Supply Chain Woes Won’t Stop Holiday Dinners for Troops

Sailors attached to the US 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge prepare turkeys for the ship’s Thanksgiving celebration in 2018. This year, nearly 400,000 pounds of turkey and meal trimmings are making their way to troops stationed all over the globe. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McKay/Released)

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.

The global supply problems won’t stop Thanksgiving celebrations for American troops around the world. The Defense Department says it has sent nearly 60,000 pounds of roasted turkey and close to 365,000 pounds of other goodies to troops stationed at overseas military installations, reports CNBC. “The holiday meal should look more normal this year, with in-person dining returning in many locations,” said Army BRIG GEN Eric Shirley, the man in charge of the Defense Logistics Agency.

The Biden administration says that more than 90% of the federal workforce has received at least one shot of COVID-19 vaccine, reports The Hill. Another roughly 5% have an exception or extension request, bringing the total to 95% in compliance.

Up to 10,000 active-duty Marines will not be fully vaccinated against COVID when the deadline arrives November 28, reports The Washington Post. This could mean that the service has the military’s worst immunization rate. Navy sailors who refuse the vaccination will be separated from the service and could lose some of their benefits, reports Voice of America.

Military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries says it will not force out employees who don’t get the coronavirus vaccine, reports Defense News, clearly defying the Biden administration’s mandates.

Parts from the under-construction USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier are being taken to be used on the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, reports Navy Times, to guarantee it is ready to deploy next year. The Kennedy is still expected to be ready in 2024.

Congress is considering legislation that would allow firearms to be confiscated from service members accused of domestic violence by the military, reports Military.com. The proposal by House Democratic lawmakers would allow civilian courts and law enforcement to take the weapons.

The US Senate is at a standstill on the annual defense bill, reports Politico. Some US allies expressed concern to a group of senators attending the Halifax International Security Forum last week that Congress could break a 60-year streak and fail to pass the bill before the end of the year.

The US Air Force wants to turn its MC-130J cargo planes into aerial bombers, reports Breaking Defense. In the event of a war, the service has hypothesized that it might need even more strike capacity than it currently has with its fleet of fighters and bombers.

Displaying its commitment to a partnership with the United States, Taiwan commissioned an upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon jet into service last week, reports Defense News.

Appearing on CNN on Sunday, former StateSec Henry Kissinger said he doesn’t expect China to launch a military attack on Taiwan in the next decade, reports The Hill. “I don’t expect an all-out attack on Taiwan in, say, a 10-year period, which is as far as I can see. I think it is perfectly possible that if the confrontation keeps growing, that the Chinese will take measures that will weaken the Taiwanese ability to appear substantially autonomous,” Kissinger said.

 

 

A Hudson Institute report finds that for the Pentagon to be able to match up with China in any military operation, DoD needs to make aerial refueling capabilities a top priority, reports Breaking Defense. The authors question whether the US Air Force is capable of fielding the aerial refueling force that the nation needs in the “Resilient Aerial Refueling: Safeguarding the US Military’s Global Reach” report issued November 15.

A Ronald Reagan Institute study recommends that the US reskill its workers using federal education grants, investing in sectors vital to national security and boosting tech development with its allies, reports Defense News. One of the signature recommendations in the Task Force on Manufacturing Competitiveness report calls for a modernization of the Defense Production Act for the 21st Century, saying an update would enable holistic solutions for critical manufacturing facilities, such as targeted visa approvals for STEM talent, direct project financing, automatic fast-tracking of permits, and investments in workforce training.

The Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society says the organization has seen an uptick in loan applications from sailors struggling to cover living expenses, reports Military.com, because many are experiencing months-long delays to their pay raises.

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, Google, and Oracle are being solicited for the Defense Department’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability program, reports Federal News Network. The multibillion dollar project will replace DoD’s JEDI Cloud contract.

New homes and buildings in England will be required to have electric car chargers installed beginning next year, reports The Hill. This comes in the lead up to 2030, when the UK will stop selling new gas and diesel cars.

They are adding some spice to life on the International Space Station. The crew harvested its first crop of chile peppers grown in the ISS’ plant habitat system, reports Navy Times. NASA astronaut Megan McArthur was excited to enjoy “my best space tacos yet.”

A student pilot with the US Air Force’s 47th Student Squadron was killed in the mishap on a runway at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, reports Air Force Times. The November 19 accident involved two T-38C jets. Two other pilots were injured, one critically.

The Maryland darter fish will be declared extinct, reports Bay Journal, after a final search in tributaries of the Susquehanna River have failed to find any. The fish was the only animal of any kind known to be found solely in Maryland.

Contracts:

General Dynamics Information Technology Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, was awarded a $829,235,847 fixed-price, award-fee task order to provide all information technology help desk services for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Work will be performed at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, DC, and other DIA sites, with an expected completion date of Jan. 27, 2032. Fiscal 2022 operations and management funds in the amount of $19,962 are being incrementally funded at the time of award for base-year labor. This contract was a competitive acquisition, and five offers were received. The Virginia Contracting Activity, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity (HHM402-21-D-0016/0002).

MEB General Contractors Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, was awarded a $28,013,000 firm-fixed-price contract for fuel facility replacement. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 7, 2023. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Fiscal 2018 and 2021 military construction, Army; and 2022 military construction, Defense funds in the amount of $28,013,000 were obligated at the time of award. The US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-22-C-0003).

Jo-Kell Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $11,103,552 indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price long-term contract for UH-60A helicopter special purpose electrical cable assembly spare parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with a Nov. 29, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Virginia (SPE4A6-21-D-0036).