Uptick in Attacks on US Troops in Middle East

The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and UAVs in the Red Sea on Oct. 19. Carney is deployed to the US 5th Fleet in the Middle East. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Lau)

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.

As the US continues to move its assets around the Middle East to support Israel in its war against Hamas, the number of attacks on US troops nearby has increased, reports The Hill. The attacks are also being conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah, militia groups in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthis in Yemen. “So I think it’s fair to say when you see this uptick in activity and attacks by many of these groups, there’s Iranian fingerprints all over it,” a Pentagon official said. Two dozen US military personnel have been wounded in attacks at American bases in Iraq and Syria, reports NBC News.

US Army air defense units from Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort Liberty in North Carolina, and Fort Sill in Oklahoma are being deployed to the Middle East after 13 drone attacks, reports Military.com.

The New Jersey Air National Guard’s 119th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron arrived within US Central Command’s area of responsibility, adding F-16 Fighting Falcon squadrons into the mix to deter further aggression in the region, reports Fox News on MSN.

The Pentagon has sent military advisers to Israel to aid in its war planning ahead of an anticipated ground assault into Gaza, reports Military.com. Among the advisers is US Marine Corps LT GEN James Glynn. In the past, Glynn lead special operations forces against the Islamic State and served in Fallujah, Iraq.

Some military experts in urban combat say fighting in densely populated areas presents a host of unique tactical challenges for both sides and devastating consequences for civilians caught in its midst, reports Navy Times. While the US has supported other countries in significant urban battles, its military has had some of its own urban fights in Baghdad, Fallujah, Sadr City, and elsewhere in Iraq.

A US Navy F-35 Lightning II test pilot performed the first roll-on landing of an F-35B aboard the HMS Prince of Wales in the Atlantic, reports dvidshub.net. Marine MAJ Paul Gucwa performed the first shipborne rolling vertical landing aboard the aircraft carrier. F-35B pilots usually approach the carrier from the port side to a position adjacent to a landing spot. They then transition, or fly sideways, to the landing spot and land vertically. More than looking and sounding different, the landing technique could lead to tactics where a pilot returns to the ship with heavier loads, for example more fuel or weapons. Test pilots from NAWCAD Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23) at NAS Pax River had joined the carrier off the Eastern Seaboard of the US for the trials, known as Developmental Test phase 3 (DT-3), reports UK Defence Journal.

At the trials, the F-35 fighter jet flew in “beast mode,” reports 1945. That’s the term aviators use to describe the fifth-generation stealth fighter when it carries a weapon on every pylon as well as in its internal bomb bay. The F-35 carried 22,000 pounds of ordnance.

The US Navy has found the perfect wingman for its carrier pilots – artificial intelligence, reports Fox News. AI can land a plane on a carrier deck. A form of AI called Precision Landing Mode has changed the art of carrier landings into science.

The United States has warned China that it will defend Philippines in case of an armed attack, after Chinese ships collided with two Filipino vessels in the South China Sea on Sunday, reports The Associated Press. Philippine government officials said they view the latest aggression by China as a violation of international law.

AIRtec Inc., an aerospace and technology company, has acquired a majority stake in Pax Aero Solutions, reports San Francisco Examiner. Pax Aero Solutions is known for its expertise in aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul services. The acquisition will enable AIRtec to diversify its portfolio and enhance its position in the aerospace industry. AIRtec operates out of the St. Mary’s County Airport in California, MD.

St. Mary’s County recently hosted the Maryland International Agricultural and Environmental Conference, reports Southern Maryland News. Among the stops for the conference attendees: a farm in Charlotte Hall, Tobacco Barn Distillery in Hollywood, and AIRtec, where they received information about drone use in farming and other technology.

The Defense Department is being pressured to posthumously promote the 13 US service members killed in the Kabul airport terrorist attack in the final days of the American military deployment in Afghanistan in 2021, reports Military Times.

Joint Base Andrews welcomed the arrival of all-electric aircraft last week. AFWERX, in collaboration with one of its partners, BETA Technologies, an electric aerospace company, landed an ALIA conventional take-off and landing, all-electric aircraft at Andrews during a flight from Vermont to Florida, the base’s public affairs office reports.

An Australian court this week postponed an extradition hearing for former US military pilot Dan Duggan accused of illegally training Chinese aviators, reports ABC News. Duggan faces up to 65 years in prison if convicted. A 2017 indictment alleges that Duggan gave Chinese nationals training in military aviation in exchange for payments from “a business firm based in the PRC (People’s Republic of China) that acquired military training, equipment and technical data for the PRC government and military,” Marine Corps Times reported last year.

Former National Security Agency employee Jareh Sebastian Dalke pleaded guilty earlier this week to trying to sell classified information to Russia, reports Federal Times. Prosecutors agreed to not ask for more than about 22 years in prison at sentencing next April.

Lockheed Martin has dropped out from the US Air Force’s competition to build at least 75 refueling tankers, reports Reuters, giving Boeing’s KC-46 Pegasus a boost in the multibillion-dollar defense contract.

Pax River’s Naval Air Systems Command has honored 13 employees at its Women of Color STEM Conference, reports smnewsnet.com. The 13 recipients represent the highest number of employees honored at the annual event.

TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced the launch of its redesigned Institute for Women Entrepreneur Excellence. The program was created to address the barriers to success many women face in the entrepreneurial sector, according to a TEDCO news release. Applications are now being accepted for the program. Linda Singh, the institute’s executive director, was the first woman and first African American to lead the Maryland National Guard.

Personal finance website WalletHub updated its rankings for the company’s Changes in Unemployment Rate by State report. Comparing statistics from the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the report finds that Maryland has the best unemployment rate change. The state’s unemployment rate in September 2023 at 1.6% was the lowest in the US, according to the report.

Baltimore’s “Tech Hub” designation by the US Department of Commerce means the region could compete for billions in federal economic development funding, reports Maryland Matters.

Contracts:

Raytheon Co., Andover, Maryland, was awarded a $10,046,009 modification (PZ0295) to contract W31P4Q-15-C-0022 for program integration and management, system engineering, configuration management, data management and testing. Work will be performed in Andover, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 18, 2024. Fiscal 2024 Foreign Military Sales (Poland) funds in the amount of $10,046,009 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

BAE Systems Ordnance Systems Inc., Radford, Virginia, was awarded a $47,102,588 firm-fixed-price contract for a legacy nitroglycerin facility replacement effort. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Radford, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of April 20, 2026. Fiscal 2024 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $47,102,588 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W519TC-24-F-0011).

Cianbro Corp., Pittsfield, Maine, is awarded a $112,468,770 fixed-price-award-fee contract for construction at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia. The work to be performed provides for the design-bid-build for construction of a new Dry Dock 4 Refueling Complex. This contract is part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, which is a holistic plan that integrates all infrastructure and industrial plant equipment investments at the Navy’s four public shipyards to meet nuclear fleet maintenance requirements. The base price and Options 1 and 2 will be awarded in the amount of $108,868,770, with award fee in the amount of $3,600,000, for a total obligated amount of $112,468,770. Work will be performed in Portsmouth, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by December 2025. Fiscal 2023 Capital Investment Program, other procurement, Navy contract funds in the amount of $112,468,770 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the www.sam.gov website with one offer received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N40085-24-C-0001).

McKinsey and Co., Washington, DC, was awarded a $7,775,770 firm-fixed-price contract (HT9402-23-C-0010) on a sole source basis to provide readiness analytics support. The contractor shall support the Defense Health Agency (DHA) with cost and performance management services built around the guiding principles of applying relevant leading practices for decision support with data analysis and consulting services to evaluate effectiveness of Defense Health Program appropriations and Military Health System policies. This includes delivering early insights to provide initial cost transparency upfront, gaining buy-in for change, validating the approach, and prioritizing people, process, and technology changes that can be implemented strategically. This includes financial, audit, accounting, and data analytics support services centered on DHA governance priorities, to include (but not limited to) policy performance via a discrete modeling and interpretive analysis of policy measurements along with other DHA priority focus areas such as private sector care cost modeling and analysis. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds were obligated at the time of award. Place of performance is Falls Church, Virginia. Period of performance is Sept. 30, 2023, to Sept. 29, 2024. Defense Health Agency, Managed Care Contracting Division, Aurora, Colorado, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 29, 2023)