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DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Troy Crosby has been appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Materiel at the Department of National Defence. His appointment is effective Nov. 11. The ADM Materiel position opened up in August when Pat Finn decided to retire. At that time, Crosby (pictured above) assumed the role of Acting ADM(Materiel). In addition, Rear Admiral Simon Page will retire from the Royal Canadian Navy and will be appointed Chief of Staff Materiel. Page will start in that position starting Dec. 16th. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/troy-crosby-named-new-assistant-deputy-minister-of-materiel-at-dnd

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Sniper rifles from PGW Defence Technologies of Winnipeg will be arriving soon in Ukraine. The company, with support of Global Affairs Canada, sold 50 LRT-3 sniper rifles to Ukraine's military, according to the Canadian Forces. Ukrainian government officials say the rifles are expected in the country very soon. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vasyl Bodnar said in an interview with Ukrinform, the country's national news agency, that he believes the sniper rifle deal “will open the door to expanding the range of cooperation” between Ukraine and Canada on military equipment. Ukraine is also seeking armoured vehicles and other equipment from Canada. Canadian Forces personnel are working with Ukrainian snipers predominantly through a basic sniper course. They are mainly developing the Ukrainian instructors, but do provide some mentorship to the students, noted Canadian Forces spokesperson Capt. Leah Campbell. This is basically through watching and providing feedback to the students, she added. “Weapons that the students are using are provided or purchased by the Ukrainian Government,” explained Campbell in an email. “CAF personnel are not currently working with LRT-3 .50 caliber rifle. However, we are always responsive to our Ukrainian partners training needs and can adjust as appropriate.” In December 2017, the House of Commons defence committee recommended the government provide weapons to Ukraine, provided it demonstrates it is working to eliminate corruption at all levels of government. Senior officials from Ukraine's ministry of defence told the defence committee they would welcome arms from Canada, including anti-tank weapons. They told the committee that the Ukrainian military's sniper equipment was obsolete. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/ukraine-buys-canadian-sniper-rifles-delivery-expected-soon

DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Boeing officials tell Defence Watch that the company will indeed be bidding on Canada's future fighter jet program. The firm will offer the Super Hornet for the Royal Canadian Air Force. There had been questions in the defence and aerospace industry about whether Boeing would proceed in the competition as concerns mount the procurement is rigged towards the F-35. But a Boeing official told Defence Watch on Thursday that the company is “100 per cent in.” The firm has submitted to the federal government the required information that outlines how it will meet various security requirements so the aircraft can operate within the U.S.-Canadian system. In July Boeing released a statement that it was still participating in the process but it had yet to make any final decisions on whether to take part in the Canadian competition. “We look forward to continuing to provide comments, reviewing the final RFP, and determining next steps at that time,” Boeing noted at the time. In late August, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and Airbus Defence and Space informed the Canadian government of their decision to withdraw from Canada's future fighter competition. Airbus had been offering Canada the Eurofighter. Last year the European firm Dassault informed the Canadian government it would not be competing in the competition. It had been planning to offer Canada the Rafale fighter jet. The $19 billion competition has been dogged by allegations it is designed to favour Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighter. This newspaper reported earlier this year that the requirements for the new jets put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions. That criteria is seen to benefit the F-35. In addition, the federal government changed criteria on how it would assess industrial benefits after the U.S. government threatened to pull the F-35 from the competition. Saab has also confirmed it is proceeding in the competition, offering Canada its Gripen fighter jet. Airbus and the UK Defence Ministry noted that its decision to withdraw was the result of a detailed review of Canada's request for proposals which was released to industry on July 23. It pointed to the changes Canada made to the industrial benefits package to appease Lockheed Martin as well as the excessive security costs that U.S.-Canadian security requirements placed on a company based outside North America. “A detailed review has led the parties to conclude that NORAD security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States-Canada 2-EYES community,” the statement from Airbus and the UK Defence Ministry noted. “Second, both parties concluded that the significant recent revision of industrial technological benefits obligations does not sufficiently value the binding commitments the Typhoon Canada package was willing to make, and which were one of its major points of focus.” Bids must be submitted by the spring of 2020. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/boeing-confirms-it-is-taking-part-in-canadas-future-fighter-jet-competition

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Nov. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Royal Canadian Navy's second Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS), the future HMCS Margaret Brooke, was launched today, Nov. 10, 2019, at Halifax Shipyard. The launch of the second of six AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy, marks a significant milestone for Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) and the revitalization of the Royal Canadian Navy's combatant fleet. The 103-metre future HMCS Margaret Brooke transitioned from Halifax Shipyard's land level facility to a submersible barge on Nov. 8, 2019 and launched in the Bedford Basin today. The ship is now pier side at Halifax Shipyard where work continues to prepare the ship for sea trials and handover to the Royal Canadian Navy late next year. The future HMCS Margaret Brooke joins Canada's lead AOPS, the future HMCS Harry DeWolf, pier side at Halifax Shipyard. The future HMCS Harry DeWolf is in the final stages of construction and is preparing for initial builder sea trials at the end of November. Inside Halifax Shipyard's facilities, the Royal Canadian Navy's third and fourth AOPS, the future HMCS Max Bernay and the future HMCS William Hall, are under construction. The first two major sections of the future HMCS Max Bernay are scheduled to be moved outside in spring 2020. Canada's NSS was created to replace the current surface fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard. Over the next few decades, Halifax Shipyard will build six AOPS for the Royal Canadian Navy, two AOPS for the Canadian Coast Guard, and 15 Canadian Surface Combatants for the Royal Canadian Navy. As a result of the NSS, Irving Shipbuilding has become one of Atlantic Canada's largest regional employers, with thousands of Canadians now working in skilled, well-paying jobs. Halifax Shipyard, long at the centre of Canadian shipbuilding, is now home to the most modern, innovative shipbuilding facilities, equipment, and processes in North America. Halifax Shipyard is also continuing its legacy as the Halifax-class In-Service Support Centre of Excellence, with HMCS Charlottetown currently in the graving dock for an extensive docking work period. Quote Kevin McCoy, President, Irving Shipbuilding “Congratulations to our more than 2,000 shipbuilders on today's successful launch of the future HMCS Margaret Brooke. It is exciting to have two Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships in the water and closer to being in use by the Royal Canadian Navy's sailors.” Media Contact: Sean Lewis Director of Communications Irving Shipbuilding Inc. T: 902-484-4595 E: Lewis.Sean@IrvingShipbuilding.com https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/11/10/1944417/0/en/Halifax-Shipyard-launches-Canada-s-second-Arctic-and-Offshore-Patrol-Ship.html

By Tony Osborne Britain is taking initial steps to create a mobile national counterdrone capability to protect major events and key parts of the national infrastructure. Although aware of the potential benefits that small unmanned aircraft (UAS) systems can bring to the national economy, the country has also experienced the havoc they can wreak. Last December, sightings of small UAS around the perimeter of London's Gatwick Airport resulted in the halting of flight operations, disrupting flights and the plans of thousands of travelers in the run-up to Christmas. Yet, despite more than 100 such sightings during the shutdown, police investigations have exhausted their lines of inquiry, no charges were ever brought and Sussex Police, leading the investigation, closed their probe at the end of September. Since then, environmental protesters Extinction Rebellion threatened to use UAS to shut down Heathrow Airport in a bid to disrupt operations, although activists were arrested before they got a chance to try. Drone use in the UK is growing rapidly. According to consultancy PwC, there could be as many as 76,000 commercial and government drones in use in the UK by 2030. In 2014, there were around 400 commercial drone operators in the UK approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority; there are now over 5,000. The events at Gatwick have acted as a catalyst, prompting the government to get ahead of the threat. In October, the British Home Office published its Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Strategy to help civilian authorities tackle the issues surrounding drones. Along with developing a national counterdrone capability for the police, instead of relying on the military as they had to at Gatwick, the government is looking to update the threat picture of how UAS can be misused. They would then develop what officials call a “full-spectrum” approach in deterring, detecting and disrupting that misuse. Perhaps most crucially, the government will provide greater support to Britain's fledgling but fast-growing counterdrone industry. As well as developing legislation and regulation for counterdrone technology, the strategy also mentions “incentivizing investments” for the most effective technologies. “Government needs to strike a balance,” says British security minister Brandon Lewis. “We need a security posture that keeps us safe, but it must also recognize the benefits of the legal uses of drones and allow us to reap the fullest rewards of incorporating drone technology into society,” But first, the British government will test and accredit anti-drone technologies to better understand their capabilities and develop a catalog of systems that can be purchased by police forces, security agencies and other government departments. Government officials and industry admit there is no “silver bullet” to protect against all types of UAS. “There is not one specific system or one capability that solves the problem,” said Tony Burnell, CEO of Metis Aerospace, a UK-based developer of drone detection equipment. Burnell made his comments while speaking to a British parliamentary committee about the domestic threat of drones in October. “It has to be a multilayered approach. . . . The counterdrone capabilities in the UK, made by industry, will tackle 99.5% of the drones that are out there,” he said. “There is still the 0.5% of drones that you do not know about and that you will [need to] be keeping up [with] to understand.” Costs of anti-drone equipment also remain prohibitively high. But while military-spec systems to protect an airport are priced at £2-3 million ($3-4 million), that could be overkill and far too expensive for a facility such as a prison. Yet prisons arguably need such equipment most urgently. Home Office figures say there were 284 drone incidents at British prisons in 2016, 319 in 2017 and 168 in 2018, with 165 drones recovered at prisons in 2016-17. The police are not the only ones taking an interest in drone technology. In September, the Royal Air Force (RAF) selected Leonardo to carry out a three-year-long study to inform a future RAF counterdrone capability. Leonardo's Falcon Shield was one of the systems deployed by the RAF to Gatwick after a police request. The Gatwick incident has already prompted changes in British law. In March, laws stating that drones could not be flown within 1 km (0.6 mi.) of an airfield were replaced with new restrictions banning them from operating within an airfield's existing aerodrome traffic zone—a radius of 2-2.5 nm around the airfield. It is also now against the law to operate them in 5 X 1-km zones stretching from the thresholds of an airfield/airport's runway. The UK has introduced legislation that calls on drone operators with systems weighing between 250g-20 kg (0.6-44 lb.) to register them and for the pilots to take an online competency course. Registration, which began on Nov. 5, will become a legal requirement from Nov. 30, with operators receiving an operator registration number they must affix to their drone before it is flown. The strategy says the government is now developing concepts for the future implementation of an unmanned traffic management (UTM) system, but it notes that while UTM technology “will not be delivered in the lifetime of the strategy,” security concerns will be appropriately incorporated in early planning. https://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/counterdrone-tech-takes-center-stage-uk-government-strategy

U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Seventeen companies have been awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts under the Worldwide Airlift Services Program, contracts with an estimated program value of $5,700,000,000: Air Center Helicopters, Burleson, Texas (HTC71120DR005); Berry Aviation Inc., San Marcos, Texas (HTC71120DR006); Bighorn Airways, Sheridan, Wyoming (HTC71120DR007); Careflight Ltd., Northmead, New South Wales, Australia (HTC71120DR009); CHI Aviation, Howell, Michigan (HTC71120DR010); Columbia Helicopters Inc., Aurora, Oregon (HTC71120DR011); Contour Aviation, Smyrna, Tennessee (HTC71120DR012); CSI Aviation Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico (HTC71120DR013); East Coast Flight Services Inc., Easton, Maryland (HTC71120DR014); Erickson Helicopters Inc., Portland, Oregon (HTC71120DR015); Flightworks Inc., Kennesaw, Georgia (HTC71120DR016); Hillsboro Aviation, Hillsboro, Oregon (HTC71120DR017); Jet Logistics Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina (HTC71120DR018); Mountain Aviation Inc., Broomfield, Colorado (HTC71120DR019); Omni Air Transport, Tulsa, Oklahoma (HTC71120DR020); Phoenix Air Group Inc., Cartersville, Georgia (HTC71120DR021); and Rampart Aviation, Colorado Springs, Colorado (HTC71120DR022). This contract provides worldwide Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 135 airlift services utilizing fixed and/or rotary wing aircraft to transport Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agency personnel and cargo for domestic and international shipments. Services shall be provided for DoD and other federal government agencies. Services required include aircrew, ground personnel, supplies, ancillary support services and equipment to perform dedicated and/or ad hoc FAR Part 135 or equivalent Civil Aviation Authority airlift operations (at both military and commercial airports/airfields/landing zones). Operations could include the movement of passengers and cargo (or combination thereof), air ambulance, medical evacuation, sling-load cargo operations, delivery of Class I-X supplies, and U.S. Mail and/or other like services. Work will be performed internationally and domestically, with an expected completion date of Nov. 11, 2024. Ordering may be centralized or decentralized and will be determined at the task order level. Funding is provided by multiple government agencies. The contracting activity is U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. (Awarded Nov. 7, 2019) NAVY General Dynamics Mission Systems, Scottsdale, Arizona, is awarded a $731,876,547 cost-plus-award-fee and firm-fixed-price indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract for Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) ground system sustainment. MUOS is a narrowband military satellite communications system that supports a worldwide, multiservice population of users, providing modern netcentric communications capabilities while supporting legacy terminals. Fiscal 2020-2029 weapons procurement (Navy); fiscal 2020-2029 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2020-2029 operation and maintenance (Navy) funding will be applied to task orders after the contract award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Arizona (94%); Wahiawa, Hawaii (2%); San Diego, California (1%); Niscemi, Italy (1%); Chesapeake, Virginia (1%); and Geraldton, Australia (1%). Work is expected to be completed by November 2029. 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 (N00039-20-D-0146). L3/Harris Technologies, Clifton, New Jersey, is awarded a $51,852,571 cost-plus-fixed-fee order (N0001920F0394) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-16-G-0003). This order procures modifications to the AN/ALQ-214A(V)4 Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures System. This order provides non-recurring engineering to develop, integrate, test and deliver software and firmware as well as all technical data. In addition, this order provides engineering and technical support for test efforts including correction of deficiencies discovered during testing in support of a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed in November 2022. FMS funds for $9,000,000 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. BAE Systems Land & Armaments L.P., Sterling Heights, Michigan, is awarded a $27,100,050 modification to exercise an option for a fixed-price-incentive (firm target) contract line item number (CLIN) 4002 portion of a previously awarded contract (M67854-16-C-0006). This modification is for the purchase of other production costs, which includes program management, vehicle tooling, acceptance testing, and transportation, related to the low rate initial production Lot 3A Amphibious Combat Vehicles. Work will be performed in York, Pennsylvania (60%); Aiken, South Carolina (15 %); San Jose, California (15%); Sterling Heights, Michigan (5%); and Stafford, Virginia (5%), and is expected to be completed in January 2022. Fiscal 2020 procurement (Marine Corps) funds for $27,100,050 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was based on full and open competition with the solicitation publicized on the Federal Business Opportunities website with five offers received. The option CLIN was included within that contract and is being exercised in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-7 Option for Increased Quantity-Separately Priced Line Item. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-16-C-0006). Progeny Systems Corp,* Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $9,653,476 fixed-price-incentive-firm target contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-6201 to exercise options for Navy systems support. This effort will award the procurement of Navy equipment. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (50%); and Charleroi, Pennsylvania (50%), and is expected to be completed by August 2021. Fiscal 2019 other procurement (Navy) funding for $9,653,476 will be obligated at time of award and funding will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY UTS Systems LLC,* Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $200,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for commercial shelters. This is a one-year base contract with three one-year option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a Nov. 7, 2020, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-1210). DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $15,751,977 firm-fixed-price contract for 43 separate parts in support of the Direct Support Electrical System Test Set and Next Generation Automated Test System. This contract 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 two-year base contract with one one-year option period. Location of performance is Alabama, with a Nov. 30, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2019 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is Defense Logistics Agency Land, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-C-0005). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded an estimated $11,318,767 firm-fixed-priced delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-QM0P) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-19-G-0013) for aircraft movable canopies. 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, four-month contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a March 20, 2025 performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Knox County Association for Remarkable Citizens,** Vincennes, Indiana, has been awarded a maximum $9,351,147 modification (P00008) exercising the second one-year option of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-18-D-N024) with two one-year option periods for the GEN III, Layer II, Mid-Weight Undershirt. This is a firm-fixed-price contract. Location of performance is Indiana, with a Nov. 12, 2020, performance completion date. Using services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Meggitt Polymers and Composites, Rockmart, Georgia, has been awarded a maximum $8,623,152 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-20-F-LW00) against a five-year basic ordering agreement (SPE4A1-19-G-0013) for F/A-18 fuel tanks. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in the Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. Location of performance is Georgia, with a Jan. 31, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 Navy working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ARMY General Dynamic Land Systems Inc., Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $34,873,995 hybrid (cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) contract to procure Improved Fire Control Electronics Units. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Tallahassee, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement of weapons and tracked combat vehicles, Army funds in the amount of $2,245,559 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-F-0060). JSR Inc.,* Schertz, Texas, was awarded a $9,260,232 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of Buildings 820 and 829. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, with an estimated completion date of May 22, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $9,260,232 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0004). AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $32,134,563 modification (P00015) to the previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee task order FA8204-16-F-0020 for the Strategic Automated Command and Control System Replacement (SACCS-R). This modification is to definitize a change order and award the added scope for the Time Division Multiplexing to Internet Protocol (TDM-IP). This modification provides for TDM-IP to be implemented and develop a hardware solution to meet the OMNI sunset date using serial-to-IP Adapters to convert messages for transport over the Defense Information System Network. Work will be performed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota; and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, and is expected to be completed by July 31, 2023. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $52,706,639. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,440,888 will be obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Hill AFB, Utah, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $15,746,610 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Universal Armament Interface. This contract provides for system engineering and program management for universal armament interface development. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 19, 2024. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $780,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (FA8628-20-C-2266). Anduril Industries Inc., Irvine, California, has been awarded a $12,000,000 firm-fixed-price Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract for Advanced Battle Management System Sensing Network. This contract provides for an Advanced Battle Management System prototype to process vast quantities of data from thousands of sources to be accessible anywhere. Work will be performed at Irvine, California, and is expected to be complete by July 31, 2021. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition, sequential SBIR Phase 2 contract. Fiscal 2019 research and development SBIR funding; and fiscal 2019 research and development Rapid Capability Office funding in the amount of $12,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Research Lab, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-C-9300). Quinn Construction, Rapid City, South Dakota (FA469020D0003); All American Contract Solutions, Rapid City, South Dakota (FA469020D0004); and Pedersen and Rangel, Spearfish, South Dakota (FA469020D0005), have each been awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for a multiple award construction contract (MACC). This contract is a design-build, bid-build construction acquisition based on a general statement of work further defined with each individual task order. Work to be performed under the MACC will be the general construction category, to include maintenance, repair, alteration, mechanical, electrical, heating/air conditioning, demolition, painting, paving, and earthwork as well as industrial/office buildings on Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, including Military Family Housing. (NOTE: Extent of work to be accomplished under this contract concerning military family housing on Ellsworth AFB does not include normal maintenance, repair, painting heating, air conditioning, some mechanical, etc., which is covered under the Military Family Housing Maintenance contract). Work is to be completed as specified in each individual task order and the contract completion date is June 29, 2021. This award is the result of a competitive solicitation to small business HUB Zones, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, and concerns in the 8(a) program only and 11 offers were received. Fiscal 2019 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $500 are being obligated to each contractor at the time of award. The 28th Contracting Squadron, Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, is the contracting activity. *Small Business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2012852/source/GovDelivery/

By: Nathan Strout In September 2018, the Trump administration added space cybersecurity to the National Cyber Strategy. Of course, adding space cybersecurity to a strategy document doesn't automatically make those systems secure from cyberthreats. In the year since that document was adopted, the Space Cybersecurity Working Group has been trying to make the administration's desire that United States space assets are cybersecure a reality. “The National Security Council, in very close coordination with the National Space Council, as well as the Office of the vice president, decided to form an inner agency group called the Space Cybersecurity Working Group,” explained Jaisha Wray, cybersecurity director of the National Security Council. “The goals of our working group are to identify and coordinate and prioritize U.S. government efforts to manage cybersecurity risks to space systems.” As the cybersecurity director of the National Security Council, Wray is in charge of developing international cybersecurity partnerships. Previously she served as the acting deputy director of emerging security challenges at the Department of State, where she helped build space and cyber policies. At the CyberSat19 conference Nov. 7, Wray explained how her Space Cybersecurity Working Group was fostering communications between various organizations to enhance cybersecurity in space. Key to developing effective cybersecurity across the nation's space systems is communication, be it between space and cyber communities, the U.S. and international partners, or the government and industry, said Wray. “What we saw was that across departments and agencies in the U.S. government, the space and the cyber people are often located in different offices in different bureaus, and so one of the early successes of our working group is simply just bringing these folks together to try to reduce stovepipes, compare notes and provide updates,” she explained. Those meetings are ongoing and have been embraced by both communities, said Wray. The National Cyber Strategy also directed the National Security Council to enhance partnerships between the U.S. government and commercial and other space-faring nations. “This is particularly important since our efforts in space are becoming increasingly intertwined, both commercially and internationally, and we must ensure that all space systems — not just U.S. government satellites — are protected from cyberthreats,” said Wray. “However, a key challenge is convincing others to spend the extra money and resources necessary to make their satellites more secure when the extent of the threat is not always well known or available in the public domain. So this is why both internationally and with industry we plan to enhance our efforts to raise awareness and share information on cyberthreats and to develop and share best practices and principles to counter these threats.” On the industry front, the working group is backing the efforts of the newly established Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). ISACs are member-driven groups that work with the government to spread information through industry. The formation of a separate Space ISAC was announced in April, and the group held its first board meeting Nov. 7. “We were very pleased to see and now support the efforts of the new Space ISAC, which will help gather, analyze and disseminate critical cyberthreat information related to space among the federal commercial and international community,” said Wray. While the technical side of enhancing space cybersecurity presents its own challenge, it's clear that a major gap in implementing cybersecurity in space is connecting the various stakeholders, be they commercial companies, various agencies or other countries. “I'm confident that through the Space Cybersecurity Working Group, we can continue to make progress and working cooperatively to address these threats,” said Wray. https://www.fifthdomain.com/dod/2019/11/08/how-the-space-cybersecurity-working-group-fosters-communication/

By: Jaleah Dortch WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has used a laser weapon system to engage and shoot down multiple fixed-wing and rotary drones in a demonstration for the U.S. Air Force at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the company announced Thursday. The Advanced Test High Energy Asset, or ATHENA, operated in a netted environment with a government command-and-control system and radar sensor. Lockheed said airmen operated ATHENA during the demos, where the laser weapon system acquired and tracked drones, using its high-energy laser to destroy the targets. The company developed ATHENA to provide a cost-effective anti-drone capability that complements the systems already used by the military. “We've watched in recent news this type of laser weapon solution is essential for deterring unmanned vehicle type threats, so it's an exciting time for us to watch airmen compete Lockheed Martin's critical technology,” said Sarah Reeves, vice president of missile defense programs at Lockheed. https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2019/11/08/laser-weapon-tracks-and-destroys-drones-in-demo-with-airmen/

By: Aaron Mehta and Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department has cleared the United Arab Emirates to purchase 10 CH-47F Chinook cargo helicopters, with an estimated price tag of $830.3 million. The potential deal was announced Thursday on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA. Such notifications are not guarantees of final sale; should the request be approved by Congress, quantities and dollar figures can change during negotiations. This request represents the 10th Foreign Military Sales request from the UAE since the start of fiscal 2017, for a total approximate worth of $10.5 billion. It is also the first Foreign Military Financing request cleared by the DSCA since the Trump administration declared a regional emergency in order to get several weapons packages pushed through Congress despite opposition on Capitol Hill, leading to bipartisan criticism of the move. The UAE bought its first lot of CH-47Fs — 16 aircraft for estimated total of $2 billion — in 2009. Boeing said earlier this year that it was relying on foreign military sales, including “30 helicopters or less” to the UAE, to shore up a delta between the production of its Block I version of the F-model and its Block II version. The company needs FMS deals like the one with the UAE even more now that the U.S. Army is planning not to buy the Block II version for the active force. The service still plans to produce Block II aircraft for Army special operators. Top Army officials have said they are working hard to mint FMS deals to help make up for the huge production gap left open following the service's decision to not buy Block II F-models for the active force. But Boeing told Defense News that it expected FMS deals would not lessen the blow and, so far, none of the anticipated sales are for Block II versions. The UAE's order, according to Boeing, was not for Block II, and the only other possible F-model sale to the United Kingdom is for extended range versions of the Block I version. It is unclear which countries might actually be interested in Block II aircraft, but the service won't be ready to offer those to foreign customers until after the variant's qualification testing is completed in 2021. The proposed sale “will expand the UAE's helicopter fleet,” per the DSCA announcement. “Further, it will enhance the UAE's operational and defensive capabilities to better defend U.S. and UAE national security interests in the region, and increase the UAE's contributions to any future joint or coalition efforts requiring helicopter support.” In addition to the helicopters themselves, the proposed package would include 26 T55-GA-714A engines; 24 embedded global positioning systems with inertial navigation system; 20 M134D-H mini-guns; and 20 M240H machine guns, as well as various transmitters and other equipment. Up to 10 U.S. government or contractor representatives will be needed in the UAE to help prepare the Chinooks for operations. Primary work will be done at Boeing's Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, facility, Honeywell Engine's Phoenix, Arizona, location, and Science and Engineering Services in Huntsville, Alabama. https://www.defensenews.com/global/mideast-africa/2019/11/08/uae-cleared-for-ch-47f-chinook-buy/