Spending Cuts Worry DoD

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Less than two weeks after cementing another major increase to the Pentagon budget, lawmakers are raising the specter of across-the-board cuts that rocked the military establishment just over a decade ago, reports Politico. The pact House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) made with Republican conservatives looks to exact deep spending cuts. The pact does not make a specific commitment on defense spending and many Republicans have sought to quash chatter of Pentagon cuts, noting they could instead look to make reductions from the non-military side of the ledger.

Pentagon officials have held multiple high-level meetings in recent months in preparation for a barrage of Republican-led House investigations into issues varying from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to what conservative lawmakers have deemed “woke” military policies, reports CNN.

US House Republicans on Tuesday named Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) as chair of the House Armed Services Committee and Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) as chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee as part of their leadership plans for the 118th Congress, reports Military Times. Both men served as the ranking members on their respective committees last year.

As the US and its allies work to provide Ukraine with upgraded technology to defend against those strikes, an open-source intelligence analysis has found the Russian missiles have plenty of US technology of their own, reports Air and Space Forces Magazine. In a Jan. 10 briefing, analysts from the Royal Institute of Strategic Studies, detailed how many of Russia’s missiles have American and other Western components, despite export controls in place.

Disabled veterans who need modified vehicles to get around are now eligible for an automobile grant from the VA every 10 years, the result of legislation signed last week, reports Military.com.

To protect coastal bases, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has enlisted corals, oysters, and three international teams of scientists to develop “hybrid reefs,” which combine concrete structures with living coral reefs and oyster beds to break up damaging waves, reports Military.com. Hurricane- and flood-related damage in 2018, a particularly damaging series of storms caused $9 billion worth of destruction. Military planners expect costs to grow as rising sea levels worsen storm surges and beach erosion. DoD has more than 1,700 coastal military installations worldwide.

 

 

“Vampire” counter drones are heading to Ukraine, reports Defense News. The Pentagon ordered $40 million of Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletized ISR Rocket Equipment from L3Harris Technologies, which is to install 14 kits onto vehicles the US provides Ukraine. Vampire consists of a laser-guided-missile launcher that can quickly be installed in a civilian truck bed.

Ukrainian military intelligence officials are warning that Russia is planning to mobilize another large number of soldiers for a spring offensive in the war. The claim comes as Kyiv also said Moscow violated its own Christmas ceasefire, reports Task & Purpose.

Naval forces intercepted a boat in the Gulf of Oman smuggling thousands of assault rifles last week, reports Navy Times. Sailors with the Cyclone-class patrol ship Chinook stopped a fishing vessel in international waters on Jan. 6 and discovered six Yemeni nationals illegally carrying 2,116 AK-47s from Iran to Yemen. The patrol ship Monsoon and guided-missile destroyer The Sullivans assisted in the mission.

The first British-based space launch has failed, reports Defense News. Britain’s attempt to become the first Western European nation to put satellites into space from a base on home soil failed after the Virgin Orbit launch rocket missed the required orbit. Virgin Orbit officials said Jan. 10 that a still-unexplained anomaly had occurred during the firing of the rocket’s second stage engine, ending the mission.

The Defense Department will no longer require service members to get vaccinated for COVID-19, reports Military Times. DefSec Lloyd Austin announced the change in line with directives in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. “The Department will continue to promote and encourage COVID-19 vaccination for all Service members,” Austin wrote. “The Department has made COVID-19 vaccination as easy and convenient as possible, resulting in vaccines administered to over two million Service members and 96 percent of the force ― Active and Reserve ― being fully vaccinated.”

The Navy has begun preparing for a $450 million flagship museum to replace the almost 60-year-old facility in its cavernous Naval Gun Factory and an adjacent building at the historic Navy yard in Southeast Washington, reports The Washington Post. Sculptures, ship models, guns, and many art works are going under protective covers, being readied for relocation, ultimately next door, where the Navy has secured a six-acre plot on M street next-door to the Navy Yard. Five prominent architecture firms had been chosen to develop concepts for the new museum: Bjarke Ingles Group, DLR Group, Frank Gehry Partners, Perkins & Will, and Quinn Evans.

Michael Flynn had his Twitter account reinstated on the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, reports Military Times. Twitter suspended retired Army lieutenant general two days after the assault on the capitol. Flynn, one of former President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisers, had more than 1 million followers at the time and became a top spreader of false information about the 2020 election. Flynn tweeted his personal thanks to Elon Musk for allowing him back on Twitter, reports AP.

Fed Times want to know how the government wardrobe has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic and the proliferation of telework. Is there still a “federal style”? What are the new rules of office dress? Scroll to the end of the story in Fed Times to contribute.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $464,399,742 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract action for Battlefield Airborne Communications Node E-11A (BACN E-11A) platform maintenance and main operating base contractor logistics support establishment. This task order provides for operations and sustainment of the BACN E-11A platform subsystems and ancillary equipment to continue effective flight operations to include the continental U.S. and outside the continental U.S. locations, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and supply requirements for the E-11A aircraft and associated support equipment. In addition, this acquisition will establish a main operating base at an Air Force base in the continental U.S. for the BACN E-11A fleet to support training and deployed operations. Work is expected to be completed by Jan. 23, 2028. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and one offer was received. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $37,601,066 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8726-23-F-0028).

Tech Systems Inc., Tysons, Virginia, was awarded an $8,787,189 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for logistics support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 7, 2024. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $91,007 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-23-F-0044). (Awarded Jan. 6, 2023)

Lockheed Martin Space, Littleton, Colorado, is awarded a $260,800,000 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee unpriced letter contract modification (PH0013) to a previously awarded unpriced letter contract (N00030-22-C-1025) to provide program management, engineering development, systems integration, long lead material, and special tooling and equipment in support of missile production. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado (46.5%); Sunnyvale, California (15.5%); Magna, Utah (15.3%); East Aurora, New York (3.5%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (2.3%); Madison, Alabama (2.1%); Simsbury, Connecticut (1.8%); Huntsville, Alabama (1.7%); Andover, Maryland (1.3%); Baltimore, Maryland (1.3%); North Tonawanda, New York (1.2%); Commerce, California (1.2%); Delmar, Delaware (1.1%); and various other locations (less than 1.0% each, 5.2% total). Work is expected to be completed on Nov. 9, 2026 once the contract is definitized. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,000,000; fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,000,000; and fiscal 2023 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $13,535,000 will be obligated on this award. Fiscal 2022 funds in the amount of $5,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is being awarded to the contractor on a sole source basis under 10 US Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the System for Award Management online portal. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.

CORRECTION: The Dec. 28, 2022, announcement of a contract awarded to Allegiant Defense Inc., Arlington, Virginia, included the wrong award amount and contract number. The award amount is $32,851,343, and the contract number is N0001923D0017.