Pentagon Fails 3rd Audit, But Improving

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 Pentagon failed its audit again, its third audit ever, but it’s getting better, reports Defense News. The audit added another clean organization to its list, a clear win, according to Thomas Harker, the acting DoD comptroller. Based on that timeline, he said a truly passed audit for the entire DoD may not come until around 2027.

Defense contractors’ cybersecurity self-assessments are due the end of this month under the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program. Federal News Network reports on how the government intends to use that information.

CRN has identified 10 cybersecurity startups founded since 2018 with at least $10 million of outside funding that stood apart from the pack.

A new court ruling could give thousands of Vietnam vets and survivors overdue disability payouts, reports Military Times. The US District Court for Northern California ruled in favor of thousands of “blue water” Navy veterans and their survivors who had charged they are being wrongly denied benefits as part of a deal reached by Congress last year. Up to 15,000 Vietnam veterans previously denied disability benefits could receive an average of $28,000 in backdated payouts.

Hollyanne Milley, wife of Joint Chiefs Chair Mark  Milley, saved a veteran’s life this Veterans Day, reports Military Times.  A practicing nurse, she was attending the ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday and heard groaning, which led her to find a man in medical distress who collapsed. She directed a 911 call be made, administered CPR, and “after a few breaths, he started coming around,” she said.

President Donald Trump wants to see Austin Tice home before he leaves office, reports The Hill. The American journalist and former Marine has been held captive in Syria for over eight years.

The VA is moving ahead with plans to outsource all compensation and pension exams, reports Military Times. Before the coronavirus pandemic, about 25% of those exams were conducted at VA medical centers or health clinics, that has been reduced to 15%. As of the start of November, a backlog that had reached 350,000 is now at pre-pandemic service levels, said Under Secretary for Benefits Paul Lawrence.

 

 

The US military bought location data mined from a popular Muslim prayer app to track users for counterterrorism, reports Business Insider. Muslim Pro is one of hundreds of smartphone apps that make money by selling users’ location data to third-party brokers. The US military bought Muslim Pro’s data through one of those third-party data brokers, according to Vice.com.

The US Navy is putting more ship-killer missiles on submarines in the Pacific, reports Defense News. “We’re increasing our range and how we deliver kinetic effects,” said the head of Navy Submarine Forces, VADM Daryl Caudle. “Long-range torpedoes, of course, because that’s our clandestine weapon, but also bringing back Harpoon in the Pacific. We’ve tested that capability — we know it works.

The president is expected to order significant troop reductions in Afghanistan and a smaller reduction in Iraq during his final days in office, reports Military Times. The plan counters advice from military commanders and falls short of President Trump’s stated goal to end America’s long wars.

After acting DefSec Christopher Miller announced that President Trump had ordered the Pentagon to pull 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) warned it would be a “mistake” to precipitously yank troops from Afghanistan or Iraq and urged the administration to make no major defense or foreign policy changes for the rest of the year, reports The Hill.

The president was dissuaded from attacking Iran to stop its growing nuclear program, warned by advisers it could escalate into a broader conflict during his final weeks in office, according to The New York times. Any strike — whether by missile or cyber — would almost certainly be focused on Natanz, where the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Wednesday that Iran’s uranium stockpile was now 12 times larger than permitted under the accord abandoned in 2018.

An Army reservist is the military’s 10th coronavirus death, reports Military Times. Sgt. 1st Class Calvin Ogletree, a motor transport operator, died Thursday in a civilian hospital, having served honorably in the Army for 27 years, beginning with three years on active duty from 1994 to 1997.

A rare electric narco submarine was seized in Columbia, reports USNI News. The Colombian Navy, assisted by the US Drug Enforcement Agency and local law enforcement agencies discovered the high-capacity narco submarine in a boatyard, the submarine estimated to have cost $1.5 million to construct, able to carry six metric tons of cocaine toward the American market, valued at around $120 million.

Contracts:

LPI Technical Services, Chesapeake, Virginia (N64498-21-D-4001); Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc., Reading, Pennsylvania (N64498-21-D-4002); Amee Bay LLC, Hanahan, South Carolina (N64498-21-D-4003); and NDI Engineering Co., Thorofare, New Jersey (N64498-21-D-4004), are each awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, infinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts for the engineering and technical support for surface ship and submarine electrical power generation and propulsion for hull, mechanical, and electrical systems and equipment. The contract awarded to LPI Technical Services is not to exceed $83,230,713; the contract awarded to Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc. is not to exceed $73,926,521; the contract awarded to Amee Bay LLC is not to exceed $76,072,955; and the contract awarded to NDI Engineering Co. is not to exceed $76,335,424. The contract awards listed above are not to exceed a program value and combined total of $83,230,713. Each awardee will be awarded $100,000 (minimum contract guarantee per awardee) at contract award. Work will be performed at various locations throughout the world (based on each individual task order) and is expected to be complete by June 2026. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $400,000 ($100,000 per awardee) will be obligated at time of award via individual task orders and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 US Code 2304(a), these contracts were competed as a total small business set aside via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair (BAE Systems), Norfolk, Virginia, was awarded a $76,251,735 firm-fixed-price contract for the execution of the USS Stout (DDG 55) fiscal 2021 docking selected restricted availability (DSRA). This is a Chief of Naval Operations scheduled DSRA. The purpose is to maintain, modernize and repair the USS Stout (DDG 55). This is a “long-term” docking availability and was solicited on a coast-wide (East and Gulf coasts) basis without limiting the place of performance to the vessel’s homeport. BAE Systems will provide the facilities and human resources capable of completing, coordinating and integrating multiple areas of ship maintenance, repair and modernization for USS Stout (DDG 55). This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $100,525,216. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by November 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $76,251,735 will be obligated at time of award, and funding in the amount of $76,178,614 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website. Competitive proposals were received in response to Solicitation No. N00024-20-R-4440. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N00024-21-C-4440). (Awarded Nov. 16, 2020)

General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $49,565,721 modification (P00028) to previously awarded, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract W15QKN-15-D-0001. This contract provides integrated logistics support services for Foreign Military Sales customers using Navy procured defense articles including weapon systems, various aircrafts and other components in support of the International Sustainment Department and the Naval Air Systems Command. Work will be performed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (25%); California, Maryland (25%), Arlington, Virginia (6%); Jacksonville, Florida (6%); Patuxent River, Maryland (5%); Lexington Park, Maryland (4%); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (4%); San Diego, California (3%); Kuwait City, Kuwait (1%); Atsugi, Japan (1%); Tokyo, Japan (1%); Ping Tung, Taiwan (1%); Cairo, Egypt (1%); Cours, France (1%); Tucson, Arizona (1%); Miramar, California (1%); Lemoore, California (1%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (1%); Pensacola, Florida (1%); Oceana, Virginia (1%); Warrenton, Virginia (1%); Whidbey Island, Washington (1%); Jacksonville, North Carolina (1%); New Bern, North Carolina (1%); Dover, Delaware (1%); Granger, Indiana (1%); Houston, Texas (1%); Fredericksburg, Virginia (1%); King George, Virginia (1%); and Seattle, Washington (1%), and is expected to be completed October 2021. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Melwood Horticultural Training Center Inc., Upper Marlboro, Maryland, is awarded a $10,543,339 recurring/non-recurring services type contract for custodial services at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Annapolis, Maryland. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor hours, training, equipment and supplies necessary to perform custodial services at the NSA Annapolis. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, with the contract period of Dec. 1 2020, to Nov. 30, 2021. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance in the amount of $10,046,925 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the contract period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-21-D-3504).

ManTech Advanced Systems International Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $38,693,105 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00046) to contract FA8819-18-C-1001 for specialized acquisition and operations security services. This modification provides for the exercise of an option for an additional quantity of services being procured under the basic contract. Work will be performed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California; Vandenberg AFB, California; Peterson AFB, Colorado; and Schriever AFB, Colorado, and is expected to be completed Nov. 16, 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10,898,104 are being obligated at the time or award. Total cumulative value of the contract is 101,069,991. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, California, is the contracting activity.