Chinese military’s rifle-toting robot dogs raise concerns in Congress

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  March 20, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 19, 2019

  ARMY McCarthy HITT – Next NGA West JV, St. Louis, Missouri, was awarded a $711,651,970 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's new facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an estimated completion date of April 24, 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $407,965,869 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912DQ-19-C-7001). Pinnacle Solutions Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $553,200,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for instruction, mission support, information technology network support, operations and logistics. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 18, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-19-D-0006). Eastern Construction & Electric,* Wrightstown, New Jersey, was awarded a $10,369,000 firm-fixed-price contract for P-650 aircraft apron, taxiway and support facilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with 10 received. Work will be performed in Trenton, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $10,369,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-19-C-0003). NAVY The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, is awarded $326,295,367 for cost-plus-fixed-fee Delivery Order 2005 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0001) to develop, integrate and test Increment 3 Block capabilities into the P-8A aircraft for the Navy and the government of Australia. Work will be performed in Puget Sound, Washington (86.9 percent); Greenlawn, New York (6.7 percent); Rockford, Illinois (2.6 percent); Rancho Santa Margarita, California (1.6 percent); Patuxent River, Maryland (1 percent); Mesa, Arizona (0.8 percent); St. Louis, Missouri (0.3 percent); and Jacksonville, Florida (0.1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,442,320; and Cooperative Engagement Agreement funds in the amount of $19,200,000 are being obligated on this 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. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $264,655,025 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-15-C-0003). This modification provides for additional operation and technical services in support of the government of Korea's F-35 Lightning II program. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed in June 2020. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $264,655,025 will be obligated at 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. URS Group Inc., Morrisville, North Carolina, is awarded a $9,800,000 modification on a firm-fixed-price task order under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62470-13-D-6022) for phase one of Hurricane Michael repairs for stabilization and repairs to multiple buildings at Naval Support Activity Panama City. The work to be performed provides for removal of carpet, walls, windows and other unsalvageable items due to water penetration, clean-up of roofing materials and tarping of rooftops to mitigate further water intrusion. Repairs include roof replacement, roof decking, and sealing roof penetrations. The repairs also include correction of architectural, structural, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, electrical deficiencies and any other incidental related work as found due to the hurricane. After award of this modification, the total task order value will be $52,795,320. Work will be performed in Panama City, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $9,800,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. Concurrent Technologies Corp., Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is awarded $7,614,277 for modification number P00001 to task order M9549418F0016 under previously awarded contract GS00Q14OADU112. This modification exercises an option for support services in efforts to meet Marine Corps' energy reliability and resilience requirements for utility distribution systems and various energy security positions supporting headquarters, regions and installations. This modification increases the value of the basic task order to a new total value of $12,394,838. The task order includes four one-year option periods which, if exercised, could bring the cumulative value of this task order to $36,194,304. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia (40 percent); Lejeune, North Carolina (12 percent); Okinawa Prefecture, Japan (12 percent); San Diego, California (11 percent); Quantico, Virginia (10 percent); Bridgeport, California (4 percent); New River, North Carolina (3 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (3 percent); Barstow, California (3 percent); Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan (1 percent); and Pohang, Republic of Korea (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed March 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through March 2023. Fiscal year 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $7,614,277 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This task order was competitively solicited via General Services Administration One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services, with two proposals received. The Marine Corps Installations Command Headquarters Contracting Office, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Goodrich Corp., Westford, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $92,890,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Hyperspectral Imaging, AgilePod®, Standoff High Resolution Imaging Next Era, and Multi-Mode Lidar research and development. This contract provides for research and integration of existing electro-optical, infrared, radio frequency, multispectral imaging, hyperspectral imaging, and lidar sensors and related Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) technologies in order to develop the Air Force's next generation ISR sensor. Work will be performed in Westford, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 29, 2025. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $18,387,498 are being obligated on two initial task orders at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-D-1014). KT Consulting Inc, Phoenix, Arizona, has been awarded an $11,935,070 firm-fixed-price task order for F‐16 Weapons System support. This task order provides for F‐16 academic instruction, Aircrew Training Device instruction/console/cockpit operations, comprehensive courseware development, and training support. Work will be performed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona; and Holloman AFB, New Mexico, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2024. This contract involves foreign military sales to Republic of Singapore. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $4,435,581; and Singapore National Funds in the amount of $34,969 are being obligated at the time of award. The 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio‐Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3002‐19‐F‐A040). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., Windsor Locks, Connecticut, has been awarded an estimated $29,216,493 firm-fixed-priced delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-L30G) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-13-G-001X) for constant frequency generators. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a five-year, six-month contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Connecticut and Illinois, with a Sept. 30, 2024, performance completion date. Using customers are Navy and Japanese Armed Forces. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds and foreign military sales funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Freightliner of Savannah Inc.,* Savannah, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $7,312,500 firm-fixed-price contract for diesel engines. This is a three-year contract with no option periods. This was an acquisition permitting other than full and open competition with two responses received, using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Georgia, with a March 19, 2022, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2022 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-19-D-0077). DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY AT&T Corp., Columbia, Maryland, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract modification (P00012) with a face value of $12,080,764, to exercise Option Year Three of previously awarded sole-source contract HC1013-16-C-0001 for the Northstar Long-Haul Telecommunications Network and associated transmission circuits for an Ultra-High Frequency/Line of Sight communications system network. The modification is funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $56,131,776. Performance will be at various sites geographically dispersed across the continental U.S. The period of performance for this action is May 1, 2019, to April 30, 2020. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1789590/

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  December 2, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  How we talk about China — and why it matters

  Murray Brewster · Reports of human rights violations are pushing trading countries like Canada into a corner In both war and diplomacy, language matters. And if one thing was evident from the flood of words coming out of the Halifax International Security Forum last weekend, it's that Western democracies, despite their vows to uphold human rights, have no common language to define their view of — and relationship with — China. The world is rapidly approaching a crossroads with Beijing, a point where nations will have to decide whether to treat the burgeoning superpower as a trading partner, a rival — or an active threat. Secret Chinese documents were released to media outlets recently which show how the Muslim minority Uighur population is being locked up in mass detention camps and subjected to "systematic brainwashing." Beijing's violent response to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong revived grim memories of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. So is China a competitor or an adversary? 'Naive' about China's motives The answer to that question seems to depend on which country's leaders are answering it — how heavily Beijing has invested in their nations' markets, how badly their businesses want access to that vast Chinese market. "For many years, folks were naive about Chinese motivations," U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien told journalists during an on-the-record briefing in Halifax over the weekend. "In the past, the relationship with China was driven solely by trade, driven solely by economics." O'Brien describes China, rather antiseptically, as a "near-peer competitor," not as an adversary. Still, there were points during the briefing when O'Brien's language became decidedly adversarial — even dystopian — as he described the high-tech incarceration and forced re-education of as many as one million Uighurs. In the context of the dispute over allowing Chinese telecom giant Huawei into Western 5G wireless systems, O'Brien asked whether Western Europe would have allowed the Soviet Union into their countries to build railroads at the height of the Cold War. A new Cold War? On the record, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan also was not prepared to describe China as an adversary — but he was decidedly mushy when asked how we should describe it. The confusion on display in Halifax over the question of whether the West has arrived at the threshold of a new Cold War was widespread. U.S. Admiral Phillip Davidson, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, would not describe the current moment as "a new Cold War" but warned that the West needs to be prepared to continually "call out" China when it crosses internationally accepted lines. Many say some of those lines have been crossed already — through the arbitrary detention of the Uighurs (which China attempts to justify with the claim that it's fighting Islamic extremism) and through its program of constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea, which has been condemned by an international tribunal at the Hague. So, again ... rival or adversary? 'Feeding ... a monster' Lady Pauline Neville-Jones, a former top British diplomat and adviser to ex-U.K. prime minister David Cameron, said China has signalled it intends to become an "unequalled" high-tech nation. Beijing has said it's prepared to pour real money into achieving that goal — with Western nations supplying the world-class post secondary institutions that are training the next generation of Chinese engineers. "We are feeding something that could be a monster," she told the Halifax forum. "So what do we do about it? As long as we pursue our relations with China, largely separately on the basis of short-term national interest, I think we are giving away the game." It took Western allies several years to come with up a comprehensive Cold War strategy following the Second World War, she pointed out. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-u-s-sajjan-uighur-halifax-international-security-forum-1.5372856

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  November 24, 2021 | International, C4ISR

  New report sees near-term strength in space industrial base, but calls for government guidance

  The authors want the White House to craft a North Star vision to coordinate civil, commercial and national security space efforts.