US Expected to Have Large Presence at Paris Air Show
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The Paris Air Show is being held this week. Defense News reports that while European companies will show off their sixth-generation fighter concepts, US DoD officials and others are expected to keep quiet about their own plans for a follow-up on the F-35. More than 2,400 companies from 49 countries will be exhibiting at the show. The US is expected to have the largest international presence at the show that kicked off Monday, June 17, reports National Defense.
The European Union appears set the boost its own defense industry by stepping up its defense spending, reports Breaking Defense. Europe’s dilemma, according to the report, is that President Donald Trump wants the allies to spend more on their own defense — but it also wants them to buy defense equipment from the US.
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul, the US Navy’s newest combat ship, was christened over the weekend, reports Stars and Stripes. Fox 9 News has video of the christening June 15 in Wisconsin.
A week after Lockheed Martin announced it was closing its Sikorsky helicopter plant in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump urged the company to keep the facility open, reports Financial World.
NASA has named 11 companies that will split $45.5 million worth of contracts “to conduct studies and produce prototypes of human landers for its Artemis lunar exploration program,” reports Fox News.
A Chinese officials has a warning for US leaders planning an arms race in space: Be prepared to lose, reports Politico.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea on Thursday and Friday, reports the Los Angeles Times. The trip would be the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years, according to the report.
The Philippines is asking the United Nations to make protecting life at sea a priority after a recent collision between a Filipino fishing boat and a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea, reports Bloomberg.
US Central Command says an unmanned MQ-9 Reaper was shot down by Houthi rebels over Yemen on June 6, reports Military Times. The SA-6 surface-to-air missile was enabled with Iranian assistance, according to the reports.
Marines from the US and Spain conducted an amphibious landing drill on the Estonian coast as part of this year’s BALTOPS exercise. The location of the exercise is significant for NATO as it seeks to counter what it perceives as Russian aggression along the alliance’s eastern flank, reports Defense News.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom will not hesitate to confront threats to its security, reports Military Times. He joined the US in accusing Iran of being behind the attacks on two vessels traveling near the Strait of Hormuz last week. While President Trump has blamed Iran for the attacks, he holds out hope that US threats to use force will yield talks with the Islamic Republic, reports Military Times. The Hill reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said, “We have absolutely no appetite for going to war or to be provocative, to create situations that might evoke responses where mistakes could be made.”
Contracts:
Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, California, was awarded a competitive, firm-fixed-price, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (HC1084-19-D-0004) for Cisco Smart Net Total Care Joint Enterprise License Agreement (JELA) II. The contract ceiling is $724,096,866. The period of performance is for one base year period with a one-year option. The period of performance for the base year is June 18, 2019, through June 17, 2020, and the option year follows consecutively through June 17, 2021. The place of performance will be across the Department of Defense. The solicitation was issued as other competitive action pursuant to the authority of 10 US Code §2304(c)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, only one responsible source, and no other supplies or services, will satisfy agency requirements. Four proposals were received. Solicitation HC1084-19-R-0013 was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov). The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1084-19-D-0004).
