General Atomics, UAE advance talks over MQ-9B drones

On the same subject

• 

  December 9, 2019 | International, Other Defence

  Opinion: Is Pressuring Allies To Pay More For Defense Worth The Cost?

  President Donald Trump appears to be getting his wish that U.S. allies pay more for their own defense, which begs the question: Is the victory worth the cost? Pushing allies to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense is not a new concept. Trump's predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama both argued for greater burden sharing, and Russia's 2014 invasion of Ukraine's Crimea region had allies starting to move toward that benchmark. Arguably, Trump's “America First” drumbeat is getting NATO allies to pay a bigger share of the cost of their defense three decades after the end of the Cold War. Military spending by European NATO nations and Canada has risen 4.6% this year, and the majority of allies have plans to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense by 2024, according to NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg. Meanwhile, the U.S. is on a path to dial back its contribution from 22% of NATO's total funding to 16%. “This is a direct result of President Trump making clear our expectations that these Europeans would step up to help secure their own people,” says U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Unfortunately, Trump has not stopped there, openly expressing disdain for an organization established to guard against the kind of territorial expansion undertaken by the former Soviet Union. He has hurled sophomoric barbs at steadfast allies such as the UK, Germany and Canada, while refusing to criticize Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, the architect of both the Crimea invasion and Moscow's campaign to interfere in U.S. elections. For the first phase of the Trump presidency, his cabinet tried to temper those go-it-alone impulses. Then-Defense Secretary James Mattis sought to reassure allies of U.S. support for their security. But more recent White House appointees have been less willing to cross their boss. Even more damaging was Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw most U.S. forces from Syria, disgracefully abandoning America's Kurdish allies to the benefit of Turkey, Russia and Iran and leaving Europe more exposed to attacks from Islamic extremists. “What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO,” French President Emmanuel Macron told The Economist. Trump sees NATO in a transactional way, “as a project in which the United States acts as a sort of geopolitical umbrella, but the trade-off is that there has to be commercial exclusivity,” he added. “It's an arrangement for buying American.” While Macron is calling for a reconsideration of what NATO means in light of reduced American commitment, European nations are not waiting. They are building up their own defense industrial base. In 2017, the EU created the Permanent Structured Cooperation initiative, which is pursuing research toward new missiles, aircraft, missile defense and electronic attack capabilities. U.S. efforts to have its companies included in the work have so far been brushed off. Trump's hardball approach also is being applied to key allies in Asia that have long served as a bulwark against a rising China. The U.S. alliance with South Korea is now reviewed annually, instead of every four years. And after signing a deal in February that calls for South Korea to pay nearly $1 billion to maintain the U.S. military presence there, Washington is now demanding that Seoul pay $4.7 billion annually. Before an agreement was reached, the U.S. walked out of the talks. The Trump administration also is looking for more cash from Japan, calling for more than triple Tokyo's $1.7 billion contribution toward hosting U.S. troops in its country. These requests are straining longstanding alliances. South Korea is edging closer to China, while Japan, which has a strong industrial base, might partner with the UK on its Tempest fighter program. To be sure, U.S. defense exports remain near an all-time high. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced $55.4 billion in potential Foreign Military Sales in fiscal 2019, about the same as the prior year. But there are indications that Trump's pay-up-now methods may lead to an erosion in future sales. Asking allies to contribute more for their own defense certainly has merit, but the wider risks to U.S. global interests cannot be ignored. Can 70-year-old alliances survive if the leading partner vocally questions their value? And if the alliances crack, what would that mean for the U.S. military industrial base? “The more our alliances fray,” says Eric Edelman, a former U.S. undersecretary of defense, “the less interest people have in buying U.S. defense goods and services.” https://aviationweek.com/defense/opinion-pressuring-allies-pay-more-defense-worth-cost

• 

  November 23, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 21, 2018

  NAVY Stratascor LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, is awarded a $210,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, fixed-price contract for command, control, communications, and computer system afloat operations and sustainment support for capabilities aboard the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet of ships, and the MSC network operations centers. This contract includes a five-year ordering period. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is scheduled to commence Jan. 1, 2018, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2023. Navy working capital funds and U.S. Transportation Command working capital funds in the amount of $500,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with five offers received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519D1000). Thales Defense and Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, is awarded a not-to-exceed $13,999,410 for undefinitized contract action delivery order N00383-19-F-AQ00 under previously awarded basic ordering agreement N00383-17-G-AQ01 for repair of 58 dome sonars in support of the H-60 airborne low frequency sonar system. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Maryland (50 percent); and Brest, France (50 percent). Work is expected to be completed by November 2020. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $10,499,557 will be obligated at the time of award and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One firm was solicited for this non-competitive requirement under authority 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. PAE Applied Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $12,473,525 cost modification to previously-awarded contract N66604-05-C-1277 for Hurricane Matthew repairs to the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). AUTEC is the Navy's large-area, deep-water, undersea test and evaluation range. Underwater research, testing and evaluation of anti-submarine weapons, sonar tracking and communications are the predominant activities conducted at AUTEC. This modification increases the total value of the contract to $800,549,247. Work will be performed on Andros Island, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. No funding will be obligated at time of award, as work has been incrementally funded with fiscal 2017 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. Offshore Service Vessels LLC, Cut Off, Louisiana, is awarded a $10,493,750 firm-fixed-price contract with reimbursable elements for the West Coast Naval Special Warfare submarine support vessel MV Alyssa Chouest. This vessel will be utilized to launch and recover submersibles, divers and small craft. This contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods, and one 11-month option period. If all options are exercised this would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $54,238,356. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and at sea, and is expected to be completed July 9, 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through June 8, 2024. Fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $2,415,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 50 plus proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N3220519C3518). URS Group Inc., Morrisville, North Carolina, is awarded a $10,010,000 modification on a firm-fixed-price task order under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62470-13-D-6022) for phase one of Hurricane Michael repairs for stabilization and repairs to multiple buildings at Naval Support Activity Panama City. The work to be performed provides for removal of carpet, walls, windows and other unsalvageable items due to water penetration, clean-up of roofing materials and tarping of rooftops to mitigate further water intrusion. Repairs include roof replacement, roof decking, and sealing roof penetrations. The repairs also include correction of architectural, structural, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, fire protection, electrical deficiencies and any other incidental related work as found due to the hurricane. After award of this modification, the total task order value will be $21,510,000. Work will be performed in Panama City, Florida, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,010,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Noble Supply and Logistics, Rockland, Massachusetts, has been awarded a maximum $75,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, 192-day bridge contract for maintenance, repair, and operations support in the Central Command Area of Responsibility. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification using 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Locations of performance are Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with a June 1, 2019, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and other federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriate is fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE8E319D0002). AIR FORCE CACI NSS Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $63,267,131 fixed-price-incentive firm-target modification (P00068) to contract FA8823-16-C-OOOC for support of Consolidated Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN) modification, maintenance and operations. The modification exercises the second option period effective Nov. 22, 2018. This contract provides for continued operations and maintenance at AFSCN mission locations, AFSCN factory compatibility testing and phase-in sustainment activities for same systems. Work will be performed at tracking stations in Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory; U.S. Territory of Guam; Ka'ena Point, Hawaii; New Boston Air Force Station, New Hampshire; Thule AFB, Greenland; Vandenberg AFB, California; Bordon and Hants, United Kingdom; and Eastern Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Work is expected to be completed by May 21, 2024. Fiscal 2019 operations maintenance funds in the amount of $40,267,131 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $165,067,247. Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting Activity. Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Littleton, Colorado, has been awarded a $16,113,613 definitization (P000012) to previously undefinitized contract FA8204-18-C-0009 (P00005) to implement security classification guide changes. Work will be performed in Littleton, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 3, 2020. Fiscal 2018 research and development (3600) funds in the amount of $50,215 is being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $13,965,639 modification (P00110) for the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communication system, mitigation and anti-jam effort and additional strings. This effort will provide the WGS system with increased resilience. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California; and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 28, 2021. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $13,965,639 are being obligated at the time of award. Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8808-10-C-0001). CORRECTION: The $489,924,430 contract (FA8620-18-C-1000 PZ0004) announced on Nov. 19, 2018, to Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, San Diego, California, for the Japan Global Hawk Program was actually awarded on Nov. 20, 2018. ARMY Guyco Inc., Lampasas, Texas, was awarded a $57,538,500 firm-fixed-price contract to revitalize and renovate barracks. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Fort Hood, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $57,538,500 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-19-C-0008). Canadian Commercial Corp., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, was awarded an $18,742,500 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of strip stock and ground side and wheel side rubber materials. 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 Nov. 22, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W911RQ-19-D-0018). AMG JV, Leesburg, Virginia,* was awarded a $9,820,000 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of an administration building. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 12, 2020. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,820,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91236-19-C-0005). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Insitu Inc., Bingen, Washington, was awarded a maximum $18,000,000 modification (P00018) for an existing non-competitive, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (H92222-16-D-0031) for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (MEUAS 1.5B) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services. An increase of $18,000,000 to a ceiling of $250,000,000 prevents a gap in ISR services until all task orders are transitioned to the current competitive MEUAS III contracts. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $18,000,000 are available for obligation as needed. U.S. Special Operations Command, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1696664/source/GovDelivery/

• 

  April 19, 2021 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Rajnath to IAF : Include new technology in readiness plan

  New Delhi, April 15 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has asked the Indian Air Force (IAF) to include all dimensions of war-like advanced technologies, asymmetric capabilities and info-dominance as part