March 28, 2024

Restrictions Lifted at Vets Cemeteries

Restrictions

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River Morning Coffee logoeconomic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Ahead of the Memorial Day weekend, the Veterans Affairs department will lift restrictions on visitors to veterans cemeteries across the country provided they have been vaccinated against coronavirus, reports Military Times. That means no masks, no social distancing, and no limits on group size.

A $100,000 retention bonus to commanders of the US Navy’s aviation units is intended to “retain those officers with the capabilities and command experience in our primary warfighting missions that are critical for the future of our service,” reports Navy Times.

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Harker wants to move funds in the budget to increase mental health services for members, including more specialists embedded in units, reports Military.com.

The US Navy’s first two littoral combat ships will be decommissioned this year, reports Navy Times, the Independence on July 31 and the Freedom on Sept. 30.

Fort Belvoir and the guided missile destroyer Antietam have come up in discussions about renaming bases and other military assets that bear names relating to the Confederacy, reports Air Force Times. The initial focus, however, will be on nine posts, plus Belvoir: Forts Lee, A.P. Hill and Pickett, VA; Forts Benning and Gordon, GA; Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Rucker, AL; Fort Polk, LA, and Fort Hood, TX. The Naming Commission is expected to brief the House and Senate Armed Services Committees on its progress by Oct. 1, according to DoD.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine was awarded a contract to begin production of the second frigate in the new Constellation class to be called USS Congress, reports Military.com. Officials said the service will spend $554 million for the second small-surface combatant.

Fincantieri said it will use all three of its US shipyards to build new FFG(X) frigates, reports Defense News, and will hire 600 more staff by year-end to handle the work.

Nigeria took delivery of three JF-17 fighter aircraft from Pakistan, reports Defense News, marking the latest development in the Pakistani air force’s involvement in the Nigerian Air Force’s modernization program.

The 2021 hurricane season got off to an early start on May 22 with the first named storm — Ana, reports NPR. The storm formed near Bermuda.

China issued its second protest over US naval activity in the South China Sea, reports Navy Times, which drew an sharp response from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, which accused Beijing of attempting to assert illegitimate maritime rights at the expense of its neighbors.

 

 

China says it drove a remote-controlled motorized rover down the ramp of a landing capsule and onto the surface of Mars on Saturday, reports Reuters, making it the first country to orbit, land, and deploy a land vehicle on its first mission to the Red Planet.

Another arrest was made in the case involving a broadband nonprofit’s former CEO using money from the Maryland Broadband Cooperative for his personal use, reports The Aegis. Wayne I. Kacher Jr., president of a Harford County underground utility company, was indicted for allegedly funneling money to the nonprofit. Patrick Mitchell, former CEO of the Maryland Broadband Cooperative, was indicted on federal charges in April, The Baltimore Sun reported at the time. Mitchell is accused of taking money from a US Navy contract to build out fiber optic cable from Wallops Island, VA, to NAS Pax River.

Federal authorities in Maryland seized the domain name of a website that is accused of fraudulently offering to sell COVID-19 vaccines, reports The Associated Press.

Face coverings are no longer required on military installations for troops who have been fully vaccinated against COVID,reports Military Times but it will be up to local leadership to make sure that unvaccinated personnel comply with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance.

Maryland ranks high on the list of states with the best vaccinations rate, reports The Baltimore Sun. The state health department says more than 45% of the state’s residents have completed their vaccinations.

The US’ daily COVID cases on Thursday fell below 30,000 for the first time since June, reports The Hill.

The latest Maryland Department of Natural Resources survey says the female population of the Chesapeake Bay’s blue crabs are in a healthy abundance, reports WTOP News. The winter dredge survey is conducted from December through March.

NAS Pax River is looking for volunteers June 1-3 to help cleanup along the base’s shoreline, reports Southern Maryland News Net. The opportunity is open to all military, civilians, and dependents with base access.

The Blue Angels diamond pilots perform the low break cross maneuver during a training flight on board Naval Air Facility El Centro. The 2021 show season will be the Blue Angels’ first year flying the Super Hornet. The team will perform May 26 at the USNA Air Show in Annapolis. Also scheduled is a flyover at the Naval Academy graduation. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher Gordon)

Contracts:

ManTech Advanced Systems International, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $26,279,754 modification (P00012) to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N0042117D0036). This modification is increasing the ceiling to continue to provide warfare analysis, modeling and simulation, software development, architectures builds and assessments, acquisition analysis and support, and analytic program support in support of naval and joint warfighting capability assessment and warfighting analytic efforts for the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Aviation Enterprise, Chief of Naval Operations, and Foreign Military Sales customers. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in June 2022. 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.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $12,478,541 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-11-C-2300 to exercise an option for industrial post-delivery availability support for the Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Marinette (LCS 25). Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin, and is expected to be completed by June 2022. Fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,700,000 (90%); and fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $300,000 (10%) funding 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.

Insight Public Sector Inc., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $2,560,000,000 single-award, firm-fixed-price blanket purchase agreement (BPA) under the Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative (DoD ESI) in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation System 208.74, DoD Directive 8470.01E, and DoD Executive Agent for Commercial Software Product Management of Core Enterprise Technology Agreements. DoD ESI streamlines software licensing acquisition and provides information technology products that are compliant with DoD technical standards and represent the best value for the DoD. This DoD Enterprise Software Agreement (ESA) will provide commercially available perpetual licenses, software assurance, user-based subscription licenses to include Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, and client access licenses among others. The ESA will be used by DoD and the Coast Guard when authorized under the provisions of 14 US Code (USC) Section 3 and Section 145; 10 US Code Section 2571; and 31 US Code Section 1535. The ordering period will be for five years from June 1, 2021, through May 31, 2026. This agreement will not obligate funds at the time of award. Funds will be obligated via delivery orders using operations and maintenance (DoD) funds. Future requirements will be procured in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 8.405-3(c)(1). This contract was competitively solicited with two proposals received and one selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-21-A-0082).

Technica Corp., Sterling, Virginia, has been awarded a $43,473,826 task order to previously awarded Network-Centric Solutions-2 contract for Blanket Operations and Security Sustainment (BOSS) support services. The contractor will provide a secure, standardized and highly available net-centric enterprise of systems and services across strategic, operational, and tactical boundaries in support of National Intelligence Community priorities and combatant commanders’ full spectrum of war fighting missions. Work will be performed at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) – Lackland, Texas; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be completed May 31, 2025. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,472,900 are being obligated at the time of award. Acquisition Management and Integration Center, JBSA-Lackland, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA7037-21-F-0030).

PD SY Systems Inc., Springfield, Virginia, was awarded a $19,526,858 modification (P00004) to contract W911SA-20-D-3000 for logistic readiness support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 28, 2025. US Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Manassas, Virginia, was awarded a $7,527,417 hybrid (cost-no-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee) contract to provide total system support for the Multi-Function Electronic Warfare-Air Large systems. 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 Nov. 18, 2022. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-21-F-0020).

The MITRE Corp., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $9,424,932 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order (HT001121F0043) for the Center for Enterprise Modernization Federally Funded Research and Development Center (CEM FFRDC) operated by MITRE contract TRINO99D00005. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) requires studies, technical advice and recommendations for implementation planning activities and transition schedules that provide DHA a pathway to transfer former US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command resources to the DHA per the deadlines set forth by National Defense Authorization Act legislation. Services include enterprise transition planning, program management, strategic communications, conceptual and tactical planning for acquisition strategies, extended transition planning analyses – Military Health System (MHS) Medical Research, Acquisition, and Sustainment Enterprise. The DHA requires recommendations for tailoring transition activities to meet the dynamic circumstances in which this highly complex MHS enterprise transformation must be carried out. This effort has a base period of performance of 12-months with no option periods. The estimated completion date is May 10, 2022. The work location is task order dependent but primarily will occur at MITRE in McLean. This contract was a sole-source acquisition, funded with fiscal 2021 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,424,932 at time of award. The Defense Health Agency, J-4 Price and Contracting, Professional Services Contracting Division, Falls Church, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded May 10, 2021)

Noble Sales Co., Inc., doing business as Noble Supply and Logistics, Rockland, Massachusetts (SPE5B1-21-D-0002, $568,000,000); TWI USA LLC, Reston, Virginia (SPE5B1-21-D-0004, $240,000,000); and SupplyCore Inc., Rockford, Illinois (SPE5B1-21-D-0004, $108,000,000), have each been awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE5B1-19-R-0003 for facility maintenance, repair and operation supplies and related incidental services. These were competitive acquisitions with 18 offers received. These are five-year contracts with no option periods. Locations of performance are Massachusetts, Virginia, Illinois, European Zone 1 and Zone 2, and African Areas of Responsibility, with a May 19, 2026, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and NATO. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support Europe and Africa, Kaiserslautern, Germany.

Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wisconsin, is awarded a $553,891,420 fixed-price incentive (firm target) and firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-2300 to exercise options for detail design and construction of one Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, future USS Congress (FFG 63), and integrated digital environment support. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wisconsin (52%); Boston, Massachusetts (10%); Crozet, Virginia (8%); New Orleans, Louisiana (7%); New York, New York (6%); Washington, DC (6%); Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (3%); Santa Fe Springs, California (2%); Minneapolis, Minnesota (2%); King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (1%), Cincinnati, Ohio (1%); Atlanta, Georgia (1%); and Chicago, Illinois (1%), and is expected to be completed by January 2027. Fiscal 2021 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of in the amount of $553,891,420 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.

Crane Technologies Group Inc., Rochester Hills, Michigan, is awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $20,077,068 for the modernization of up to seven 60/15-ton portal cranes at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY); and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF). Task order 0001 is being awarded at $2,598,471 for the modernization of portal crane DC-39 at NNSY. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by May 2023. All work on this contract will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia; and Bremerton, Washington. The work to be performed is for the modernization of six 60/15-ton portal cranes at NNSY, and one 60/15-ton portal crane at PSNS & IMF. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of May 2025. Contract funds in the amount of $2,598,471 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Contract funds are fiscal 2021 other procurement, Navy. Future task orders will be primarily funded by other procurement, Navy. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-21-D-0009).

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Newport News Shipbuilding Division, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $10,700,241 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-4316) to continue performance of the repair, maintenance, and upgrade efforts on the USS Helena (SSN 725) dry-docking selected restricted availability. Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by July 22, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $10,700,241 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procured. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

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