Navy Wants to Scrap 4 Littoral Combat Ships
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As part of its culling of ships in its 2021 proposed budget, the US Navy wants to scrap four Littoral Combat Ships which it says are already so outdated they can’t be even be used for training anymore, reports Breaking Defense. RADM Randy Crites said it’s better to just decommission them, reports Defense News.
The Pentagon will shift billions of dollars to fund hundreds of miles of new border wall at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, reports ABC News, a move that mirrors actions taken last year to help the Trump administration build sections of the wall along the US-Mexico border. Among the projects affected this time around are two Navy shipbuilding projects, reports Business Insider. Rep. Marc Thornberry (R-TX), ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, called the administration’s plans to reroute $3.8 billion in Pentagon funding to the construction of the wall “contrary to Congress’s constitutional authority,” reports National Review.
A smaller 2021 defense budget and greater funding demands for nuclear weapons development mean the end of plans by the four services to expand their numbers, reports Breaking Defense.
DefSec Mark Esper warns of Chinese aggression, reports The Washington Times, while speaking at a security conference in Germany. “I know there has been much discussion about the challenges from Russia,” he said. “I want to focus on the Pentagon’s top concern: the People’s Republic of China.”
The defense secretary defended the Pentagon’s effort to strip Stars and Stripes of its federal funding as part of its fiscal 2021 budget request, reports Stars and Stripes, telling reporters in Brussels that the independent news organization is not a priority.
A US-Taliban peace deal is “on the table,” and that it hinges on a seven-day reduction in violence ― a sign that all sides are closer than ever to ending of the 18-year conflict, reports Defense News.
The newest variant of the US Air Force’s advanced Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile will start low-rate initial production next year, reports Air Force Magazine, with deliveries beginning in 2024.
The Senate approved a bipartisan measure last week limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran, reports The Associated Press.
Northrop Grumman launched its Cygnus capsule from Wallops Island on Saturday, reports The Associated Press. The nearly 4-ton shipment should arrive at the orbiting lab today, Tuesday, February 18. It took three tries over the past week to get the Antares rocket off the launch pad.
NASA’s new experimental supersonic X-plane is on a fast track to flying, reports Intelligent Aerospace. The plane, officially named X-59 QueSST in 2018 and often referred to as just X-59, could be built by the end of 2020.
The 89th Communications Squadron now hold evening college course for airmen within the unit at Joint Base Andrews, reports DVIDS. “With over 85 percent of the squadron being shift workers, access to traditional educational opportunities are very limited,” said Lt. Col. Robert Cowan the 89th CS commander. “We saw a gap where a large portion of our airmen were not able to take advantage of standard class offering at the base education center.”
The Navy is negotiating with Paramount Studios in hopes of getting some advance screenings of the much-anticipated sequel to the movie “Top Gun,” reports The Associated Press. The film is expected to hit theaters June 26.
The MIL Corporation is celebrating its 40th anniversary in business, reports Yahoo! Finance. The organization supports the federal government through cyber, engineering, financial, and information technology services. MIL is headquartered in Bowie, MD, operating across the country with offices in Lexington Park, McLean and Arlington, VA, and Charleston, SC.
Volunteers have begun building beds for young kids in St. Mary’s County and southern Calvert County who don’t have one. A local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace has formed, reports thebaynet.com. Donations are being sought.
Contracts:
The Syncon LLC, Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $23,242,171 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of Commander Undersea Surveillance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations expansion located at Naval Air Station Oceana. This contract also included three planned modifications. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new addition attached to the current facility. The new addition will be constructed of a structural steel frame, concrete slab, and a modified bitumen roof system. The existing building will be reconfigured to compliment the expanded spaces to meet mission requirements. Site improvements include but are not limited to demolition of the existing warehouse. The site will be reconfigured to accommodate 330 parking spaces, a new access road, a new loading dock, landscaping, flagpoles, site furnishings, Dumpster relocation, exterior signage, free mitigation, and storm water management. Work will be performed at Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2018 military construction, Navy contract funds for $23,242,171 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-20-C-8503).
