SpaceX Delivers Astronauts to Space Station

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.

Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday following the historic launch on Saturday, reports The Associated Press. The pair of astronauts docked to the space station’s Harmony module at 10:16 a.m. Sunday as the microgravity laboratory flew 262 miles above the border northern China and Mongolia, NASA reports.

More than 17,000 National Guard troops are in 23 states and Washington, DC, to help quell growing civil unrest and protests over the death of a Minnesota man being restrained by police, reports Military Times. As crowds gather in Maryland over the weekend, Gov. Larry Hogan says he is watching coronavirus data to see how the protests affected the spread of COVID-19, reports Patch.com.

The Pentagon is weighing a request from the White House to support a Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall that may include military aircraft flyovers, band performances, and other displays, reports Politico.

The final active-duty US Navy airborne patrol squadron, VP-40 Fighting Marlins, has completed its transition from the Lockheed P-3C Orion to the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, reports Naval News.

Two B-1B Lancer bombers conducted a first-ever Bomber Task Force mission in Europe and the Black Sea region with Ukrainian Su-27 Flankers and MiG-29 Fulcrums, and Turkish KC-135s, reports Air Force Times.

US Africa Command leaders say Russian jets in Libya present broader worries for region, reports Military Times. Russia is denying that it deplayed 14 aircraft there, saying that they could be Soviert-era aircraft now owned by other African countries.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is investing in several technologies to make its Sea Train concept a reality, reports C4ISRNET. “The goal of the Sea Train program is to be able to develop and demonstrate long-range deployment capabilities for a distributed fleet of medium-sized tactical unmanned vessels,” said Andrew Nuss, DARPA’s manager for the Sea Train program.

 

 

The US is counting on unmanned surface and subsurface vessels to boost its capacity in the face of a tsunami of Chinese naval spending, reports Defense News. But here’s what is holding the Navy back. The service in recent months has become more vocal about the need to move to unmanned surface technology as a means of increasing the reach of its sensors and weapons without spending billions of dollars on large surface combatants.

The Pentagon is looking at a $3 billion price tag to clean up water sources at military installations across the country that are contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals linked to firefighting foam, reports McClatchy. DoD is in discussions with private firms about potential cleanup solutions that might reduce the cost.

Just as DoD wraps up solicitations for 5G testing at four military bases, the Pentagon announces it will open up a fifth site for 5G development at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, C4ISRNET reports. The other bases to be used for testing: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA; Hill Air Force Base, UT; Naval Base San Diego, CA; and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, GA.

Col. Stephen Snelson, commander of the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, is heading to his next assignment, reports Tampa Bay Times. He is heading to Joint Base Andrews to serve as commander of the 89th Airlift Wing.

DefSec Mark Esper swore in Kenneth Braithwaite as the Navy’s 77th secretary in a socially distanced ceremony Friday at the Pentagon, reports Navy Times. NavSec Braithwaite issued his first message to the members of the Department of the Navy shortly after that.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned all corners of the economy upside down, reports WTOP News, including the job search process for recent college graduates. While prospects for newer, young professionals are constrained, the Washington, DC-area job market is still fairly robust.

Slain Bowie State University ROTC student 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III was granted an honorary promotion last week by the Department of Defense, reports National Public Radio.

Contracts:

American Electronic Warfare Associates Inc., California, Maryland, is awarded a $218,034,586 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-20-D-0071). This contract provides research, development, management, design, fabrication, installation, integration, upgrade, analysis, documentation and operations and maintenance for the Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test department, the advanced aircraft research, development, test and evaluation, integrated combat environment capabilities and laboratories and facilities. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by May 2025. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

AECOM-Baker NAVFAC Atlantic A-E Design JV, Roanoke, Virginia, is awarded $95,000,000 for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineering contract (N62470-20-D-0008) with a maximum amount of $95,000,000 for general type facilities in the Naval Facilities and Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Europe, Africa Central area of operations and worldwide. The work to be performed provides for architectural and engineering services for general type facilities and may include, but is not limited to, DD1391 documentation, design-build request for proposals, design-bid-build construction documents (using NAVFAC-supported software), cost engineering services including cost estimates, related studies, field investigations, surveying and mapping, tests, evaluations, consultations, training, program management, conceptual designs, geotechnical subsurface exploration and studies (including but not limited to soil borings), hazardous materials identification, energy computation, life safety code studies, interior space comprehensive planning/design, conceptual designs, value engineering, other associated engineering services, shop drawing review, as-built drawing preparation, operations and maintenance support information, commissioning, construction inspection and engineering consultation services during construction and other related services. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months and work is expected to be complete by April 2025. No task orders are being issued at this time. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with six proposals received. NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $27,554,445 modification (P00015) to previously awarded fixed-price, incentive-firm-target contract N00019-18-C-1037. This modification provides recurring production and non-recurring engineering in support of the incorporation of beyond line of sight, tactical targeting network technology, navigation warfare and electronic support measures cable modifications into full rate production Lots 7-11 of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida (23.01%); St. Augustine, Florida (22.32%); Rolling Meadows, Illinois (15.5%); Marlborough, Massachusetts (8.36%); Boulder, Colorado (7.44%); Petaluma, California (4.69%); Irvine, California (4.53%); Ronkonkoma, New York (2.28%); Salisbury, Maryland (1.9%); Scottsdale, Arizona (1.5%); Gardena, California (1.48%); Stockton, California (1.12%); and various locations within the continental US (5.87%). Work is expected to be complete by September 2026. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $14,109,762 will be obligated at 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.

Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., Newport News Shipbuilding Division, Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $17,176,332 cost-plus-fixed fee, cost-plus-incentive fee contract (N42158-20-C-0003) for maintenance and modernization on board US Ship Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during the fiscal 2020 extended carrier incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia (88%); Newport News, Virginia (11%); and Norfolk, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be complete by February 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $17,176,332 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured, in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(1), with only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,369,782 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6115 to exercise and fund options for the procurement of Navy engineering systems and services. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (80%); Chesapeake, Virginia (10%); and Middletown, Rhode Island (10%), and is expected to be complete by May 2024. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $4,424,463 will be obligated at time of award and funding in the amount of $18,284 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

Kryptowire LLC, Tysons Corner, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,764,985, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to contract FA8750-18-C-0054 for software, hardware and reports. The contract modification is to design, develop, implement, evaluate and deliver software that is capable of collecting sensor information from Android and iOS smartphones and software that is capable of managing users, devices and applications to help manage and maintain the sensor collection process. Work will be performed in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and is expected to be completed Feb. 22, 2022. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $13,166,095. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $4,158,286 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity.