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  March 29, 2019 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - March 28, 2019

  ARMY Architects Pacific Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0006); Bowers + Kubota Management Inc., Waipahu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0007); Burns & McDonnell + Group 70 Ho'ohui'ia JV, Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0008); Fung Associates Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0009); Ink Arch LLC,* Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0010); Jacobs and Architects Hawaii JV, Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0011); RIM/DPI JV LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0012); and RMA-SA JV LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii (W9128A-19-D-0013), will compete for each order of the $150,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for architect-engineer services. Bids were solicited via the internet with 16 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2026. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. Martin UAV LLC,* Plano, Maryland (W911QY-19-D-0032); and Textron, AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland (W911QY-19-D-0033), will compete for each order of the $99,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for procurement of non-developmental tactical unmanned aerial systems. Bids were solicited via the internet with 11 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Tysons Corner, Virginia, was awarded a $71,528,710 firm-fixed-price contract for East Campus Building 3 construction project at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2023. Fiscal 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $71,528,710 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W912DR-19-C-0013). AECOM Energy and Construction Inc., Greenwood Village, Colorado, was awarded a $59,639,368 modification (P00007) to contract W912P5-17-C-0007 for Chickamauga Lock Chamber replacement. Work will be performed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 14, 2020. Fiscal 2019 general construction funds in the amount of $59,639,368 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Nashville, Tennessee, is the contracting activity. Edmond Scientific Co.,* Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $46,750,681 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for scientific services. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911NF-19-D-0005). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $46,249,658 modification (P00078) to contract W56HZV-17-C-0067 for Abrams systems technical support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Michigan, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2020. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $46,249,658 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Palomar Display Products Inc.,* was awarded a $40,714,894 modification (P00007) to contract W909MY-15-D-0003 for repairs, engineering support and technical services of the Binocular Image Control Units. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 13, 2020. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Kiple Acquisition Science Technology Logistics & Engineering,* Forest Hill, Maryland, was awarded a $10,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide technical and analytical expertise, and administrative assistance. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 27, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W911QY-19-D-0031). CORRECTION: A $1,135,410,156 contract modification announced on March 27, 2019, for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas (P00010) to contract W31P4Q-18-C-0049, stated that it was a Foreign Military Sales (Poland, Bahrain and Romania) contract, however the contract also includes domestic procurement supporting the Army and Marine Corps. All other information in the announcement is correct. NAVY The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $71,345,504 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide engineering and integrated logistics support to maintain the T/AV-8B Harrier during the aircraft's Post-Production Support Phase. Work will be performed at St. Louis, Missouri (75 percent); Warton, Lancashire, United Kingdom (11 percent); Cherry Point, North Carolina (10 percent); Yuma, Arizona (3 percent); and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2023. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. 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 (N0001919D0004). BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Armament Systems Division, Louisville, Kentucky, is awarded a $70,672,462 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for five overhauled/upgraded Mk 45 Mod 4 gun mounts and their associated components, to include Mk 63 Mod 1 weather shields, Mod 4 manufacture kits, and Mod 4 machine parts kits. The 5-inch Mk 45 Light Weight Gun Mount System provides an effective weapon for anti-surface, naval surface fire support, and anti-air warfare missions, and is installed aboard DDG 51- and CG 47-class ships. Work will be performed in Louisville, Kentucky, and is expected to be completed by July 2023. Fiscal 2016, 2017 and 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $70,672,462 will be obligated at time of award and will not 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 Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00174-19-C-0004). Helix Electric Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a $32,740,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of the Harbor Drive switching station at Naval Base San Diego, California. The work to be performed provides for relocations and upgrades to the primary and secondary switching stations. Electrical components include switchgears with medium voltage circuit breakers, busses, underground primary and secondary cabling, protective relaying, power system automation communication line, communication line for supervisory control and data acquisition system connected to the head-end equipment, smart meters, lighting and other associated electrical appurtenances. The contract also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised would increase the cumulative contract value to $36,500,000. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by August 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $32,740,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-19-C-1209). Joseph J. Henderson & Son Inc., Gurnee, Illinois, is awarded a $30,700,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the repair of the wastewater treatment plant at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas. The work to be performed provides for substantial upgrade of domestic and industrial wastewater treatment facilities to be completed while maintaining continuous operation. Demolition includes major structures including equipment in the structures, utility connections to the structures, and small ancillary facilities. Additionally, rehabilitation of structures for process and architectural upgrades, removal of two interior doors with hazardous levels of lead based paint, and remediation in three structures to remove asbestos containing material are required. New major facilities and ancillary systems, such as site electrical power, utilities, and paving and grading are required. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2019 Navy working capital contract funds in the amount of $30,700,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with two proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-C-0912). Support Services LLC, Cape Canaveral, Florida, is awarded $22,977,890 for a modification under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N69450-18-D-2013) to exercise Option One for base operations support services at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, and outlying areas Saufley Field, Corry Station, and Bronson Field. The work to be performed provides for all management, supervision, labor, equipment, materials, supplies, and tools necessary to perform facilities management, facilities investment, facility maintenance services (non-family housing), utility plant and distribution system operations and maintenance (chiller, electrical, gas, wastewater, steam and water), environmental services, and base support vehicles and equipment. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $45,863,832. Work will be performed in Pensacola, Florida, and work for this option period is expected to be completed March 2020. No funds will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance, (Navy); fiscal 2019 Navy working capital funds; and fiscal 2019 Defense Health Program funds in the amount of $18,442,613 for recurring work will be obligated on individual task orders issued during the option period. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, is awarded $18,143,171 for modification P00007 to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost delivery order contract. This modification provides for additional technical, analytical and managerial services in support of the Naval Aviation Enterprise. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland, and is expected to be completed in February 2022. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,124,508 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Archer Western Construction LLC, Chicago, Illinois, is awarded $17,820,000 for firm-fixed-price task order N6945019F0708 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N69450-12-D-1267) for the design and construction of P426 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) parking garage at Naval Station, Mayport, Florida. The work to be performed provides for the design and construction of a five-story, 1,355-vehicle structured parking facility. The facility shall be fully handicapped accessible and be an open “public” parking structure. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by April 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $17,820,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity. The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $16,187,822 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services in support of the development of the T/AV-8B aircraft, including system configuration set updates, avionics and weapons integration, and avionics obsolescence mitigation. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed in March 2024. Fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,000,000 will be obligated at time of award none 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 Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, California, is the contracting activity (N689361919D0010). Rockwell Collins Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is awarded $14,824,692 for delivery order N0001919F0012 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-14-G-0021) in support of the E-6B Mercury aircraft. This order provides for non-recurring engineering for development of the facilities, equipment, and material required to implement the Block II Sustainment and Support System. Work will be performed in Richardson, Texas, and is expected to be completed in December 2020. Fiscal 2017 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $14,824,692 will be obligated at time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Assurance Technology Corp., Carlisle, Massachusetts, is awarded a $13,959,231 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00173-18-C-6007 for research and development for the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) System for Naval Research Laboratory Space Systems Development Department. After award of this modification, the total cumulative value of this contract is $25,470,666. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, and work is expected to be completed Sept. 28, 2019. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $230,000 will be obligated at the time of award. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity (N00173-18-C-6007). General Dynamics Mission Systems, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is awarded a $10,070,668 cost-with-no-fee contract (N00030-19-C-0024) for capital maintenance of the Navy Industrial Reserve Ordnance Plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,725,000; and fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,345,668 will be obligated at time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is awarded on a sole-source basis in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunity website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE FlightSafety Services Corp., Centennial, Colorado, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $29,496,514 modification (P00029) to previously awarded contract FA8621-13-C-6247 for the exercise of the KC-46 Aircrew Training System production year four options. The contract modification is for the exercise of option contract line item numbers for an additional weapon system trainer, boom operator trainer, fuselage trainer, pilot part task trainer, boom operator part task trainer, additional learning management workstations, support equipment, McGuire Air Force Base and Altus AFB site activations, systems engineering and program management, summative evaluation, visual database airfield models, new refresher training scenarios, and one Aerial Refueling Airplane Simulator Qualification certification. Work will be performed in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and is expected to be complete by February 2021. Fiscal 2018 purchasing and procurement funds in the amount of $14,453,292 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Merex Aircraft Co., Inc., Camarillo, California, has been awarded an $18,300,000 estimated ceiling indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the acquisition of A-10 flap assemblies. This contract provides for the acquisition of left and right outboard flap assemblies (NSNs 1560-01-591-4392FJ and 1560-01-591-4394FJ); and left and right inboard flap assemblies (NSNs 1560-01-591-8913FJ and 1560-01-591-5806FJ). Work will be performed in Camarillo, California, and is expected to be complete by March 27, 2025. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Consolidated Sustainment Activity Group working capital funds in the amount of $4,887,547 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, is the contracting activity (FA8212-19-D-0001). Telephonics Corp., Farmingdale, New York, has been awarded a $12,623,588 firm-fixed-price contract for the Royal Saudi Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System (RSAF AWACS) Next Generation Identification Friend or Foe. This contract provides for manufacture, test, and delivery of Next Generation Identification Friend or Foe AN/UPX-40 Interrogator shipsets and installation kits for the RSAF AWACS fleet. Work will be performed in Farmingdale, New York, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2021. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Saudi Arabian Letter of Offer and Acceptance case funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-19-C-0010). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Truman Arnold Companies, doing business as TAC Air, Amarillo, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $13,775,007 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract for fuel. This was a competitive acquisition with 148 responses received. This is a 47-month contract with one six-month option period. Location of performance is Texas, with a March 31, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (SPE607-19-D-0013). Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., Windsor Locks, Connecticut, has been awarded a maximum $13,099,996 firm-fixed-priced delivery order (SPRPA1-19-F-L305) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPRPA1-13-G-001X) with no option periods for spare parts in support of the F/A-18 aircraft. 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 Connecticut, with a June 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 through 2021 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY L3 Applied Technologies Inc. (L3 ATI), San Leandro, California, was awarded an $8,272,568 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for modeling and experimentation of laser interaction with plasma. The contract award includes a base period in the amount of $4,036,518 and an option period in the amount of $4,236,050. L3 ATI will investigate, model, and execute proof-of-principle and scaled ground-test demonstrations to assess the ability of a laser to enhance and impart effects on plasma. The work will be performed in San Leandro, California. The period of performance for the base period is eight months, from March 2019 through November 2019. The period of performance for the option period is five months, from December 2019 through April 2020. This contract was competitively procured through publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website under the Missile Defense Agency's broad agency announcement for advanced technology innovation, HQ0147-17-S-0001. Fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,586,824 are being obligated at the time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0147-19-C-6504). *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1799365/

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  July 3, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

  Trump Warns NATO Allies to Spend More on Defense, or Else

  By Julie Hirschfeld Davis WASHINGTON — President Trump has written sharply worded letters to the leaders of several NATO allies — including Germany, Belgium, Norway and Canada — taking them to task for spending too little on their own defense and warning that the United States is losing patience with what he said was their failure to meet security obligations shared by the alliance. The letters, sent in June, are the latest sign of acrimony between Mr. Trump and American allies as he heads to a NATO summit meeting next week in Brussels that will be a closely watched test of the president's commitment to the alliance. Mr. Trump has repeatedly questioned its value and has claimed that its members are taking advantage of the United States. Mr. Trump's criticism raised the prospect of another confrontation involving the president and American allies after a blowup by Mr. Trump at the Group of 7 gathering last month in Quebec, and increased concerns that far from projecting solidarity in the face of threats from Russia, the meeting will highlight divisions within the alliance. Such a result could play into the hands of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who is to meet with Mr. Trump in Helsinki, Finland, after the NATO meeting, and whose primary goal is sowing divisions within the alliance. In his letters, the president hinted that after more than a year of public and private complaints that allies have not done enough to share the burden of collective defense, he may be considering a response, including adjusting the United States' military presence around the world. “As we discussed during your visit in April, there is growing frustration in the United States that some allies have not stepped up as promised,” Mr. Trump wrote to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in a particularly pointed letter, according to someone who saw it and shared excerpts with The New York Times. “The United States continues to devote more resources to the defense of Europe when the Continent's economy, including Germany's, are doing well and security challenges abound. This is no longer sustainable for us.” “Growing frustration,” Mr. Trump wrote, “is not confined to our executive branch. The United States Congress is concerned, as well.” The president's complaint is that many NATO allies are not living up to the commitment they made at their Wales summit meeting in 2014 to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on national defense. American presidents have long complained about the lack of burden-sharing by NATO member countries, but Mr. Trump has taken that criticism much further, claiming that some of the United States' closest allies are essentially deadbeats who have failed to pay debts to the organization, a fundamental misunderstanding of how it functions. The Trump administration has already reportedly been analyzing a large-scale withdrawal of American forces from Germany, after Mr. Trump expressed surprise that 35,000 active-duty troops are stationed there and complained that NATO countries were not contributing enough to the alliance. In the letter, Mr. Trump told Ms. Merkel that Germany also deserves blame for the failure of other NATO countries to spend enough: “Continued German underspending on defense undermines the security of the alliance and provides validation for other allies that also do not plan to meet their military spending commitments, because others see you as a role model.” In language that is echoed in his letters to the leaders of other countries — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway and Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium — Mr. Trump said he understands the “domestic political pressure” brought to bear by opponents of boosting military expenditures, noting that he has expended “considerable political capital to increase our own military spending.” “It will, however, become increasingly difficult to justify to American citizens why some countries do not share NATO's collective security burden while American soldiers continue to sacrifice their lives overseas or come home gravely wounded,” Mr. Trump wrote to Ms. Merkel. Mr. Michel reacted tartly last week to the letter, telling reporters at a European Union summit meeting in Brussels that he was “not very impressed” by it, according to a report by Deutsche Welle. Mr. Trump has long complained about the alliance and routinely grouses that the United States is treated shabbily by multilateral organizations of which it is a member, be it the World Trade Organization or the North Atlantic alliance. But in Europe, the letters to NATO allies have been greeted with some degree of alarm because of their suggestion that Mr. Trump is prepared to impose consequences on the allies — as he has done in an escalating tariff fight with European trading partners — if they do not do what he is asking. “Trump still seems to think that NATO is like a club that you owe dues to, or some sort of protection racket where the U.S. is doing all the work protecting all these deadbeat Europeans while they're sitting around on vacation, and now he is suggesting there are consequences,” said Derek Chollet, a former Defense Department official who is the executive vice president for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “Europeans have been watching Donald Trump begin to implement his rhetoric on trade in ways that are very combative,” he said, “and they're starting to contemplate whether he would do this regarding security issues, as well.” Mr. Trump's letter to Mr. Trudeau was reported last month by iPolitics in Canada, and the existence of others was reported last week by Foreign Policy. It was not clear precisely how many Mr. Trump wrote, and the White House would not comment on presidential correspondence. But two diplomatic sources said they believed at least a dozen were sent, including to Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter, said that Mr. Trump is committed to the NATO alliance and expects allies to shoulder “their fair share of our common defense burden, and to do more in areas that most affect them.” John R. Bolton, Mr. Trump's national security adviser, said Sunday that it was NATO members who refused to spend more on defense — not the president — who were responsible for undercutting the alliance. “The president wants a strong NATO,” Mr. Bolton said in an interview on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “If you think Russia's a threat, ask yourself this question: Why is Germany spending less than 1.2 percent of its G.N.P.? When people talk about undermining the NATO alliance, you should look at those who are carrying out steps that make NATO less effective militarily.” But for diplomats hoping fervently to avoid another high-profile summit meeting collapse with Mr. Trump as the instigator, the letters were concerning. “Europeans, like many folks in our Defense Department, think that there are many good things that could come out of this summit if only they can keep it from going off the rails,” Mr. Chollet said. “They are hoping to survive without irreparable damage, and so the fact that you have all these storm clouds surrounding NATO and Trump is really worrisome.” Mr. Trump's disparagement of Europe and the alliance has become almost routine, leaving some veteran diplomats aghast. Last week, Jim Melville, the United States ambassador to Estonia, told friends and colleagues that he would resign at the end of this month after more than 30 years in the Foreign Service, in part because of the president's language. “For the President to say the E.U. was ‘set up to take advantage of the United States, to attack our piggy bank,' or that ‘NATO is as bad as NAFTA' is not only factually wrong, but proves to me that it's time to go,” Mr. Melville wrote in a Facebook post. He was referring to remarks about Europe that the president made during a rally last week in Fargo, N.D., and comments about NATO that he is reported to have made privately during the Group of 7 gathering. Still, the president is not alone in demanding more robust military spending by NATO allies. Jim Mattis, the secretary of defense, wrote to Gavin Williamson, the British defense minister, last month saying he was “concerned” that the United Kingdom's military strength was “at risk of erosion” if it did not increase spending, and warned that France could eclipse Britain as the United States' “partner of choice” if it did not invest more. A United States official confirmed the contents of Mr. Mattis's letter, first reported by The Sun. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/02/world/europe/trump-nato.html

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  March 8, 2021 | International, Aerospace

  Dassault boss Trappier floats ‘Plan B’ considerations for the troubled FCAS warplane

  French industry could go it alone, the executive hinted in a call with reporters.