December 12, 2022 | International, C4ISR
Pentagon, private sector must partner to fight new era of cyberattacks
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July 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 08, 2020
ARMY
BFBC LLC, Bozeman, Montana, was awarded a $138,335,455 modification (P00005) to contract W912PL-20-C-0002 to modify the existing electrical attributes (closed-circuit TV, linear ground detection system and shelters) on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, Yuma 10/27 design-build border infrastructure project. Work will be performed in Yuma, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 29, 2021. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Army) funds in the amount of $138,335,455 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the contracting activity is the contracting activity.
Venegas JV Inc.,* Ponce, Puerto Rico, was awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support the advanced contract initiative for emergency temporary roof repairs for the eastern region of Puerto Rico. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0032).
Power Instrumentation Services,* Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, was awarded a $45,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to support the advanced contract initiative for emergency temporary roof repairs for the western region of Puerto Rico. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2027. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-D-0033).
MDJ Contracting Inc.,* Dallas, Texas (W911S7-20-D-0006); Olgoonik Specialty Contractors LLC,* St. Robert, Missouri (W911S7-19-D-0007); Reese Equipment Co. LLC,* Dixon, Missouri (W911S7-19-D-0008); and Vazquez Commercial Contracting LLC,* Kansas City, Missouri (W911S7-19-D-0009), will compete for each order of the $42,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction requirements at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. 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 July 7, 2023. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Land and Armaments L.P., San Jose, California, was awarded a $10,066,599 modification (P00140) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0099 for technical support services for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family of vehicles, the Multiple Launch Rocket System carrier and the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier family of vehicles. Work will be performed in San Jose, California; Sterling Heights, Michigan; and Phoenix, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of July 26, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test, and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $10,066,599 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Land and Armaments L.P., San Jose, California, was awarded an $8,488,692 modification (P00138) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0099 for technical support services for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle family of vehicles, the Multiple Launch Rocket System carrier and the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier family of vehicles. Work will be performed in San Jose, California; Sterling Heights, Michigan; Phoenix, Arizona; Temple, Texas; and York, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of July 2, 2021. Fiscal 2018 Army working capital funds; fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Army) funds; fiscal 2018 and 2020 weapons and tracked combat vehicle procurement (Army) funds; and fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $8,488,692 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
NAVY
MNDPI Pacific JV, Honolulu, Hawaii, is awarded a $99,000,000 maximum amount, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, architect-engineer contract for architect-engineer services for various structural, waterfront and other projects at locations under the cognizance of Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Pacific area of responsibility including but not limited to, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (70%); Australia (10%); Japan (10%); and Hawaii (10%). The work of architect-engineer services include, but are not limited to, the execution and delivery of military construction (MILCON) project documentation (Department of Defense Form 1391); functional analysis and concept development workshops; design charrettes; design-build request for proposal; design-bid-build design contract documents; technical surveys and reports including concept and engineering studies, site engineering investigation, topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, hazardous material survey, munitions of explosive concern survey, hydrographic survey and others; construction cost estimates; collateral equipment buy packages; comprehensive interior design including structural interior design and furniture, fixtures and equipment; and post construction award services. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months and work is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2018 MILCON (planning and design) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by MILCON (planning and design). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website and two proposals were received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-20-D-0004).
Appleton Marine Inc.,* Appleton, Wisconsin, is awarded a $23,375,696 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the replacement of up to 35 Navy slewing arm davits (SLADs), associated test reports and spare parts for each SLAD, and 11,300 hours of engineering support services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division. Work will be performed in Appleton, Wisconsin (80%); and onboard Navy ships in the following locations: Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mayport, Florida; Everett, Washington; San Diego, California; Williamsburg, Virginia; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Yokosuka, Japan; and Rota, Spain (20%), as determined on individual task orders. Work is expected to be completed by July 2025. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the total amount of $2,256,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured as a small-business set-aside via the beta.SAM.gov website and two offers were received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N64498-20-D-4018).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Valley Apparel LLC, Knoxville, Tennessee, has been awarded a maximum $9,894,000 modification (P00002) exercising the first one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1172) with two one-year option periods for working parkas. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Tennessee, with a July 14, 2021, ordering period end date. Using service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
*Small Business
https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2268131/source/GovDelivery/
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August 30, 2023 | International, Aerospace
US State Department approves JASSM-ER missile sale to Japan
Japan plans to upgrade 68 of its Mitsubishi-built F-15J Eagle interceptors with new radars, mission computers and a standoff land-attack capability.
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July 8, 2019 | International, Other Defence
How the Pentagon can improve AI adoption
By: Graham Gilmer The excitement of artificial intelligence today is like the space race of the 1960s, when nations were in fierce competition. Now, the United States is in first place. But continued leadership is not a given, especially as competitors, namely China and Russia, are making significant investments in AI for defense. To maintain our technological advantage, safeguard national security, and lead on the world stage, we have an imperative to invest strategically in AI. The successful and widespread adoption of AI requires the United States take a human-centric and technologically innovative approach to using AI to help maintain the peace and prosperity of our nation. As the Department of Defense and Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) continue their efforts to accelerate AI adoption, they must address three key components of successful adoption: building trust in AI technology, operationalizing AI technologies to reach enterprise scale, and establishing ethical governance standards and procedures to reduce exposure to undue risk. Build trust in AI technology Fear and distrust hold technology adoption back. This was true during the first three industrial revolutions as mechanization, factories, and computers transformed the world, and it is the case in today's fourth industrial revolution of AI. The confusion surrounding AI has led to teams abandoning applications due to a lack of trust. To build that trust, we must prioritize training, explainability, and transparency. Trust in technology is built when leaders have accurate expectations around what it is going to deliver, mission owners can identify use cases connected to the core mission, and managers understand the true impact on mission performance. Building trust requires that all users, from executives and managers to analysts and operators, receive training on AI-enabled technologies. Training involves not only providing access to learning resources, but also creating opportunities for them to put their new skills to use. In its formal AI strategy, Pentagon leaders outlined extensive plans for implementing AI training programs across the department to build a digitally savvy workforce that will be key to maintaining the United States' leading position in the AI race. “Explainable AI” also curbs distrust by showing users how machines reach decisions. Consider computer vision. Users may wonder: How can such a tool sift through millions of images to identify a mobile missile launcher? A computer vision tool equipped with explainable AI could highlight aspects of the image that it uses in identification—in this case, elements that look like wheels, tracks, or launch tubes. Explainable AI gives users a “look under the hood,” tailored to their level of technical literacy. AI technologies must be more than understandable; they must also be transparent. This starts at the granular system level, including providing training data provenance and an audit trail showing what data, weights, and other inputs helped a machine reach its decision. Building AI systems that are explainable, transparent, and auditable will also link to governance standards and reduce risk. Operationalize AI at the enterprise scale AI will only be a successful tool if agencies can use AI at the enterprise level. At its core, this means moving AI beyond the pilot phase to real-world production across the enterprise or deployed out in the field on edge devices. Successfully operationalizing AI starts early. AI is an exciting new technology, but agencies too enamored with the hype run the risk of missing out on the real benefits. Too many organizations have developed AI pilot capabilities that work in the lab but cannot support the added noise of real-world environments. Such short-term thinking results in wasted resources. Agencies must think strategically about how the AI opportunities they choose to pursue align with their real-world mission and operations. Leaders must think through the processes and infrastructure needed to seamlessly extend AI to the enterprise at-scale. This involves building scalable infrastructure, data stores and standards, a library of reusable tools and frameworks, and security safeguards to protect against adversarial AI. It is equally important to prioritize investment in the infrastructure to organize, store, and access data, the computational needs for AI (cloud, GPU chips, etc.), as well as open, extensible software tools for ease of upgrade and maintenance. Establish governance to reduce risk Governance standards, controls, and ethical guidelines are critical to ensuring how AI systems are built, managed, and used in a manner that reduces exposure to undue risk. While our allies have engaged in conversations about how to ensure ethical AI, China and Russia have thus far shown little concern for the ethical risks associated with AI. Given this tension, it is imperative that the United States maintain its technological advantage and ethical leadership by establishing governance standards and proactive risk mitigation tactics. To this end, in May, three Senators introduced the bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act, which includes provisions for establishing a National AI Coordination Office and national standards for testing AI algorithm effectiveness. Building auditability and validation functions into AI not only ensures trust and adoption, but also reduces risk. By establishing proactive risk management procedures and processes for continuous testing and validation for compliance purposes, organizations can ensure that their AI systems are performing at optimal levels. Governance controls and system auditability also ensure that AI systems and tools are robust against hacking and adversarial AI threats. AI could be the most transformative technological development of our lifetime—and it's a necessity for maintaining America's competitive edge. To ensure that we develop AI that users trust and can scale to the enterprise with reduced risk, organizations must take a calm, methodical approach to its development and adoption. Focus on these three areas is crucial to protecting our national security, maintaining our competitive advantage and leading on the world stage. Graham Gilmer is a principal at Booz Allen who helps manage artificial intelligence initiatives across the Department of Defense. https://www.c4isrnet.com/opinion/2019/07/08/how-the-pentagon-can-improve-ai-adoption/