January 1, 2024 | International, Naval
Even more US-Australia submarine collaboration on the horizon
The new year will bring new work between the two navies.
March 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
ARMY
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas, was awarded a $1,135,410,156 modification (P00010) to Foreign Military Sales (Poland, Bahrain and Romania) contract W31P4Q-18-C-0049 for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket systems full rate production. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 foreign military sales; and other procurement, Army funds in the combined amount of $1,082,536,179 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $113,806,534 firm-fixed-price contract for computing services. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of March 28, 2024. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $16,062,071 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-19-F-0028).
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, St. Petersburg, Florida, was awarded a $58,911,077 modification (P00019) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0024 to procure 120mm M1002 new production cartridges and 120mm M865 recap cartridges for 120mm tank training ammunition. Work will be performed in St. Petersburg, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 12, 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $58,911,077 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Northrup Grumman Innovation Systems, Plymouth, Minnesota, was awarded a $36,815,048 modification (P00011) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0025 to procure 120mm tank training ammunition M1002 new production cartridges and 120mm tank training ammunition M865 recapitalized cartridges. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minnesota, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $36,815,048 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
Odyssey International Inc.,* Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $19,832,000 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a replacement air traffic control tower and base operations complex. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2020. Fiscal 2016 and 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $19,832,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-19-C-3005).
Professional Contract Services Inc., Austin, Texas, was awarded a $17,285,295 modification (P00017) to contract W91151-16-D-0101 for full food and dining facility attendant support services. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020. U.S. Army Mission Installation Contracting Command, Fort Hood, Texas, is the contracting activity.
Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $15,580,588 modification (P00159) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to incorporate Engineering Change Proposal OSKW8215R1 low velocity aerial delivery A1 transmission support plate, mid-power pack, and mounts, rails and mid-power pack into the baseline configuration of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family of vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2021. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army; procurement Marine Corps; research, development, test and evaluation; Navy procurement; and Air Force procurement funds in the amount of $15,580,588 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
CACI-ISS Inc., Chantilly, Virginia, was awarded a $15,000,000 modification (P00012) to contract W52P1J-17-C-0029 to provide planning, analytical, operational and technical services. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 26, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $15,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., San Jose, California, was awarded a $9,323,130 modification (P00097) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0099 for systems technical support and sustainment systems technical support services, consisting of engineering, logistics, and fielding support 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 Killeen, Texas; and El Paso, Texas, with an estimated completion date of July, 8, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,323,130 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
NAVY
CGI Federal Inc., Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a $222,875,514 firm-fixed-price, fixed-price incentive firm target, firm-fixed-price level of effort, cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost reimbursement contract (N00039-19-C-0004) to provide Electronic Procurement System (ePS), a contract writing system to the Department of the Navy with standardized, comprehensive, end-to-end contract management of services, supplies, construction and grants. ePS will provide the flexibility to interface with Navy, Department of Defense and federal electronic systems as needed to meet the requirements of all stakeholders, and as defined in statutes, regulations and approved business practices. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia, and is expected to be completed in March 2029. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,859,946 will be obligated at time of award, with $3,962,974 of the fiscal 2018 funds expiring at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured via Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command e-Commerce and Federal Business Opportunities websites, with six offers received. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, California, is awarded a $121,682,327 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the hurricane recovery efforts at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The work to be performed includes roof repairs, internal and external building repairs, and civil repairs. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $144,008,671. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by August 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $121,682,327 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-13-D-6020).
Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, California, is awarded a $57,980,007 long-term requirements contract for repair of 25 weapon repairable assemblies for the APG-79 active electronically scanned array radar system used on the F/A-18 aircraft. The contract includes a three-year base period with two one-year options, which, if exercised, would bring the total value of the contract to an estimated $98,637,530 based on estimated quantities. Work will be performed in Forest, Mississippi, and work is expected to be completed by March 2022; if all options are exercised, work will be completed by March 2024. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Working capital funds (Navy) will be obligated as individual orders are issued. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-sourced, non-competitive requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304(C)(1) and Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1, with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-19-D-UP01).
Cardno TEC-Leidos LLC JV, Charlottesville, Virginia, is awarded a $50,000,000 firm-fixed price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering contract for services to support the Tactical Training Theater Assessment and Planning program, and it is intended to ensure the sustainability of Navy training ranges and operating areas to support warfighter readiness around the world. The contract requires the services of environmental engineering and military operations specialists, and the use of engineering and biological sciences and principles and methods of engineering analysis. Work under this contract will be performed in the geographic regions of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Atlantic's area of responsibility (AOR) and the adjacent waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including the continental U.S., the Caribbean, Europe, and North Africa. Work will be primarily performed within NAVFAC Atlantic's AOR, which includes, but is not limited to, Virginia (50 percent); California (20 percent); Florida (20 percent); and Washington (10 percent). Work may also be added and performed anywhere outside of NAVFAC Atlantic's AOR, as required by the government, and is expected to be completed by March 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 for the minimum guarantee are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one proposal received. NAVFAC Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-4009).
The Boeing Co., Huntington Beach, California, is awarded a $46,700,000 fixed-priced-incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-17-C-6307 for the Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (XLUUV) program. The Feb. 13, 2019, contract announcement for the XLUUV program occurred while source selection was ongoing, and therefore the specific contract award amount was considered source selection sensitive information and was not made public. This contract modification award completes the XLUUV competition and brings the total awarded amount for five XLUUVs and associated support elements to $274,400,000. Work will be performed in Huntington Beach, California (29 percent); Virginia Beach, Virginia (27 percent); Waukesha, Wisconsin (8 percent); East Aurora, New York (7 percent); Concord, Massachusetts (7 percent); Camden, New Jersey (5 percent); Smithfield, Pennsylvania (4 percent); Attleboro, Massachusetts (3 percent); City of Industry, California (3 percent); El Cajon, California (3 percent); Fairfield, New Jersey (2 percent); Ontario, California (1 percent); and Farmingdale, New York (1 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,000,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Starwin Industries Inc.,* Dayton, Ohio (N00164-19-D-WS21); Garrity Tool Co. LLC,* Indianapolis, Indiana (N00164-19-D-WS33); Loughmiller Machine, Tool & Design Inc.,* Loogootee, Indiana (N00164-19-D-WS34); D-J Engineering Inc.,* Augusta, Kansas (N00164-19-D-WS35); MSP Aviation Inc.,* Bloomington, Indiana (N00164-19-D-WS36); and Integrity Defense Services Inc.,* Springville, Indiana (N00164-19-D-WS37); and Middletown Composites Inc.,* Berea, Kentucky (N00164-19-D-WS38), are each awarded a combined aggregate not-to-exceed $35,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract with a five-year ordering period to procure machined parts or composite components in support of build-to-print machine shop requirements for supplies related to EA-6B, EA-18G and P-8A aircraft components, as well as various other related platforms. These seven small businesses will have the opportunity to propose on individual delivery orders throughout the five-year ordering period of the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts. Work will be performed at each of the contractors' facilities per delivery order and is expected to be completed in April 2024. Percentage breakdown of work is to be determined. Navy Working Capital Funding in the amount of $10,000 will be obligated concurrently to each awardee upon award of the initial delivery orders and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with eight offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity.
Ocean Construction Services Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (N40080-17-D-0008); Edifice LLC.,* Beltsville, Maryland (N40080-17-D-0009); Hascon LLC.,* Columbia, Maryland (N40080-17-D-0010); Pinnacle Construction and Development Group Inc.,* Cleveland, Ohio (N40080-17-D-0011); Reilly Construction Inc.,* Chantilly, Virginia (N40080-17-D-0012); and Tuckman-Barbee Construction Co. Inc.,* Upper Marlboro, Maryland (N40080-17-D-0013), are awarded a combined $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded indefinite contract to exercise Option Two for construction projects for general and administrative facilities located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Washington area of responsibility (AOR). After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $122,000,000. Work will be performed at various administrative facilities within the NAVFAC Washington AOR, including but not limited to, Maryland, Washington, District of Columbia, and Virginia, and is expected to be completed by March 2020. Task orders will be primarily funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy and Marine Corps); and fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds. NAVFAC Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
Blue Rock Structures Inc.,* Pollocksville, North Carolina, is awarded a $9,207,530 firm-fixed-price task order N4008519F5128 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-16-D-6300) for interior and exterior repairs to building AS515 at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The work provides new architectural finishes, new electrical system, new telecommunication system, new plumbing, new HVAC system, new membrane roof, and incidental-related work. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by May 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $9,207,530 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.
Peraton Inc., Annapolis, Maryland, is awarded an $8,543,905 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously-awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N00174-11-D-0002 to extend the ordering period and exercise Option Year VIII for the procurement and support of the Transmitting Set, Countermeasures AN/PLT-4 to support explosive ordnance disposal personnel. The AN/PLT-4 is a man-portable system in support of the Joint Service Explosive Ordnance Disposal (JSEOD) Counter-Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare program. Work will be performed in Annapolis, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by March 2020. No funds are being obligated at the time of this action. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
L-3 Technologies, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $142,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee undefinitized contract action for the procurement of Group B material and the Ground System Integration Lab. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2023. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $69,580,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-16-G-3027/FA8620-19-F-4872).
Vectrus Systems Corp., Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, has been awarded a $23,609,858 fixed-price incentive modification (P00050) to previously awarded contract FA3002-17-C-0009 for base operations support. This modification provides for the exercise of Option Two. Work will be performed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, and is expected to be complete by March 31, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. This modification brings the total cumulative face value to $86,319,044. The 42nd Contracting Squadron, Montgomery, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded an $18,578,053 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for J85 engine maintenance. This contract provides for managing the full cycle of production by planning, scheduling, directing, and controlling all maintenance on jet engines and support equipment, as well as monitoring serviceable base stock levels and target serviceable requirements of each customer. Work will be performed at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Sept. 30, 2020. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA3002-19-D-A004).
BlueForce Inc., Hampton, Virginia, has been awarded a $12,325,425 firm-fixed-price task order for the Royal Saudi Air Force English Language Training outside the continental U.S. program. Work will be performed at King Abdul Aziz Air Base, Saudi Arabia, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 3, 2024. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and four offers were received. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount 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-A045).
L-3 Communications, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded an $11,465,007 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the procurement of Ground System Development and Integration. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Nov. 30, 2022. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-16-G-3027/FA8620-19-F-4836).
CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Florida, has been awarded a $7,245,585 firm-fixed-price modification (P00144) to previously awarded contract FA8223-10-C-0013 for support of the KC-135 Aircrew Training System. This modification provides for collective bargaining agreement wage adjustments resulting from Fair Labor Standards Act and Service Contract Act, and brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $464,618,081. Work will be performed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma; Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana; MacDill AFB, Florida; Pittsburgh Air National Guard Base, Pennsylvania; Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio; Scott AFB, Illinois; Fairchild AFB, Washington; Milwaukee ANGB, Wisconsin; March AFB, California; and Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Work is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $7,245,585 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND
Leading Technology Composites Inc., Wichita, Kansas, was awarded a $50,000,000 ceiling increase to an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92222-14-D-0061-P00005) in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for the purchase of SOF Personal Equipment Advance Requirements Tactical Standalone (SPEAR) and Modular Supplemental Armor Protection (MASP) ballistic plates. The estimated total contract value is $175,000,000. No money was obligated at the time of award. The work will be performed in Wichita, Kansas, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 27, 2020. This contract was awarded in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation Authority (FAR) 6.302-1, “Other than Full and Open Competition, Only one Responsible Source”. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
GTA Containers Inc.,* South Bend, Indiana (SPE8EG-19-D-0105); Apex Pinnacle, Corp.,* Binghamton, New York (SPE8EG-19-D-0106); MPC Containment Systems LLC,* Chicago, Illinois (SPE8EG-19-D-0107); Avon Engineered Fabrications (AEF),* Picayune, Mississippi (SPE8EG-19-D-0108); and North American Fuel Tank,* Mansfield, Texas (SPE8EG-19-D-0109), are sharing a maximum $47,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE8EG-18-R-0008 for tank fabrication berm liners. This was a competitive acquisition with seven offers received. These are one-year base contracts with four one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Indiana, New York, Illinois, Mississippi, and Texas with a March 26, 2024, performance completion date. Using military services are Navy and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2019 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Meridian Airport Authority, doing business as Meridian Aviation, Meridian, Mississippi, has been awarded a maximum $18,062,977 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a 46-month contract with one six-month option period. Location of performance is Mississippi, with a March 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE607-1-D-0029).
DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY
General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Virginia, was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract modification on March 27, 2019, to exercise Option Year Four of task order HC1013-15-A-0004-0001. This task order was previously awarded under the competitive blanket purchase agreement against General Services Administration's Information Technology Schedule 70 contract for Air Force Air Defense Communications Services. The face value of this action is $7,200,000, funded by fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds. The total cumulative value of the order is $21,367,054. Performance is throughout the continental U.S., as well as Alaska, Hawaii and Guam. The period of performance for this action is April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1013-15-A-0004-0001 23).
*Small business
https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1797925/
January 1, 2024 | International, Naval
The new year will bring new work between the two navies.
May 3, 2019 | International, Naval
by John S. Van Oudenaren From a shortage of ships to munitions and carrier-based fighters which lack range, the U.S. Navy is ill-equipped to contend with a new era of great-power conflict. In the decades after the Cold War, the U.S. Navy absorbed sustained budget cuts resulting in large force reductions. The total size of the fleet dwindled from nearly 600 active ships in 1987 to around 285 today. During this period, naval planners focused their substantial, yet shrinking, budgetary resources on large, costly, high-end platforms such as aircraft carriers at the expense of smaller surface warfare combatants such as frigates. This approach perhaps suited the range of global expeditionary missions that the navy was called upon to support in the 1990s (e.g. Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo), a time when the United States faced no proximate military competitors. However, its lack of platforms currently leaves the sea service in a parlous state as it faces intensifying major power competition from China and Russia. At a recent Center for the National Interest event, two leading authorities on naval strategy, operations and force structure, explained how the navy can take steps to create a more balanced force that will adequately prepare the fleet for a new era of great power naval competition. According to Milan Vego, Professor of Operations at the U.S. Naval War College, “lack of understanding of naval theory” makes it difficult for the navy to develop “sound doctrine”, and as a result, to determine force requirements. For example, Vego notes that the navy has an ingrained offensive mindset, which contributes to neglect of the defensive elements of naval combat such as mine warfare and protecting maritime trade. At the strategic level, this conditions a preoccupation with sea control (offensive), as opposed to sea denial (defensive). However, per Vego, it is not inconceivable, especially as capable competitors emerge, that the U.S. Navy might be put on the defensive and forced to shift its focus from sea control to sea denial. For example, if “Russia and China combined in the Western Pacific,” the U.S. Navy would probably be on the defensive, a position it has not occupied since the early days (1941–1942) of the Pacific War against Japan. The challenge is that the navy faces different, conceivable scenarios that could require it to implement sea control or sea denial strategies. This makes planning difficult, because, per Vego, “in thinking about what kind of ships you have, what number of ships you have is all based on whether you are going to conduct sea control or sea denial; what focus will be on protection of shipping versus attack on shipping.” Furthermore, the efficacy of naval strategic planning is hampered by “a lack of joint approach to warfare at sea” said Vego, citing a need for working with “the other services to help the navy carry out its missions.” A repeated issue raised by both panelists is the imbalance in naval force structure between large, highly capable surface combatants, and smaller, cheaper platforms. This is the result of a series of budgetary and planning choices made in the two decades following the Cold War's end. During this period, the “navy was satisfied to ride its Cold War inventory of ships and weapons down, always believing that it could turn the spigot back on in a crisis. It also believed that if it had limited dollars, it should strategically spend them on high-capability ships rather than maintaining the previous Cold War balance of small numbers of high-capability ships and a larger capacity of less capable ships” observed Jerry Hendrix, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and vice president with the Telemus Group, a national-security consultancy. With regards to surface warfare combatants, this approach fostered an emphasis on cruisers and destroyers, while frigates were eliminated entirely from the fleet. The drastic reduction in ship numbers is only part of the navy's current problem. According to Hendrix, the navy employs many of the same missiles (with the same ranges and lethality, albeit with improved targeting technology) that it has used for over three decades. Furthermore, Hendrix lamented that the retirement of longer-range carrier wing aircraft such as the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking, has, since 1988, slashed the “average unrefueled range of the air wing . . . from 900 miles to just under 500 nautical miles.” The static range of the navy's standoff munitions and reduced carrier wing range is particularly detrimental in the current strategic context. China and Russia have, notes Hendrix, “invested in a new generation of anti-access, air-denial weapons that have sought to push the U.S. and its allies farther from their shores, establishing sea-control from land, and redefining territorial sovereignty over the seas.” This combined with the limited ability of U.S. munitions and aircraft to strike targets in potential adversaries' homelands, means that in the event of a naval conflict with China or Russia, the United States will face tremendous difficulty projecting conventional firepower ashore into the enemy's homeland. As a result, the navy could be forced to fight a bloody battle at sea in order to get within range of its enemies (the closest historical analogy would be World War II in the Pacific where the United States fought ferociously to acquire territory from which its long-range bombers could strike the Japanese homeland). China and Russia have been so successful at creating anti-access, area denial bubbles that it has forced the U.S. Navy to alter how it thinks about the nature of sea warfare. According to Hendrix, naval strategic thought has shifted from focusing on “power projection and sea control to an ephemeral concept called ‘distributed lethality,' which roughly equates to a long campaign of attrition at sea rather than short power projection campaigns that had characterized modern strategic planning.” A major issue in re-orienting the force around distributed lethality, which calls for dispersing combat firepower across a host of platforms, is the shortage of ships in the navy. As Vego observes, the current “battle force is unbalanced” lacking “less capable, less costly platforms.” Hendrix too, calls for a “series of investments” that re-establish a “high-low mix in our day-to-day force with an emphasis on the new frigate to [undertake the role] to preserve the peace presence, and submarines to provide penetrating, high-end power projection.” The current unbalanced force structure could put the navy at a disadvantage in a conflict with China or Russia. “The need for smaller ships is always shown in any major conflict. That does not change. If you have to protect maritime trade for example, you need smaller ships, you need frigates and corvettes,” said Vego. Unfortunately, he observed, due to the potentially, short, intense, contracted nature of modern naval warfare, the United States will probably lack the luxury, which it enjoyed in World War II, of having time to retool its industrial base to build up an armada of smaller combatants. In addition to building frigates again (Hendrix calls for upping the current U.S. inventory from zero to between fifty to seventy hulls) and scaling up submarine production, the navy should be investing in “unmanned aerial, surface, and subsurface platforms” that can enhance the range and accuracy of naval weaponry. Finally, the navy requires a new generation of weapons that have “increased range, speed and lethality” and to ensure that surface warfare ships are capable of mounting these platforms. In recent years, increasing the fleet to 355 ships has become something of a totemic target for American navalists, who argue that the failure to make the right investments will result in the diminution, or even, elimination, of American naval preeminence. While 355 ships is no panacea, a move in that direction stemming from an increase both in ship numbers, and from restoring a more balanced mix between high and lower end surface combatants across the fleet, would certainly constitute a move in the right direction. As leading proponents of American sea power, such as former Virginia congressman Randy Forbes, have emphasizedrepeatedly, the purpose of naval preeminence is not ultimately to wage war, but to ensure the free flow of trade and commerce, safeguard the rule of law across the maritime commons, and most critically, to preserve peace through strength. John S. Van Oudenaren is assistant director at the Center for the National Interest. Previously, he was a program officer at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a research assistant at the U.S. National Defense University. https://nationalinterest.org/feature/us-navy-unbalanced-its-time-fix-it-55447
January 16, 2019 | International, Naval, C4ISR
Jan. 15 (UPI) -- BAE Systems has signed a five-year, $79.8 million contract to assist the U.S. Navy in maintaining and operating electronic, communication and computing platforms across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The program, which supports the Pacific's Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master, will continue to provide continuous operations and maintenance support for afloat and ashore operations, the company said in a press release Tuesday. Full artcile: https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2019/01/15/BAE-signs-798M-contract-with-Navy-for-Pacific-comms-support/1401547573414/