US Warns of Sabotage in Persian Gulf

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.

US issues new warning to Gulf sailors after UAE says ships were sabotaged, reports Military Times. While Gulf officials declined to say who they suspect may be responsible, the US has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region. America deployed the USS Lincoln carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged, still-unspecified threats from Tehran.

The US revamps a plan to deploy up to 120,000  troops to the Middle East as tensions with Iran intensify, reports The New York Times. The British warn of accidental conflict happening, reports Military Times.

Who loses out in the US-China trade war? BBC reports it will be US importers, not Chinese firms, to pay the tariffs in the form of taxes to the US government, according to a senior counsel to the Canadian government during the Canada-EU free trade agreement negotiations. It is likely that these additional costs are then simply passed on to US consumers in the form of higher prices.

Rolls-Royce unveils hybrid power system for laser weapons, reports Defense News.

USS John C. Stennis is expected to arrive in Norfolk, VA, this week, marking the conclusion of its deployment and the start of preparations for a scheduled mid-life refueling complex overhaul, reports USNI.

Air Force nuclear and space programs take a hit in border wall reprogramming, reports Defense News, as $1.5 billion in FY19 is reprogrammed to support President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico. The funding largely comes from personnel accounts in the Air Force, Navy, and Army. But the Air Force is the only service to lose funding for hardware, including nuclear and conventional weapons, surveillance aircraft updates, and space programs.

DoD slashes foreign-language training, reports Foreign Policy, as the Pentagon redirects resources to Trump’s border wall and reduces America’s troop presence overseas.

Vice President Mike Pence to speak at West Point’s graduation, reports Army Times. More than 950 cadets are expected to receive their commissions as Army second lieutenants.

Prosecutors in Navy war crimes case are accused of spying on defense attorneys and a Navy Times reporter, reports The Associated Press.
Military prosecutors in the case of a Navy SEAL charged with killing an Islamic State prisoner in Iraq in 2017 installed tracking software in emails sent to defense lawyers and a reporter in an apparent attempt to discover who was leaking information to the media.

Navy calls for closer fitness test monitoring following recruit deaths, reports Stars and Stripes, and ordered  sailors to watch fitness test participants more closely for signs of distress. Four sailors have died in the past year during “seemingly normal physical fitness exercise” according to a Navy administrative memo issued last week.

Judge blocks release of Coast Guardsman called “terrorist,” reports AP by way of Navy Times. A federal judge in Maryland blocked the release of a Coast Guard lieutenant accused of stockpiling combat gear and compiling a hit list of prominent Democrats and TV journalists.

Free veteran ID cards can take six months to process, reports Military.com.

North Korea demands return of a cargo ship seized by US, reports The New York Times. The ship was detained in Indonesian waters last year, and its seizure by the United States announced last week. American prosecutors say the North Korean ship, the Wise Honest, was used to export coal and import heavy machinery in violation of sanctions imposed on the North over its nuclear arms program.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: May 13, 2019

Contracts:

Omnitec Solutions, Bethesda, Maryland, is awarded a $45,350,778 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides support to improve acquisition program planning and execution of Naval Aviation and joint programs in support of Integrated Project Management (IPM). Specific support to be provided includes strategic research and analysis, industry collaborative exchange, enculturation, strategic and operational implementation, supplier analysis and management, data collection and management, IPM, earned value management and integrated government scheduling. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (92 percent); Lakehurst, New Jersey (4 percent); and Orlando, Florida (4 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of this award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; four offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-19-D-0066).

CSRA LLC, Falls Church, Virginia, is awarded a $24,249,327 modification for the fixed-price cost-plus-fixed-fee portion of the previously awarded contract M67854-17-C-9000 to exercise Option Period Two to continue information support services for software development and maintenance of business mission area systems to include, but not limited to, personnel and financial accounting systems to support the mission of the Department of Defense. Work will be performed in Kansas City, Missouri (80 percent); and Indianapolis, Indiana (20 percent), and is expected to be completed by May 14, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $16,754,745 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will expire the end of the current fiscal year. The base contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The contract option was evaluated as part of the competition of the original contract award. The contract modification was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 17.207. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-17-C-9000 P00009).

Clark Construction Group LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, was awarded a $17,843,472 modification (P00018) to contract W912DR-16-C-0013 to design and build a multi-story office building. Work will be performed in Fort Meade, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2014 and 2018 military construction funds in the amount of $17,843,472 were obligated at the time of the award. US Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Culmen International LLC, Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $12,476,716 firm-fixed-price contract for acquisition program management and planning support. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 13, 2024. US Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-19-D-0042).