Some DoD Top Jobs Still Not Filled

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.

Some top jobs at DoD remain unfilled, Defense News reports, two months into President Donald Trump’s administration. Supporters of DefSec James Mattis hope that a top Trump aide whom they see as a roadblock for nominees will soon move on to a new role.

Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green, a former Army flight surgeon, is the leading pick to take over as President Trump’s Army secretary, Military Times reports.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrapped up his tour of Asia on Sunday. Mr. Tillerson made stops in Japan, South Korea, and China. His trip had been dominated by concerns over North Korea’s missile and nuclear weapons program, Fox News reports. Mr. Tillerson pushed for closer China-US cooperation on dealing with North Korea’s nuclear program.

The US Air Force hosted Asia-Pacific allies and partners in Hawaii last week for a symposium on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Hawaii News reports. The US wanted to share its experiences with the F-35 and F-22, another stealth fighter, with its partners so they wouldn’t have to learn everything on their own. Subject-matter experts from Japan, Australia and South Korea — as well as the US Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force — participated in open discussions, briefings, and expert panels focused on setting the stage for future F-35 operations in the Pacific, DoD reports.

After tweets from President Donald Trump resulted in Lockheed Martin lowering the cost of its F-35 and possibly in Boeing making a change in it deal for F/A-18s, Motley Fool asks: “Which big-ticket defense-spending programs will Trump target next — and which defense companies will see their profits pinched as a result?”

Taiwan wants to buy stealth fighters and vertical take-off and landing aircraft to counter China’s rapid military development, The Indian Express reports.

Singapore wants to purchase 120mm guided mortar rounds worth $66 million, Defense News reports. The Southeast Asian island nation requested a sale of 2,000 Orbital ATK XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative rounds. The State Department has approved the possible sale.

The German government plans to buy six C-130J military transport planes from Lockheed Martin for around $966 million starting in 2019 under an agreement with France, Reuters reports.

Defense Systems reports the Navy is modernizing software for the P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime surveillance aircraft to improve Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare and operational integration with unmanned systems.

Israeli warplanes hit several targets in Syria on Friday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying the strikes targeted weapons bound for Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah movement, AFP reports. Israel’s defense minister Sunday threatened to destroy Syrian air defense systems after they fired ground-to-air missiles at Israeli warplanes.

The Italian government on Saturday named Italian banker Alessandro Profumo to run the state-controlled defense group Leonardo, Defense News reports. The previous CEO had switched the name of the firm from Finmeccanica to Leonardo and improved efficiencies by bringing the group’s semi-autonomous units under one divisional roof.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, New York, is being awarded a $68,786,952 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-only contract for the production of Littoral Combat Ship gun mission modules, including support for basic outfitting assembly installation, interim deport level maintenance, engineering support and sustainment. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $812,000,000.  Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia (45 percent); Huntsville, Alabama (18 percent); Bethpage, New York (12 percent); Manchester, New Hampshire (10 percent); San Diego, California (3 percent); Port Hueneme, California (3 percent); Mayport, Florida (2 percent); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (2 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (1 percent); and various others with less than one percent each (totaling 4 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2019. Fiscal 2016 and 2017 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2017 research, development, testing, and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy) appropriation account funding in the amount of $23,037,260 will be obligated at time of award, and funds in the amount of $500,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured on the basis of full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-17-C-6311).

InnovaSystems International LLC, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $54,826,088 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide support for the Defense Readiness Reporting System Navy (DRRS-N). Support services include system engineering, integration, testing, installation, training, life cycle maintenance, helpdesk services, management support, and system documentation. This single award contract includes a three-year base ordering period and one two-year option ordering period which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to $92,745,161. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (70 percent); and other locations worldwide (30 percent). Work is expected to be completed by March 15, 2020.  If the option is exercised, work will continue through March 2022. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Operations and maintenance (Navy) funding will be obligated via task orders as they are issued. Funds intended for one or more task orders will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via request for proposal N66001-15-R-0240 published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce Central website. Four offers were received and one was selected for award. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-17-D-0240). 

CACI-ISS INC., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $9,072,160 contract for architecture, operations, networks and space services. Bids were solicited via the Internet with seven received. Work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $352,127 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-17-C-0029).

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, is being awarded $7,938,987 for firm-fixed-price modification P00003 under previously awarded task order contract M00264-16-F-0016 to exercise option period one in support the Marine Corps Installations Command (MCICOM) Energy and Water Management Program support services. This contract includes one 12-month base period, one 12-month option period, and one six-month option period which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this contract to $20,409,845. The work will be performed in  Arlington, Virginia (15 percent); Camp Pendleton, California (15 percent); Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (15 percent); Quantico, Virginia (10 percent); Okinawa, Japan (10 percent), Iwakuni, Japan (5 percent); Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii (5 percent); Miramar, California (5 percent); Yuma, Arizona (5 percent); Twentynine Palms, California (5 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (5 percent); and Beaufort, South Carolina (5 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 21, 2018. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $815,951 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The initial effort was initially synopsized and competitively procured under General Services Administration eBuy, with two responses received. The Marine Corps Installation Command, North Capital Region, Regional Contracting Office, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Oceus Networks Inc., Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a $26,001,856 maximum cumulative order ceiling by U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). This contract will provide critical planning, implementation, upgrades, technical support, and sustainment of the USSOCOM Mobile Cellular Network (MCN). The primary place of performance will be the Aberdeen training facility in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The last day of the last ordering period is March 5, 2022.  Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $227,966, are being obligated on Task Order 0001 at the time of the award. US Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity (H92222-17-D-0009).