Retired General Mattis Chosen for DefSec

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.

Retired Marine Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis, who has said responding to “political Islam” is the major security issue facing the US, will be the new secretary of defense, The Washington Post reports. President-elect Donald Trump made the announcement late last week at a rally in Ohio. Mattis is known as a critic of President Obama’s Middle East policy, and particularly of the nuclear deal with Iran, FCW reports. He’s also a critic of the sequestration regime that emerged from the 2011 budget bill.

President-elect Trump hasn’t finalized his pick to become Veterans Affairs secretary, but his choice of advisers indicates a radical overhaul to veterans’ health care is in the works, Military Times reports.

Outgoing Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, in an interview with Breaking Defense, had this advice for her yet-to-be-named successor. “The first thing I would say is, you think you know everything, but beware the unknown unknowns,” she said. “You’ll have an agenda of things you’ll begin working on and, boom, real life will intervene.”

The fiscal 2017 defense policy bill includes several provisions that will change the organizational structure of the military and get at some reform that leaders on Capitol Hill have been pushing all year, Washington Examiner reports. The changes included in the compromise bill range from a restructuring of the Pentagon’s acquisition department to reducing how long a member of the military must serve in a joint billet to advance.

Flight testing of Lockheed Martin’s T-50A has begun. The T-50A is a collaboration between Lockheed Martin and Korean Airspace Industries, UPI.com reports.

The first foreign military sales F-35A Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighter jet was handed over to the Japan Air Self Defense Force late last month, The Diplomat reports.

The Norwegian government has chosen the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to replace its P-3 Orions, becoming the fourth foreign customer for the Poseidon, Seapower magazine reports.

There will be no change to NAS Pax River’s firearms policy, The Tester newspaper reports. A new Department of Defense directive regarding arming of and the Use of Force by personnel in the DoD was released Nov. 18.

Army generals gathered to begin designing a new kind of unit, a tactical cyber/electronic warfare detachment, whose first experimental exercise overseas could be as early as next year. Breaking Defense reports that for the first time since the Cold War, at least a small part of the Army could have radio and radar jamming capabilities to match the Russians.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said the joint force needs to integrate all components of national power and US military capabilities worldwide amid security threats associated with what he calls the “four-plus-one” model, Executive.Gov.com reports.

Contracts:

Compass Systems Inc., Lexington Park, Maryland, is being awarded a $27,424,962 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of materials engineering, non-materials engineering, and non-technical management support of the efforts involved in the development of new technology, acquisition of new aircraft, and sustainment of fielded aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (93 percent); Jacksonville, Florida (4 percent); and Crystal City, Virginia (3 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2022. No funding will be obligated at time of award. Funding will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-17-D-0018).

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace, Madison, Mississippi, is being awarded $13,674,743 for firm-fixed-price modification P00058 to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery requirements contract (N00019-11-D-0010) for aircraft maintenance and logistics life cycle support for 49 C-12 aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas (42 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (6 percent); Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (6 percent); Manama, Bahrain (6 percent); Atsugi, Japan (6 percent); Beaufort, South Carolina (4 percent); San Angelo, Texas (4 percent);  Yuma, Arizona (4 percent); New Orleans, Louisiana (4 percent); Iwakuni, Japan (4 percent); New River, North Carolina (3 percent); Kadena, Japan (3 percent); Manassas, Virginia (2 percent); Miramar, California (2 percent); Futenma, Japan (2 percent); and Misawa, Japan (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2017. Funds will not be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued.  The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. 

Terrapin Utility Services Inc., Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $7,490,132 modification (P00094) to a 50-year contract (SP0600-05-C-8250) with no option periods to reconcile the water/wastewater operations and maintenance and renewal and replacement due to the transfer in ownership of all assets installed through third party construction projects via an amended bill of sale from the contract start date through July 25, 2016. This is a fixed-price contract. Location of performance is Maryland, with a Jan. 2, 2056, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2056 Air Force operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

Thales Defense & Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, is being awarded a $14,120,101 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of the Optimized TopOwl Helmet Mounted Sight and Display System depot level specialized test equipment in support of the Marine Corps H-1 aircraft.  In addition, this contract provides for associated installation and integration, and technical data rights for technical specifications, drawings, schematics, and procedures required to establish depot level support. Work will be performed in Bordeaux, France (63 percent); and San Diego, California (37 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2019. Fiscal 2015 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,120,101 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-17-C-0016).

22nd Century Technologies Inc., Somerset, New Jersey (N00244-17-D-0003); Accent Controls Inc., Riverside, Missouri (N00244-17-D-0004), (N00244-17-D-0018), and (N00244-17-D-0027); Alutiiq Pacific LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (N00244-16-D-0005), (N00244-17-D-0019), and (N00244-17-D-0028); America’s Staffing Partner Inc., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (N00244-17-D-0006); Blackwatch International, Rockville, Maryland (N00244-17-D-0020); Coastal Management Solutions, Virginia Beach, Virginia (N00244-17-D-0007); Dynamic Systems Technology, Fairfax, Virginia (N00244-17-D-0008), (N00244-17-D-0021), and (N00244-17-D-0029); Glocoms Inc., Chicago, Illinois (N00244-17-D-0022) and (N00244-17-D-0030); Infused Solutions, Sterling, Virginia (N00244-17-D-0009), (N00244-17-D-0023), and (N00244-17-D-0031); JSL Technology, Oxnard, California (N00244-17-D-0010), (N00244-17-D-0024), and (N00244-17-D-0032); Logistics and Technology Services Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (N00244-17-D-0011); Loyal Source Government Services, Orlando, Florida (N00244-17-D-0012), (N00244-17-D-0025), and (N00244-17-D-0033); MBA Consulting Services Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (N00244-17-D-0013), (N00244-17-D-0026), and (N00244-17-D-0034); SDSE LLC, Silver Spring, Maryland (N00244-17-D-0014) and (N00244-17-D-0035); SFS Global/Tiburon JV, Susanville, California (N00244-17-D-0015); Symtech, Sarasota, Florida (N00244-17-D-0016); and Wakelight, Honolulu, Hawaii (N00244-17-D-0017), are being awarded an estimated $42,970,586 multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price task orders contract for a wide range of support services to include administrative support and clerical services; quarters management services; healthcare services (except doctors, nurses or physician assistants); information and arts; information technology; maritime material handling; mechanics and maintenance and repair; plant and system operation; engineering/technical support; mobile equipment operation; financial management; specialized technology; and industrial services and general services and support. Each contract includes a one-year base period and four one-year option periods.  If all options are exercised, the total contract will reached a value of $750,000,000. Work will be performed throughout the 50 United States including Alaska; Hawaii; Guam; Washington, District of Columbia; and the US Territory of Puerto Rico. The percentage of work varies by state, and with the majority of the effort in California (31 percent); Texas (15 percent); Virginia (10 percent); Florida (9 percent); Hawaii (7 percent); and 28 percent in the remaining locations. Work is expected to be completed by December 2017; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by November 2021.  Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $33,000 will be obligated at the time of award, with $1000 placed on each of the 33 contracts to fund the contract’s minimum amount.  Funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 112 offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center San Diego, Regional Contracting Department, Seal Beach Division, Seal Beach, California, is the contracting activity.

Assurance Technology Corp., Carlisle, Massachusetts, is being awarded a maximum value $28,183,002 cost-plus-fixed-fee term task order N00173-17-F-6701 under previously awarded GSA OASIS-SB contract GS00Q14OADS402 for research and development into detecting anomalies in space. The total value of the base task order is $28,183,002 with an initial funding of $100,000. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $86,034,757. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory in Stafford, Virginia (99 percent); and at the contractor’s facility in Carlisle, Virginia (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Dec. 4, 2017. If options are exercised, work will continue through December 2019. Fiscal 2017 working capital funds in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under a request for proposal (N00173-16-R-RS01) with one offer received. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

American Systems Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, is being awarded a firm-fixed-price contract for $5,712,045, bringing the cumulative total to $9,999,027, to provide warfare area staff specialists to the deputy assistant secretary of defense for developmental test and evaluation (DASD(DT&E)). The contractor shall provide professional engineering services to support the DASD (DT&E) mission to ensure Major Defense Acquisition Program (MDAP)/Major Automated Information System (MAIS) acquisition programs deliver the data needed to support critical acquisition and engineering decisions. Work performance will take place in Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia. The expected completion date is Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2017 research, development, test, and evaluation funds are being obligated at the time of the award. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting office (GS00Q14OADU343).

WGL Energy Services Inc., Vienna, Virginia, (SPE600-17-D-7505, $60,855,636); and Direct Energy Business Marketing LLC, Iselin, New Jersey, (SPE600-17-D-7504, $25,261,858), have each been awarded a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract under solicitation SPE600-16-R-0411 for natural gas. These were competitive acquisitions with 12 offers received. They are 24-month contracts with a six-month extension option period. Locations of performance are Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington District of Columbia, New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia, with a March 31, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.