March 29, 2024

Spacewalk This Month Will Make History

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.

NASA officials said last week that it will be conducting the first-ever, all-female spacewalk, reports CNN. Astronauts Anne McClain, at left above, and Christina Koch will exit the International Space Station on March 29. They’ll be guided from the ground by flight director Mary Lawrence, and flight controllers Jackie Kagey and Kristen Facciol. The Mary Sue reports that McClain is a graduate of the US Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River.

The Navy is preparing the Blue Angels to transition from F/A-18 Hornets to Super Hornets, reports The Drive. The transition is expected to occur between the end of the 2020 season and the beginning of squadron’s 2021 season.

Lockheed Martin wants to hire 1,000 more engineers and other high-tech workers in North Texas, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But that could be a challenge in a region where critics say there aren’t enough people trained in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said she will resign her post to become the president of the University of Texas System at its El Paso campus, reports The Washington Post. Breaking Defense reports that the acting secretary is almost certain to be Undersecretary Matthew Donovan. Secretary Wilson drew President Donald Trump’s ire last year over what was seen as her campaign to undercut his effort to stand up a separate Space Force as a sixth branch of the military, reports Foreign Policy.

The Pentagon announced that the assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment, Phyllis L. Bayer, has resigned after a little more than a year at her post, report Navy Times. This follows recent complaints from military families about living conditions in privatized housing.

Preston Dunlap, formerly the national security analysis executive at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has been named the first chief architect for office of the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, reports Defense News.

President Trump wants foreign allies to cover all the costs of hosting American troops at overseas bases plus pay an additional premium for the privilege of having them there, reports Military Times.

A former procurement official at Naval Base Ventura County pleaded guilty to accepting more than $1.2 million in kickbacks, reports Navy Times. Prosecutors say Fernando Barroso, 69, entered pleas to federal charges of conspiracy and subscribing to a false federal income tax return.

NAWCAD’s Atlantic Targets and Marine Office played a role in rescuing a man aboard a sailboat that had caught fire on the Chesapeake Bay last month, reports The Tester. The man was suffering from burns to one of his hands and possible smoke inhalation.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $89,534,733 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide sustainment and engineering services in support of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System. Additionally, this contract procures the technical expertise of field service representatives, logisticians and test support to ensure MQ-4C air vehicles and mission control and operator training systems are fully sustained and mission capable. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Maryland (45 percent); Jacksonville, Florida (25 percent); Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (20 percent); and Point Mugu, California (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $69,309,254 will be obligated at time of award, $4,000,000 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-1020).

Atlantic Diving Supply Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (W81XWH-19-A-0003); American Purchasing Services LLC, Miramar, Florida (W81XWH-19-A-0004); and TQM LLC, Saint Charles, Missouri (W81XWH-19-A-0005), will compete for each order of the $20,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for brand-name medical equipment repair parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 10, 2024. US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $9,673,729 modification (P00001) to previously awarded contract FA2860-19-C-0005 for the rotary wing aircraft maintenance contract. This modification provides for services to support all management, personnel, equipment and services necessary to perform helicopter maintenance in support of aircraft assigned to the 11th Wing and their customers. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $75,020,715. The 11th Contracting Squadron, Services Flight, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Marcon Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,646,332 firm-fixed-price contract. The contract is to provide technical and managerial assistance as related to all elements of facility planning, program and project execution, including a wide range of analytical and planning, design, and construction management support services to assist the Washington Headquarters Services Facilities Services Directorate in the accomplishment of its missions. Work performance will take place at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving funds in the amount of $10,646,332 are being awarded. The expected completion date is Jan. 30, 2023. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-17-D-0016).

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