US Navy’s four unmanned ships return from Pacific deployment

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

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - January 24, 2019

  AIR FORCE Harris Corp., Space and Intelligence Systems, Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $72,261,464 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the Combat Mission Systems Support (CMSS) program. The CMSS contract will sustain the Space and Missile Systems Center portfolio of ground-based electronic warfare systems and develop the Counter Communications System Block 10.3. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Palm Bay, Florida, and is expected to be completed by Feb. 29, 2024. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $11,733,417; and fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $8,190,818 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8819-19-C-0002). Spectrum Federal Solutions LLC, St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an $8,585,466 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to contract FA7014-18-C-1000 for procurement of various health care providers. The contract modification is for exercise of an option for embedded health care providers into various high-risk units and locations to provide assistance and treatment for airmen. Work will be performed in St. Louis, and is expected to be completed Jan. 31, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 10, 2019) ARMY Olin Corp. - Winchester Division, East Alton, Illinois, was awarded an $85,131,683 modification (P00036) to contract W52P1J-16-C-0003 for 5.56mm, 7.62mm and .50 caliber ammunition. Work will be performed in Oxford, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2020. Fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $85,131,683 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. L3 Technologies Inc., Victor, New York, was awarded a $68,964,170 modification (P00005) to contract W56JSR-17-D-0006 to test, inspect and repair components of the CSS VSAT AN/TSC-183A system. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Ibis Tek Inc.,* Butler, Pennsylvania (W15QKN-19-D-0016); and O'Gara Hess & Eisenhardt Armoring Company LLC,* Fairfield, Ohio (W15QKN-19-D-0017), will share in a $49,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for armor hardware turret systems, platform integration kits, spare parts and hardware kits. Bids were solicited via the internet with 14 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 23, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity. AECOM Management Services Corp., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $9,050,209 firm-fixed-price contract for the purchase of linear demolition charge systems, spares and data items for the Assault Breacher vehicle weapon system. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 17, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0003). Goodwill Industries of San Antonio,* San Antonio, Texas, was awarded a $7,886,436 modification (P00003) to contract W81K04-18-C-0002 for record processing services. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 25, 2020. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 operations and maintenance, Army (subject to availability of funds) funds in the amount of $7,886,436 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Health Contracting Activity, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity. NAVY Thales Defense and Security Inc., Clarksburg, Maryland, is awarded a $30,931,029 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the continued procurement, manufacturing, testing and delivery of High Frequency Distribution Amplifier Group system components and engineering services. This contract has a five-year ordering period up to the contract award amount. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Maryland (55 percent); and West Sussex, United Kingdom (45 percent). Work is expected to be completed by January 2024. Contract actions will be issued and funds obligated as individual delivery orders. Fiscal 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funds will be placed on contract with an initial delivery order issued shortly after award of the base contract. Contract funds will not 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 Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N00039-19-D-0001). Harper Construction Co., Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded $17,281,265 for firm-fixed-price task order N6247319F4183 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-18-D-5853) for design and construction of a Marine Corps Reserve Training Center and a vehicle maintenance facility at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, California. The task order also contains two planned modifications, which if exercised, would increase cumulative task order value to $17,429,251. Work will be performed in Seal Beach, California, and is expected to be completed by February 2021. Fiscal 2019 military construction (Navy Reserve) contract funds in the amount of $17,281,265 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. Austal USA LLC, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $16,322,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee order against previously awarded contract N00024-11-C-2301 to provide engineering, management, and production services in support of prefabrication efforts, material procurement, and execution of work items for littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS-20) extended industrial post-delivery availability (EIPDA). The EIPDA is accomplished within a period of approximately 12 weeks between the time of ship custody transfer to the Navy and the shipbuilding and conversion, (Navy) obligation work limiting date. Efforts will include program management, advance planning, engineering, design, prefabrication, and material kitting. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, and is expected to be complete by August 2019. Fiscal 2014 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $5,011,000; fiscal 2019 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $2,550,000; and fiscal 2018 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $600,000 will be obligated at time of award, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Gulf Coast, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is the contracting activity. *Small business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1739856/source/GovDelivery/

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  November 8, 2018 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - November 7, 2018

  ARMY Aegis Defense Services LLC, McLean, Virginia (W52P1J-19-D-0001); Janus Global Operations LLC, Lenoir City, Tennessee (W52P1J-19-D-0002); Reed International Inc., Leesburg, Virginia (W52P1J-19-D-0003); Sallyport Global Services, Reston, Virginia (W52P1J-19-D-0004); and Triple Canopy Inc., Reston, Virginia (W52P1J-19-D-0005), will compete for each order of the $4,000,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for security support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with seven received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 1, 2024. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity. DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $129,209,418 cost-plus-fixed-fee Foreign Military Sales (Australia, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq Morocco and Saudi Arabia) contract for system technical support services, system sustainment technical support services, and post production software support services for the Direct Support Electrical System Test Set, embedded diagnostics, software loader/verifier, combined application platform and power and diagnostics services. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 6, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-D-0009). DMCA Inc.,* Arlington, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0001); Doyon Project Services LLC,* Federal Way, Washington (W91278-19-D-0002); Facility Services Management Inc.,* Clarksville, Tennessee (W91278-19-D-0003); Herman Construction Group Inc.,* Escondido, California (W91278-19-D-0004); LEGO Construction Co.,* Miami, Florida (W91278-19-D-0005); Royce Construction Services LLC,* Reston, Virginia (W91278-19-D-0006); and T&C Services LLC,* Anchorage, Alaska (W91278-19-D-0007), will compete for each order of the $49,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for medical facility repair and minor construction. Bids were solicited via the internet with eight received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2023. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded an $11,981,727 modification (P00137) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 for Revision One to Joint Light Tactical Vehicle Retrofit Work Directive. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 13, 2019. Fiscal 2018 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $11,981,727 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Kipper Tool Co., Gainesville, Georgia, was awarded a $10,419,853 firm-fixed-price contract for hydraulic, electric, pneumatic operated equipment. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Work will be performed in Gainesville, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 27, 2019. Fiscal 2017 National Guard and Reserve Equipment Appropriation funds in the amount of $10,419,853 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-19-F-0051). AIR FORCE The Boeing Co., Heath, Ohio, has been awarded an $18,491,168, requirements task order for guidance and navigation system repairs for multiple aircraft platforms. Work will be performed in Heath, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 29, 2019. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2019 working capital funds in the amount of $18,491,168, are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8117-15-F-0030). Materials Engineering and Technical Support Services, Westerville, Ohio, has been awarded a $9,750,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research, development, test and evaluation of methods and technologies to mitigate chemical and biological threat hazards. This contract provides for literature, policy, and technology reviews; laboratory and field studies; and modeling and simulation activities to further expand the understanding of the impact of chemical and biological threat agents. Work will be performed in Westerville, Ohio; and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and expected to be completed by Nov. 7, 2024. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and one offer was received. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2018, research, development, test and evaluation funds will be obligated on the initial task order. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-19-D-6993). L-3 Communications, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a $7,298,360 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to contract FA8620-11-G-4026 for advanced engineering services. The contract modification is for additional engineering efforts. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2019. This contract involves 100 percent foreign military sales (FMS). This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. FMS funds in the amount of $7,298,360 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $59,019,376. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. NAVY Canadian Commercial Corp., Ontario, Canada, is awarded a $9,999,999 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the refurbishment and manufacturing of the TR-343 transducer tube assemblies in support of the repair of TR-343 sonar transducers. The transducer tube assemblies are a critical component of the TR-343 transducer used in the AN/SQS-53C hull-mounted sonar array subsystem for the AN/SQQ-89(V) acoustic sonar weapons system. Work will be performed in Toronto, Canada, and is expected to be completed by November 2023. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy); and fiscal 2019 working capital fund funding in the amount of $1,127,528 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N0016419DGP35). *Small Business https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1685262/source/GovDelivery/

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  December 26, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  NATO declares space ‘operational domain,’ but more work remains

  By: Bradley Bowman and Andrew Gabel The North Atlantic Treaty Organization recently declared that space is an “operational domain” for the alliance. Though much work remains to actualize an integrated NATO space posture, the affirmation is an important benchmark as NATO scrambles to meet rapidly evolving space and counter-space threats. Today, space-based assets are an Achilles' heel of U.S. military operations, representing a vital enabling mechanism upon which success often depends. In addition, great power adversaries could target civilian space assets to wreak havoc on the homeland in ways that redound far beyond the military realm. America's enemies have taken notice. “Foreign governments are developing capabilities that threaten others' ability to use space,” according to a 2019 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment. “China and Russia, in particular, have taken steps to challenge the United States.” Russia has spent decades building up its counter-space arsenal, from cutting-edge electronic warfare capabilities to probable ground-launched anti-satellite weapons. Moscow believes that “achieving supremacy in space” can enable victory in future conflicts. China's People's Liberation Army apparently agrees. Beijing has also identified space superiority — and space denial — as essential planks in its modern “informatized” military strategy. Indeed, China “continues to improve its counterspace weapons capabilities and has enacted military reforms to better integrate cyberspace, space, and EW into joint military operations,” the DIA assessment read. These threats are already materializing. Russia is suspected to be behind nearly 10,000 GPS spoofing incidents — affecting over 1,300 civilian navigation systems — according to a report by C4ADS released last June. China has also targeted America's vulnerability in space, notoriously hacking U.S. weather systems and satellite networks in 2014, after testing an anti-satellite weapon in 2007, which generated a cloud of hazardous space debris. Fortunately, NATO is beginning to respond. In June 2019, NATO approved a new space policy, which NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described as an acknowledgment of NATO's reliance upon satellites for a range of fundamental military functions. These include, for example, communications, tracking, early warning, surveillance and navigation. Though only a “framework” for now, it is an important start. Today the U.S. shares space situational awareness data with its NATO allies and vice versa. Yet, there is potential for deeper collaboration in additional areas such as hosted payloads on satellites and communications. And while there is disagreement within the alliance with respect to space weaponization, this tension should not prevent the alliance from forging ahead on a number of important initiatives. Examples include general space-asset resilience (including within the electromagnetic spectrum), space-reliant communication, synchronized threat warning, command and control, and surveillance and reconnaissance. A space sensor layer, for instance, will be critical to tracking and intercepting Russian hypersonic missiles, an emerging threat against which there is currently no adequate defense. NATO must take swift action to redress these areas of exposure. But how? To begin with, NATO could publish a publicly available strategy document analogous to the U.S.-produced National Defense Strategy. This would provide multiyear strategic signposts and, because of its public availability, outside accountability. As proposed by others, NATO could also run annual “Space Flag” exercises akin to the current “Red Flag” exercises, which today help hone large-scale, multinational joint air operations. “Space Flag” could likewise be used to systematically develop and refine space contingencies against red cell adversaries. In addition, NATO could explore co-developing NATO-specific space assets from inception, tailored for NATO's mission and permanently integrated into NATO's command structure. The United States and Europe's combined space experience and infrastructure is a comparative advantage vis-a-vis Russia and China. If put to proper use, it could give NATO's space dominance efforts a significant leg up. Finally, NATO could entertain the formation of a combined NATO-operated space assets pool, to which existing current member states could contribute existing capacity. A study conducted by the NATO-sponsored Joint Air Power Competence Centre found it “demonstrably feasible” to complete multination, multi-satellite constellations. The study suggested such an approach could emulate NATO partnerships related to the E-3A, C-17 and A-400M platforms but would be “potentially conducive to additional flexibility and innovation.” The same report cites the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, or DMC, program — an existing multinational satellite-monitoring program used for disaster relief — as an existing example of effectively marshaling space assets. DMC's shared capabilities “reduce cost, enable sharing, and can be upgraded and expanded to address emerging concerns.” So, too, might a NATO constellation. Officially recognizing space as an operational domain and establishing a framework for a unified space policy are laudable steps forward for NATO — necessary to counter both present and future threats. But waking up to the threat is not enough. Now is the time for tangible and urgent collective action to secure the ultimate high ground. Bradley Bowman is senior director for the Center on Military and Political Power with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where Andrew Gabel is a research analyst. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/12/16/nato-declares-space-operational-domain-but-more-work-remains