Are Our Nuclear Bombers on 24-Hour Alert?

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 US Air Force is preparing to put nuclear-armed bombers back on 24-hour alert, reports Defense One. “This is yet one more step in ensuring that we’re prepared,” Gen. David Goldfein, AF chief of staff, said during his six-day tour of Barksdale AFB and other bases that support the nuclear mission. The next day the New York Post reported a denial from the Air Force, a spokeswoman explained renovations and 100 additional beds at the command overseeing US nuclear forces was “to maintain a baseline level of readiness” not plans or  preparations to put the strategic bombers back on 24-hour alert.

Former President Jimmy Carter, 93, said he was willing to travel to North Korea in an attempt to soften tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, reports The Guardian. The Democrat has been active on the world stage through his non-profit, the Carter Center.

The Navy is testing its AN/DVS-1 Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis — or COBRA, reports Strategy Page. The multi-sensor scanner is carried on an MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV. COBRA can be used day or night to scan a beach for mines or other obstacles that troops landing might encounter.

The Navy and Marine Corps are conducting Dawn Blitz 2017 off the Southern California coast reports 7 San Diego. The training is a scenario-driven amphibious exercise designed to improve the Navy and Marine Corps team response during a global crisis. Imperial Valley News reports unique to this year’s exercise is the integration of the F-35B and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, to conduct a sea-based strike.

After completing ski-jump exercises at NAS Pax River, the F-35B has been cleared for takeoff from the new HMS Queen Elizabeth, reports Second Line of Defense. “Successful ski-ramp trials mean the F-35 is cleared to fly from the carrier as the momentum continues for this game-changing jet. This milestone comes as our pilots and planes prepare to return from the States, ready for next year’s unforgettable flight trials from the deck of the nation’s new flagship,” said British Defense Minister Harriett Baldwin.

China has established a submarine rescue unit in its fleet to boost its presence in the South China Sea, reports South China Morning Post. The unit will support a broader range of operations as Beijing seeks to enhance its fighting capabilities.

DoD officials found elevated levels of chemicals used in firefighting foam in the drinking water at 11 US military installations, reports Army Times, leading to the shuttering of some water sources and the installation of treatment systems in others. Army Times also reports Government Accountability Office auditors said officials aren’t able to determine how many people at military installations are drinking contaminated water because they don’t have complete data. Military departments didn’t report all health-based water violations to DoD, as is required by policy, the auditors found.

Liftoff of the Cygnus OA-8 spacecraft named after late moonwalker Gene Cernan is scheduled for 7:37 am Nov. 11, reports spaceflightinsider.com.

The sentencing hearing for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was postponed until Wednesday, reports Reuters. Sgt. Bergdahl could go to prison for life for deserting his duties in Afghanistan in June 2009 and endangering the lives of fellow troops. He told CBS News that the Taliban who captured him treated him better than the US Army.

The Baltimore Sun reports the state of Maryland has given transportation pioneer Elon Musk permission to dig tunnels for the high-speed, underground transit system — a hyperloop — that Musk wants to build between New York City and Washington, DC.

The big question regarding Gov. Larry Hogan’s idea to widen Washington area highways is how to add four cost-effective toll lanes without having to demolish dozens of homes and businesses, as reported by The Washington Post.

Contracts:

AMG Healthcare Services Inc., Miami, Florida (HT0050-18-D-0001); Locum Inc., doing business as MEDSTAFF National Medical Staffing, Cary, North Carolina (HT0050-18-D-0002); American Hospital Services Group LLC, Exton, Pennsylvania (HT0050-18-D-0003); Global Consulting International Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah (HT0050-18-D-0004); Global Dynamics LLC, Columbia, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0005); Quality Staffing Solutions Inc., Cary, North Carolina (HT0050-18-D-0006); Aliron International Inc., Rockville, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0007); Catalyst Professional Services Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado (HT0050-18-D-0008); Dependable Health Services Inc., San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0009); Frontline National LLC, Milford, Ohio (HT0050-18-D-0010); Magnum Opus Technologies Inc., San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0011); Saratoga Medical Center Inc., Fairfax, Virginia (HT0050-18-D-0012); The Royster Group Inc., Atlanta, Georgia (HT0050-18-D-0013); Dilligas Corp., doing business as U.S. Got People, San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0014); Vighter Medical Group LLC, San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0015); Angel Staffing Inc., San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0016); Concentric Methods LLC, Manassas, Virginia (HT0050-18-D-0017); Decypher Technologies, Ltd., San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0018); Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) International LLC, Laurel, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0019); Federal Staffing Resources LLC, Annapolis, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0020); OMV Medical Inc., Takoma Park, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0021); Platinum Business Corp., Laurel, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0022); Potomac Healthcare Solutions LLC, Woodbridge, Virginia (HT0050-18-D-0023); QuarterLine Consulting Services LLC, Herndon, Virginia (HT0050-18-D-0024); ReadiForce Government Solutions LLC, San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0025); Spectrum Services Group Inc., Sacramento, California (HT0050-18-D-0026); Akahi InGenesis Partners LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii (HT0050-18-D-0027); CentralCare Inc., Annandale, Virginia (HT0050-18-D-0028); Distinctive Health Spectrum Care JV LLC, Largo, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0029); Donald L Mooney Enterprises, doing business as Nurse’s Etc Staffing, San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0030); GiaMed Alliance JV LLC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (HT0050-18-D-0031); Luke & Associates Inc., Rockledge, Florida (HT0050-18-D-0032); Magnificus Corp., Lanham, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0033); Matrix Providers Inc., Denver, Colorado (HT0050-18-D-0034); The Arora Group Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland (HT0050-18-D-0035); Vesa Health & Technology Inc., San Antonio, Texas (HT0050-18-D-0036), will share in multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a maximum cumulative ceiling of $7,500,000,000 to provide medical services to supplement the medical staff at Department of Defense military treatment facilities with health care workers within the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. The contractors will provide physicians, nurses, dental, and ancillary health care workers to supplement the medical staff for the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Defense Health Agency military treatment facilities. The ordering period is for five years from Dec. 1, 2017, to Nov.30, 2022. Work location is task order dependent but will occur within the 50 United States, District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. Task orders will be funded by funds available at time of task order award. The contracts were competitively solicited via the Federal Business Opportunity website. The Defense Health Agency, Contracting Office Medical Q-Coded Services – San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity.

HDR Architecture Inc., Arlington, Virginia, has been awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for miscellaneous architecture and engineering services in support to the Army Cyber Center of Excellence, Fort Gordon, Georgia. Bids were solicited via the Internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 22, 2022. US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-18-D-2000).

Antensan USA Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (N39430-18-D-2007); Long Wave Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (N39430-18-D-2008); Shape Construction Inc., Poulsbo, Washington (N39430-18-D-2009);  SiteMaster Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma (N39430-18-D-2010); and Tower Inspection Inc., Muskogee, Oklahoma (N39430-18-D-2011), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award design-build construction contract for maintenance and repair of communication facilities located at naval installations worldwide. The maximum dollar value for all five contracts combined is $99,000,000. The work to be performed provides for maintenance and repair of communications towers and adjacent support facilities at naval communications stations and other similar locations. These requirements may include design, engineering analysis, preparation of plans and specifications, fabrication, construction, refurbishment of equipment, and coating of structures. Shape Construction Inc. is being awarded task order 0001 at $3,427,119 for maintenance and repairs on three communications towers in the south very low frequency array at Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station Atlantic Detachment, Cutler, Maine. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by October 2018. All work on this contract will be performed primarily in the US, which includes Maine (55 percent); Washington (6 percent); and the remainder of the US (8 percent). Work outside the US will be performed primarily in Iceland (11 percent); Italy (11 percent); and Japan (9 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of October 2022. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $3,447,119 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with nine proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center is the contracting activity.

Global Technical Systems Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, is being awarded $10,572,420 for firm-fixed-price delivery order N0002418F5200 under a previously awarded contract (N00024-14-D-5213) for 20 technical insertion 12 hybrid (TI-12H) common processing system (CPS) water-cooled production units. The CPS is a computer processing system based on an open architecture design. CPS consists of the CPS enclosure assembly and three subsystems: the processing subsystem, the storage/extraction subsystem, and the input/output subsystem.  It is intended to support the computer requirements of various Navy combat systems. This contract will provide for production, testing and delivery of CPS systems (water cooled, air cooled, and air-cooled commercial equivalents), spares, and associated engineering services. Work will be performed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 2018. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,572,420 will be obligated at time of award and $4,757,589 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

Modern Technology Solutions Inc. (MTSI), Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a $10,000,000 modification to cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract HQ0147-14-D-0003. The ceiling of this contract will increase from $25,472,256 to $35,472,256. Under this modification, the contractor will be developing models of new interceptor and sensor concepts; algorithms spanning the breadth of functionality of interceptor and sensor on-board systems; and high-fidelity closed-loop simulations of interceptors, sensors, and tools and techniques for defining, executing, and aggregating large high-fidelity data sets. The ordering period of Aug. 26, 2014, through Aug. 25, 2019, remains unchanged. The work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test and engineering funds in the amount of $300,000 are being obligated at the time of award to the subsequent task order. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-14-D-0003).

National Industries for the Blind, Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a $12,884,595 modification (P00004) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-17-D-B003) with four one-year option periods for the advanced combat helmet pad suspension system. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Locations of performance are Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, with an Oct. 26, 2018, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2018 through 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.