March 28, 2024

Navy Orders Aviation Stand-Down After Crashes

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The Navy ordered all aircraft not currently deployed to stand-down after two separate crashes last week. One crash, in Alabama, killed two military officers, reports Military.com. The stand-down is for naval vviation commands to focus on operational risk management and risk mitigation. No civilians were hurt in either incident. The cause of both crashes remains under investigation.

F-35 to move into full-rate production later than expected, reports Defense News. The Pentagon will have to put off moving the F-35 program to full-rate production due to another delay in starting critical simulation tests.

Pilots flying the F-35 out of Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks are getting cold weather gear in their ejection survival pack, reports Military.com. Summer survival packs, typically installed under the ejection seat, are being swapped out for arctic gear. The packs include a knife for gathering food, a poncho to stay dry, and flares to signal rescue teams. The latest update comes after the Air Force first modified its standard packs for fighter and bomber crews in 2018, adding a semi-automatic standoff rifle for combat-coded ejection aircraft or those assigned to a wartime mission.

China imposed sanctions this week on Boeing, Lockheed, and Raytheon over Taiwan arms sales, reports The Associated Press, stepping up a feud with Washington over security and Beijing’s strategic ambitions.

Offshore workers flee as Zeta heads toward oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, reports gCaptain.com. Oil producers are evacuating offshore production platforms in the US Gulf of Mexico as the 27th named storm of the season strengthened overnight and looked likely to threaten the United States as a hurricane. BP, BHP Group Ltd., Chevron Corp., Equinor, and Royal Dutch Shell began withdrawing staff Monday. CNN reports from the National Hurricane Center that Zeta is expected to strengthen back into a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico before reaching the US coast Wednesday.

 

 

Hospitals in nearly every region of the US report a flood of COVID-19 patients, reports The Washington Post. More than 42,000 people were hospitalized nationally with the virus Monday, a figure climbing toward the midsummer peak caused by massive outbreaks in the Sun Belt. In places hit the hardest, hospitals fear the nightmare scenario of rationing care.

The US Senate adjourned until November 9, ending the prospect of additional coronavirus relief until after the election, reports Business Insider. Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over the terms of a deal, with Senate Democrats last week blocking a “skinny” $500 million bill re-proposed by Republicans.

“Shots in arms within 24 hours” is the nation’s aggressive COVID-19 vaccine plan, according to Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. Military.com reports that once the vaccine is ready, four-star Army GEN Gus Perna takes over distribution. Assuming the vaccines win approval, the plan calls for delivery to more than 70,000 distribution hubs, reaching the most vulnerable populations and frontline workers by the end of the year; by the end of January for seniors; and by March or April for “any American who desires a vaccination,” Mr. Mango said.

Active coronavirus cases among Veterans Affairs patients topped 5,000 on Sunday, reports Military Times, the first time surpassing that mark since the VA’s massive spike in cases in mid-summer. The number of active cases has doubled in the last 40 days, reflecting national trends showing an increase in virus cases in recent weeks. More than 72,000 VA patients have contracted the illness in the last eight months.

Marines and sailors “Put Stamp On” Marine Corps’ support for wildland fire missions in California, reports USNI News. A platoon of Marines, just weeks out of the wildland firefighting training at Camp Pendleton, saved a threatened helicopter landing zone needed for firefighting efforts and evacuations. BRIG GEN Bobbi Shea, the 1st Marine Logistics Group commander, blacklined the area, indicating the fire is controlled and “put the Marine Corps stamp on it,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Heisinger, the heavy equipment platoon commander who led the strike team of 18 of his Marines.

Veterans have been targets of foreign manipulation. Now they’re fighting it before the election, reports The Washington Post. A joint effort by the Department of Homeland Security and a leading veterans group seeks to combat foreign disinformation in the final days before the election, more than a year after a report issued to lawmakers concluded that veterans are economically efficient targets of such efforts.

Contracts:

Energetics Technology Center, Indian Head, Maryland, is awarded a $15,606,996 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Automated Global Energetics Science and Technology (S&T) Awareness effort. The proposed effort has three major components: a national energetics study, automated global energetics S&T awareness, and creating an energetics ecosystem. The national energetics study will collect and analyze information in support of the requirement to develop a plan that fulfills the request of National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2020, Section 253. The automated global energetics S&T awareness will develop and demonstrate the feasibility of an approach to enable machine-assisted energetics S&T global awareness. The energetics ecosystem will utilize a tool to assist Department of Defense research and development centers with establishing/enhancing innovation and commercialization ecosystems. Work will be performed in Indian Head, Maryland. The period of performance is 72 months, including a 36-month base period from Oct. 27, 2020, through Oct. 26, 2023, and one 36-month option period. The total cumulative value of this contract is $15,606,996. The base period is $7,722,823 and option period is $7,884,173. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,722,823 are obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under N00014-20-S-B001, “Long Range Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Navy and Marine Corps Science & Technology.” Since proposals are 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 (N00014-21-C-1016.).

American Rheinmetall Munition Inc., Stafford, Virginia, is awarded a $32,449,901 modification to previously awarded, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract M67854-18-D-5225 to increase the contract maximum value, including the third, fourth and fifth option years, from $59,703,284 to $92,153,184. This modification will allow the ordering of up to a maximum of 1,051,734 additional MK281 MOD 3 40MM high velocity day/night practice cartridges. Work will be performed in Camden, Arkansas, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 25, 2023. No funds are being obligated on this award and no funds will expire. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-18-D-5225).

Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded an $11,478,415 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N66001-16-D-0033. Support includes production management, integration and fabrication, and system and component procurement for Network Integration Engineering Facility production services. This six-month modification increases the overall value of the existing contract to $111,356,945. The period of performance is from Oct. 27, 2020, through April 26, 2021. All work will be performed in San Diego, California. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. Funds will be obligated using operations and maintenance (Navy); Department of Defense working capital funds; other procurement (Navy); Foreign Military Sales; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and shipbuilding and conversion (Navy). The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-16-D-0033).

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $10,757,780 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N66001-16-D-0032. Support includes production management, integration and fabrication and system and component procurement for Network Integration Engineering Facility production services. This six-month modification increases the overall value of the existing contract to $105,116,891. The period of performance is from Oct. 27, 2020, through April 26, 2021. All work will be performed in San Diego, California. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated as individual task orders are issued. Funds will be obligated using operations and maintenance (Navy); Department of Defense working capital funds; other procurement (Navy); Foreign Military Sales; research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and shipbuilding and conversion (Navy). The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-16-D-0032).

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