April 11, 2024 | International, Land
Budget office says amphibious ship could cost triple Navy’s estimate
The cost estimate is based on a hybrid military-commercial ship design, as Navy and Marine Corps leaders have indicated they’ll pursue.
September 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Coping with COVID: The RCAF adjusts to the new world
“We were at the highest level of readiness that we would have been at since the Korean War.”
If that seems a perplexing statement from the commander of an Air Force that at one point during the current pandemic had about 70 per cent of its members working from home, LGen Al Meinzinger has a sound explanation.
Though Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) headquarters sometimes resembled ghost towns, training schools were paused, operational training units (OTUs) were scaled back to critical force generation activity, and flight operations were at times curtailed, over 83 per cent of personnel were on short notice to activate.
“I referred to it tongue and cheek as the team being readied in a martial arts crouch,” he said. “Nobody was away on course, nobody was out of country on temporary duty. Almost 100 per cent of our team was conducting operations, supporting operations or at home ... on a very high alert level to respond as directed.”
When the coronavirus flared in communities across Canada in mid-March, the RCAF quickly adopted a posture intended to preserve the force. The health and safety of members and their families became the top priority.
At the direction of the Chief of the Defence Staff and military and civilian health authorities, training courses for Reserve cadets, new recruits, technician trades and professional upgrades were halted and over a thousand students returned to barracks or home. Travel for leave was limited. Operational flights were re-routed to avoid COVID hot spots where possible.
The operational tempo dipped but did not stop. Transport squadrons continued to support operations in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and elsewhere; fighter squadrons and 22 Wing North Bay, Ont., the Canadian Air Defence Sector, maintained the NORAD mission; and search and rescue units responded around the clock to calls across the country. 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., even became a quarantine site in the early days of the pandemic for Canadian passengers lifted from a cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, docked in Japan.
But at Wings and in aircraft, new health and safety measures were introduced to mitigate the risk of infection and transmission. Students were sequestered. Access to workspaces was restricted and traffic flow through some buildings was altered to limit contact. Meetings migrated to Zoom and other video technology. Aircrews conducted virtual handovers. On transport planes, new protocols for mask wearing and passenger screening became the norm.
“We have remained focused on the health of our people throughout,” said Meinzinger. “It was impressive how swiftly the team was able to introduce a raft of new protocols.”
The payoff has been evident in the number of COVID-19 cases in the RCAF. At no point have they exceeded single digits, he noted. At the time of the interview in early July, no member was sidelined due to the virus.
While personnel health was critical, the quick reaction to preserve Air Force capacity was a necessary precaution for what the RCAF suspected could be a busy period ahead.
Following the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) had developed a contingency plan known as Operation Laser to counter a future pandemic. Accordingly, among the CAF's first responses to COVID-19 was the stand-up of six regional task forces to respond to provincial requests for assistance, each with an air detachment of either helicopters or fixed-wing aircraft to provide transport and other services.
At the same time, the RCAF was bracing for the urgent calls for air assets under Operation Lentus, the CAF response to natural disasters. Spring flooding and summer forest fires have threatened Canadian communities with increasing frequency in recent years, and assistance with surveillance or evacuation appeared to be in the cards once again.
“At the outset, we were looking at dealing with COVID-19 responses and potentially having to support the government with Op Lentus tasks,” said Meinzinger. Since training for Air Combat Systems Officers and Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators was on pause at 402 Squadron in Winnipeg, the RCAF even put the CT-142 Dash-8 “Gonzo” and its aircrews on standby to provide additional airlift.
Resuming, at a distance
The Air Force is now in the process of working through a business resumption plan that calls for a “controlled, conditions-based” return of activities. In truth, the plan is more about increasing the tempo at Wings, squadrons and headquarters. Mindful of the damage to readiness if core activity ground to a halt, operational squadrons continued to fly and OTUs maintained some flight and technician training for graduates earmarked for possible deployment. Now, it's a matter of ramping up while adapting to the unknowns of the pandemic. Already, about 50 per cent of personnel at 1 Canadian Air Division (1 CAD) and 2 Canadian Air Division are back in their offices and workspaces.
“Readiness is everything from your level of flying currency, the recency of that flying, to your knowledge, so we wanted to make sure that we didn't see our readiness shift,” said Meinzinger. “But we are being very diligent in how we are ramping up.”
His conditions include the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), especially face masks, the ability to operate safely, and the ability to move personnel about the country while still meeting the guidelines of provincial health authorities.
Already, some courses have resumed, albeit in modified classrooms, and training programs have adapted to shortened weeks in which different cohorts rotate every three days to “reduce the footprint” of both students and instructors.
One of the consequences of COVID-19 could be a willingness to embrace distance working. As part of a multi-year retention strategy, the RCAF has been evaluating the merits of working remotely to limit the number of moves a member makes and better accommodate family situations where both spouses serve in the CAF and a move is not conducive for one. Before the pandemic, for example, the RCAF Aerospace Warfare Centre at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., known as the RAWC, was “leveraging brains rather than bodies” by allowing team members to work remotely from locations such as Comox, B.C., and Gagetown, N.B.
“We were already seeing that that model was very effective,” said Meinzinger. “Not only was it delivering operational output ... but more importantly, it was creating better balance in personal lives.”
As RCAF headquarters moves to the Carling Campus in Ottawa, he's tasked his deputy commander, MGen Blaise Frawley, to “look at what a Headquarters 2.0 structure looks like, including how many [staff] could work from home for a majority of their work day.”
“It's an adaptation and it obviously recognizes the need for a healthy workplace. We may see more shift work happening in the HQ, similar to the three-day model,” he explained. “There is a new reality with COVID-19 and that will probably reshape some of our thinking.”
That reality will likely renew discussion around distance learning and the expanded role of simulation and other technologies in training programs. In an ideal world, the RCAF would have a distance learning package for every course “that students could immediately access in a pandemic,” he said.
The Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering at 16 Wing Borden, Ont., is already well down that road with the use of virtual reality (VR) and other tools in the training curriculum of various trades. And CH-148 Cyclone crews are learning hoist mission training on a Bluedrop Training & Simulation VR system at 12 Wing Shearwater, N.S.
More recently in June, the RCAF Command Team course for anointed Commanding Officers and unit Chief Warrant Officers was delivered at distance using “modern tools,” he said.
“This pandemic has underscored the value of having a greater amount of simulation [and remote learning] within the enterprise.”
Return engagement for pilots?
As with any crisis, the pandemic response has highlighted capability gaps and opportunities. Assessing the full impact of COVID-19 remains a work in progress – “we're still drawing deductions,” said Meinzinger – but it has confirmed the agility of the Air Force to alter course on the fly.
In the first months, units stepped up to develop and deliver PPE for the CAF, including the Aerospace Telecommunications and Engineering Support Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, which re-rolled to produce medical-grade face shields for Health Services personnel. And when a gap in keeping infected patients isolated from the aircrew was identified, the Directorate of Aerospace Requirements spearheaded the rapid procurement of aeromedical bio containment containers to allow a medical practitioner to care for multiple infected patients in the back of a CC-177 Globemaster or CC-130J Hercules.
“That procurement was pivotal and we'll reap the benefit of that work in the coming months” when it is delivered, said Meinzinger. “These systems will complement the superb work related to on-aircraft PPE tactics, techniques, and procedures that have been developed by the 1 CAD team to ensure the safety of our aircrew.”
The pandemic might also help with the battle all western air forces have been waging for the past several years, as the commercial airline boom attracted both pilots and maintenance technicians. With civil aviation now in a tailspin and many pilots furloughed or laid off, the RCAF could see the return of former members.
The CAF has been working to re-enrol recently retired members for the past few years, hoping to attract experience back to either the Regular or Reserve Force. After the effect of the pandemic on the aerospace sector became apparent, the RCAF launched a campaign on social media to “rejoin the team” and increased the capacity in its Intake and Liaison Team to help interested former members make the transition. To date, about 200 have expressed an interest and 100 are considered serious prospects, spanning a range of Regular and Reserve Force officer and non-commissioned member trades. In the past four months, about 55 have completed applications.
Meinzinger expects that to increase. Following the upheaval to civil aviation after 9/11, the Air Force saw a similar trend line. “It takes a bit of time for individuals to contemplate their future,” he said. “There is a family decision [involved] ... but we anticipate in the coming months there will be [greater interest] from those individuals who are affected.”
Though the emphasis is on recent military experience, “we'll take any calls,” he added, noting that the ambition of the government's defence policy means “we are going to need a bigger RCAF team.”
Trying to predict the trajectory of the pandemic over the next months is almost impossible, but it's a question “I think about each and every day,” Meinzinger acknowledged. He has been drawing on a “fraternity” of air chiefs from allied countries to gather lessons and help shape the RCAF response.
The only certainty is “to remain very agile” and adapt to what Gen David Goldfein, chief of staff of the U.S. Air Force, has called the new non-normal.
“The cadence and the rhythm of the pandemic is going to clearly shape the way that we move forward,” said Meinzinger. “We want to be as best prepared as we can be.”
https://www.skiesmag.com/features/coping-with-covid-rcaf-adjust-new-world/
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June 22, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land
The French Army wants to toughen up, and here’s its plan to get there
By: Christina Mackenzie PARIS — France's Army needs to toughen up, according to its chief of staff, and he has the strategic plan to do it by 2030. Gen. Thierry Burkhard, a paratrooper in the Foreign Legion and former commander of its 13th Demi-Brigade and later of the Combined Operations Center, unveiled the 20-page document on Wednesday. The document was prepared by a tight-knit group of senior officers, who worked on it from August to October last year. It was then discussed by senior Army cadres, and by January it was ready. However, the coronavirus pandemic delayed its publication. Burkhard said implementing the plan is critical because a “recurrence of a major conflict is now a credible hypothesis.” He added that the cycle of asymmetrical warfare is coming to a close and that a return to symmetrical, state-on-state conflict is likely. But the document also warns that “there are new means of using force, unforeseeable and more insidious, based on intimidation and manipulation, in a new type of warfare, undetectable and disclaimed, to obtain undeniable strategic gains by imposing a fait accompli.” One of France's concerns is that China's expansion in the Pacific will endanger the European country's territories there, such as New Caledonia and French Polynesia. French armed forces in the area must be able to riposte vigorously if necessary, Burkhard said. To “acquire operational superiority,” the French Army must improve its capabilities in the electromagnetic environment, space, cyberspace and information technology, the report said. It also stressed the importance of “strategic industrial partnerships within Europe,” specifically mentioning the CaMo (Capacité Motorisé, or motorized capacity) program, which will see Belgium receive 382 multirole Griffon armored vehicles as well as 60 reconnaissance and combat Jaguar armored vehicles identical and thus compatible with the French ones. The report also highlighted the importance of the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System — a joint effort to develop a main battle tank that will replace Germany's Leopard 2 and France's Leclerc by 2035. There are 12 major projects meant to make the 114,000 French soldiers (of whom 77,000 are ground troops) better prepared for the future of war as described in the report. These include setting up a new technical school to give noncommissioned officers the stronger technical education they'll need to use the materiel being delivered under the $12 billion Scorpion modernization program. Burkhard also wants to reorganize the management of military vehicles, handing responsibility back to the regiments so they can independently prepare for operations. He also wants training to be more realistic and to involve new technology. Other projects involve improving joint and allied interoperability as well as making better use of the reserve force, which currently stands at 24,000 men and women. According to Burkhard, these reservists should be given more autonomy and be better spread out over the territory, and their contracts should be better adapted to their very different life styles based on full-time profession, academic status and geographic location. He also said the Army should have a role in educating French youth on the importance of defense and in developing the universal national service, which will become obligatory from 2024 for French individuals born in 2008. Burkhard also wants to plan a division-level exercise to prepare for air, ground and sea maneuvers. And lastly, he wants to get the job done without having to cut through a mound of red tape. Things in the Army should be simpler, the report read, “so that at local level things are clear and pragmatic.” https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/06/19/the-french-army-wants-to-toughen-up-and-heres-its-plan-to-get-there/
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July 14, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security
Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - July 13, 2020
AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $22,890,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (FA8634-20-D-2704). The first delivery order has been awarded as an undefinitized contract action with a total not-to-exceed value, including options, of $1,192,215,413. It is a cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price effort for the F-15EX system. This delivery order (FA8634-20-F-0022) provides for design, development, integration, manufacturing, test, verification, certification, delivery, sustainment and modification of F-15EX aircraft, as well as spares, support equipment, training materials, technical data and technical support. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; and at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $248,224,746; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $53,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Filius Corp., Centreville, Virginia, has been awarded a $70,617,597 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for the AN/TYQ-23A (V)1 Tactical Air Operations Module weapons system logistics support. The contractor will provide all labor, tools, equipment, technical data/manuals, materials, supplies, parts, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) service bulletins and services necessary to perform contractor logistics support on TYQ-23A (V)1 in accordance with OEM standards (commercial standards if third party is performing service/repair), including software/firmware upgrades. This support will also include emergency and preventative maintenance for any future technologies designed to be implemented in the TYQ-23A. Work will be performed in Centreville, Virginia, and is expected to be completed July 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with five offers received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,300,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8217-20-D-0005). Renco Corp., Manchester, Massachusetts, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $22,400,000 undefinitized contract action for capacity expansion of Nitrile beutadine rubber (NBR) gloves production for the Department of Health and Human Services in care of the Joint Acquisition Task Force. This contract provides for the procurement of raw NBR materials, dipping lines, storage tanks, storage equipment, roofing repairs, lighting, loading docks, water treatment, solar roofs and a remote facility to be determined at a later date in the south central part of the U.S. in order to bring an industrial base and to replenish the strategic national stockpile of Nitrile produced rubber gloves back to the U.S. Work will be performed in Colebrook, New Hampshire, and is expected to be completed July 14, 2021. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 other procurement funds in the amount of $22,400,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8527-20-C-0005). NAVY Blue Rock Structures Inc.,* Pollocksville, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6300); Daniels & Daniels Construction Co. Inc.,* Goldsboro, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6301); Joyce & Associates Construction Inc.,* Newport, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6302); Military & Federal Construction Co. Inc.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6303); Quadrant Construction Inc.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6304); and TE Davis Construction Co.,* Jacksonville, North Carolina (N40085-16-D-6305), are awarded a $90,000,000 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award construction contracts for general construction services within the Marine Corps Installations East area of responsibility. After award of this modification, the total maximum dollar value for all six contracts combined will be $339,000,000. Work will be performed at Navy and Marine Corps installations at various locations including, but not limited to, North Carolina (90%); Georgia (3%); South Carolina (3%); Virginia (3%); and other areas of the U.S. (1%). The work to be performed provides for general construction services including, but not limited to, new construction, demolition, repair, alteration and renovation (total/partial/interior/exterior) of buildings, systems and infrastructure, which may include civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and communication systems; installation of new or extensions to existing high voltage electrical distribution systems; extensions to the existing high pressure steam distribution systems, potable water distribution systems and sanitary sewer systems; additional storm water control systems; painting; removal of asbestos materials and lead paint; and incidental related work. Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. Future task orders will be primarily funded by operations and maintenance (Marine Corps); and military construction funds (Marine Corps). The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Huntington Ingalls Inc., Newport News, Virginia, is awarded a $35,346,618 cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-16-C-4316) to continue performance of the repair, maintenance, upgrades and modernization efforts on the USS Helena (SSN 725) dry-docking selected restricted availability (DSRA). Work will be performed in Newport News, Virginia. The contracted requirements include advance and new work efforts necessary to repair, and maintain full unrestricted operation of the submarine, as well as upgrades and modernization efforts required to ensure the submarine is operating at full technical capacity as defined in the availability work package during the Chief of Naval Operations scheduled availability. Work is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $35,346,618 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. In accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), this contract was not competitively procure; only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirement. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, USN, Newport News, Virginia, is the contracting activity. L3 Technologies Inc., Camden, New Jersey, is awarded a $34,999,948 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the detail design and fabrication of a prototype Medium Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MUSV). This contract includes options for up to eight additional MUSVs, logistics packages, engineering support, technical data, and other direct costs, which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $281,435,446. Work will be performed in Morgan City, Louisiana (72.7%); Arlington, Virginia (9.8%); Jeanerette, Louisiana (8.1%); New Orleans, Louisiana (6.6%); Worthington, Ohio (1.7%); Lafayette, Louisiana (0.9 %); and Gautier, Mississippi (0.2%), and is expected to be completed by December 2022. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 2027. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $34,999,948 will be obligated at the time of award, and $29,779,038 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities (now beta.SAM.gov), and five offers were received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-20-C-6312). Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum, Maryland, is awarded an $11,300,000 not-to-exceed, cost-plus fixed-fee contract for the procurement of transitional development and sustaining engineering services for the Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar (G/ATOR), to include software support activity transition, low/slow/small capability development and ground weapons locating radar improvements. The G/ATOR program is managed within the portfolio of Program Executive Officer Land Systems, Quantico, Virginia. Work will be performed in Linthicum, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by July 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $2,217,296; and fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $3,000,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured and was prepared in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, is awarded an $8,127,069 modification under previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2111 to perform alterations during the USS South Dakota (SSN 790) post-delivery work period. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut. General Dynamics Electric Boat will perform planning and execution efforts on SSN 790, USS South Dakota. Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $7,829,633 modification under previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2111 to perform alterations during the USS South Dakota (SSN 790) post-delivery work period. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut. General Dynamics Electric Boat will perform planning and execution efforts on SSN 790, USS South Dakota. Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of award. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $7,765,664 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2104) for planning and execution of USS Delaware (SSN 791) post delivery work period (PDWP). Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut. Electric Boat Corp. will perform planning and execution efforts, including long lead time material procurement, in preparation to accomplish the maintenance, repair, alterations, testing, and other work on USS Delaware (SSN 791) during its scheduled PDWP. Work is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,765,664 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Eatontown, New Jersey, has been awarded a maximum $42,907,336 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for various pharmaceutical products. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with nine one-year option periods. Location of performance is New Jersey, with a July 12, 2021, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 Warstopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D0-20-D-0006). ARMY Mathy Construction Co., Onalaska, Wisconsin, was awarded an $8,870,763 modification (P00002) to contract W911SA-19-D-2018 for asphalt paving at Fort McCoy. Work will be performed at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of July 14, 2022. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. The U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $7,845,596 hybrid (cost-no-fee, firm-fixed-price) contract to provide U.S. Forces Korea with information technology, architecture and engineering, command and control networks and associated systems support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Pyongtaek, South Korea, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2025. The 411th Contracting Support Brigade, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, is the contracting activity (W91QVN-20-F-0440). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2272447/source/GovDelivery/