Navy Releases Draft RFP for FFG(X) Future Frigate

On the same subject

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  January 16, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Does the Pentagon need a chief management officer?

  By: Jerry McGinn Ms. Lisa Hershman, an accomplished former CEO who has been serving in the Department of Defense for over two years, received Senate confirmation by unanimous consent to become the DoD chief management officer shortly before Christmas. At the same time, however, the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act required two studies from the DoD that openly posit eliminating the CMO function altogether. What gives? The mixed signals coming out of these discordant events underscore the fact that the theory behind the current CMO function (and similar efforts over the past two decades) does not match the reality of the business structure of the DoD. The solution that will ultimately work best for the DoD is one that truly takes a business-based approach to DoD business operations. The CMO function is the latest in a long-running series of efforts since the early 2000s to reform the business of defense. The essential idea has been to bring the best commercial business practices into DoD business operations through organizational and legislative changes. While the rationale for these respective initiatives is unassailable, they have struggled in execution. The CMO and its predecessor organizations, for example, have focused on the acquisition or certification of DoD business systems. These efforts, however, have largely devolved into bureaucratic battles over resources and authorities, pitting the business-focused organization against the formidable military departments and the “fourth estate.” Whatever the outcome, the business-focused organization ends up being seen as weak and ineffective. Why is that? Having worked for years in and around these respective efforts in both government and industry roles, I have come to the conclusion that these well-meaning initiatives are just the wrong type of solution. This is largely because their respective organizations, often despite strong leadership and empowered by various degrees of legislative authority, have not had the bureaucratic throw-weight to succeed in Pentagon battles with the services and the fourth estate. The solution to this challenge, however, is not to further tinker with the CMO's authority or to create a larger or different CMO organization. Part of the solution is to recognize that while the DoD is not a business, it is in many ways a businesslike organization. There are no profit and loss, or P&L, centers in the DoD, but the military departments frankly function in much the same way as a P&L line of business. The services are directly responsible for training and equipping their soldiers, sailors and airmen just as P&L leaders are responsible for delivering products and solutions on time and profitably. Likewise, fourth estate entities such as the defense agencies and the Office of the Secretary of Defense have direct responsibility over their respective functions. Harnessing the power and authority of these organizations through the training and enabling of good business practices is a much more natural fit for the DoD. Devolving responsibility in and of itself is not the answer, however. The other part of the solution is accountability. Commercial businesses do not have a CMO function. Instead, well-run businesses are led by strong executives who are responsible and accountable for delivering results to their employees and shareholders. Those that succeed are rewarded, while those that fail are replaced. The same goes for the DoD. DoD leadership should focus on establishing business-reform objectives for each major DoD organization, and then holding leaders of these respective organizations accountable to the achievement of measurable business goals. This should be driven by the secretary and the deputy, and enabled by a much smaller CMO function. Secretary Mark Esper appears to be headed in that direction in his recent memo on 2020 DoD reform efforts, which focuses the CMO's efforts on the fourth estate and makes the services directly responsible “to establish and execute aggressive reform plans.” That is the right approach. In short, the DoD does not need a management organization to oversee the business of defense; it needs to enable its leaders to utilize business best practices, and then hold these leaders accountable for results. Jerry McGinn is the executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University. He previously served as the senior career official in the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy at the U.S. Defense Department. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/01/15/does-the-pentagon-need-a-chief-management-officer

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  April 30, 2018 | International, C4ISR

  DARPA wants to arm ethical hackers with AI

  By: Brandon Knapp The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) wants to leverage human-artificial intelligence teaming to accelerate the military's cyber vulnerability detection, according to agency documents. The task of securing the Pentagon's diverse networks, which support nearly every function of the military's operations, presents a nightmare for defense officials. The current time-intensive and costly process involves extensively trained hackers using specialized software suites to scour the networks in search of vulnerabilities that could potentially be exploited, but the scarcity of expert hackers makes detecting cyberthreats a challenge for the Defense Department. DARPA's Computers and Humans Exploring Software Security (CHESS) program seeks to bolster existing cyber defenders with a new tool that would render much of the current toolkit ancient history: artificial intelligence. The program aims to incorporate automation into the software analysis and vulnerability discovery process by enabling humans and computers to reason collaboratively. If successful, the program could enhance existing hacking techniques and greatly expand the number of personnel capable of ethically hacking DoD systems. To achieve its goal, DARPA will solicit proposals from industry across five technical areas, including developing tools that mimic the processes used by expert hackers and ultimately transitioning a final solution to the government. “Through CHESS, we're looking to gather, understand and convert the expertise of human hackers into automated analysis techniques that are more accessible to a broader range of technologists,” the DARPA program description reads. “By allowing more individuals to contribute to the process, we're creating a way to scale vulnerability detection well beyond its current limits.” While DARPA sees artificial intelligence as an important tool for enhancing cybersecurity efforts, officials emphasize the essential role humans play in the collaborative process. “Humans have world knowledge, as well as semantic and contextual understanding that is beyond the reach of automated program analysis alone,” said Dustin Fraze, the I2O program manager leading CHESS. “These information gaps inhibit machine understanding for many classes of software vulnerabilities. Properly communicated human insights can fill these information gaps and enable expert hacker-level vulnerability analysis at machine speeds.” The CHESS program will span three phases lasting a total of 42 months. Each phase will focus on increasing the complexity of an application the CHESS system is able to analyze effectively. https://www.c4isrnet.com/it-networks/2018/04/27/darpa-wants-to-arm-ethical-hackers-with-ai/

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  August 12, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 11, 2020

  NAVY Continental Tide Defense Systems Inc. (Tide),* Reading, Pennsylvania (N64498-20-D-4030); Gibbs & Cox Inc. (G&C), New York, New York (N64498-20-D-4031); McKean Defense Group LLC (McKean), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (N64498-20-D-4032); NDI Engineering Co. (NDI),* Thorofare, New Jersey (N64498-20-D-4033); and Q.E.D. Systems Inc. (Q.E.D.), Virginia Beach, Virginia (N64498-20-R-4029), are each awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts with firm-fixed-price task order provisions for a combined, not-to-exceed $165,092,379 to provide engineering, technical, logistics and program management services to perform the functions for Navy and Army surface ships, submarines, and assault craft. Functions include engineering, technical and logistics support for in-service ship systems and equipment, refurbishment and testing of electrical and electrical control equipment, program management, programmatic, engineering and implementation coordination support for equipment upgrades and ship modernization initiatives and direct fleet support for afloat units at the waterfront. Contractor support is required to provide the necessary technical expertise, technical personnel mix and support for all of these efforts. The contract awarded to Tide is not to exceed $31,764,960; the contract awarded to G&C is not to exceed $33,491,813; the contract awarded to McKean is not to exceed $31,531,799; the contract awarded to NDI is not to exceed $33,667,355; and the contract awarded to Q.E.D. is not to exceed $30,420,902. The contract awards listed above are not to exceed a program value and combined total of $34,636,452. Work will be completed at the contractors' facilities (86%); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (14%). Work is expected to be completed by July 2026. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (91%); and operations and maintenance (Navy) (9%) funding in the total amount of $500,000 ($100,000 minimum guarantee per contract) will be obligated at time of award via individual task orders, of which operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $44,800 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These contracts were competitively procured using full and open competition via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with 10 offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a Lockheed Martin Co., Stratford, Connecticut, is awarded a $25,127,577 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N00019-20-F-0863) against basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0029. This order provides non-recurring engineering for the development of logistics support products for the Maintenance Task Analysis Phase II, a provisioning database of technical information to include 2D drawings that supports all operational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance for the CH-53K helicopter. Work will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut (63%); Jupiter, Florida (11%); Chesterfield, Missouri (6%); St. Marcel, France (5%); Rockmart, Georgia (2%); Titchfield, England (2%); Rome, New York (2%); Springfield, New Jersey (2%); Orange, Connecticut (1%); Westbury, New York (1%); Avon, Ohio (1%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (4%), and is expected to be completed in August 2024. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test, and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,043,000 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Kiliuda Consulting LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska, is awarded an $18,883,593 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price task orders that will be issued to provide business support services for the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division corporate operations. The services under this contract will provide facilities support (workspace design and physical reconfiguration); visual information support (illustration and photography/videography); security support (excluding law enforcement); Manager's Internal Control program support; material and equipment property management support; travel accounting, management and program analysis; and quality office and office clerical support. Work will be performed in Panama City, Florida, and is expected to be complete by October 2021, and if all options are exercised, would be complete by October 2025. No funding will be obligated by this action. Task orders will primarily be funded with Navy working capital funds. Navy working capital funds will be obligated on task orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured as a Section 8(a) small business set-aside with 10 offers received. Offers were solicited via the beta.SAM.gov contract opportunities website. The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division, Panama City, Florida, is the contracting activity (N61331-20-D-0016). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY US Foods, Manassas, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $51,600,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a four-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Virginia, with an Aug. 11, 2024, ordering period end date. Using customers are Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2024 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3274). Claflin Service Co., Warwick, Rhode Island, has been awarded a maximum $49,500,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 127 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Rhode Island, with an Aug. 10, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0046). Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, New York, has been awarded a maximum $44,999,380 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery requirements contract for communication interface units. This was a limited source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1 (a)(2). This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New York, with an Aug. 31, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (SPRRA1-20-D-0060). Dominion Privatization Texas LLC, Richmond, Virginia, has been awarded a $42,075,122 modification (P00040) to a 50-year contract (SP0600-16-C-8312) with no option periods for additional utility services for the electric and natural gas utility systems at Fort Hood, Texas. This modification increases the obligated value from $68,019,912 to $69,377,704. This is a firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Locations of performance are Virginia and Texas, with a June 30, 2066, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2017 through 2067 Army operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Sysco Central Alabama Inc., Calera, Alabama, has been awarded a maximum $13,586,862 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for full-line food distribution. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a 132-day bridge contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Alabama and Florida, with a Dec. 19, 2020, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-3282). (Awarded Aug. 7, 2020) ARMY Liqid Inc.,* Broomfield, Colorado, was awarded a $31,850,000 firm-fixed-price contract for high-performance computing modernization programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 6, 2026. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $25,480,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0508). DigiFlight Inc.,* Columbia, Maryland, was awarded a $15,304,730 modification (P00033) to contract W31P4Q-19-F-E002 for logistic support services for the Apache Attack Helicopter Project Manager's Office. Work will be performed in Columbia, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 10, 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement appropriations funds in the amount of $15,304,730 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2309332/source/GovDelivery/