March 27, 2024

US, Canada Ban TikTok on Government Devices

Re-proportioned photo from Wikimedia.

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.

Federal agencies have 30 days to remove TikTok from all government devices amid mounting fears that US data may end up in the hands of Chinese Communist Party members via the Chinese-owned social media platform, reports UPI.

Canada implemented a ban on TikTok across government-issued phones Tuesday, joining a list of governments that have moved to restrict or bar the social media platform for short videos, reports The Washington Post.

USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) will be renamed after Robert Smalls, a former slave who was conscripted into Confederate service in 1862. The skilled navigator stole the steamer CSS Planter and escaped from Charleston on May 13, 1862, with his family, rescuing enslaved people and capturing military material. He turned the ship over to the US Navy, reports USNI News.

After cramming too much new technology onto warships and speeding them into production, military officials say they’re slowing down the design and purchase of the Navy’s next-generation destroyers to ensure new technology like powerful lasers and hypersonic missiles are mature before pressing ahead on construction, reports Navy Times.

Service members who were forced out of the military because they refused the COVID-19 vaccination now have a path for rejoining, reports Military Times, if the service member meets the qualifications, testified Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee.

Fewer than 10 of the more than 2,000 sailors discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine have expressed interest in rejoining the Navy now that the shot isn’t required, reports Military.com

The Navy has released a “Mental Health Playbook” that aims to facilitate mental health conversations between commanders and their sailors and eliminate the oft-perceived stigma associated with seeking help, reports Navy Times.

Denmark’s parliament has voted to abolish a springtime public holiday to boost spending on the military, reports BBC. Lawmakers voted 95-68 to scrap Great Prayer Day, a religious holiday observed since the 17th century, which will provide an additional three billion kroner ($427 million) to be used on the defense budget.

American forces left behind billions of dollars in weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and equipment in Afghanistan and the Taliban has learned how to use some of it, reports Stars and Stripes. A report released by John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, states roughly $7.2 billion in American military equipment was left in Afghanistan. The equipment includes at least 78 aircraft worth more than $920 million, 40,000 vehicles, more than 300,000 weapons, and thousands of air-to-ground munitions.

Bonnie Jenkins, US undersecretary of state for arms control, sharply criticized Russia for suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear weapons treaty, but said Washington will try to work with Moscow to continue its implementation, reports Defense News. Russia announced it would suspend participation in the New START treaty which obligated Russia and the US to regular communications on the status of their nuclear arsenals, allow regular on-site inspections, and abide by caps on the number of deployed and non-deployed warheads of each side.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made a surprise visit to Ukraine this week to announce the transfer of $1.25 billion in aid to Ukraine to solidify the US commitment to financially support Kyiv in its fight against Russian invaders, reports UPI.

The US Air Force is testing new technology that could let it brew jet fuel from the air as part of an effort to decentralized supply chains for jet fuel by allowing future American military outposts to produce their own, reports The Hill.

After making a series of modifications to an offshore support vessel, the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab is ready to start experimenting with a prototype for a landing ship the Marines say is key to the service’s island-hopping future in the Western Pacific, reports USNI News.

NASA scrubbed Monday’s launch attempt to the International Space Station, reports Stars and Stripes. The first four humans to fly into space in 2023 as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program were rescheduled to lift off today, Thursday, at 12:34am if SpaceX could resolve the technical issue that prevented Monday’s launch.

China’s Zhurong rover has revealed evidence of craters buried just under the surface of Mars, reports Space.com. This view of the Martian surface contrasts starkly with the shallow subsurface structure of Earth’s moon, also revealed by ground-penetrating radars. The moon’s uppermost 33 feet consists of fine layers that have been ground up by a bombardment of micrometeorite strikes.

Contracts:

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis, Maryland, is being awarded a $14,845,901 modification to previously-awarded, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity requirements contract N61331-22-D-0001 to exercise an option for depot level repair, maintenance and modifications in support for the AN/AQS-24 Sonar Mine Detecting Set (all variants), Common Post Mission Analysis and Intermediate Level Test Equipment to support the Navy for the currently deployed airborne mine countermeasures legacy systems. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by March 2024. There will be no funding assigned at the time of this modification. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity.

System High Corp., Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $29,049,951 modification (P00007) to previously awarded contract HR001122C0073 for program security services. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $56,355,171 from $27,305,220. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 2024. Fiscal 2023 research and development funds in the amount of $16,136,792 are being obligated at the time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, is awarded a modification (P00006) for an option year valued at $8,010,513 on a firm-fixed-price contract (HQ003421F0077) to provide technical support services to the Department of Defense chief information officer. The contractor will provide services including cybersecurity reporting and scorecards; cybersecurity research and analysis; cybersecurity policies, guidance, strategies, and procedures; risk assessment and operational integration; supply chain; public key infrastructure; mobility and wireless networking; defense cyber workforce framework; cyber phishing analyses; network penetration and vulnerability analyses; acquisition systems support; and specialized network vulnerability support. Fiscal 2023 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,010,513 are being obligated at the time of award. The purpose of this action is to exercise Option Period 2 of the contract, which currently has a period of performance from March 1, 2023, through Feb. 28, 2024. The work will be performed at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The estimated contract completion date is Feb. 28, 2026. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

CACI Inc. – Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, has been awarded a $146,410,200 firm-fixed-price task order (HS002123F0020) under single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract HS002123D0002 for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). This task order provides background investigation fieldwork services. Work will be performed nationwide, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 29, 2024. Per the ordering procedures established under this single award contract, no proposals were received for this task order. Fiscal 2023 DCSA defense working capital funds in the amount of $146,410,200 were obligated at the time of award. DCSA Acquisition and Contracting, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Carahsoft Technology Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $23,751,296 firm-fixed-price task order (FA701423F0070) for salesforce and third-party licenses and support. This task order provides for customer relationship management software that supports the Air Force A1 community. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 27, 2024. This contract involves foreign military sales to multiple countries. This task order was a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2023 operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $15,142,209 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Feb. 28, 2023)

LinTech Pragmatics JV LLC, Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $140,452,767 cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for contractor support for comprehensive, integrated, end-to-end information technology technical services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 10 received. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2028. Fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation funds; fiscal 2023 other procurement, Army funds; and fiscal 2023 and operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,650,686 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-23-F-0038).

Transoceanic Cable Ship Co. LLC, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $36,314,150 option (P00068) for the fixed-price portion of a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N3220519C3506) with reimbursable elements to exercise an 11-month option period to support the Department of Defense. This is the fifth and final option for one U.S. flagged cable ship CS Global Sentinel which will be utilized to lay and repair cable for the Department of Defense worldwide. This contract includes a 12-month base period, two six-month option periods, two 12-month option periods and one 11-month option period. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by Dec. 22, 2023. The option is funded by working capital (Navy) funds for fiscal 2023 and will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Navy’s Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

L3Harris Corp., Millersville, Maryland, is awarded a $37,661,542 fixed-priced-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost only modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-6251 to establish and exercise an option for Navy equipment, components, engineering services, and other direct costs. Work will be performed in Millersville, Maryland (57%); Liverpool, New York (40%); and Ashaway, Rhode Island (3%), and is expected to be completed by March 2026. Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $30,269,234 (80%); and fiscal 2023 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,392,308 (20%) 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, DC, is the contracting activity.

Rockwell Collins Simulation and Training Solutions, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded a $33,256,900 firm-fixed-price modification (P00010) to a previously awarded contract (N6134021C0017). This modification adds additional in-scope work to provide Weapons Systems Trainers Delta Software System Configuration (DSSC)-4 retrofits and associated training, Common Open Research Emulator Simulation (CORESIM) development, system trouble report corrections on the flight and tactics trainers, DSSC-5 aircrew hardware development, personal computer simulator concurrency gaps, and procurement of 10 aircraft flight management computer functional equivalent units in support of the E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training Systems flight, tactics, and maintenance devices, as well as associated technical data, computer software, and computer software documentation. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (70%); and Sterling, Virginia (30%), and is expected to be completed in June 2025. Fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,860,318; fiscal 2023 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $4,903,229; fiscal 2023 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,978,901; fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,889,112; fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,280,400; and fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement in the amount of $11,344,940 will be obligated at the time of award, $11,344,940 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. 

UPDATE: DuCo LLC, Easton, Maryland (SPE8EC-23-D-0007, $93,000,000), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for sweeper and scrubber equipment, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-21-R-0002 and awarded Feb. 22, 2022.

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