Nearly two decades after Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana sending more than 20,000 people to a makeshift shelter in the Superdome, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the NFL are partnering to turn football stadiums across the country into emergency shelters, temporary hospitals, and other venues needed during disasters, according to details shared with The Washington Post. The initiative, which comes as Florida braces for a major hurricane, and floodwaters from Hurricane Francine soak Louisiana, aims to better prepare communities for catastrophic events.
NFL Stadiums to Provide Disaster Services
Jh12 ‘ took this photo Aug. 31, 2005 “from the Walk to Wellness elevated crosswalk of LSU Health Science Center in downtown New Orleans while trapped at the medical center.” This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license.
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 Navy tapped a Connecticut private equity group with a background in tax break investments to fund construction of a major submarine supplier yard in Mobile, AL, in a public-private partnership. USNI.org reports for an undisclosed amount, a 355-acre parcel of land on Pinto Island on the Mobile River has been purchased, includes the Alabama Shipyard, a maintenance yard that mostly repairs Military Sea Lift Command and commercial vessels. The land is just south of Austal USA’s outfitting piers and its future submarine module facility.
The US is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Military.com reports the Pentagon would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The US currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.
A US Navy replenishment ship in the Middle East sustained damage after supplying the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group, reports Military Times. The oiler Big Horn remains in the region amid heightened tensions over the Israel-Hamas war and Israel’s ongoing strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. Oilers like the Big Horn typically have around 80 civilians and five military personnel on board. Speaking on condition of anonymity, Navy officials have told Military Times that Big Horn’s crew was safe; there was no sign of an oil leak from the vessel, which is being supported by private tugboats; and an assessment was still ongoing.
The Army’s top enlisted leader, Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer, has removed key guidance that required diversity to be considered when selecting individuals to serve in upper-level noncommissioned officer positions, according to a memo reviewed by Military.com.
Hundreds of national security experts have endorsed the election of Kamala Harris in 2024, citing a need for “serious leadership” over “vengeful impulsiveness,” reports Military.com. In a letter released Sunday, the more than 700 members of the National Security Leaders for America, a “bipartisan organization comprised of individuals who served in various senior leadership positions that include all six military branches, elected federal and state offices, and various government departments and agencies,” said reelecting former President Donald Trump would be a grave mistake.
Trump, speaking in Georgia on Tuesday, praised Russia’s military record in historical conflicts, derided US aid to Ukraine, and said he would quickly end the war launched by Moscow’s invasion if elected president but did not specify how, reports AP News. He raised two long ago conflicts to suggest Moscow would not lose — the former Soviet Union’s role in defeating Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in World War II in the 1940s, and French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s failed invasion of Russia more than a century earlier.
Russia will deploy telecommunications and remote-sensing satellites over three West African countries led by military juntas that had already cut ties with American and European allies and turned toward the Kremlin for military support to contain Islamist insurgents, reports New York Times. Officials from the three countries — Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — and Russia’s space agency announced that they had signed a partnership in Mali’s capital on Monday in a bid to strengthen security, manage natural disasters, and improve internet access.
Russia has established a weapons program in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, reports Reuters. IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned weapons company Almaz-Antey, has developed and flight-tested a new drone model called Garpiya-3 (G3) in China with the help of local specialists.
Japan said its warplanes used flares to warn a Russian reconnaissance aircraft to leave northern Japanese airspace on Monday, reports Military.com. It came a day after a joint fleet of Chinese and Russian warships sailed around Japanese northern coasts. Japan scrambled an undisclosed number of F-15 and F-35 fighter jets, which used flares for the first time after the Russian aircraft apparently ignored their warnings, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara said.
NavSec Carlos Del Toro, in Baltimore, announced the naming of the future attack submarine USS Baltimore, “The city of Baltimore maintains a strong connection with our maritime services and is a critical enabler of our National Maritime Statecraft,” Del Toro said. “It is my honor and privilege to announce the name of the next Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine, SSN-812, USS Baltimore,” reports Stars and Stripes.
GNC, a major vitamin, health supplement, and nutrient retailer, pulled a protein supplement from the shelves of its stores on military bases this month because it contained hemp seed — a banned substance for service members, reports Military.com.
FBI has raided the Reston, VA, headquarters of Carahsoft Technology Corp., a provider of IT, software, and cybersecurity services to the Pentagon and others, including the Social Security Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Department of Treasury, reports Defense One. The raid appears linked to allegations that the major federal contractor had for years arranged price controlling agreements between competitors for services provided to the government, reports Nextgov/FCW, which further cites Bloomberg News reports naming SAP and Accenture among the firms alongside Carahsoft for allegedly violating the False Claims Act.
Women who served in the military between 1951 and 1976 were subject to discharge if they became pregnant. A new bill would retroactively compensate hundreds, if not thousands, of those women who were “wrongfully and involuntarily separated” from the military over more than two decades, reports Task & Purpose.
US District Judge Mark Mastroianni blamed both parties, but ruled the federal government 60% responsible for a March 2019 nighttime collision involving snowmobiler and lawyer Jeff Smith, who hit a Black Hawk helicopter parked on a Massachusetts trail and nearly died. Mastroianni awarded Smith $3.3 million in damages, reports Military.com, but criticized him for not operating the snowmobile safely, for speeding, and for wearing tinted goggles.
Maryland this month became the ninth state to say it will add the tool for the 2025 filing season, which allows eligible taxpayers to file their federal taxes electronically and for free directly with the IRS, reports Route-Fifty.com. Oregon was the first to join the program in June, followed by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Connecticut, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Maine. The IRS piloted Direct File in 12 states during the 2024 filing season.
Contracts:
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, has been awarded a $26,578,206 modification (P00008) to cost-plus-fixed-fee contract HR001123C0020 to award additional work for a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $43,559,854 from $16,981,648. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of September 2026. Fiscal 2024 research and development funds in the amount of $15,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. DARPA, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Maher & Associates LLC, Forest Hill, Maryland, was awarded at $17,351,831 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for low cost, rapid, aerospace fabrication technology. This contract provides for the development and demonstration of a digitally transformed and automated press-based resin infusion process for manufacturing small composite structures. Work will be performed at Forest Hill, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by June 26, 2028. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,694,351 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA2391-24-C-B037).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $319,267,437 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide F/A-18 automated maintenance environment system sustainment to include sustainment engineering, engineering investigations, system safety analysis, structural appraisal of fatigue effects support, technical integration support, trade studies, and aerodynamic simulation and modeling support, as well as maintenance planning product data support, configuration management support, and peculiar support equipment (PSE) management to include analysis of aircraft changes for PSE impact. Additionally, this contract provides failure reporting and corrective action system maintenance, software upgrades and training to support fleet maintenance activities; ensuring interactive electronic technical manuals are up-to-date and released to the fleet; and logistics support to provide on-site assistance to operators and organizational/intermediate level maintainers in support of maintaining a network of Hornet Support Centers required for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Foreign Military Sales customers’ F/A-18 and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (76%); El Segundo, California (18%); Vandalia, Ohio (2%); Oceana, Virginia (1%); Miramar, California (1%); and various locations within the continental US (2%), and is expected to be completed in December 2028. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0001924D0128).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is awarded a $127,559,450 modification (P000018) to a previously awarded fixed-price incentive (firm-target) contract (N0001922C0042). This modification adds scope to procure weapon replaceable assemblies hardware to include: 292 advanced threat warning sensors (218 for the Navy and 74 for the Air Force); 54 control indicator unit replaceable replacements (23 for the Navy, 20 for the Army and 11 for the Air Force); 92 Department of the Navy (DON) Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) processor units (80 for the Navy and 12 for the Air Force); 62 Guardian laser transmitter assemblies for the Navy; 53 high capacity cards (20 for the Navy and 33 for the Air Force); 45 smart connector assemblies (32 for the Navy and 13 for the Air Force); and 42 battery kits for the Navy; as well as associated systems engineering, technical support, analysis and studies in support of integration of the DON LAIRCM system onto various aircraft for the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, and the Air Force Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois (24%); Goleta, California (22%); Longmont, Colorado (13%); Blacksburg, Virginia (9%); Apopka, Florida (8%); Verona, Wisconsin (8%); Westminster, Colorado (6%); Carlsbad, California (4%); Ashburn, Virginia (3%); Salt Lake City, Utah (2%); and Tripp City, Ohio (1%), and is expected to be completed in January 2027. Fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $100,351,053; fiscal 2024 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $14,756,765; fiscal 2024 procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $1,074,514; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,666,984; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $40,000; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,788,714; and fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $2,881,421, will be obligated at the time of award, $5,670,135 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Liverpool, New York, is awarded a $60,076,459 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract. This contract provides for the production, integration, testing, inspection, fleet introduction, and fielding of four operational test program sets (OTPS), as well as associated non-recurring engineering, program management, logistics, and engineering development models to support the AN/APY-9 radar avionics line replaceable modules (LRM), as well as the risk management framework, authority to operate or assess only, and cyber test requirements for the E-2D Radar OTPSs to be used at the depot-level to provide test and repair capabilities for the LRMs using the electronic Consolidated Automated Support System (eCASS), eCASS Power Augmentation Test Set, and specialized test equipment. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (67%); Baltimore, Maryland (23%); and El Segundo, California (10%), and is expected to be completed in August 2029. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $643,420; and fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $59,433,039, will be obligated at the time of award, of which $59,433,039 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N6833524C0262).
AECOM Technical Services Inc., Omaha, Nebraska (W9128F-24-D-0014); Arcadis, Highlands Ranch, Colorado (W9128F-24-D-0015); CDM Federal Programs Corp., Kansas City, Missouri (W9128F-24-D-0016); Jacobs Government Services Co., Arlington, Virginia (W9128F-24-D-0017); and Tetra Tech Inc., Boise, Idaho (W9128F-24-D-0018), will compete for each order of the $249,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for professional architect-engineer services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 22, 2031. US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity.
Clark Construction Group LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a $238,407,362 firm-fixed-price contract to design and build an airmen training complex. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 3, 2028. Fiscal 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $238,407,362 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-24-C-0023).
Matthews Group Inc., Purcellville, Virginia, was awarded a $20,768,642 firm-fixed-price contract for a commercial vehicle inspection facility and memorial restroom facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 19, 2024. Fiscal 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 military construction, defense-wide funds in the amount of $20,768,642 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-24-C-0034).
IDS International LLC, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,575,534 hybrid (cost-no-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to support tactical training. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Camp Taji, Iraq, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 28, 2025. Fiscal 2024 Foreign Military Sales (Iraq) funds in the amount of $8,575,534 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-24-C-0036).
Envisioneering Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $99,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development support for high power electromagnetic systems development, application, and testing. The contract does not include options and has a cumulative value of $99,000,000. A $7,178,932 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order was issued concurrently. This task order includes options and has a cumulative value of $21,840,049. Work for the initial task order will be performed at the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed by September 2025. Fiscal 2024 working capital funds (Defense) in the amount of $73,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two offers received via Contract Opportunities on SAM.gov. The NRL, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N0017324D2009, N0017324F2400).
Bollinger Shipyards Lockport LLC, Lockport, Louisiana, is awarded a $14,288,123 firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-22-C-6305) for engineering change proposals associated with Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicle production. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia (85%); and Lockport, Louisiana (15%), and is expected to be completed by May 2026. Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,762,708 (33%); and fiscal 2024 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,525,415 (67%), 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.
Riverside Research Institute, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a $27,579,082 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for intelligent collection with artificial intelligence. This contract is to design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy an intelligence driven collection enterprise that increases speed of information and provide awareness of new activities, behaviors, and patterns important to protecting critical assets and operations. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 23, 2027. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $40,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-24-C-B104).
ARCTEC SOLUTIONS LLC, Sterling, Virginia, was awarded a $27,342,730 cost-plus-fixed-fee completion contract for defensive effects in unfavorable cyberspace environments software and hardware prototype and reports. This contract provides for the development of hardware components and systems, software components and systems, network components and systems, supporting frameworks, analysis, models and libraries, autonomous interfaces, human-machine interfaces, packaging and tooling, radio frequency and software-defined radio technology. The work will be performed at Sterling, Virginia, is expected to be completed by Nov. 23, 2029. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and two offers were received. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $137,884 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity (FA8750-24-C-B108).
Etolin Strait Associates LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $100,000,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for general minor construction, repairs, and alterations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of operations (AO). The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, minor construction, repair, and alterations to government shore facilities and utilities the NAVFAC Washington AO. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and one option period, is $100,000,000. Work will be performed in Maryland (35%), Virginia (35%), and Washington, DC (30%), and is expected to be complete by September 2029. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued and will primarily consist of operation and maintenance, Navy funds. This contract was procured on a competitive basis as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the sam.gov website with 21 offers received. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-24-D-0016).
Etolin Strait Associates LLC, Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded a $100,000,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for general minor construction, repairs, and alterations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of operations (AO). The work to be performed provides for, but is not limited to, minor construction, repair, and alterations to government shore facilities and utilities the NAVFAC Washington AO. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and one option period, is $100,000,000. Work will be performed in Maryland (60%), Virginia (30%), and Washington, District of Columbia (DC) (10%) and is expected to be completed by September 2029. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued and will primarily consist of operation and maintenance, Navy funds. This contract was procured on a competitive basis as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the sam.gov website with 21 offers received. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-24-D-0015).
General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $16,216,005 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-21-C-2103 for engineering and technical design to support research and development concept formulation for current and future submarine platforms. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland (11%); Syracuse, New York (10%); Lodi, New Jersey (9%); Chesapeake, Virginia (9%); Groton, Connecticut (8%); Peoria, Illinois (8%); Beloit, Wisconsin (8%); Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (6%); York, Pennsylvania (5%); Sparks, Nevada (5%); Warren, Massachusetts (5%); Monroe, North Carolina (5%); Florence, New Jersey (3%); Louisville, Kentucky (3%); Batavia, New York (3%); and Hatfield, Pennsylvania (2%), and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $4,000,000 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.
Apogee Research LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is receiving a $13,536,847 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N6523623C8005). This modification is for an engineering change for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Oversight Program and brings the total cumulative value of the contract, including options, to $22,768,132. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an expected completion date of September 2026. Fiscal 2024 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,081,910 will be obligated at time of modification award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Information Warfare Center, Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity.
Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,355,700 modification (P00013) to contract W519TC-23-F-0385 to support and maintain the Army Talent Management Career Mapping software tool. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 26, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $3,992,103 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
