Germany establishes new military space command

On the same subject

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  October 8, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - October 07, 2019

  ARMY Brasfield & Gorrie LLC, Birmingham, Alabama (W912HN-20-D-3000); Gilbane Federal JV, Concord, California (W912HN-20-D-3001); Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Orlando, Florida (W912HN-20-D-3002); Caddell Construction Co. (DE) LLC, Montgomery, Alabama (W912HN-20-D-3003); Archer Western Federal JV, Chicago, Illinois (W912HN-20-D-3004); and M.A. Mortenson Co., Minneapolis, Minnesota (W912HN-20-D-3005), will compete for each order of the $249,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for design, build, construction, rehabilitation, maintenance, repairs, mechanical systems, plumbing, utility systems, structural, electrical, heating and air conditioning, instrumentation, security and safety areas of Government facilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with 20 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 3, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico, has been awarded a $92,980,000 cost-reimbursement, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Playas Electronic Attack & Cyber Environment research and development. This contract will define, develop and deploy cyber electronic warfare (EW) capabilities for research and development, evaluation, test and training in support of employment of cyber EW effects. This effort will provide a unique and enduring environment to support Department of Defense assets for the employment of cyber and EW effects. Work will be performed in Playas, New Mexico, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 7, 2026. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $5,298,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-D-1888). Linde Services LLC, New Providence, New Jersey, has been awarded a $77,000,000 hybrid firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (FA7022-20-D-0002) with a cost reimbursable line item, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the processing separation, and radio assay of atmospheric gas samples for elemental determination of sample components. This contract provides for laboratory analytical services and support services, including but not limited to, sample analysis, analytical technique advancement, special projects, computer software support. The location of performance is New Providence, New Jersey. The work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2027. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funding in the amount of $6,998,924 is obligated at the time of award. Headquarters Air Combat Command, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Detachment 2 Operation Location, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Olgoonik Technical Services LLC, Anchorage, Alaska, has been awarded a maximum $13,314,408 modification (P00033) exercising the fourth one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SP3300-16-C-5001) with four one-year option periods for warehousing and distribution support services. This is a fixed-price-incentive contract with cost-reimbursement line items. Locations of performance are Alaska and California, with an Oct. 15, 2020, performance completion date. Using customer is Defense Logistics Agency. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. NAVY Schuyler Line Navigation Co. LLC, Annapolis, Maryland, is awarded an $11,803,500 modification under a previously awarded firm, fixed-price contract (N32205-18-C-3508) to fund the first one-year option period. The option will continue to provide one U.S. flagged vessel (SLNC Goodwill) in support of the Department of Defense Logistics Agency Energy for the transportation of clean petroleum products in the Far East region. The current contract includes a 12-month base period, three 12-month option periods and one 11-month option period. Work will be performed in the Far East region, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 14, 2020. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds in the amount of $2,950,875 will be obligated at time of award and each quarter thereafter and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2021 working capital funds will be funded for the remainder of the option. Military Sealift Command, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-18-C-3508). https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1983019/source/GovDelivery/

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  October 10, 2024 | International, Naval

  Gulf countries beef up their undersea-warfare chops with European tech

  French and Italian firms are on tap to supply sonar technology and miniature submarines to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, respectively.

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  July 10, 2018 | International, Naval

  Has the US Navy thought this new frigate through? New report raises questions.

  By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON ― The U.S. Navy is rapidly moving toward procuring the first hull in its new class of frigate in 2020, but a new report is raising questions about whether the Navy has done detailed analysis about what it needs out of the ship before barging ahead. The Navy may not have done an adequate job of analyzing gaps and capabilities shortfalls before it set itself on a fast-track to buying the so-called FFG(X) as an adaptation from a parent design, said influential Navy analyst Ron O'Rourke in a new Congressional Research Service report. In essence, the CRS report questions whether the Navy looked at what capabilities the service already has in the fleet, what capabilities it's missing and whether the FFG(X) is the optimal solution to address any identified shortfalls. O'Rourke suggests Congress push the Navy on “whether procuring a new class of FFGs is the best or most promising general approach for addressing the identified capability gaps and mission needs, and whether the Navy has performed a formal, rigorous analysis of this issue, as opposed to relying solely on subjective judgments of Navy or [Defense Department] leaders.” ““Subjective judgments, though helpful, can overlook counter-intuitive results regarding the best or most promising general approach,” the report reads. “Potential alternative general approaches for addressing identified capability gaps and mission needs in this instance include (to cite a few possibilities) modified LCSs, FFs, destroyers, aircraft, unmanned vehicles, or some combination of these platforms.” The Navy is looking to adapt its FFG(X) from an existing design such as Fincantieri's FREMM, one of the two existing littoral combat ships or the Coast Guard's national security cutter as a means of getting updated capabilities into a small surface combatant and into the fleet quickly. A better approach, O'Rourke suggests, would be to make a formal, rigorous analysis of alternatives to its current course. Failure to do so has led to a series of setbacks with the Navy's current small surface combatant program, the LCS. “The Navy did not perform a formal, rigorous analysis of this kind prior to announcing the start of the LCS program in November 2001, and this can be viewed as a root cause of much of the debate and controversy that attended the LCS program, and of the program's ultimate restructurings in February 2014 and December 2015,” O'Rourke writes. O'Rourke further suggests the Navy is relying too much on subjective opinions of Navy and Defense Department leaders, instead of a legitimate analysis. And indeed, the Navy has made rapid acquisition of the new ship the hallmark of the program. “Subjective judgments can be helpful, particularly in terms of capturing knowledge and experience that is not easily reduced to numbers, in taking advantage of the ‘wisdom of the crowd,‘ and in coming to conclusions and making decisions quickly,” O'Rourke argues. “On the other hand, a process that relies heavily on subjective judgments can be vulnerable to group-think, can overlook counter-intuitive results regarding capability gaps and mission needs, and, depending on the leaders involved, can emphasize those leaders' understanding of the Navy's needs.” Read the full report here. https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2018/07/09/has-the-us-navy-thought-this-new-frigate-through-new-report-raises-questions/