Newest Littoral Combat Ship Reports to Fleet

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.

The Billings, a Freedom-class littoral combat ship, was commissioned in a Saturday ceremony in Key West, FL, reports Navy Times. The warship is named after Montana’s largest city.

Two Russian TU-142 anti-submarine surveillance aircraft flew off the coast of Alaska last week, Military.com reports. It is the first sighting of Russian aircraft in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone since May, according to the report. In late May, Military.com reported that the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, was considering stepping up surveillance amid rising threats from Russia.

US DefSec Mark Esper wants to deploy an intermediate range conventional missile in the Pacific region within months, reports The Associated Press, now that the Trump administration has formally pulled out of a Cold War-era arms control treaty with Russia.

Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman are engaged at all levels of offensive and defensive hypersonic missile capabilities as prime contractors on a variety of programs within the military services, reports Defense News, but they are also partnering with each other. They see the hypersonic missile market as large enough to be fruitful for all of the major players. The Washington Post reports these defense contractors are hoping to profit from an international arms race in hypersonic weaponry that has drawn the US into a Cold War-style competition with Russia and China.

Stocks dipped on Monday as China responded to the Trump administration’s latest sanctions on its economy by allowing the yuan to fall sharply against the dollar, reports National Review.

The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is getting another in a series of technology upgrades that the Army hopes will keep it protected in coming years of potential near-peer fights, reports Army Times.

RADM Stephen Williamson was relieved last week as the Naval Sea Systems Command’s director of industrial operations following an investigation into what officials said as an inappropriate relationship, reports Navy Times

The civilian death toll in Afghanistan’s war with the Taliban spiked again in July, just ahead of the latest round of peace talks that could lead to US troop withdrawals, reports Military.com.

The US Air Force will send a detachment of RQ-4 Global Hawks, one of its most high-tech intelligence-gathering platforms, to Japan to sidestep extreme weather in the western Pacific Ocean, reports Stars and Stripes.

DoD officials have identified 25 more missing service members from the cases of remains turned over by North Korea last year, reports Military Times.

The next Air Force One jets will cost $5.2 billion overall, according to the Pentagon’s first formal acquisition report on the presidential aircraft, reports Air Force Magazine.

WTOP News reports the US Naval Academy football program will change this year’s team motto amid concerns that the original choice was insensitive to victims of gun violence. Every year, the team’s captains choose a motto to set a theme for the season. This year, the captains initially chose “Load the Clip.” “In the initial motto chosen, … the ‘clip’ was intended to be a metaphor for consistent, daily work ethic in preparation for game day,” a spokeswoman for the academy said.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin is urging Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to include a protected bike and pedestrian lane on the new Gov. Harry W. Nice/Sen. Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge over the Potomac River in Newburg, Maryland Matters reports. Charles County officials believe the protected hiker/biker lane would not only create a safe crossing for these users but also helps facilitate the multimodal infrastructure they are striving to develop in Charles County.

Contracts:

ShadowObjects LLC, Leonardtown, Maryland, is awarded a $34,060,886 cost-plus-fixed-fee, labor hour, cost-reimbursable indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides support services to include acquisition management, acquisition planning, acquisition execution and administration, program management, systems engineering, process automation and financial management in support of the Naval Air Systems Command Logistics and Industrial Operations group; Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Corporate Business Office and other Department of Defense commands and activities. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (74%); and Lexington Park, Maryland (26%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; six offers were received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0073).

BAE Systems Technology Solutions & Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland (HHM402-19-D-0005); Bluehawk LLC, West Palm Beach, Florida (HHM402-19-D-0008); Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0007); CACI Inc. – Federal, Arlington, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0015); Calhoun International LLC, Tampa, Florida (HHM402-19-D-0009); Celestar Corp., Tampa, Florida (HHM402-19-D-0010); CSRA LLC, Falls Church, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0016); Edge Analytic Solutions LLC, McLean, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0012); Fulcrum IT Services LLC, Centerville, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0017); Invictus International Consulting LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0013); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0018); Mission Essential Personnel LLC, New Albany, Ohio (HHM402-19-D-0019); Preting LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0014); SOS International LLC, Reston, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0020); The Buffalo Group LLC, Reston, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0021); and Vencore/Perspecta, Chantilly, Virginia (HHM402-19-D-0022), were awarded a five-year base plus five one-year option indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (ID/IQ), multiple-award contract called Solutions for Intelligence Analysis 3 (SIA 3) with a combined ceiling value of $17,100,000,000. This contract will provide worldwide coverage, support and assistance to the Defense Intelligence Agency by delivering timely, objective and cogent military intelligence to warfighters, defense planners and defense and national security policy makers, all vital to the security of the US. Work will be performed at contractor facilities and at government facilities in multiple locations in the continental US and overseas with a start date of Aug. 5, 2019, and an estimated completion date of Aug. 4, 2029. The SIA 3 contract was awarded through a full and open solicitation and 29 offers were received. Six of the 16 awardees are small businesses. Each company will receive a $1,000 minimum guarantee. Task orders (TO) will be issued competitively under this ID/IQ, which will allow for the following TO contract types: firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-award-fee and time-and-material. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $16,498,835 modification (0001 44) to contract W31P4Q-18-A-0011 for systems engineering support. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Foreign Military Sales; and operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $16,498,835 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

SourceAmerica, Vienna, Virginia, was awarded a $9,998,043 firm-fixed-price contract for manufacturing and development of the Army Green Service Uniform. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Vienna, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 4, 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation; and military personnel, Army funds in the amount of $9,998,043 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-19-C-0063).