March 9, 2023 | International, Naval
Gulf nations summon sea drones to curb illicit trafficking
U.S. naval officials envision an international fleet of autonomous craft to keep tabs on ship traffic in the contentious Persian Gulf.
April 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - April 29, 2019
AIR FORCE
The Boeing Co., Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a $5,700,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for KC-46 Pegasus Combat Capability (PC2). This contract provides for a broad range of post-production related non-recurring and recurring requirements centered on user-directed and Federal Aviation Administration-mandated KC-46 air vehicle needs. Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be complete by April 28, 2029. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test, and evaluation funds in the amount of $9,121,895 are being obligated on the first delivery order at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8609-19-D-0007).
AAI Corp., doing business as Textron Systems, Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $19,592,850 firm-fixed-price non-commercial requirements contract for the Joint Service Electronic Combat Systems Tester (JSECST). This contract provides for the production of the base JSECST, the laboratory JSECST and retrofit kits used on many aircraft, such as F-15, F-16, A-10, CV-22, C-130, UH-47, UH-60, F/A-18 and AV-8B. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by April 28, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Automated Test Sets Contracting Division, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8533-19-D-0005).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $1,148,847,334 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost share contract for sustainment services in support of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the Air Force, Navy, non-U. S. Department of Defense (non-U.S. DoD) participants and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Services to be provided include ground maintenance activities, action request resolution, depot activation activities, Automatic Logistics Information System operation and maintenance; reliability, maintainability and health management implementation and support; supply chain management; and activities to provide and support pilot and maintainer initial training. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (60 percent); Orlando, Florida (24 percent); Greenville, South Carolina (7 percent); Samlesbury, Preston, United Kingdom (5 percent); and El Segundo, California (4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Air Force, Navy/Marine Corps); non-U.S. DoD participant; and FMS funds in the amount of $1,135,420,262 will be obligated at time of award, $811,246,309 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This contract combines purchases for the Air Force ($477,920,120; 41.60 percent); Navy ($346,753,261; 30.18 percent); non-U.S. DoD participants ($231,207,693; 20.13 percent); and FMS customers ($92,966,260; 8.09 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-1022).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Aerospace Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded $38,775,625 for cost-plus-fixed-fee modification P00007 to a previously awarded contract (N00019-18-C-1037) to procure the product support and software support activity efforts for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye full-rate production Lot 7. Work will be performed in Melbourne, Florida (72 percent); Liverpool, New York (14 percent); St. Augustine, Florida (5 percent); Norfolk, Virginia (5 percent); Greenlawn, New York (2 percent); Woodland Hills; California (1 percent); and Indianapolis, Indiana (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2020. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $38,775,625 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.
Mancon LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded $30,000,000 for an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contract that includes provisions for economic price adjustment to acquire supplies and provide related store operation services required by Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk for two commercial retail stores on the Naval Support Activity, Crane, Indiana, for materials needed by the Naval Facilities Command Public Works Department. The contract includes a five-year base ordering period with an option to extend services for a six-month ordering period pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8 which if exercised, the total value of this contract will be $33,263,944. All work will be performed in Crane, Indiana. The ordering period is expected to be completed by April 2024; if the option is exercised, work will be completed by October 2024. Fiscal 2018 working capital funds (Defense) in the amount of $100,000 will be obligated to fund the contract's minimum amount, and funds will expire at the end of fiscal 2019. This contract was competitively procured with the solicitation posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Contracting Department, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00189-19-D-0008).
Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is awarded $29,772,039 for cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to order N61340-18-F-0001 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-17-G-0002). This order provides software and hardware upgrades for 13 flight training devices to modernize critical system components in the MV-22 simulator to increase training fidelity for aircrew and maximize training capability. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina (42 percent); Miramar, California (24 percent); Quantico, Virginia (13 percent); Okinawa, Japan (13 percent); Chantilly, Virginia (5 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (2 percent); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2024. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $29,772,039 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded $19,530,007 for modification P00006 to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-18-C-0088) for the engineering and manufacturing development and payload integration of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Navy. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (50 percent); and Goleta, California (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2019. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,765,002 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
ARMY
Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded a $663,060,634 firm-fixed-price contract for Troposcatter Transmission System, spares, repairs, warranty, system engineering, field support, training and sustainment. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2029. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W15P7T-19-D-0218). (Awarded April 26, 2019)
The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $171,887,544 hybrid (cost, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and firm-fixed-price) contract for performance based logistics service in support of the AH-64E Apache attack helicopter fleet. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2020. Fiscal 2018 working capital funds in the amount of $63,779,957 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-C-0024). (Awarded April 26, 2019)
Golden Valley Electric Association, Fairbanks, Alaska, was awarded a $40,964,160 firm-fixed-price contract for electric utility service. Work will be performed in Fort Wainwright, Alaska, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2029. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $653,355 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army 413th Contracting Support Battalion, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, is the contracting activity (W912D0-19-F-8U95). (Awarded April 26, 2019)
The Boeing Co., Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $39,478,219 modification (PZ0017) to Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia) contract W58RGZ-17-C-0031 for post-production system support, which includes integrated product support, of the AH-64 aircraft in support of the Saudi Arabia National Guard. Work will be performed in Mesa, Arizona; Hazelwood, Missouri; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2020. Fiscal 2019 foreign military sales funds in the amount of $39,478,219 were obligated at the time of the award. Army is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $30,794,224 modification (P00080) to Foreign Military Sales (Saudi Arabia) contract W31P4Q-15-C-0043 for Hellfire guided missile launcher and electronic assembly. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2023. Fiscal 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement, Army; operations and maintenance, Army; research, development, test and evaluation; foreign military sales; and other funds in the combined amount of $30,794,224 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Maverick Constructors LLC,* Lutz, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0001); ABBA Construction Inc.,* Jacksonville, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0002); Warden Construction Corp.,* Jacksonville, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0003); D & M Construction Group Inc.,* Gainesville, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0004); J.A.M. Construction Services Inc.,* Merritt Island, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0005); Core Engineering & Construction Inc.,* Winter Park, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0006); Johnson-Laux Construction LLC,* Orlando, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0007); and E.L.C.I. Construction Group Inc., North Miami, Florida (W911YN-19-D-0008), will compete for each order of the $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction projects in support of the Florida National Guard. Bids were solicited via the internet with 28 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2024. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office of Florida is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 26, 2019)
Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Merrimack, New Hampshire, was awarded a $19,491,157 firm-fixed-price contract for protective fabric shelter kits. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Merrimack, New Hampshire, with an estimated completion date of April 28, 2024. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $1,681,301 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-D-3013).
JCB Inc., Pooler, Georgia, was awarded a $17,071,687 modification (P00001) to contract W56HZV-19-F-0046 for High Mobility Engineer Excavator vehicles. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan 31, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 26, 2019)
System Studies & Simulation Inc., Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $12,364,338 modification (0004 19) to contract W31P4Q-09-A-0019 for technical support services. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020. Fiscal 2020 and 2021 other procurement; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $12,364,338 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Travis Association for the Blind, Austin, Texas, was awarded an $11,287,227 modification (P00003) to contract W56HZV-18-C-0067 for the repair, cleaning, warehousing, and distribution of organizational clothing and individual equipment. Work will be performed in Austin, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $11,287,227 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
PAE Government Systems Inc., Arlington, Virginia, was awarded an $8,153,796 modification (P00011) to Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan) contract for the National Maintenance Strategy Ground Vehicle Support effort. Work will be performed in Kabul, Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $8,153,796 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. (Awarded April 26, 2019)
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
Raytheon Missile Systems Co., Tucson, Arizona, is being awarded $26,991,627 for a modification (P00155) to the previously awarded sole-source, cost-plus-incentive-fee Standard Missile-3 Block IIA contract (HQ0276-10-C-0005). This modification provides for additional Ballistic Missile Defense upgrades and flight test support. The work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an expected completion date of June 2020. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $15,858,243 will be obligated at time of award. The modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract by $26,991,627 (from $2,105,137,599 to $2,132,129,227). The Missile Defense Agency, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY
Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), Atlanta, Georgia, was awarded a sole source, non-commercial, cost-plus-fixed fee contract on April 28, 2019, in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) National Leadership Capability Command office. This contract will provide for development and deployment of the Secure Integration Cloud, the Joint Access Database Environment and the encompassing system architecture known as Secure Web Services. The face value of this action is $8,508,928 funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative face value is $48,248,311. Performance will be at the contractor's facility. Proposal was issued via request for proposal, and one proposal was received from GTRI. This was a sole-source requirement sent to Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp. The period of performance is for a base period of 12 months beginning April 28, 2019, and two 6-month option periods through April 27, 2021. The DISA/Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1028-19-C-0008).
*Small business
https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1829432/source/GovDelivery/
On the same subject
-
-
June 1, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
The Pentagon has spent 23% of its COVID-19 response funds. Congress is asking why not more.
By: Joe Gould Updated 5/29/20 with response from the Pentagon. WASHINGTON ― The Pentagon has spent less than a quarter of the $10.6 billion Congress gave it in March to protect military personnel and marshal American industry to procure face masks, ventilators and other products hospitals need in their fight against the coronavirus. Citing the Trump administration's most recent reports to Congress, Democratic senators say the Pentagon has placed on contract 23 percent of the funds it was provided nine weeks ago as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020. It's the latest criticism in a sharp back and forth between congressional Democrats and the Pentagon over the latter's response to the global pandemic. As the nation surpassed 100,000 deaths from COVID-19, nine Senate Democrats wrote to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday, calling for him to provide Congress with a spending plan for the remaining funds. Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Vice Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., led the letter, which was obtained by Defense News. “We are concerned by the delays in providing this important information, the lack of transparency in the use of emergency funds appropriated to the Department, and troubling signs the funds will instead be spent for other purposes,” the letter read. “Lacking a spend plan, we are not even sure what those purposes may be.” Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jack Reed, D-R.I., signed the new letter with Durbin, Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Tom Udall, D-N.M.; Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. Though the coronavirus rescue package included more than $1 billion for National Guard deployments requested by the administration to support state authorities, the Guard didn't need the money because the Federal Emergency Management Agency has since taken responsibility for reimbursing states. “We do not understand why the Department requested these funds ... nor do we know what they will be used for now,” the lawmakers wrote. The Pentagon has thus far obligated $167 million of the $1 billion Congress granted under the Defense Production Act, a Korean War-era law that the president recently invoked, to have industry produce key items such as N95 respirator masks and swabs needed for coronavirus testing, ventilators and other items. “Lacking further information from the Department on its plans for these funds, we are unable to answer simple questions such as whether the U.S. Government is doing everything in its power to address shortfalls in supplies which are not only needed at this moment, but also in preparation for a predicted second wave of coronavirus infections,” the lawmakers wrote. In a statement, chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said the department “remains committed to legally and responsibly executing these funds on the highest priorities to protect our military and their families and safeguard our national security capabilities. As we have seen, this is an evolving and dynamic situation where priorities and requirements change, which is why it is so important that we remain faithful and accountable stewards of the taxpayer dollar.” “As the Members know, the spend plan is due per the CARES Act in four weeks, on June 26th. The plan is currently in final review and approval, and we expect it to be on the Hill by close of business [May 29], a full month prior to the required due date,” Hoffman added. “In the interim, the Department has shown its commitment to transparency through daily and weekly updates from senior DoD leaders to multiple Congressional committees — both staff and members. In addition, DoD has provided hundreds of responses to Congressional COVID queries, and will continue to do so.” The Department of Defense announced its first use of the Defense Production Act on April 13 in the form of $133 million in contracts to 3M, O&M Halyward, and Honeywell to boost domestic production of N95 respirator masks. On Thursday, the DoD announced its latest: $2.2 million to Hollingsworth & Vose for 27.5 million N95 ventilator filters and 3.1 million N95 respirators per month, starting in August ― all to “relieve manufacturing bottlenecks and will expand N95 mask production and ventilator use.” The letter comes just weeks after the Pentagon made a surprise decision to move its point person for the Defense Production Act, Jen Santos, into a new job. But it's also as Democrats have urged President Donald Trump to dramatically increase domestic production of personal protective equipment and testing supplies. “Throughout this crisis, you have continued to lay blame for the public health response on others, from members of the previous administration to those who report to you now,” Schatz, Durbin, Tester and Baldwin wrote in a letter to Trump on May 15. “Your dismissal of the Pentagon's senior industrial policy official appears to be the latest example of removing a knowledgeable and well-regarded technocrat for no reason but to cover for your failure to fully invoke and utilize the DPA authorities.” In early May, Esper clapped back at accusations the DoD had not been transparent in its response to COVID-19. A letter from Senate Armed Services Committee member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and nine Democratic colleagues, which accused the Defense Department of failing to adequately respond to the pandemic, contained “a number of misleading, false, or inaccurate statements,” Esper said. “Our commitment is to ensure that we provide Congress complete, accurate and timely information which we are doing on weekly basis,” he said, adding that he speaks with committee leaders on a weekly basis. “We recognize Congress has an important oversight role, but it should be an informed oversight role, and we are committed to doing that.” Aaron Mehta contributed to this report. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/05/28/the-pentagon-has-spent-only-23-of-its-covid-19-response-funds-congress-is-asking-why/
-
September 16, 2020 | International, Naval, Other Defence
Fewer Threats, More Bandwidth: DISA Awards $199M For Cloud Browsing
KELSEY ATHERTON Leaving the browser and its history in a virtual environment spread across any number of servers makes it harder for adversaries to target the military's actual computers or tablets. ALBUQUERQUE: The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded $198.9 million for a Cloud Based Internet Isolation contract to Menlo Security and By Light, the agency announced today. DISA hopes Menlo Security's tech can, by keeping downloads in the cloud, reduce harmful downloads across the entire Pentagon workforce. By keeping browsing inside the cloud, the program will save on bandwidth, and protect against the department's 3.5 million users accidentally downloading malware. It is a kind of “air-gapping,” the style of computer security that keeps networks safe by making sure that computers are not physically connected at all times. Leaving the browser, and all its contained history, in a virtual environment in any of a number of servers makes it harder for adversaries, be they criminals, nonstate actors, or nations, to target the actual computers or tablets used by the military. Internet browsing is mostly downloading files directly to the end-user's computer or mobile device. What the Cloud Based Internet Isolation (CBII) does is make sure that all that downloading happens, not on the end user's computer, but instead in a remotely secured server. “The remote worker will perform the task of going to their net or an Internet based application, that fetch and execute,” Menlo Security VP Mike Fraga says. What is different is that, instead of downloading directly onto the user's device, “getting the information and actually queuing is done in a disposable container in Menlo cloud. And so then we replicate what's happening on the application or the internet down on a remote workers device.” In essence, CBII promises to do all this while making the user experience virtually indistinguishable from having the browser directly running on the computer. Users are functionally interacting with an image of a browser window, instead of the browser itself, but that illusion should be imperceptible. “That's going to significantly reduce the risk in the attack surface,” said By Light VP Jason Cole, “alleviating all the congestion at those Internet access points.” For security purposes, this means that instead of monitoring all traffic for harm on every device, the Pentagon can instead look at the connection between computers and clouds. If a piece of malware was downloaded, it becomes a much smaller haystack of files for the forensics team to go through, since downloading to a computer becomes an active choice, instead of the passive function of browsing. Many of the normal conveniences of browser-based functionality are continued within Menlo's cloud-based environment. Instead of users having to log in anew to every site they visit every time they load the remote cloud, the software “maintains an encrypted cookie-jar in our cloud for each user that largely mirrors how the user's native browser handles cookies,” said Kowsik Guruswamy, Menlo Security CTO. “When a user navigates to a site, Menlo injects the user's site-specific cookies into the isolated browser so they can stay logged in,” Guruswamy continued. “The encryption key for each user's cookie jar is stored in their own browser, such that only they can unlock the contents.” Beyond the security of the environment, the move to cloud-based browsing also promises an overall savings in data use. “We're estimating about a 20% bandwidth reduction for any general web browsing, but then a 50 to 70% bandwidth reduction for streaming media,” said Cole. That savings is valuable everywhere, and is especially valuable in areas where bandwidth is already constrained, like on ships underway or at remote bases with low connectivity. Even in more domestic settings, the pandemic-induced shift to remote work often means users have to send data back through company-owned network infrastructure for security reasons, which eats up time in the process, and comes with risks. “I think companies overall are struggling with not only the latency so that their end users can have a good experience to accomplish their job, but gaps in security based on all that backhauling, and there's some blind spots there,” said Fraga. The servers are, like much of the cloud infrastructure available today, provided through Amazon Web Services. Menlo's approach is already in use with banks like JPMorgan Chase, HSBC, and AmEx. “Isolation overall is an innovative technology,” said Fraga. Isolation, in the fashion promised by cloud-based browsing, is a preventative technology. It reduces the number of paths into computers, making it easier for other detection solutions to find the fewer threats that might slip through. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/fewer-threats-more-bandwidth-disa-awards-199m-for-cloud-browsing/