Prepare for Air Taxis in ’24

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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.

Air taxis are expected to take off in urban areas as early as next year, specifically electronic vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), reports GCN. eVTOLs  are already on tap for the summer 2024 Paris Olympics. Researchers at the San Jose State University have developed a GIS-based framework to help cities find places for ground ports, vertiports, boarding areas, aircraft maintenance and charging stations, as well as takeoff and landing sites.

It has now been more than 50 years since the last US soldier left Vietnam – on March 29, 1973 – but tens of thousands of explosives are still being found each year, often mere inches beneath the soil, reports Aljazeera.

The nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan, is making a rare port call in Vietnam as Washington and Beijing both step up efforts to bolster ties with Southeast Asian nations. The carrier is expected to remain in Da Nang through June 30, reports Military Times.

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up an ongoing veterans education benefits case which could give additional tuition money to potentially millions of veterans, reports Military Times. Upholding lower federal courts’ decisions would end an 8-year-old legal fight and force Veterans Affairs leaders to start paying out the money in coming college semesters.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed Monday that “multiple” Navy personnel have reported receiving unsolicited smartwatches in the mail. Officials are warning those who receive this free tech to not use the devices due to the potential for cyber-shadiness, reports Military Times. NCIS officials declined to say exactly how many sailors are involved, citing an ongoing investigation.

Leading Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to YouTube criticizing its decision to roll back its election misinformation policy and allow false claims about previous US elections to appear on the site ahead of the 2024 presidential election, reports  FCW. YouTube announced in a June 2 blog post it would “stop removing content that advances false claims that widespread fraud, errors, or glitches occurred in the 2020 and other past US presidential elections.”

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted 24-1 to advance its $886 billion defense authorization bill with nonbinding language geared at boosting the Pentagon budget above the spending caps mandated in the recent debt ceiling deal, reports Defense News. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was the lone senator to vote against advancing the bill after a three-day markup that included consideration of more than 400 amendments.

Senate lawmakers backed plans for a 5.2% pay raise in their first draft of the annual defense authorization bill but held back on more aggressive plans to boost junior enlisted pay, opting instead to study the idea of higher base salaries for the lowest-paid service members, reports Military Times.

A bipartisan quartet of House lawmakers unveiled this week legislation to bolster government’s ability to counter threats from drones, including those that pose a risk to airports and sporting events. GCN reports Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Troy Carter (D-LA), and Mike Johnson (R-LA) are sponsoring the bill.

A strategy for harnessing technology from commercial and non-traditional companies has caught traction in one House committee’s fiscal 2024 defense spending bill. C4ISRNET reports the legislation would allocate $1 billion toward establishing a “hedge portfolio” made up of innovative, commercially available systems including low-cost drones and satellites, agile communication and computing nodes, and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, warned: Stop saying it’s OK for banks to get bigger. The letter to Yellen, top bank regulators, and the Justice Department called out the Treasury Secretary and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu for recent comments that signaled an openness to further bank consolidation amid industry weakness exposed by the meltdowns of Silicon Valley Bank and other lenders, reports Politico.

Veterans Affairs officials plan a public awareness blitz over the next five weeks as an August deadline approaches for retroactive payouts from the  Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, reports Military Times. As many as one in five veterans living in America today could receive new health care or disability payouts as a result of the measure.

A new poll on national security issues finds three-quarters of respondents believe it is important for Ukraine to win its war against Russia’s invasion, but not all of them support providing Ukraine military aid, reports Defense News.

The mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin whose rebels seized a Russian city and marched toward Moscow over the weekend says he acted to protect his fighters and not to topple Vladimir Putin, according to a recording released Monday, reports NBC News. The 62-year-old owner of the Wagner Group of mercenaries was confirmed in Belarus on Tuesday, reports Military Times. According to Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Prigozhin and some of his troops would be welcome to stay “for some time” at their own expense.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the Western military alliance is ready to defend itself against any threat posed by the move of Russia’s Wagner mercenary force to Belarus amid fears the relocation of the private army could create instability for NATO’s Eastern European members, reports Aljazeera.

Mexico is likely to hand over control of the capital’s main airport — the busiest in the country — to its navy, according to a draft decree published Tuesday, in what would be the latest step increasing the military’s role in the sector, reports Reuters.

Contracts:

National Industries for the Blind, Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $10,563,750 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Bandoleer ammunition pouches. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Kentucky and Tennessee, with a June 27, 2026, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2023 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-23-D-B012). 

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded a $15,784,105 firm-fixed-price modification (P00001) to a previously awarded contract (N0001922C0051). This modification adds scope for the production and delivery of additional Airborne Electronic Attack Weapons Replacement Assemblies (WRA) to include: 15 WRA-7 B-Kits, 15 WRA-8 B-Kits, 11 WRA-7 B-Kit spares, 11 WRA-8 B-Kit spares, and time critical parts for WRA-8 B-Kits, as well as associated engineering, technical, and data support in support of EA-18G aircraft upgrades. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland (70%); and Bethpage, New York (30%), and is expected to be completed in December 2025. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,784,105 will be obligated at the 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.

Textron Systems Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, was awarded a $144,101,966 hybrid cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical, engineering, scientific, and logistical services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 29, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-23-D-0010).

Air Transport International Inc., Wilmington, Ohio (HTC71119DW002); American President Lines LLC, Arlington, Virginia (HTC71119DW003); American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier LLC, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida (HTC71119DW004); Amerijet International Inc., Miami, Florida (HTC71119DW005); Farrell Lines Inc., Norfolk, Virginia (HTC71119DW006); Hawaiian Airlines Inc., Honolulu, Hawaii (HTC71119DW007); Liberty Global Logistics LLC, Lake Success, New York (HTC71119DW008); National Air Cargo Group Inc., Orlando, Florida (HTC71119DW009); Northern Air Cargo LLC., Anchorage, Alaska (HTC71119DW010); Schuyler Line Navigation Co. LLC, Annapolis, Maryland (HTC71119DW011); and United Airlines Inc., Chicago, Illinois (HTC71119DW012), were awarded a combined $178,477,368 (to be obligated on individual task orders) options (P00008) and (P00009 for Farrell Lines Inc.) to obtain door-to-door and/or port-to-door services under the Multi-modal Transportation Program contract (HTC71119DW). This modification supports US Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) with continued international, commercial, multimodal transportation services, between various points and ports including electronic data interchange, customs processing, and clearance of containerized and breakbulk cargo. This contract includes a 24-month option period, which if exercised would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $457,171,564. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by July 2025. Working capital funds (Transportation) will be obligated at the individual task order level. USTRANSCOM, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity.

Centerra Group LLC, Herndon, Virginia, will be awarded a $7,731,903 firm-fixed price contract extension for performance of firefighting duties. This contract provides for firefighting duties and tasks in accordance with but not limited to Department of Defense Instruction 6055.06, AFI 32-2001, Air Force Concept of Operations for Fire Prevention and Consequence Management and the National Fire Protection Association standards, Air Force and Space Force directives, instructions, regulations, and supplements. Work will be performed at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2024. This contract was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $1,078,137 are being obligated at the time of award. The 45th Contracting Squadron, Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA2521-16-C-0004).

Reliance Test and Technology LLC, Crestview, Florida, is awarded an $83,806,989 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00031) to a previously awarded contract (N0042120C0033). This modification exercises an option to provide research, development, test, evaluation, engineering, fleet and management support services required to perform aircraft engineering and developmental flight test, as well as fleet training events for the Navy and Marine Corps air vehicle systems and trainers in support of the Atlantic Ranges and Targets Department. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (78%); Norfolk, Virginia (13%); Dam Neck, Virginia (5%); and various locations within the US (4%) and is expected to be completed in June 2031. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $13,163,738; fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,420,000; fiscal 2023 working capital (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,505,000; fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,000; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $520,500; fiscal 2022 ship conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $122,000; fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Defense Wide) funds in the amount of $4,000; and fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $100 will be obligated at time of award, $2,424,100 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Command, Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Motorola Solutions Inc., Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a sole source, firm-fixed-price award for Commander, Navy Installations Enterprise Land Mobile Radio sustainment services. The face value of this action is $31,596,325 using fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds. Performance will be conducted primarily onsite at government facilities located in Norfolk, Virginia; Yokosuka, Japan; Finegayan, Guam; San Diego, California; Sigonella, Italy; and Manama, Bahrain. The period of performance is 12 months, beginning June 28, 2023, and ending June 27, 2024. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC102823C0006).

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $188,482,241 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-6117 to exercise options for Navy engineering design, development and supporting material, travel, and subsistence. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (65%); Clearwater, Florida (32%); Syracuse, New York (2%); and Marion, Florida (1%), and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2024. Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy), funds in the amount of $5,800,766 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 Navy Yard, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

PAE Government Services Inc., Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $23,073,877 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity modification to previously awarded contract N40084-21-D-0060 for base operation support services. This award brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $74,804,681. Work will be performed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, and will be completed by June 2024. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance (O&M) (Marine Corps); fiscal 2023 O&M (Navy); fiscal 2023 O&M (Defense Agencies); and fiscal 2023 Department of Defense working capital funds in the amount of $18,860,623 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Far East, Iwakuni, Japan, is the contracting activity.

AECOM Technical Services Inc., Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0001); Ahtna-Arcadis HTRW JV, Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0002); Geosyntec Brice JV LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0003); Jacobs Government Services Co., Arlington, Virginia (W911KB-23-D-0004); Ahtna Solutions LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0005); Bethel Environmental Solutions LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0006); Brice Engineering LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0007); and Environmental Compliance Consultants Inc., Anchorage, Alaska (W911KB-23-D-0008), will compete for each order of the $245,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineer services for hazardous, toxic and radioactive waste. Bids were solicited via the internet with 19 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 25, 2030. US Army Corps of Engineers, Anchorage, Alaska, is the contracting activity.