March 19, 2024

Turkey to US: Reverse Decision on F-35

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.

Turkey has asked the US to reverse its decision to exclude that country from F-35 fighter jet program, The Associated Press reports. The Trump administration kicked Turkey out of the program because it is buying a Russian air defense system.

A US intelligence gathering hub at Britain’s RAF Molesworth, one of several American bases that had been slated for closure, could stay where it is as the Pentagon reconsiders a plan to move the center somewhere else, reports Stars and Stripes.

The US wants to expand and upgrade runways and construct temporary housing for troops at an Icelandic airfield, part of an effort to boost the US presence in the Arctic region, where Russian and Chinese activity has caught the attention of NATO, reports Breaking Defense.

A report from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction says the US put more than $50 million into drug treatment programs in Afghanistan between 2013 to 2018, reports Military Times, but it’s unclear if the programs are making a difference.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned Iran of “serious consequences” if it does not release a British-flagged oil tanker it seized in the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, although he ruled out “military options,” reports USA Today.

US military officials in Europe have issued an alert warning that the photo filter application FaceApp owned by a Russia-based company could pose a security risk, reports Stars and Stripes. “A popular Facebook app that takes a current photo and shows you what you might look like in the future has raised concerns regarding privacy issues with the governments of several countries, including the United States,” US Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz said.

Military Times reports that instead of beaming a flashing light or shouting over a loudspeaker to keep people away from sensitive areas, new technology being developed could allow troops to fire a laser that can form a “plasma ball” that talks to the potential intruders.

An MV-22 Osprey from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, is parked on the Edwards flightline awaiting ground and flight tests as part of the certification process to refuel behind the KC-46 aircraft, at Edwards Air Force Base, California, July 16, 2019. (US Air Force photo by Jordan Goodsell)

VADM Michael Gilday has been nominated to be the next chief of naval operations, reports Stars and Stripes.

Capt. Jason Denney relieved Capt. David Kindley as the F/A-18 & EA-18G Program Office program manager at NAS Patuxent River, reports DCMilitary.com. Capt. Kindley retired after 29 years of naval service. Capt. Denney is the PMA-265’s 14th program manager.

Enlisted women hoping to join the ranks of Navy submariners will no longer have to wait for infrequent opportunities to apply. The Navy will now accept applications continuously from female enlisted sailors to serve in non-nuclear rates, said VADM John Nowell Jr., chief of naval personnel.

Fernando Barroso Sr., 69, a former civilian senior procurement official for the Navy in California, will spend nearly six years in federal prison for taking $1.2 million in illegal kickbacks, Navy Times reports.

The US Air Force sent a group of fighters and transport aircraft — F-35As. F-15E Strike Eagles, and C130s — to Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia last week in a test of the service’s ability to quickly deploy air power overseas, reports Stars and Stripes.

NBC News spoke with astronaut Jim Lovell on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. The Milwaukee Independent recalls Mr. Lovell as a boy “who avidly read Jules Verne novels as a child,” and by the mid-1940s was in high school building his own rockets. While in the Navy, Mr. Lovell served in a variety of flight assignments before attending the Naval Test Pilot School at Pax River.

Feel the need for speed? After much anticipation, the official trailer for “Top Gun 2: Maverick” has been released. Military Times says “it looks like a doozy.”

Contracts:

DynCorp International LLC., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $37,641,699 modification (P00004) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract FA7014-18-F-5045 for the executive airlift maintenance support contract. This contract provides for aircraft maintenance and back shop support of aircraft. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Naval Air Facility, Washington, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $37,641,699 will be obligated at the time of award. The 11th Contracting Squadron Services Flight, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $51,071,180 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of Navy systems engineering services, hardware and software. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $93,171,904. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (70%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (10%); Charleroi, Pennsylvania (10%); and Middletown, Rhode Island (10%); and is expected to be complete by June 2020, and if all options are exercised, work would continue to completion by July 2027. Royal Australian Navy funding in the amount of $1,235,312; and fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $709,443 will be obligated at time of award and does not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 US Code 2304(c)(5). The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-6118).

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $26,053,985 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only contract for the procurement of Navy systems engineering services. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $211,479,513. This contract involves foreign military sales to Australia. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia (89%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (6%); and Pawcatuck, Connecticut (5%), and is expected to be completed by July 2021. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2027. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $210,242; and Royal Australian Navy funding in the amount of $600,000 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 three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-6407).

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $22,778,107 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6407 to exercise options for Navy systems engineering services. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, and is expected to be completed July 2022. If all options are exercised, work will continue through July 2027. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,220,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.

PAE Government Systems Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a $22,578,864 modification (P00012) to Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan) contract W56HZV-17-C-0117 for contractor logistic support efforts to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. Work will be performed in Kabul, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2019 Afghanistan Security Forces funds in the amount of $22,578,864 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.

Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $77,708,000 modification (P00019) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price, fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advanced acquisition contract (N00019-17-C-0001). This modification provides for the procurement of software data loads as well as long lead material and parts for the delivery of F-35 Lightning II low-rate initial production Lots 12, 13 and 14. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (30%); El Segundo, California (25%); Warton, United Kingdom (20%); Orlando, Florida (10%); Nashua, New Hampshire (5%); Nagoya, Japan (5%); and Baltimore, Maryland (5%), and is expected to be completed in March 2023. International partner funds in the amount of $77,708,000 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.

Advanced Technology Systems Co. Inc., McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $17,896,404 firm-fixed-price contract for helicopter maintenance. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work will be performed in Fort Benning, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of June 27, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $400,000 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Benning, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W911SF-19-C-0019).

Buchanan & Edwards Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded a $9,283,593 time-and-materials contract for data frameworks initiative information technology support. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Fairfield, California, with an estimated completion date of July 17, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,384,778 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-19-F-1264).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., McLean, Virginia, was awarded an $8,665,561 modification (P00002) to contract W91RUS-14-D-0002 for non-personal information technology support services for the US Army Regional Cyber Center-Europe. Work will be performed in Wiesbaden-Erbenheim, Germany, with an estimated completion date of July 18, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $5,837,950 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

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