March 28, 2024

The Next JSF Question: Upgrade or Buy New?

F-35 jets

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.

Aviation Week reports on DoD’s dilemma, faced with a set of F-35s too limited to fly in combat, weighing whether to upgrade or buy new ones. Production of the fighter jets is projected to reach 130 per year by the end of 2018.

The Pentagon puts $700 million into a crash program to counter increasingly lethal ISIS drones, reports The New York Times.

DefSec Jim Mattis calls “budget uncertainty” the cause of the greatest harm to armed forces’ readiness, reports Defense News.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, calls for a preemptive strike on North Korea, warning Kim Jong-un could have a nuclear missile aimed at naval bases in the U.S., including San Diego. Hunter’s comments follow an escalating series of threats between Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump.

US Forces Korea received reports of fake text and social media messages instructing DoD civilians to evacuate the Korean Peninsula, reports Military Times. Anyone receiving the message should not click any links or open any attachments and report these messages to 0503-323-3299 or 010-3100-0171.

About 2,200 soldiers have begun deploying to Afghanistan from Fort Bragg, reports The Fayettesville Observer. The deployment is part of a long-discussed troop surge that involves more than 3,000 US service members added to more than 10,000 already serving in Afghanistan.

The Trump administration’s is replacing its controversial travel ban with a a targeted list of restrictions that will enhance vetting for nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. Officials maintain the restrictions are based on an objective worldwide review, not on origin or religion, reports The Hill.

As Congress moves to reconcile two versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, legislators will consider a provision in the House version that would develop online e-commerce portals for DoD and federal agencies to purchase basic commercial products, eventually including IT products, reports FCW.

The Navy delayed from June to November 2018 a re-compete for IT service contracts supporting Navy and Marine Corps respective intranets, the Marine Corps Enterprise Network, and the Navy Outside of the Continental United States’ enterprise network, reports FCW. Meanwhile the Air Force awarded a $1 billion cloud-based unified communications contract to a team comprised of Dell EMC, General Dynamics and Microsoft. The task order was issued under the General Services Administration schedules held by each company.

Responses to cyberattacks quickly become political, defense officials learned during a first-of-its-kind tabletop cyber exercise Estonia hosted earlier this month for European Union defense ministers, reports Defense One. CYBRID 2017 set a fictional scenario moving from a minor cyber incident that blocked communications and stopped a naval operation.

For the military, space war used to be about operating satellites, now it’s thinking about how to fight in space, reports Defense Systems. Further preparing for tomorrow’s war fighting needs, the Marine Corps asked Marines and sailors to write science fiction stories about the future of combat, report Defense News.

A flaw in software used by the Securities and Exchange Commission was exploited in 2016 by hackers and may have led to insider trading, reports FCW. Although software upgrades have been implemented, the system that was breached dates back to 2001.

In a shift from the Obama administration, the Trump administration is putting a high priority on “baseload” power in the electric grid, which favors coal and nuclear power over wind and solar, reports The Hill.

Contracts:

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland, is being awarded a cost-plus fixed-fee contract for $8,353,720 to provide assessments and alternatives of offensive capabilities within the domains of air, land, sea, space and cyberspace, missions and warfare areas that asymmetrically mitigate threat effectiveness, impose cost, and/or create ambiguity in adversary decision-making.  Work performance will take place in Arlington, Virginia; Alexandria, Virginia; and potentially other metropolitan Washington, District of Columbia locations. The expected completion date is March 24, 2019.  Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds are being obligated at the time of the award.  Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office (HQ0034-13-D-0003).

Progeny Systems Corporation,* Manassas, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,594,881 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure services for a research and development effort entitled “SMART Identity Resolution of Non-Cooperative Targets.” Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 21, 2022. Fiscal 2016 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $698,787 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGU-17-C-0002).

GovSource Inc.,* Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,594,141 firm-fixed-price, foreign military sales (Iraq) contract for training, material and life support functions for Iraqi Special Operations Forces trainees at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center in Amman, Jordan.  Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Amman, Jordan, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 26, 2019. Fiscal 2017 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $7,594,141 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-17-C-0064).

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a $7,636,982 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-14-C-6301) to exercise an option for the Mine Warfare and Environmental Decision Aids Library program. This program provides mine warfare situational awareness, mission planning, evaluation and asset management software to support existing and emerging mine warfare missions, users and systems.  Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia (88 percent); Charleston, South Carolina (3 percent); Corpus Christi, Texas (3 percent); San Diego, California (2 percent); Los Angeles, California (2 percent); Edmond, Oklahoma (1 percent); and Hampton, Virginia (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2018.  Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,710,117 will be obligated at time of award, of which fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $231,382 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Woodland Hills, California, is being awarded a $10,114,000 modification to previously issued firm-fixed-price delivery order 3000, placed against basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026.  This modification provides for the procurement of 52 technical refreshed mission computers for retrofit on the H-1 aircraft.  Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland (42 percent); Salt Lake City, Utah (38 percent); and Woodland Hills, California (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2020.  Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $10,114,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded a $19,531,602 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-6230) to exercise the second option for engineering and technical services for the integration of combat systems on new-construction and in-service submarines.  The contract also includes other direct costs on a cost-only basis to support the effort. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (69 percent); Waterford, Connecticut (11 percent); Groton, Connecticut (7 percent); Middletown, Rhode Island (7 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (5 percent); and Cape Canaveral, Florida (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2018.  Fiscal 2012 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,294,511 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a $27,822,437 firm-fixed price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-6425) to exercise options for the production of Mk 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedo afterbody/tailcone sections, production support material, spares, engineering and hardware repair support to increase the quantity of the MK 48 Mod 7 ready-for-issue warshot inventory.  Work will be performed in Bedford, Indiana (62 percent); Marion, Massachusetts (30 percent); Middletown, Rhode Island (6 percent); and Indianapolis, Indiana (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2020.  Fiscal 2017 weapons procurement (Navy); and armaments cooperative program (Royal Australian Navy) funding in the amount of $27,822,437 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is being awarded a $341,161,778 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-14-C-2104) to exercise the option for design agent, planning yard, engineering and technical support for in-service nuclear submarines.  The contract provides for drawings and related technical data; design change documentation; logistics technical data; configuration management; hull, mechanical and electrical engineering; submarine safety design review; non-propulsion plant electrical system  engineering; propulsion plant engineering; maintenance engineering; refit/availability technical support; on-site support; configuration change program design and installation support; configuration change program material support; submarine technical trade support; training and facility support; research, research, development, test and evaluation program support; research and development submarine/submersibles support; miscellaneous special studies; temporary alteration support; modernization of submarine/submersible systems/subsystems; and affordability/cost reduction technical support.  This contract involves foreign military sales to Spain.  Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (73 percent); Bangor, Washington (9 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (6 percent); Newport, Rhode Island (4 percent); Quonset, Rhode Island (3 percent); Kings Bay, Georgia (3 percent); and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (2 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2018.  Foreign military sales; and fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $6,500,000 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Engility Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a maximum ceiling value of $16,461,393 to provide audio and video forensics laboratory services to the Defense Iintelligence Agency’s National Media Exploitation Center. The contract will support digital forensics and in-depth exploitation of multimedia files. Work is to be performed in the National Capital Region with a potential completion date of Sept. 20, 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,949,179 are being obligated at time of award. Two offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research, Palo Alto, California, has been awarded an $8,265,060 cost contract for dissemination and implementation science to optimize select evidence-based post-traumatic stress disorder treatment. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with one received. Work will be performed in Fort Detrick, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 20, 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,265,060 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W81XWH-17-C-0236).

Four Tribes Construction Services LLC,* Gaithersburg, Maryland, has been awarded a $13,146,123 firm-fixed-price contract for Marine Corps Reserve Center renovations. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Brooklyn, New York, with an estimated completion date of May 30, 3019. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $13,146,123 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity (W912HP-17-C-3000).

Trace Systems Inc., Vienna, Virginia, has been awarded an $11,254,219 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for administrative, information technology engineering and logistics support services to the 160th Signal Brigade and its subordinate units. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar; and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 0223. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $11,254,219 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, is the contracting activity (W91RUS-17-C-0044).

CACI-ISS Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $14,019,389 modification (P00040) to contract W81K04-13-F-0013 for medical logistics non-personal services in support of Expeditionary and Contingency Medical Materiel Program. Work will be performed in Fayetteville, North Carolina; Langley, Virginia; Mary Ester, Florida; Riverside, Colorado; New Hanover Township, New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; North Charleston, South Carolina; Frederick, Maryland; Belleville, Illinois; Valparaiso, Florida; Fairfield, California; Washington, District of Columbia; Biloxi, Mississippi; Dayton, Ohio; Topeka, Kansas; Willow Grove, Pennsylvania; Spokane, Washington; Goose Creek, South Carolina; and various other Department of Defense and Air National Guard installations, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2018. Fiscal 2018 funds in the amount of $14,019,389 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Medical Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.

Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $37,766,744 modification (BA0116) to contract N00104-08-A-ZF43 for additional System Application and Products software products and software maintenance. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2020. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance, Army; other procurement, Army; and Army working capital funds in the combined amount of $37,766,744 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.JSF

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