January 23, 2023 | International, Aerospace, C4ISR
High-power microwave systems use bursts of energy to disrupt, degrade or destroy distant electronics.
February 21, 2023 | International, Land, Other Defence
Varsovie vise des dépenses militaires de près de 4 % de son PIB, un record au sein de l'Otan, et veut doubler l'effectif de son armée. Pour la Pologne, où Joe Biden se rend ce mardi, la menace russe s'inscrit dans le long terme.
September 18, 2019 | International, Aerospace
By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Gen. Stephen “Seve” Wilson knows the enemy doesn't sleep. As the U.S. Air Force's vice chief of staff, he's aware of how innovation can be stifled. But that must change as the United States finds itself in an era of great power competition, he argues. Wilson spoke on a panel at the 2019 Defense News Conference on Sept. 4, where he discussed how the government can close the innovation gap, and how the military can improve its relationship with industry. What is the biggest challenge to moving innovative concepts into military operations? What I see arguably as the biggest challenge to innovation and moving it forward is urgency. And today I can't beat that drum hard enough and loud enough about the sense of urgency that the status quo simply isn't acceptable in the world that we live in. The good news is we know how to do this, we've done it before. And I'd go back to a time in our history in the early '60s when President [John F.] Kennedy said: “We're going to go to the moon and back.” In about eight years, we did 36 space launches. We built the biggest rockets ever known. And we did 36 launches in eight years. Today I look at the time frame it takes us to deliver capability, and we're nowhere on that timeline. I think we as a nation need to understand the competition and develop amongst all of us in all of our communities this sense of urgency that we're in this competition, and the status quo is just simply not good enough. So how do you enable that change? I was just at in San Antonio, Texas, visiting the 33rd Network Warfare Squadron. I met a young lieutenant with these bold ideas. He went to his boss and said: “Hey, I think we've got this really hard problem. I think I can solve it. Give me a handful of people in a couple of days and I'll be able to get after [it].” He came back and not once, not twice, but three times he failed. And along the way he asked for more people and time, until he didn't fail, and he solved a really wicked hard problem. There was a courageous lieutenant in this case and a leadership that empowered him to move forward. And then he briefed me — here's the vice chief coming to visit, [and he says]: “Hey vice chief, here's where I failed three times until we didn't.” And he brought the sense of urgency. It was about building a team, a common vision. It's really powerful, and I think it's indicative of what we need to see across all of our forces. We hear how advanced China is in areas of innovation. Just how advanced is it really? I tell people that we're the best in the world and our adversaries know it. But they're catching up. If we don't change, we could lose. We have to do business differently. We're trying. How? We hear government is not always easy to do business with. We're trying to lower those barriers and bring on people quicker and easier. We have some of the most impactful problems for our nation. And if we can get people in the door and expose them to the challenges and let them do what they can do, it's hugely rewarding. We have to make it easy. Can we make it easy where industry could come work with us, maybe even for only a few years, but [long enough] to really make a difference? How can we bring somebody in, let them work and then let them go back to industry? We both benefit from it. We have to find ways because this is about a competition for talent and good ideas. Then what do we do with it? Do we empower them and let them really work at these really hard problems? I think that's what people really want to get after. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/2019/09/15/4-questions-about-innovation-with-the-us-air-forces-vice-chief-of-staff
March 12, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Alon USA LP, Dallas, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0460, $94,761,255); BP Products North America Inc., Chicago, Illinois (SPE602-19-D-046, $336,763,299); BP Products North America Inc., Chicago, Illinois (SPE602-19-D-0462, $94,753,559); Calumet Shreveport Fuels LLC,* Indianapolis, Indiana (SPE602-19-D-0463, $91,042,014); Epic Aviation LLC,* Salem, Oregon (SPE602-19-D-0464, $36,973,147); Equilon Enterprises, doing business as Shell Oil Products, Houston, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0465, $259,795,782); Exxon Mobil Fuels Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Co., Spring, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0466, $90,495,076); Hunt Refining Co., Tuscaloosa, Alabama (SPE602-19-D-0467, $34,052,469); Husky Marketing & Supply Co. Dublin, Ohio (SPE602-19-D-0468, $81,348,500); Lazarus Energy Holdings LLC,* Houston, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0470, $125,906,184); Petromax Refining Co.,* Houston, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0477, $241,944,848); Placid Refining Co. LLC,* Port Allen, Louisiana (SPE602-19-D-0472, $124,968,052); Tesoro Refining & Marketing Co., LLC, San Antonio, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0473, $45,029,489); Valero Marketing and Supply Co., San Antonio, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0474, $141,128,080); Wynnewood Energy Co., Sugarland, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0475, $92,328,466); Hermes Consolidated LLC, doing business as Wyoming Refining Co.,* Houston, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0476, $42,147,054); and Phillips 66 Co., Houston, Texas (SPE602-19-D-0478, $884,362,445), have each been awarded a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract under solicitation SPE602-18-R-0717 for various types of fuel. These were competitive acquisitions with 32 offers received. These are one-year contracts with a 30-day carryover. Locations of performance are Texas, Ohio, Alabama, Wyoming, Illinois, Indiana, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, with a March 31, 2019, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency Energy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. ARMY Jacobs Technology Inc., Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $785,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for instructors. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 14, 2026. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-19-D-0004). Jacobs Technology Inc., Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was awarded a $38,253,942 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for testing for evaluation of various interactions of chemical and biological agents. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, with an estimated completion date of June 23, 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,392,148 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, is the contracting activity (W911S6-19-C-0002). Atlantic Diving Supply Inc.,* Virginia Beach, Virginia (W81XWH-19-A-0003); American Purchasing Services LLC,* Miramar, Florida (W81XWH-19-A-0004); and TQM LLC, Saint Charles, Missouri (W81XWH-19-A-0005), will compete for each order of the $20,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for brand-name medical equipment repair parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 10, 2024. U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Cubic Global Defense Inc., San Diego, California, was awarded a $7,996,042 modification (P00003) to contract W564KV-18-F-0001 for analytical support services. Work will be performed in Stuttgart, Germany, with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2023. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,996,042 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army 409th Combat Support Battalion, Kaiserslautern, Germany, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 10, 2019) NAVY Dell Marketing LP, Round Rock, Texas, was awarded an estimated $231,170,000 firm-fixed-price blanket purchase agreement (BPA) in accordance with the firm's General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Supply Schedule contract. This agreement will provide VMware brand-name software licenses, software maintenance and services to the Department of the Navy (DON). The products will meet the following functional capabilities: data center and Cloud infrastructure; networking and security; storage and availability; Cloud management; network functions virtualization; digital workspace; desktop and application virtualization; and training. Under the Enterprise Software Initiative, the DON leverages its aggregate buying power to establish enterprise agreements with information technology manufacturers and resellers for high demand, commercial-off-the-shelf IT products and services. This BPA will be available for ordering VMware products and services throughout the Navy, worldwide, and the ordering period is expected to be completed March 7, 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy) funds. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the GSA E-Buy website with 895 vendors solicited, three offers received, and one selected for award. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-19-A-0055). (Awarded March 8, 2019) Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, California, is awarded an $89,534,733 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide sustainment and engineering services in support of the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System. Additionally, this contract procures the technical expertise of field service representatives, logisticians and test support to ensure MQ-4C air vehicles and mission control and operator training systems are fully sustained and mission capable. Work will be performed at Patuxent River, Maryland (45 percent); Jacksonville, Florida (25 percent); Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (20 percent); and Point Mugu, California (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2020. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy); and fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $69,309,254 will be obligated at time of award, $4,000,000 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. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-19-C-1020). General Atomics, San Diego, California, is awarded $18,898,425 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N0001919F2709 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0006). This delivery order provides Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) integrated test and evaluation effort for EMALS test site operations, Failure Reporting Analysis and Corrective Actions System, prototype and testing, environmental qualification testing and remediation, electromagnetic interference testing, and training efforts. Work will be performed in Lakewood, New Jersey (60 percent); Tupelo, Mississippi (25 percent); and Rancho Bernardo, California (15 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $18,898,425 will be obligated at time of award, $2,737,924 of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Bethel-Webcor JV-1,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded $11,470,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N4425519F4123 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N44255-17-D-4032) for the P-253 Fleet Support Facility at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. The work to be performed provides for the construction of P-253 Fleet Support Facility to include construction of a single-story addition to Building 2836. The facility provides space for storage of equipment as well as material receiving, processing, staging and shipping areas associated with the operation. It will also include the renovation of the administration and operations spaces in Building 2836. The project also modifies those spaces which will be required to provide a connection to the new addition. This project will provide Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) features and comply with AT/FP regulations and physical security in accordance with Department of Defense Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings. Work will be completed in Oak Harbor, Washington, and is expected to be completed by November 2020. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $11,470,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc., Christiana, Tennessee, was awarded an estimated $49,936,300, five-year, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract (H92403-19-D-0002) for the purchase of advanced sniper rifles in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $387,234 are being obligated at the time of award. The work will be performed in Christiana, and is scheduled to be completed by March 2024. The solicitation was posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website under “full and open competition” and six proposals were received. USSOCOM, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE Etegent Technologies Ltd., Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a $24,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. This contract provides for further development of cognitively-derived analyst tools to support the integration of more fully integrated intelligence products of greater relevance to the warfighter, and transitioning of analyst-aiding tools and technologies within the Department of Defense intelligence community. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by March 11, 2026. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and 24 offers were received. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $ $599,250 are being obligated on the initial task order at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright Research Site, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-D-6939). DynCorp International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $9,673,729 modification (P00001) to previously awarded contract FA2860-19-C-0005 for the rotary wing aircraft maintenance contract. This modification provides for services to support all management, personnel, equipment and services necessary to perform helicopter maintenance in support of aircraft assigned to the 11th Wing and their customers. Work will be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and is expected to be complete by June 30, 2024. 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 of the contract to $75,020,715. The 11th Contracting Squadron, Services Flight, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES Marcon Inc., Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,646,332 firm-fixed-price contract. The contract is to provide technical and managerial assistance as related to all elements of facility planning, program and project execution, including a wide range of analytical and planning, design, and construction management support services to assist the Washington Headquarters Services Facilities Services Directorate in the accomplishment of its missions. Work performance will take place at the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. Fiscal 2019 Pentagon Reservation Maintenance Revolving funds in the amount of $10,646,332 are being awarded. The expected completion date is Jan. 30, 2023. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HQ0034-17-D-0016). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1782108/