US or China. Who Is Winning AI Battle?

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.

The United States has the best artificial intelligence technology in the world. That’s the message from Raj Iyer, the US Army’s chief information officer, reports National Defense. Iyer was speaking during a roundtable at a conference of the Association of the US Army in Washington, DC, last week. Maj. Gen. Matthew Easley, director for cybersecurity and the chief information security officer in the office of the Army chief information officer, said there is only one area where China surpasses the United States in artificial intelligence: the digital surveillance of its citizens.

A US Air Force chief software officer resigned his post in September to bring attention to what he believes is China’s dominance in the technology race. “I resigned,” Nicolaus Chaillan told Fox News, “because I wanted to raise the alarm and ensure we take action before it is too late.” While at the Pentagon, Chaillan identified a key difference between the way the US and China interact with their private-sector technology companies. “China is able to mandate these companies to work with them, to get access to data and access to artificial intelligence and technology at a faster pace” he said, underscoring that the US is “not able to reach out to our US companies.”

A COVID Consolidated Disposition Authority has been created to discharge sailors who refuse to comply with the mandatory vaccination policy, reports Navy Times. The service set the timeline and discharge details.

LT COL Stuart Scheller was found guilty Thursday after he entered guilty pleas to five charges — including contempt toward officials, disrespect toward superior commissioned officers, and failure to obey order or regulation — after videos of the officer criticizing military leaders about their handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal went viral, reports CNN.

China and Russia kicked off their Joint Sea 2021 naval drills in Russia’s Peter the Great Gulf last week, reports The Associated Press, in the latest sign of their growing political and military alignment.

After sending its military aircraft to harass Taiwan in early October, China has toned down the “saber rattling” but tensions remain high, reports Military Times. China claims Taiwan as its own; the US supports a self-ruled Taiwan. The US’ longstanding policy has been to provide political and military support for Taiwan, while not explicitly promising to defend it from a Chinese attack.

Soldiers from India are in Alaska for a two-week training, reports Military Times. In the past, the exercise focused on desert environments, but now the focus is cold weather warfare.

The Environmental Working Group said high levels of toxic chemicals, known as “forever chemicals,” have been found in groundwater from at least 13 Department of Defense sites in the Gulf of Mexico, reports Military Times. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — known as PFAS — found in the groundwater adversely affect Gulf fish and residents who subsequently consume any contaminated seafood, according to EWG. There are 679 military sites with known or suspected discharges of PFAS.

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science scientists say they have cracked the Chesapeake Bay blue crab’s genetic code, reports Chesapeake Bay Magazine. This complete picture of the crab’s DNA can reveal which genetic traits make some crabs effective at reproducing or why some are better adapted to warmer water temperatures.

 

 

The Army’s Precision Strike Missile broke its distance record in a flight test last week, reports Defense News. Lockheed Martin is the strike missile developer.

The US Army will hold a robot exercise next year to test its entire company of unmanned combat vehicles in simulated battle, reports Defense One.

Lockheed Martin is building a new laser weapon — DEIMOS, short for Directed Energy Interceptor for Maneuver of Short Range Air Defense — for Stryker combat vehicles in anticipation for a future competition for the Army’s short range air defense system, reports Breaking Defense.

The US Transportation Command has a new leader. Air Force GEN Jacqueline Van Ovost became the second woman to lead one of DoD’s 11 combatant commands, reports The Hill. Army LT GEN Laura Richardson will become the next commander of the US Southern Command later this month, reports Military.com. The first female officer to lead a command was Air Force GEN Lori Robinson.

Ravi Chaudhary is the Biden administration’s nomination to be the US Air Force’s next assistant secretary for installations, environment and energy, reports Air Force Times. Chaudhary served in the Air Force for more than 20 years.

A federal grand jury has indicted a former top Boeing test pilot, Mark Forkner, for fraud on accusations he deceived US regulators about a software issue that was connected to two deadly crashes of the manufacturer’s 737 Max aircraft, reports UPI.

The US Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Pax River, MD, has bid farewell to John O’Connor, its chief academic instructor, reports Tester. O’Connor has been a part of the naval aviation flight test community for 35 years, spending the last 20 as an instructor.

The Air Force Association has named 12 enlisted members in its 2021 Outstanding Airmen of the Year program, reports Air Force magazine. Among those honored is SMSGT Marcus Banks of the 316th Civil Engineer Squadron at Joint Base Andrews.

COL Leah Botona Boling is the first female and person of color to serve as director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps at the Air National Guard Readiness Center at Joint Base Andrews, reports enidnews.com.

The US Coast Guard says the wreck of the US Revenue Cutter Bear has been located, reports Military.com. The vessel sank in 1963 about 260 miles east of Boston as it was being towed to Philadelphia.

Contracts:

The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $14,456,362 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00055) to a previously awarded contract (N0001916C0032). This modification adds scope to provide test and engineering support necessary to complete the development of the Next Gen Jammer-Mid Band system in support of the phased replacement of the AN/ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming System currently mounted to the EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (95%); and St. Louis, Missouri (5%), and is expected to be completed in September 2022. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,037,639 will be obligated at the 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.

Tetra Tech EC Inc., Huntsville, Alabama (W912DY-21-D-0085); EA Engineering, Science, and Technology Inc., Hunt Valley, Maryland (W912DY-21-D-0131); Weston Solutions Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania (W912DY-21-D-0086); AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California (W912DY-21-D-0079); Arcadis U.S. Inc., Highlands Ranch, Colorado (W912DY-21-D-0080); Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, California (W912DY-21-D-0081); HydroGeoLogic Inc., Reston, Virginia (W912DY-21-D-0082); Jacobs USAE JV, Arlington, Virginia (W912DY-21-D-0083); Parsons Government Services Inc., Pasadena, California (W912DY-21-D-0084); GSI MMRP JV LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii (W912DY-21-D-0132); and APTIM Federal Services LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (W912DY-21-D-0129), will compete for each order of the $1,136,000,000 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to perform Military Munitions Response Program responses, environmental compliance and remediation services, and other munitions-related services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 13 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 14, 2031. US Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity.

Alliance WSP JV LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (W912DR-22-D-0002); JG&A-TSG JV, Marietta, Georgia (W912DR-22-D-0003); and The Urban Collaborative LLC, Eugene, Oregon (W912DR-22-D-0004), will compete for each order of the $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineering services for real property master plan development and updating. Bids were solicited via the internet with 12 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 14, 2026. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $269,485,986 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-20-C-2120) for lead yard support and development studies and design efforts related to Virginia-class submarines. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut (92%); McLeansville, North Carolina (7%); and Newport News, Virginia (1%), and is expected to be completed by Oct. 16, 2022. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $13,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The statutory authority for this sole source award is in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1(a)(2)(iii) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, DC, is the contracting activity.