January 31, 2024 | International, Land, Security
The Storefront and Dissemination Support task order will provide global IT operational, sustainment, and modernization for databases across the intelligence community and the DoD.
October 8, 2023 | International, Land
As the Army drives to reach a rate of 100,000 155mm artillery munitions per month by FY26, it's awarding contracts to domestic and global companies.
December 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — Congressional appropriators and authorizers have increased advance procurement funds for the newest variant of the CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopter as preparation to supply the aircraft to the Army's active force, even though the service asked to only buy a small number of the helos in fiscal 2020 for special operations. The service's decision to cut the aircraft from the active force was based on the need to free up future cash to cover the cost of an ambitious plan to buy two new future vertical lift aircraft for long-range assault and attack reconnaissance missions. But Congress has gone against the Army's wishes to divert funding away from procurement for the active force, instead adding $28 million in FY20 funding — in both the recently released spending and policy bill conference reports — for advance procurement to begin to prime the pump to restore CH-47F Block II deliveries to the conventional Army. The cut the service made would only buy 69 special operations variants — or "G" models. The original plan was to procure 473 "F"-model Block II helicopters for the active force. The Army approved the Block II effort to move into the engineering and manufacturing development phase in April 2017, and the program officially began in July 2017. In October 2018, the first two EMD Block II Chinooks were already on the assembly line with plans to fly in mid-2019. Boeing, which manufactures the aircraft, expects a production decision in July 2021. While $28 million won't get the service much, based on the original plan the Army would start building five CH-47F Block IIs in 2021 meant for the active force. The advance procurement in FY20 would support buying longer-lead items from suppliers, but is still a stretch to claim that the additional funding restores the program. Those five aircraft would be delivered in 2023 based on Boeing's typical three-year lead time to build an airframe. It remains to be seen whether the congressional plus-up will prompt the Army to restore funding for the five CH-47F Block IIs in its FY21 budget request due out early next year. It's also unclear how many of those long-lead parts procured in FY20 could be used in G-model aircraft or are exclusive to F-models. Therefore, it's also murky how much of the $28 million in parts might be wasted if the Army sticks to its plan to only procure G-model aircraft. The Army has indicated it might reconsider the CH-47F Block II cut; the FY21 budget request, when it is released, will likely reveal the Army's decision. Shortly after the service's plan to cut the CH-47F Block II was revealed in its FY20 budget request, then-Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville, who is now chief, told reporters the Army was comfortable with its decision, but tempered that, adding: “I think in two to three years, we will have a better idea about where we are, as far as developing the helicopters we talked about, and that will drive the decision.” McConville was referring to the Army's plan to buy two future vertical lift aircraft. The same day, then-Army Secretary Mark Esper, who is now defense secretary, told another group of reporters that the service would not be rethinking its plans to build CH-47 Block IIs for the conventional force. The Army has also claimed it is pursuing foreign military sales of its CH-47F Chinooks to soften the blow from cuts made to its intended buy of the Block II variant, but none of the possible sales — to the United Kingdom or to the United Arab Emirates — were newly in the works at the time. And neither country has plans to buy Block II variants. Moreover, the number of helicopters the two countries plan to procure amount to less than 30 aircraft. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/12/17/against-armys-wishes-congress-primes-pump-to-buy-newest-ch-47-variant-for-active-force
May 7, 2019 | International, Naval
By Matt Morrison, NAVSUP Public Affairs NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (NNS) -- Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) showcases innovative technology and processes at this year's Sea Air Space Exposition, May 6-8, in National Harbor, Maryland. Featured in booth 1201 this year is the latest information on NAVSUP's reform initiative. NAVSUP's reform program is advancing with a series of initiatives to build on the efforts started in 2018. These initiatives are designed to enable audit and inventory accountability, aggressively accelerate contracting speed, deliver on our end-to-end supply chain integrator role, organize internally to deliver on fleet needs, enable the deck plate, and get more from the supply base. These efforts will improve warfighter readiness and lethality, and enable NAVSUP to improve business processes and better align with its customers in delivering supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and Joint warfighters around the world. NAVSUP is the single point of accountability for the integrated Navy supply chain with full audit compliance. NAVSUP is also demonstrating the latest in autonomous mobile robot (AMR) technology at the expo. AMR is an emerging technology that provides a powerful toolset to collect, monitor and react to important information regarding asset location. The AMR uses onboard radio frequency identification (RFID) readers to gather data from passive RFID tags placed on material in our warehouses. This provides the ability to constantly collect inventory data and immediately react to discrepancies. This solution does not require an expensive fixed infrastructure to deploy and will enable NAVSUP to perform wall-to-wall inventories on a regular basis and exceed inventory validity goals. Representatives from the NAVSUP Office of Small Business Programs will be in the booth sharing information on NAVSUP initiatives to offer procurement opportunities to small business. The office of small business is committed to maximizing procurement opportunities for all small business concerns and minority-serving educational institutions. This effort is in support of the Secretary of the Navy's goal to identify and develop small businesses that can support the NAVSUP mission and the Navy/Marine Corps force for tomorrow. NAVSUP's procurement includes weapon systems spares and repair parts, Navy medical supplies and services, and commercial supplies and services that support the fleet. Sea-Air-Space is the largest maritime exposition in the United States and is an extension of the Navy League's mission of maritime policy education and sea service support. The expo features the most current information and technology relevant to maritime policy. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and employing a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel, NAVSUP's mission is to provide supplies, services, and quality-of-life support to the Navy and joint warfighter. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsup and http://twitter.com/navsupsyscom. Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter. For more news from Naval Supply Systems Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/navsup/. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=109498