Tomahawks ‘Ready to Do What They Do’

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 destroyers USS Ross and USS Porter were already operating in the Eastern Mediterranean on Thursday when the call was made to strike at the Assad regime. The two destroyers involved in the 59-Tomahawk missile strike on a Syrian airfield are part of a four-ship squadron deployed to Rota, Spain. A military analyst told Navy Times it was a coincidence that the ships were there, loaded with Tomahawks “ready to do what they do. Their presence there is to me a sign of the continuing need for credible naval combat power in the Mediterranean,” said Bryan McGrath, a former destroyer skipper and analyst with the FerryBridge Group. Dailymail.com offers before and after satellite images that show how the al-Shayrat military airfield was damaged in Thursday’s strike. Each Tomahawk missile costs about $1.6 million, fourstateshomepage.com reports. They weigh about 2,900 pounds and are between 18 and 20 feet long with a wing span of almost 9 feet. The missiles were built in south Arkansas.

The Navy is moving ahead with its plans to bring its MQ-4C Triton autonomous signals-intelligence aircraft to “early operational capability” by 2018, National Defense reports. The aircraft recently completed a preliminary design review and a successful first flight of an improved software suite.

Top US military leaders told members of the House Armed Services Committee it will mean lost lives, halted training, and sidelined equipment if Congress punts on spending legislation for this year and forces the military to operate for the next five months under fiscal 2016 levels, Defense News reports.

Acting NavSec Sean Stackley says some officials are making public some information that they shouldn’t in an attempt to convince Congress that budget gridlock is hurting the country’s military readiness, Breaking Defense reports. ADM John Richardson urges naval personnel to make sure they “are not giving away our competitive edge by sharing too much information publicly.”

Former Pentagon workers told the House Armed Services Committee last week that DoD should do more to manage its growing civilian workforce and to expedite military acquisitions, UPI reports

Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division engineers and logistics support were called earlier this year when the Navy’s Carrier Air Wing 5 found out it would have to ground its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft due to oil contamination in the ejection seat’s motor, the South Potomac Pilot reports. Efforts were made to quickly assess the problem and get replacements to the fleet in a quick and timely manner. “Great work by the team at [NSWC IHEODTD] to build a test fixture, create procedures, and execute 14 individual test events in less than a week,” wrote VADM Paul Grosklags, commander of the Naval Air Systems Command.

The Navy paused for a short time operations of the T-45C Goshawk training jet out of concern for potential “physiological episodes” resulting from oxygen-system contamination, AINonline reports. The temporary grounding comes as the Navy copes with steadily increasing rates of such episodes experienced by pilots of F/A-18A-D Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, and EA-18G Growlers as well as T-45 pilots.

Gen. Jay Raymond, head of Air Force Space Command, and other Air Force officers believe the US must be able to wage war in space, reports Breaking Defense. If war breaks out between the US and a competitor such as China, it will almost certainly be fought in space, Gen. Raymond said, just as it would be fought on land, at sea, and in the air.

Capt. Brett “Banya” Pierson retired as the commodore of Naval Test Wing Atlantic last month after 30 years of service in the Navy, the BayNet.com reports. He has piloted 74 different aircraft. He called flying the P-51 Mustang “awe inspiring.” But when it comes to fighter jets, the Super Hornet is his favorite.

Dana W. White, a former staffer for Sen. John McCain and public affairs specialist for Northrop Grumman, has been tapped by DefSec James Mattis for a top public affairs role at the Pentagon, Defense News reports.

Navy officials will decommission the 14-year-old online training, education, and cyber gathering place and replace it with My Navy Portal. Love it or hate it, Navy Times reports, Navy Knowledge Online soon will be gone.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller presided over Thursday’s funeral for John Glenn — an astronaut, senator and Marine veteran — who was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Gen. Neller presented a folded American flag to Glenn’s widow, Annie. 

Contracts:

Atlantic CommTech Corp., Norfolk, Virginia (W912DY-17-D-0008); Evergreen Fire and Security, Tacoma, Washington (W912DY-17-D-0009); Infotec Systems Corp., Summerville, South Carolina (W912DY-17-D-0010); Integrated Security Solutions, Kalispell, Montana (W912DY-17-D-0011); Low Voltage Wiring (LVW), LTD, Colorado Springs, Colorado (W912DY-17-D-0012); Signet Technologies, Inc., Beltsville, Maryland (W912DY-17-D-0013); Kbrwyle Technology Solutions, LLC, Columbia, Maryland (W912DY-17-D-0014); Johnson Controls Building Automation Systems, LLC, Huntsville, Alabama (W912DY-17-D-0015); M.C. Dean, Sterling, Virginia (W912DY-17-D-0016); Leidos, Inc., Reston, Virginia (W912DY-17-D-0017); Secure Mission Solutions, LLC, Centerville, Virginia (W912DY-17-D-0018); and Xator Corp., Reston, Virginia (W912DY-17-D-0019), will share in a $270,000,000 Order Dependent contract to provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, non-personal services, and other items necessary to procure, install, service and maintain electronic security systems. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 34 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated date of completion March 20, 2022. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

URS Federal Services, Inc., Germantown, Maryland, has been awarded an estimated $3,600,000,000 indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract with award fee and award term portions for remotely piloted aircraft services. Contractor will provide testing, tactics development, advanced training, Joint and Air Force urgent operational need missions. Work will be performed at Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada; Creech Air Force Base, Nevada; and Tonopah Test Range Airfield, Nevada, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2034. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with four offers received. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,875,894 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Test Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. (FA8240-17-D-4651).

Leidos, Reston, Virginia (W911QY-17-D-0017); AASKI Technologies, Inc., Tinton Falls, New Jersey (W911QY-17-D-0018); and AAI Corporation/Textron, Hunt Valley, Maryland, will share in a $900,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for technical services and field support in support of Product Office Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 5, 2022. US Army Contracting Command, Natick, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.

B3 Enterprises LLC, Woodbridge, Virginia (N44255-17-D-4011); Iron Mike – Bristol JV LLC, Centennial, Colorado (N44255-17-D-4012); MACNAK Construction LLC, Lakewood, Washington  (N44255-17-D-4013); Tompco Inc., Seabeck, Washington (N44255-17-D-4014); and Veterans Northwest Construction LLC, Seattle, Washington (N44255-17-D-4015), are each being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contract for design-build or design-bid-build construction projects located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest area of responsibility (AOR). The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years for all five contracts combined is $99,000,000. Types of projects include, but are not limited to, administrative and industrial facilities, housing renovation, child care centers, lodges, recreation/fitness centers, retail complexes, warehouses, housing offices, community centers, commercial and institutional buildings, manufacturing and industrial buildings and other similar facilities. B3 Enterprises LLC is being awarded task order 0001 at $2,539,587 for the design-build replace roof sections of a production building at Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton, Bremerton, Washington. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by February 2018. All work on this contract will be performed primarily within the NAVFAC Northwest AOR which includes Washington (92 percent); Oregon (2 percent); Alaska (2 percent); Idaho (1 percent); Montana (1 percent); and Wyoming (1 percent). Work may also be performed in the remainder of the US (1 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of April 2022. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (Navy); and fiscal 2017 Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $2,639,587 are obligated on this award, of which $2,539,587 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with 16 proposals received. These five contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity.

GBD JV, Aberdeen, Maryland, is being awarded a maximum amount $50,000,000 firm-fixed-price, regional indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for new paving, paving repair, and/or replacement of various types of paving such as roadways, airfields, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, etc. within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of responsibility (AOR). Other incidental types of work, including but not limited to, demolition, site preparations, and site drainage are also included in the scope of work. Paving and associated work may be ordered for industrial, commercial, and residential locations indicated with each task order. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various installations located in the NAVFAC Washington AOR. The term of the contract is not to exceed 48 months, with an expected completion date of April 2021. Fiscal 2017 supervision, inspection, and overhead and fiscal 2017 Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $25,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N40080-17-D-0033).

Wartsila Defense Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is being awarded a $29,250,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the design, development, and testing of pre-prototype propulsor hardware and propulsor test component hardware. This contract provides manufacturing design drawings, engineering, fabrication and assembly of pre-prototype propulsors, propulsor components, and propulsor test components for research and development purposes. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (90 percent); and the government of Australia (10 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Chesapeake, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by April 2022. Foreign military sales funding in the amount of $1,119,133 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, Bethesda, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N0016717D0003).