UAV Pilots Suffer From Stress

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 necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Although UAV operators are not physically in danger, growing research is finding they suffer some of the emotional strains of war that ground forces face, according to Military Times. The first study of its kind found the amount of behavioral issues, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD affecting UAV pilots is comparable to that of traditional pilots. The study concluded that, “just because service members are not physically deployed to a war zone doesn’t mean there is less of a mental health risk.”

A new independent survey found that Navy-wide morale is “quite low” and nearly half the enlisted force said they don’t trust senior leaders to handle the problems facing the Navy, from long and unpredictable deployments to tight budgets and proposed pay changes, according to Navy Times. The survey was launched and funded by a career fighter pilot on a mission to alert Navy leaders to what he and colleagues see as a coming retention crisis.

The DoD is going back to Congress to ensure it has funding to continue air operations against ISIS despite operating under an $85 billion supplemental wartime budget, reports DefenseNews. The war against the ISIS could cost the US between $2.4 billion and $22 billion per year, according a report released yesterday by a nonpartisan budget research institute, reports The Hill. The report, which evaluates spending on national security, estimates the cost of US operations against ISIS since mid-June is likely between $780 million and $930 million.

Unmanned technologies are serving homeland security roles including sniffing out bombs, analyzing chemical spills, scouting undersea mines, and serving as the advance eyes of first-responder teams, according to FederalTimes.

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is looking at cloud options for improving operations and achieving savings, including through new projects that inform tactical decision-making and streamline IT functions, reports C4ISR&Networks. The ONR is seeking white papers and proposals for its Expeditionary Warfare Naval Tactical Cloud, which “will accelerate exploitation of all relevant data for mission planning and execution in the conduct of expeditionary warfare missions.”

New, advanced unmanned systems are being developed by Northrop Grumman to support the DoD’s capability to deploy global persistent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and strike capabilities in a faster and more cost-effective way, reports SEAPOWER. The next-generation Tactical Exploited Reconnaissance Node (Tern) program is designed to operate off small-deck US Navy vessels and enable greater mission capability and flexibility without the need for establishing fixed land bases or deploying aircraft carriers.

DefenseNews takes an in depth look at the USS Zumwalt, the epitome of naval stealth design and a ship filled with new features. The futuristic ship is by far the largest ship ever called a “destroyer,” and takes to the sea for the first time in the spring.

DoD officials proposed new rules that would limit the amount of interest that could be charged to service members and their spouses on most forms of credit, including credit cards, reports Military Times. The new rules “would reduce predatory lending practices, significantly expand the protections provided to service members, close loopholes in current rules, and help to ensure military families receive the important consumer protections they deserve.”

The VA is changing the way veterans file disability claims to speed up the process, reports Stars and Stripes. The new system uses standardized electronic forms for veterans to fill out and is aimed at streamlining a chaotic process that led to delays in handling claims and appeals.

Raytheon Missile Systems will be producing 231 Tomahawk cruise missiles for the Navy under a recent $251 million contract using previously appropriated funds, reports The Arizona Daily Star.

Airtec, Inc., California, Maryland, is being awarded a $12,485,799 indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to provide operations, maintenance, and developmental test and evaluation services on a contractor-owned/contractor-operated Bombardier DHC-8/200 multi-sensor aircraft in support of the U.S. Army Southern Command’s flight missions. Work will be performed in Bogota, Columbia, and is expected to be completed in June 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $8,405,169 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was non-competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-14-D-0030).

NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corp.,* Warminster, Pennsylvania, is being awarded $12,296,784 for delivery order 0015 against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N68335-10-G-0026) for work associated with a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research effort under Topics N92-170: Laser Radar Laser Detection and Ranging Identification Demonstration; N94-178: Air-Deployable Expendable Multi-Parameter Environmental Probe; and AF083-006: Low Cost Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). Efforts include the assessment, procurement, and deployment of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems, communication systems, unmanned systems, noise reduction technology, improved aircraft aerodynamics to include increased lift and decreased drag, unmanned air vehicle weatherization, improved endurance, support of at sea Navy operations and related support hardware. Work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona (30 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (20 percent); Afghanistan (20 percent); China Lake, California (15 percent); and Point Mugu, California (15 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $253,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.

NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corp.,* Warminster, Pennsylvania, is being awarded $8,597,356 for delivery order 0001 against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N68335-14-G-0040) for work associated with a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research effort under topics N08-023: Precision High Altitude Sonobuoy Emplacement; N94-178: Air-Deployable Expendable Multi-Parameter Environmental Probe; and AF083-006: Low Cost Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Efforts are associated with the advancements in command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance technologies to enhance communication techniques between the sensors and/or platforms and interfaces; analyze the fusion and exploitation of multi-source sensor data; and develop any other technique to advance capabilities. This work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona (30 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (30 percent); Warminster, Pennsylvania (20 percent); and Washington, District of Columbia (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2016. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) and research, development, test and evaluation (Navy and Defense-wide) funds in the amount of $828,899 will be obligated at the time of award, $766,139 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.