extend the delivery period for initial outfitting commodities. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 14, 2027. Fiscal 2023 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $39,529,524 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock, Arkansas, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 31, 2023)

Hexagon US Federal Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, is awarded an $8,114,227 firm-fixed-price contract for sustainment of the Consolidated Emergency Response System (CERS). This contract provides for hardware, software, and services to sustain and maintain CERS at Marine Corps installations. Work will be performed at Cherry Point, North Carolina (7.6%); Quantico, Virginia (7.6%); Camp Butler, Okinawa, Japan (7.6%); Beaufort, South Carolina (7.6%); Parris Island, South Carolina (7.6%); Albany, Georgia (7.6%); Camp Pendleton, California (7.6%); Barstow, California (7.6%); 29 Palms, California (7.6%); Miramar, Florida (7.6%); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (7.6%); Yuma, Arizona (7.6%); and Iwakuni, Japan (8.8%), with an expected completion date of March 31, 2027. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and three option years, is $34,732,868. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $8,114,227 are obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $8,114,227 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition in accordance with Federal Regulation Acquisition 6.302-1. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-23-C-4902).

CORRECTION: The $34,997,838 modification announced April 3, 2023, for Professional Contract Services Inc., Austin, Texas, to contract N40085-20-D-0040 for the exercise of Option Number Three for base operating support services at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, and its outlying support sites, was actually awarded March 31, 2023.

CORRECTION: A $12,377,686 contract announced on March 30, 2023, for BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia (W519TC-23-F-0114), to develop the specification, selection and procurement of a new hammer mill and associated ancillary equipment for the processing of sheeted wood pulp or sheeted cotton linters was not awarded.

CORRECTION: A $13,900,000 contract announced on March 30, 2023, for Northrop Grumman, McLean, Virginia (W900KK-23-C-0013), to provide mission command training and technical, exercise, simulation, and organizational support was not awarded.