Pentagon Reopening Brings Back Some Staff

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.

Offices in the Pentagon have begun bringing back some employees who had previously been ordered to stay home, as the agency moves into phase one of its reopening plan, reports Federal Times. The first phase will bring back only a limited number of staff and reopen select entrances of the building.

What’s in the Senate’s military budget policy plan? More troops, bigger paychecks, and housing improvements, reports Military Times. For service members, the most visible provision of the massive policy measure is the annual military pay raise, set at 3% for 2021.

A Senate committee wants a report from the Pentagon detailing the risks of US allies having Huawei 5G technology as part of their network infrastructure, reports C4ISRNET.

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act recommends increasing funding for the future long-range assault aircraft and to buy additional drones, reports Defense News.

New legislation further establishes the Space Force as the sixth branch of the military, but the Senate wants a closer look at who will do that work and where, reports Air Force Magazine.

Destroyer USS Fitzgerald left the Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Mississippi over the weekend to return to the fleet, reports USNI News, almost three years to the day after a collision with a merchant ship that killed seven sailors.

US District Judge Lance Africk has dismissed a lawsuit brought on behalf of families of the seven sailors who drowned aboard the Fitzgerald in 2017, reports Navy Times.

Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Will Roper is considering taking over DoD’s artificial intelligence experiment, Project Maven, reports Breaking Defense, to make it operational while the service pushes its own AI capabilities into the field. Project Maven began in 2017.

Members of the House and Senate are eyeing expunging all traces of the Confederacy in the military, reports Roll Call. A draft House bill by Reps. Anthony Brown (MD) and Don Bacon (NE) goes beyond renaming installations.

 

 

The Trump administration reportedly plans to reinterpret a key arms agreement that governs the sale of unmanned aircraft, reports Defense News, opening the door for more countries to buy drones from US defense contractors.

South Korea says its military is on alert after a series of threats from the North, reports Stars and Stripes, as rising tensions replaced hopes for peace and denuclearization.

A Russian court has sentenced an American security executive to 16 years in prison on spying charges, reports The Associated Press, a verdict that drew an angry response from US SecState Mike Pompeo, who said the man’s treatment by Russian authorities is “appalling.” Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, was arrested in Moscow at the end of last year, reports Marine Corps Times.

The Air National Guard will miss its retention and end-strength goals this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Military.com.

Lockheed Martin will build six F-35 fighter planes for the Italian defense ministry, reports UPI. Italy will receive five F-35As and one F-35B by 2023 under the $368.2 million contract.

The Air Force Special Operations Command received its 53rd CV-22 Osprey earlier this month, reports Southern Maryland Chronicler, marking the 400th delivery of a V-22 in the history of the joint program.

The head of the Navy’s Aviation Schools Command at NAS Pensacola, FL, Capt. Vincent Segars and a fellow Navy aviator, Cmdr. Joshua Fuller were killed last week after a private plane they were flying in crashed in Alabama, reports US News & World Report.

Maj. Gen. Joseph E. Whitlock, an Army two-star general working for the Joint Staff, was accused of domestic abuse and conduct unbecoming an officer, reports Army Times. He was quietly removed in early January due to the investigation that resulted in three assault charges, all of which were dismissed this month.

A bill has been introduced in Congress to authorize the US Treasury to mint coins to contribute to maintenance and programming at the National World War II Memorial, reports Military Times. Proceeds would go to the memorial’s nonprofit Friends group.

Contracts:

Versar Inc., Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $10,200,664 firm-fixed-price contract to provide technical services including, but not limited to, inspections, assessments, repairs, testing, reports, training for facilities and operations-related projects within the US Central Command area of responsibility. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $10,200,664 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0262).

Moog Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia, was awarded a $9,360,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 180 slip rings. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Blacksburg, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of June 16, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement, defense-wide funds in the amount of $4,212,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-C-0121).

AECOM International Inc., Neu-Isenburg, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0008); Buchard-Horn GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0009); Dorsch Gruppe International GmbH, Weisbaden, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0010); igr AG, Rockenhausen, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0011); Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Arlington, Virginia (FA5613-20-D-0012); and Peschla + Rochmes GmbH, Kaiserslautern, Germany (FA5613-20-D-0013), have been awarded a $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architecture-engineer (A-E) services. This contract provides multi-disciplined A-E services for design of various US military buildings, structures, and facilities in Europe. Work will be performed primarily at Headquarters US Air Force in Europe (USAFE); Ramstein Air Base, Germany; and USAFE geographically separated units in Germany. Work is expected to be completed June 14, 2027. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and seven offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $582 are being obligated for each awardee at the time of the award. The 700th Contracting Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is the contracting activity.

Summer Consultants Inc., McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $30,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract with a maximum amount of $30,000,000 for multi-discipline architect-engineer services for mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire-protection within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Washington area of operations (AO). All work on this contract will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other facilities within the NAVFAC Washington AO including, but not limited to, Maryland (40%); Virginia (40%); and Washington, DC (20%). The work primarily includes design and engineering services for new construction, major repairs, renovations and alterations.  Design services may include, design and engineering concepts, contract documents, construction cost estimates, surveys, shop drawing reviews, construction consultation and inspection and the preparation of construction record drawings.  Engineering services may include technical reports and studies, site investigations and programming concepts. Work is expected to be complete by June 2025. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months. No task orders are being issued at this time and no funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and 10 proposals were received. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (N40080-20-D-0017).

Dixie Chemical Co. Inc., Pasadena, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $12,619,380 firm-fixed-price, requirements-type contract for high-density synthetic hydrocarbon jet propellant and priming fluid. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, California, Arizona, Louisiana, Connecticut, Florida, Tennessee, and Colorado, with a June 15, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Air Force and Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy – Aerospace Energy, San Antonio, Texas (SPE601-20-D-1510).