March 28, 2024

Navy to Update Maritime Strategy

H-53E Sea Dragon

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 necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.Morning Coffee logo

The Navy will soon release an updated version of their global maritime strategy for the first time in seven years, reports Stars and Stripes. The service chiefs of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps have to sign off before the new strategy is released. Since the last version of “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower” was released in 2007, China’s naval capabilities have surged and disruptive technologies such as cyberattacks have opened up new avenues of warfare. Also, large budget cuts are scheduled to affect the Pentagon in the coming years if Congress doesn’t change the current law.

A Republican take over of the Senate, resulting from a successful November election, could negatively affect federal employees, retirees and their families, according to the Washington Post. Mr. J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said, “If the GOP takes over the Senate in November, they will have carte blanche authority to push through a series of damning proposals that have been successfully blocked for the past two years.” Mr Cox referenced proposed cuts in retirement benefits, workers compensation and student loan forgiveness.

Acquisition workers need to use “soft” skills such as critical thinking along with procedural knowledge to lead successful procurements, according to Federal News Radio. The DoD’s Better Buying Power initiative directs contracting officers, program managers and others to ask the right questions at the right time and then use those answers to plan and oversee contracts throughout their entire lifecycle.

Cybersecurity must be embedded in acquisition procedures for electronic components that make up battlefield systems, according to Nextgov. Weapons platforms and systems are subject to potential compromise if they aren’t secured.

The F-35 joint program office announced this week that it has reached an agreement with Pratt & Whitney on identifying the cause of the engine problem that caused a fire in June, and on a contract for the next lot of engines for the JSF fighter, reports DefenseNews. The fire’s root cause was attributed to prolonged rubbing that “decomposed and superheated the titanium rotor, leading to excessive heating . . . ”

The Military Times provides tips for service members to prepare for civilian life before their last day in uniform. Separating from the military is hard enough, but many veterans leave the military with issues that make their transition more difficult. Service members need to start their job search before leaving the military, according to Defense One. Two recent studies determined that nearly half of veterans stayed in their first post-separation position for 12 months or less and eight in 10 veterans did not have a job when they left the military.

An FCW “Insider Threat Mitigation Strategies” briefing on cybersecurity technologies and strategies used to identify anomalous behaviors, mitigate data loss, and prosecute unauthorized insider activities will be held on October 22 at the Willard InterContinental Hotel. The event is free for government and military attendees.

TRICARE providers warned they would stop treating more than 1,100 autistic children because of pay cuts planned by the Pentagon, reports The Hill. Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.) is “concerned” by the controversial changes and said, “I urge TRICARE to postpone the implementation of any potential modifications to the coverage of (autism) services until affected military families and providers have had an opportunity to provide their input.”

The DoD said that its new contractor, International Auto Logistics, is improving after long delays in shipping service member’s private vehicles, reports Stars and Stripes. However, persistent complaints and new concerns in Congress continue to raise questions about the progress being made in fixing the massive delivery system.

An incident involving a small unmanned aircraft led to the cancellation of a major European international soccer game, according to CNN. Serbia’s European Championship qualifying match with Albania was halted after 41 minutes following clashes between both teams after the arrival of a mini-drone which flew over the stadium carrying a flag depicting the “Greater Albania.”

ManTech Systems Engineering Corp., Fairfax, Virginia, is being awarded a $12,113,575 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-11-D-0027) to exercise an option for engineering, and technical support for reliability, maintainability, testability, quality assurance and diagnostic and system safety analysis. These services are to be performed during the design, development, production and in-service life cycles of all naval aircraft platforms and their systems. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (85 percent); China Lake, California (5 percent); Lakehurst, New Jersey (5 percent); and West Palm Beach, Florida (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2015. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity

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