March 29, 2024

Navy & Partners Under ‘Dire’ Cyber Attacks

cyber attacks

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

The Navy and their industry and academic partners are “under cyber siege” by Chinese hackers, Task & Purpose reports on findings from an internal Navy review. Senior Navy officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal (paywall) have called the situation “dire” and noted “if we don’t do anything, we could die.”

Navy looks to cut 3,000 medical personnel to add 5,000 new sailors in FY 2020 , reports USNI. The proposal would have the Navy eliminate six of its 14 expeditionary medical facility units (hospitals in a box), five active duty units, and one reserve unit. The reduction meets the National Defense Strategy and Navy’s operational plan to focus on frontline personnel.

Female veterans endure harassment at the VA, reports The New York Times. An entrenched, sexist culture at many veterans hospitals is driving away female veterans and lags far behind the gains women have made in the military in recent years, veterans and lawmakers of both parties say. “You felt like you were a piece of meat,” said a retired sergeant.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration says it was temporarily grounding all Boeing 737 Max aircraft operated by US airlines or in US territory, reports NPR. Pilots complained about the Boeing 737 Max for months before the deadly Ethiopian Airlines crash, reports Business Insider. Boeing has suffered harsh backlash over its 737 Max planes, and several countries and airlines have grounded them for inspection. Aviation Week reports more nations have suspended operations of the aircraft, including Fiji, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, South Korea, and Thailand. Already on this list are other countries in the region including Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Military Times reports although the Pentagon has hundreds of pages of funding requests for fiscal 2020 this week, Democrats on Capitol Hill are still asking what military construction projects will be disrupted this year by President Donald Trump’s border wall plans.

At Trump’s Pentagon, empty offices are the new normal, reports Foreign Policy. The resignation of two senior Pentagon officials last week brings the number of vacancies and posts filled on a temporary basis at a new high.

Pentagon faces internal questions about a program to screen recruits with foreign ties, reports The Washington Post.

The Marine Corps is gearing up for a complex ground fight by adding hundreds more infantry squad leaders, special operators, cyber Marines, and information warfare experts, according to 2020 budget documents. Military.com reports the corps wants $45.9 billion in 2020, a 6 percent jump from last year’s $43.1 billion budget request. The service’s plans support a Pentagon-wide push to prioritize close-combat lethality and build a future force oriented on meeting potential peer or near-peer adversaries.

The admitted mastermind of a $25 million college entrance exam cheating scheme published a book in 2014 that stressed the need to establish a “personal brand” to get into a top school. Now, NBC reports that William Rick Singer’s personal brand includes a host of criminal charges that could send him to jail for a maximum of 65 years. Mr. Singer helped bring down his own criminal enterprise by becoming “a cooperating witness” and wearing a wire for the FBI.  Newsweek adds: What is a side door?

Brexit: MPs reject Theresa May’s deal for a second time, reports BBC. MPs voted down the prime minister’s deal by 149 — a smaller margin than when they rejected it in January. Mrs. May said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.

The US and Taliban reach draft agreement in peace talks, reports UPI.

Contracts:

Schuyler Line Navigation Company LLC, Annapolis, Maryland, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $23,042,991, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity contract for the Thule Base Air Base Sea Lift Support contract. This contract provides for all management, labor and services to accomplish the functions and responsibilities of receiving cargo from vendors, providing in‐transit origin storage, loading/offloading and transporting US government and US government-sponsored cargo to and from Denmark and Thule Air Base, Greenland. Work is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2023. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and three offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $846,000 are being obligated on the first task order at the time of award. The 21st Contracting Squadron, Detachment 1, Copenhagen, Denmark, is the contracting activity (FA2523‐19‐D‐0001).

The Raytheon Co., Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, has been awarded a $21,186,712 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and time-and-materials contract to retrofit the F-15 fleet. This contract provides for retrofitting the F-15 fleets current Identify Friend of Foe units, which provides Mode 5 capability for the APX-114 and APX-119 on the F-15 models C/D/E via a hardware retrofit and software upgrade. These units also provide National Security Agency approved cryptography and robust anti-jam interrogation and reply encryption capabilities. Work will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland; and Largo, Florida, and is expected to be complete by August 2022. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 procurement funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8634-19-C-2700).

Omega Aerial Refueling Services Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded $92,370,920 for modification P00024 to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, cost-type contract (N00019-13-D-0010). This modification provides for additional aerial refueling services in support of the Department of the Navy, other Department of Defense agencies, and Foreign Military Sales customers during missions ranging from basic training to multi-national exercises. Work will be performed in Riverside, California (50 percent); Brunswick, Georgia (40 percent); and various locations outside the continental US (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. No funds are being obligated at time of award, funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Space Ground Systems Solutions LLC, West Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $19,729,508 modification for task order N00173-17-F-6203 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00173-15-D-2015 for spacecraft engineering, software, research and development services to the Naval Center for Space Technology. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia (50 percent); and Space Ground Systems Solutions LLC, Melbourne, Florida (50 percent), and is expected to be competed July 1, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,796,029 will be obligated at the time of award. These funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

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