US & UK Accuse Russia of Global Cyber Attacks

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 US and UK blame Russia for coordinated global cyber attacks on internet devices, reports The Hill. The hackers have tried to breach routers, switches, and firewalls in an effort to breach organizations across the globe. The White House cyber security coordinator said the attacks were likely for spying or intellectual property theft and said the US was “going to push back.”

A proposed bipartisan bill would give the president broad authority to use force against terrorist groups, reports Defense News. The authority does not have a time limit and would cover all  terrorist groups the US is currently fighting and not restrict immediate presidential action against enemies in other global hot spots.

Russia sanctions are still under consideration, reports Military Times, although the White House scrambled earlier in the week to walk back UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s weekend announcement that new economic sanctions against Russia are imminent.

Syrian and Russian authorities kept independent investigators from an alleged chemical attack site in Syria, reports Military Times. Concerns exist that Russia is obliterating evidence of the alleged chemical attack near the Syrian capital, days after the US, France, and Britain bombarded sites in Syria they said were linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program.

A major Marine training exercise hosted by Jordan includes civilian evacuations, chemical, and biological drills, reports Marine Corps Times. Despite coming on the heels of the US, French, and British strikes in Syria, the troop build-up in Jordan was part of the annual Eager Lion exercise.

The first of a new class of submarine, the USS Columbia (SSBN-826), is slated for patrol in 2031, according to USNI, just before the current Ohio-class nuclear-deterrent boats are too old to submerge.

If the Navy decides to buy two carriers together, shortening build time by a year, USNI News reports Newport News would save $1.6 billion and maintain a stable workforce of 25,000.

China announced temporary anti-dumping measures on US sorghum, reports The Washington Post, potentially exacerbating the brewing trade war between Beijing and Washington. Reuters reports the US has also banned sales of parts and software to China’s ZTE Corp. for seven years. Heightened tension between the world’s two largest economies have escalated to threats exchanged between the US and China of tariffs worth billions of dollars.

LRASM anti-ship missile field test from F/A-18 Super Hornet is set for this year, reports Military Aerospace.

Contracts:

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is being awarded a $27,079,692 cost-plus-award-fee contract for DDG 51 class follow yard services (FYS). The FYS provides necessary engineering, technical, material procurement and production support; configuration; class flight and baseline upgrades and new technology support; data and logistics management; lessons learned analysis; acceptance trials; post-delivery test and trials; post shakedown availability support; reliability and maintainability; system safety program support; material and fleet turnover support; shipyard engineering team; turnkey; crew indoctrination, design tool/design standardization, detail design development, and other technical and engineering analyses for the purpose of supporting DDG 51 class ship construction and test and trials. In addition, DDG 51 class FYS may provide design, engineering, procurement and manufacturing/production services to support design feasibility studies and analyses that modify DDG 51 class destroyers for Foreign Military Sales programs sponsored by the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $181,413,887. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (97.8 percent); Washington, District of Columbia (1.7 percent); and Bath, Maine (0.6 percent), and is expected to be completed by April 2019. If all options are exercised, work will continue through April 2023. Fiscal 2018, 2014 and 2017 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amounts of $13,564,247, $10,193,136, $1,767,250 respectively will be obligated at time of award and not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-18-C-2312).

Northrop Grumman Corp., Melbourne, Florida, is being awarded $22,818,840 for ceiling-priced, undefinitized contract action delivery order N00383-18-F-AB1M under a previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00383-17-G-AB01) for the repair of 236 power amplifier module, aircraft, mater, that are used on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Baltimore, Maryland, and will be completed by April 2019. Fiscal 2018 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $11,195,931 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive, sole-source requirement under authority 10 US Code 2304 (c)(1), and one offer was received in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity.

MEB General Contractors Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia, is being awarded a $17,575,485 firm-fixed-price construction modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N69450-16-C-1604) for fuel distribution facilities repairs at Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort. The work to be performed provides for upgrades to tank farm A and interconnection to remaining tank farm systems. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $56,730,042. Work will be performed in Beaufort, South Carolina, and is expected to be completed by August 2018. Fiscal 2014 military construction (defense-wide) contract funds in the amount of $17,575,485 are obligated on this award; of which $16,755,780 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

Sedna Digital Solutions, Manassas, Virginia, is being awarded an $8,205,182 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for the procurement of engineering and technical services and support for the development, integration, test, demonstration, and certification of a High Fidelity Sensor Level Simulation/Stimulation and Common Processing System. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2018. Fiscal 2017 other procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,464,398 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia is the contracting activity.