Navy Recruiting Rebounds ‘Significantly’

US Navy recruits stand at attention at the training center in Great Lakes, IL. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chris Williamson/Released)

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.

US Navy VADM Rick Cheeseman said the service’s recruiting numbers have rebounded “significantly,” but they still fall short of the boot camp goal, reports Navy Times. The Navy will meet its goal to sign up 40,600 recruits by the end of September but will fall about 5,000 sailors short of its target to get all of the recruits into the 10-week training course by the end of the fiscal year. “We have rebounded so significantly over the last four to five months, so that I really have phasing problems,” Cheeseman said.

The Pentagon will withhold $5 million from Lockheed Martin for each new F-35 fighter jet that isn’t loaded with the full upgrade of the latest version of the jet, reports Defense One. The company is issuing an interim upgrade to the Technology Refresh-3 variant of the F-35, but full capability remains some time away.

The first F-35 jet for Poland rolled out of Lockheed’s Fort Worth plant last week, reports Defense News via MSN. Poland ordered 32 of the fifth-generation planes more than four years ago in a $4.6 billion deal.

The US Department of Justice’s Georgia Tech lawsuit should serve as a warning to federal contractors on cyber compliance, reports Federal News Network. The case centers on the university’s alleged failure to follow National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity controls required by Defense Department contracting rules. The complaint alleges Georgia Tech’s Astrolavos Lab neglected to implement several controls required in its contracts.

Two congressional Republicans have asked the Pentagon to add Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, to its entity list, which would bar it from receiving Pentagon contracts, reports Reuters. Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, and Rep. John Moolenaar (MI), who chairs the House Select Committee on China, asked DefSec Lloyd Austin to immediately place CATL on the list saying, “It would also send a powerful signal to US companies that are currently weighing partnerships with CATL.”

The Pentagon’s research and engineering arm will award $280 million in CHIPS Act grants for advanced microelectronics prototypes, reports Breaking Defense. This year’s grants build on a previous round announced last September, which split $240 million among eight newly created regional hubs in Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and California. That funding jumpstarted a public-private coalition called the Microelectronics Commons.

Maryland ranks 6th on US Money Reserve’s list of states that have the most people working past retirement age. The Washington, DC-Arlington-Alexandria metropolitan area ranked No. 1 for large metro areas, with the Baltimore-Towson-Columbia metro area ranking 8th. Some key stats for the Lexington Park, MD, area: residents 65 or older make up 15.1% of the total population and the median income for full-time workers older than 65 in the Lexington Park area is $80,000 annually. After reaching a low of 10.8% in 1985, the US labor force participation rate among those 65 and older has steadily climbed, reaching 19.2% in 2023, according to the study.

A PFAS Treatment Demonstration Day was held last month at a former Navy base in Willow Grove, PA. Technologies were featured to show how remediation of firefighting agents — aqueous film forming foam that impacted groundwater — is addressed, reports MilitarySpot.com. Gregory Preston of the Base Realignment and Closure Program Management Office explained the purpose of the technology demonstrations. “We serve as the primary liaison with local communities and redevelopment authorities to ensure that the return of these properties to the community is done safely and within federal guidelines,” he said. More than $300 million has been invested toward research addressing impacted sites and associated environmental impacts from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, according to the Navy.

Alabama-based shipbuilder Austal USA has agreed to pay a $24 million fine to settle an accounting fraud investigation, reports The Associated Press. From 2013 through July 2016, Austal USA conspired to mislead shareholders and investors about the company’s financial condition, according to the Justice Department. The company pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud and one count of obstruction of a federal audit.

Breaking Defense reports that the US State Department announced a $200 million settlement with defense contractor RTX over charges that RTX workers jeopardized military secrets while traveling abroad. RTX disclosed all of the 750 violations of the Arms Export Control Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations between August 2017 and September 2023.

A Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey found that most in Americans favor continued military support for Israel until hostages are released by Hamas, reports The Hill. The public opinion survey shows 60% of respondents favor the US “supporting Israel militarily until the hostages are returned” — one of Israel’s primary goals in its miliary operation in Gaza.

A Ukrainian F-16 jet crashed during a Russian attack last week, killing the pilot, reports Navy Times. The jet was one of the handful of F-16 warplanes that Ukraine has received from its Western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion. Russia had launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military; four of the Russian missiles were shot down by F-16s.

US Indo-Pacific Command chief ADM Samuel Paparo said the US has a “range of options” ready for South China Sea aggression, reports Navy Times. American forces are ready to deal with increasing acts of aggression if ordered to carry them out jointly with the Philippines. Paparo did not provide details of the contingency options.

The US Air Force and other US services in recent years have been shifting focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to a potential war in the Pacific. Attendees at the Senior Enlisted Leader International Summit in Washington, DC, last week heard that the Air Force wants to expand its international exchange program for enlisted airmen to improve cooperation between allies in case of a major war in the Pacific, reports Air Force Times, starting with nations in the “Five Eyes” alliance with the US — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Vice Chief of Space Operations GEN Michael A. Guetlein says China and Russia are monitoring efforts by the US to protect its space assets and are trying to devise ways to counter them, to include a potential large-scale attack, reports Air & Space Forces Magazine. Guetlein was speaking at the at the AFCEA/INSA Intelligence and National Security Summit last week. The Space Force and the DoD have turned to proliferated constellations to make the US satellites less vulnerable to attack.

The US Navy has fired CMDR Cameron Yaste, commanding officer of the destroyer John S. McCain, reports Military Times. A service statement stated that the firing occurred “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer.” The McCain is currently in the middle of a Middle East deployment.

US Army officials criticized former President Donald Trump’s campaign staff for violating decorum rules at Arlington National Cemetery and pushing aside a cemetery employee last week, reports The Christian Science Monitor. Trump, the Republican candidate in the Nov. 5 presidential election, took part in a wreath-laying ceremony honoring the 13 servicemembers killed during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump’s team denies that there was any altercation between a campaign staffer and the cemetery worker.

The cost for the VA’s new GI Bill online platform for education benefits has jumped $453 million, reports Army Times. Poor planning has caused project costs to double and its completion date to be pushed back two years, according to the VA inspector general’s report.

A new YouGov poll finds that Americans are split on whether they think artificial intelligence will make job market worse, reports The Hill. Thirty-four percent of employed Americans say they are very or somewhat concerned about the possibility of AI resulting in them losing their own job or having their specific hours or salary cut, according to the poll. About 28% said they are not very concerned, while 35% said they are not at all concerned.

Contracts:

BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded an $84,114,201 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00027) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042121D0018). This modification adds scope to allow for exterior communications (EXCOMM) related top secret/sensitive compartment information requirements to be completed in support of engineering and equipment installation services from concept through deployment of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence (C4I) systems including legacy, current, and next generation shipboard interior and EXCOMM; shipboard radios; and transportable, airborne, and fixed shore termination communications systems, subsystems, and components supporting the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Webster Outlying Field Integrated Command, Control and Intel Division. Work will be performed in Washington DC (50%); Thurmont, Maryland (15%); St. Inigoes, Maryland (13%); Fayetteville, North Carolina (10%); Bluemont, Virginia (8%); Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (2%); and Panzer, Germany (2%), and is expected to be completed in May 2026. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. NAWCAD, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Aerostar International LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $8,700,099 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost contract. This contract provides operations and sustainment support, to include services and incidental supplies for the Vista F50-ER1 air surveillance radar systems for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Webster Outlying Field Combat Integration and Identification Systems Division, in support of Small Business Innovation Research Phase III, research and development topic H-SB06.1-004 titled, “Signal Processing for a Southern Border Surveillance System”. Work will be performed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (50%); and Arlington, Virginia (50%), and is expected to be completed by August 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $742,486; and fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $1,887,015, will be obligated at the time of award, of which $2,629,501 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. NAWCAD Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N6833524C0501).

Amentum Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,884,676 modification (P00091) to previously awarded (FA4610-22-C-0006) for the exercise of option year two (Oct. 1, 2024 – Sept. 30, 2025) for the Aerospace Support Services Contract. The scope of work provides management, operations, maintenance, and support services to launch programs. Work will be performed at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; Patrick SFB, Florida; and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2029. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,841,800 will being obligated by modification on Oct. 1, 2024. The 30th Contracting Squadron, Vandenberg SFB, California, is the contracting activity.

Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC, Lockport, Louisiana, is awarded a $7,677,970 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-22-C-6305) to exercise options for Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicles engineering support. Work will be performed in Lockport, Louisiana (37%); Portsmouth, Virginia (34%); Dallas, Texas (14%); Slidell, Louisiana (10%); Orrville, Ohio (3%); and Hudson, Wisconsin (2%), and is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $832,077 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc., Nashua, New Hampshire, was awarded a $10,867,095 modification (P00017) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HR001121C0068 for an engineering change modification for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $37,365,196 from $26,498,101. Work will be performed in Nashua, New Hampshire (46%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (38%); Linthicum Heights, Maryland (4%); Atlanta, Georgia (3%); Bedford, New Hampshire (3%); Burlington, Massachusetts (3%); and Durham, North Carolina (3%), with an expected completion date of February 2025. Fiscal 2024 research and development funds in the amount of $7,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. DARPA Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Vectrus Systems Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, is awarded a $7,709,869 modification (P00002) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable contract (N0042123C0036). This modification exercises an option to provide case/project, program, financial management, and engineering and technical support for the MH-60R Multi-Mission helicopter, subsystems, armament, engines, airborne weapons, spares, and support equipment for the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in September 2025. Foreign Military Sales customer funds in the amount of $7,709,869 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

The MITRE Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $221,946,690, cost-reimbursement ceiling increase modification (P00053) to previously awarded contract FA8702-19-C-0001 for support to the Air Force from MITRE as the administrator of the National Security Engineering Center Federally Funded Research and Development Center. This modification provides for additional ceiling required for an anticipated increased quantity of congressionally appropriated staff years of technical effort under the basic contract. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $5,152,085,914 from $4,930,139,224. Work will be performed in Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia; and various locations throughout the continental US and outside the continental US, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2028. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to various countries under the basic contract. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

M1 Support Services, Denton, Texas, has been awarded a $33,896,950 modification (P00120) to exercise Option Year Eight under previously awarded contract FA4890-16-C-0012 for the T‐38 aircraft maintenance program. The modification will provide intermediate and organizational maintenance of T‐38 aircraft for Air Combat Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and Air Force Global Strike Command. Work will be performed at Beale Air Force Base, California; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Langley AFB, Virginia; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri; and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2025. No funds will be obligated at time of award. The Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The MITRE Corp., Bedford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $27,471,866 cost-reimbursement ceiling increase modification (P00054) to previously awarded contract FA8702-19-C-0001 for support to the Air Force from MITRE as the administrator of the National Security Engineering Center Federally Funded Research and Development Center. This modification provides for additional ceiling required for an anticipated increased quantity of congressionally appropriated staff years of technical effort under the basic contract. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $5,179,557,780 from $5,152,085,91. Work will be performed in Bedford, Massachusetts; McLean, Virginia; and various locations throughout the continental US and outside the continental US; and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2028. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to various countries under the basic contract. No funds will be obligated at time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

Jade Creek Construction LLC, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $11,990,774 firm-fixed-price contract for dormitory repair. This contract provides for repair by renovation of the interior and exterior of Dormitory 14. Work will be performed at Ascension Auxiliary Airfield, South Atlantic Ocean, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 18, 2026. This contract was a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,990,774 are being obligated at the time of award. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2521-24-C-0021).

Management Services Group Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $28,424,525 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-5608 to exercise options for Network, Processing, and Storage (NPS) Technical Insertion 16, Modification 1 production equipment, spares, other direct costs, and engineering support. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2025. Foreign Military Sales (Australia) funds in the amount of $27,976,906 (95%); fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount $392,359 (1%); fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $19,848 (1%); fiscal 2021 ship construction (Navy) funds in amount $11,804 (1%); fiscal 2022 ship construction (Navy) funds in amount $11,804 (1%); and fiscal 2023 ship construction (Navy) funds in amount $11,804 (1%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Defense Maritime Solutions Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is being awarded a $16,387,030 firm-fixed-priced stand-alone contract for the manufacture of 12 main shaft seal assemblies in support of the submarine main propulsion system on Virginia-class submarines. The contract has no options. All work will be performed in Havant, Hampshire, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed by June 2026. Working capital funds (Navy) in the full amount of $16,387,030 will be obligated at time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement under the authority of 10 US Code 3204(a)(1) with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-24-C-YB16).

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Reston, Virginia, is awarded a $10,790,774 cost-reimbursement-type contract (N66001-24-C-0029) for marine mammal training and animal care services in support of the operations and maintenance of the Navy’s Marine Mammal Systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (95%), with the potential to travel to locations inside and outside the continental US (5%). This one-year contract includes six one-year options which, if exercised, would bring the overall potential value of this contract to an estimated $77,564,661. The period of performance of the base award is from September 2024 through August 2025. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through August 2031. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific working capital funds in the amount of $10,790,774 will be obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a request for proposal (N66001-24-R-0029) published on the SAM.gov website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Three proposals were received. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

Cylitix LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H9240324D0011) with a maximum value of $35,000,000 and a minimum guarantee of $2,500 for the acquisition of commercial software as a service subscription services. This contract will be funded with the appropriate fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance funds and $937,748 is being obligated at time of award on the first task order for Vulcan Subscription Services and associated travel. The contract has a five-year ordering period that begins Sept. 1, 2024, and ends on Aug. 31, 2029. US Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.