Royal Australian Air Force and US Air Force technicians on the tools together

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  June 9, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Key debate on military protest response, budget priorities set to happen behind closed doors on Capitol Hill

  Leo Shane III The biggest defense news on Capitol Hill this week will be taking place behind the scenes rather than in public view, as lawmakers grapple with the military's response to recent nationwide protests and their own plans for next year's Pentagon budget. On Monday, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and District of Columbia National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. William Walker will brief members of the House Armed Services Committee in a non-public meeting. The session was originally scheduled for late last week, amid concerns that guardsmen may have overstepped their roles as security support for D.C. police responding to some of the massive racial equality demonstrations outside the White House in recent days. The protests were sparked by the death of George Floyd, a black man prosecutors say was murdered by a white Minneapolis police officer. Since then, Pentagon officials appear to have tamped down President Donald Trump's suggestions that active-duty troops should be brought in to help handle the work, creating a massive show of force to “dominate” the streets of major cities across the country. But House Armed Services Committee members have said they still have lingering questions about how those discussions progressed, and whether guardsmen were put in an uncomfortable political role instead of their traditional support response. Democratic members are also sparring with Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, after committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., vowed to bring the Pentagon leaders to Capitol Hill for a full public hearing on the issues this week. Esper and Milley have thus far refused, although Pentagon officials said they are negotiating scheduling issues for a possible future appearance. “The DoD legislative affairs team remains in discussion with the HASC on this request," Navy Cmdr. Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said last week. "In the meantime, DoD has committed to provide Army Secretary McCarthy, Army Chief of Staff Gen. McConville, and D.C. National Guard Commanding General Maj. Gen. Walker to brief the committee next week on the presence of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., this past week.” Smith and 30 other Democratic committee members called Esper's refusal to appear this week “unacceptable.” Several members of the committee have vowed to include the issue in the annual defense authorization bill. Subcommittee mark-ups of the massive military budget policy measure are scheduled to begin on June 22. The Senate Armed Services Committee is beginning its mark-up of the authorization bill this week, with the first two subcommittee section votes scheduled for Monday afternoon. The full committee mark-up will take place starting on Wednesday. Unlike their House counterparts, however, nearly all of that work will be done behind closed doors. Senate committee officials have said in the past that they can more quickly and efficiently navigate the hundreds of legislative issues within the bill if they keep the work out of public view, to allow seamless transition between classified and non-classified topics. The only portion of the Senate authorization bill work to be made public will be the personnel subcommittee mark-up, set for Tuesday at 2 p.m. The hearing will be streamed through the committee's web site, as restrictions on public access to the Capitol complex remain in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. The House Armed Services Committee will have a public hearing on a separate topic later this week: Ellen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, will testify on Wednesday about the impact of the ongoing pandemic on the defense industrial base. https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2020/06/08/key-debate-on-military-protest-response-budget-priorities-set-to-happen-behind-closed-doors-on-capitol-hill/

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  August 28, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - August 27, 2019

  NAVY Southwest Construction & Property Management,* San Bruno, California (N62473-19-D-1231); Bishop Inc.,* Orange, California (N62473-19-D-1232); J. Davis Construction Management Inc.,* Oxnard, California (N62473-19-D-1233); Trumble Construction Inc., doing business as RBT Construction,* Texarkana, Texas (N62473-19-D-1234); B.C. Schmidt Construction Inc.,* Williams, California (N62473-19-D-1235); and Heffler Contracting Group,* El Cajon, California (N62473-19-D-1236), are each awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract. The maximum dollar value including the base period and one option period for all six contracts combined is $240,000,000. The contract covers new construction, renovation and repair, primarily by design-build or secondarily by design-bid-build of roofing systems at various government installations located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. Types of roofing projects may include, but are not limited to, roof condition assessment, emergency leak response and testing for hazardous material on various roofing systems. It also covers all roofing related work such as, but not limited to, demolition and disposal of roofing materials that may contain asbestos and lead paint, removal and reinstallation of equipment, piping and heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) ductwork, painting and installation of gutters, downspouts, fascia, sheet metal flashing, sealants, caulking, insulation, vents, and drainage assemblies. No task orders are being issued at this time. All work on these contracts will be performed at various government installations located in California (80%); Arizona (16%); Nevada (1%); Utah (1%); Colorado (1%); and New Mexico (1%). The terms of the contracts are not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of August 2024. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (O&M) (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $30,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy); O&M (Navy and Marine Corps); and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with 11 proposals received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. CDM Federal Programs Corp., Fairfax, Virginia, is awarded a not-to-exceed $49,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for services to support the Navy's public works business line. The work to be performed includes, but is not limited to, the following type of services: evaluate, analyze, development of plans, standard operating and maintenance procedures, and recommend improvements for utility management; utility operation and maintenance; electric and steam production; electric and steam distribution; natural gas distribution; water and wastewater treatment; water distribution; wastewater collection; utility privatization and out-sourcing; cybersecurity and control systems; advanced metering; energy management; energy security; energy and water conservation; project financing; utility regulation; utility rate making and analysis; commodity and service pricing and procurement; supply and demand practices; market design; and fuel sourcing. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic area of responsibility, and the term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of August 2024. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are obligated on this award and expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with four proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-2012). Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems, Littleton, Colorado, is awarded an estimated $44,308,222 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity hybrid contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price contract line item numbers. The contract is in support of Navy and other agencies' Radiant Mercury (RADMERC) operations to securely transfer data across different security domains. The contract provides for installation, program management, maintenance, modernization and sustainment of RADMERC systems. The contract will also provide system security authorization support, and logistics and training services. This contract includes a five-year ordering period and a five-year option period. The option period, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $92,213,609. Work will be performed in various U.S. locations (80%), with work in locations outside the U.S. (20%) based on the requirement for each delivery order placed. Work is expected to be completed by August 2024. If the option is exercised, work could continue until August 2029. No funding is obligated on the contract at time of award. Contract funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,000 will be obligated on the first delivery order. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source (Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 6.302-1). The Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-19-D-0006). Phoenix International Holdings Inc., Largo, Maryland, is awarded a $37,775,336 cost-plus-fixed fee bridge contract for Submarine Rescue Operations Maintenance contractor. The contractor is responsible for providing appropriate and sufficient personnel and services necessary for the mobilization, operation, storage, logistic support, repair and maintenance of the submarine rescue systems. The contractor will provide appropriate and sufficient personnel and services necessary to mobilize and operate the submarine rescue systems that support the response requirements. The contractor is responsible to ensure the Navy's submarine rescue systems are maintained in a high state of readiness to support a rapid worldwide deployment on a 24-hour-per-day, 7-day-a week basis. This contract includes one option, which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $40,828,728. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be complete by June 2020. If the option is exercised, work will continue through August 2020. Fiscal 2019 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,100,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00024-19-C-4307). DynCorp International LLC, McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $27,079,693 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base operations support (BOS) services at Naval and Defense Intelligence Agency Facilities in Washington, District of Columbia; Maryland; and Virginia. The BOS services to be performed include: general information, management and administration, supply services, facility management, facility investment, custodial, pest control, integrated solid waste management, grounds maintenance and landscaping, pavement clearance, and utility management, chiller plant, and transportation services. The maximum dollar value including the base period and six option periods is $173,819,122. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia (54%); Maryland (32%); and Virginia (14%), and is expected to be completed by May 2026. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2020 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $23,355,530 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the base period. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-2013). Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded $25,252,703 for modification P00052 to previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, fixed-price-incentive-firm, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-16-C-0004. This modification is for an F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter regional maintenance repair and upgrade facility for the Government of Japan under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Nagoya, Japan (65%); Ft Worth, Texas (26%); Greenville, South Carolina (7%); Orlando, Florida (2%); and El Segundo, California (1%), and is expected to be completed no later than September 2022. FMS funds in the amount of $25,252,703 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $50,871,700 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract for production, integration, fielding, and training of the Huntsman secure network radio. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone, Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-19-D-0041). Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems, Owego, New York, was awarded a $42,734,799 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and fixed-price-incentive) domestic and Foreign Military Sales (United Kingdom) contract to procure Modernized Radar Frequency Interferometer kits and spares. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Owego, New York, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2022. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 aircraft procurement, Army and foreign military sales funds in the combined amount of $42,734,199 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-19-F-0634). DLT Solutions, Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $15,928,239 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of multiple Red Hat software items. Work will be performed in Herndon, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Aug, 23, 2021. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $15,928,239 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56JSR-19-F-0117). General Dynamics Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $14,678,125 modification (P00070) to contract W56HZV-13-C-0319 for facilities modifications at the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2023. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $14,678,125 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Triumph Engine Control Systems LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut, was awarded a $7,473,340 firm-fixed-price contract for the overhaul of a minimum of the fuel control main for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 26, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-19-F-0640). Trident Technologies LLC,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $7,450,142 modification (0001 35) to contract W31P4Q-16-A-0018 to provide Non-Standard Rotary Wing Aircraft Project Office programmatic support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 25, 2020. Fiscal 2019 Foreign Military Sales funds in the combined amount of $7,450,142 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY BAE Systems, Nashua, New Hampshire, has been awarded a maximum $83,934,598 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and cost-no-fee contract for the AN/AAR-57A(V) Common Missile Warning System. 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 five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is New Hampshire, with an Aug. 26, 2024, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Army working capital funds; and Army operations and maintenance funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland (SPRBL1-19-D-0075). General Electric Co., Lynn, Massachusetts, has been awarded a $42,846,000 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-QH07) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (FA8122-19-G-0001) for combustion chambers. This is a 42-month contract with no option periods. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S .Code 2304(c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Massachusetts, with a Feb. 28, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Packet Forensics LLC, Virginia Beach, Virginia, was awarded a $10,000,000 modification (P00004) to previously awarded HR0011-18-C-0056 for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Harnessing Autonomy for Countering Cyberadversary Systems (HACCS) research project. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $21,200,000 from $11,200,000. Work will be performed at Virginia Beach, Virginia, with an expected completion date of August 2020. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $10,000,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/1945395/source/GovDelivery/

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  November 24, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  What To Expect From Biden’s Pentagon

  Jen DiMascio Michael Bruno Lee Hudson Tony Osborne November 20, 2020 One of Joe Biden's last speeches as U.S. vice president focused on nuclear security, touting passage of the New Start Treaty with Russia in 2010 and subsequent reductions in the U.S. stockpile of warheads. Four years later, nuclear modernization and arms control will be among the first major tests he faces when he assumes the presidency in January. Under President Donald Trump, the Pentagon made notable strides in speeding up its cumbersome acquisition system, enabling the military to take better advantage of commercial technologies. The Defense Department also established what it calls “irreversible momentum” toward new space capabilities. But it will fall to the Biden administration to shepherd many experiments in new technologies into actual programs. It will be Biden's task to sell Congress on the idea of Joint All-Domain Command and Control. The new Democratic president could be dealing with a Senate controlled by Republicans, and he faces allies that see the U.S. as a less reliable partner than it was four years ago. He also will have to balance the modernization and readiness of the force within a budget that probably peaked in 2020. Shortly after he is inaugurated, Biden will face the Feb. 5 expiration of the New Start arms control treaty with Russia. His options are to extend the treaty for up to five years, for a shorter time frame or not at all. The Trump administration has been reluctant to agree to a full extension, given Russia's aggressive modernization of nuclear systems not covered by the treaty. Biden's advisors are likely to opt for extending the treaty to allow for more time for negotiations, predicts Matthew Kroenig, deputy director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. Republicans, meanwhile, are likely to be more focused on the threat of advanced weaponry in Russia and China, in particular the growth of strategic nuclear arsenals. Retiring Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, says he is “particularly concerned about where the Chinese are headed with the size and capability of their nuclear program.” He adds: “Like a lot of things related to the Chinese, we have probably been too complacent.” Such tensions, and a Congress split along partisan lines, could help maintain support for nuclear modernization programs such as development of the next-generation ICBM, the Northrop Grumman Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), a program some analysts have thought a Biden administration might consider slowing or canceling. “Any serious push to retire the ICBM force and do away with the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent program would not be supported by the Senate,” Cowen analysts say. A Biden administration likely means more of the same for the U.S. industrial base, for better or worse. The U.S. defense budget is expected to remain flat, putting pressure on the Pentagon to find ways to get more bang for its buck and better technologies against peer rivals—at the expense of traditional force structure. “Technology investment is likely to be most important, including network integration, hypersonics, artificial intelligence, long-range strike and missile defense,” Bernstein analyst Doug Harned and his team say. “We expect a lot of activity around integration, but exactly what this means is still ill-defined. Force structure may well come under more pressure. This means lower numbers of troops, aircraft, vehicles, ships, etc.” Downward pressure on force structure would be bad for Lockheed Martin, given its high exposure with the F-35, as well as for General Dynamics' warships and ground vehicles, says the Bernstein team. Northrop Grumman appears well-positioned long-term, based on its lean toward new technologies, but there are some risks around the GBSD. Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed have the highest Middle East exposure among the primes, and military sales there may have some added risk. “Democrats in both the House and Senate want restrictions on [Foreign Military Sales] in the wake of reports that the United Arab Emirates will be allowed to purchase 50 Lockheed Martin F-35s,” the Cowen Washington Research Group observed Nov. 4. “We do not believe a [Republican] Senate will support restrictions. If the sale is going to happen, it will need to be jammed through . . . before Biden takes office.” Like the Obama administration, the Trump team provided growing support for new space technologies. “I believe space will continue to be very, very important,” says Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. “I just had a briefing on a lot of [National Reconnaissance Office] projects we work on. And I'll tell you, it is absolutely eye-watering the capability that is being launched here in the next couple of months. . . . I think we have irreversible momentum.” During the Trump administration's final weeks in office, Lord is working to create a trusted capital marketplace, strengthen the defense industrial base and work with Capitol Hill on new ways of purchasing software. The Defense Department is working closely with the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment to block adversaries such as China or Russia from purchasing companies that are critical to U.S. national technology initiatives, she told the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' Ascend conference on Nov. 18. Another focus for Lord's team is rare earth minerals and microelectronics. The bulk of rare earth mineral processing occurs in China, and most microelectronics are manufactured outside the U.S. Chris Brose, who served as policy director for the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), is advocating more radical change to scale up defense innovation, a priority of U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr. “The question for the new administration is going to be: ‘How do you support that vision, and how do you kind of reshape the Air Force, reshape the Space Force and really realign the [national] defense program?'” asks Brose, who is now chief strategy officer for the defense industry startup Anduril. Brose believes that to compete more effectively against advanced military challenges, the Pentagon must rethink how it harnesses new technologies, from the requirements process all the way through the acquisition process. Today's military, he notes, is organized to purchase a platform it has seen in a presentation or read in a white paper. The goal should not be to spend a long time defining requirements and then pay a single vendor to build things such as small satellites, software-defined programs or unmanned systems. One of the Air Force's top modernization priorities is the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). The challenge with an effort such as the ABMS is that the requirements and concepts of operation are unclear, Brose says, and ABMS demonstrations study different problems each year, making progress tough to discern. Though the Trump administration has experienced extensive turnover among its civilian leadership, it made considerable progress in restoring aircraft fleet readiness. In 2018, then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis—the first of five men in the military's top civilian job in four years—mandated that all tactical aircraft fleets needed to be 80% ready for missions. The Navy drew on techniques from the commercial airline industry to meet that goal within about one year for its Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. The service has since applied the same techniques to improve the readiness of Boeing EA-18G Growlers, and it is beginning to expand the process to its Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeyes, with an eye toward the rest of its tactical aircraft, Rear Adm. Shane Gahagan, the Navy's program executive officer for tactical aviation, said at Aviation Week's Military Aviation Logistics and Maintenance Symposium on Nov. 17. While Biden's team will seek to build on that progress, his administration likely will take a markedly less confrontational approach with U.S. allies than Trump, who believes the U.S. has borne too much of the burden to defend Europe. As the Pentagon announced the withdrawal of 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany earlier this year, repositioning them around Europe, Trump placed the blame squarely on Germany, describing the nation as “delinquent” in failing to pay its fair share. NATO members breathed a collective sigh of relief after Biden's election, believing it will pave the way for a relaunch of transatlantic defense relations. But Biden is likely to maintain pressure on European countries to keep defense spending up in light of Russian and Chinese threats and to align with NATO's call for members to spend 2% of their GDP on defense. “Trump seized on the 2% and banged the table. . . . It is broadly true he got the Europeans to take seriously the demand that more should be spent on defense,” says Jonathan Eyal, an associate director at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. The cost of Trump's approach, however, has been “very heavy,” he says, leading to a virtual collapse in the relationship between the U.S. and Germany. Less certain is how a Biden administration will deal with countries that appear to be undermining NATO values. Turkey's oil and gas exploration in waters disputed by neighbor and fellow NATO member Greece have prompted regional tension, not to mention Ankara's actions in Libya, Syria and, more recently, its support of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (AW&ST Oct. 12-25, p. 62). Turkey's decision to recently test its S-400 ground-based air defense system purchased from Russia also remains a source of irritation for Washington. The purchase of the S-400 prompted Washington to kick Turkey out of the F-35 program, but Trump opted not to invoke the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act against the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan despite pressure in the Senate. “One can assume that the Biden administration would take the tougher line on Turkey,” Eyal says. “Erdogan is now part of the problem rather than part of the solution.” https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/what-expect-bidens-pentagon