News

From throwable cameras to magnetic brakes, from disease prevention to battlefield networks, these small businesses have technologies the Army really wants. Read on to find out why. By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. WASHINGTON: Miniaturized electromechanical compasses so you can still find your way when the enemy's jammed GPS. 360 degree cameras you can throw into a building before you storm it. 60-minute screening for pathogens like COVID-19. Those are just three of the winning ideas in the latest round of the Army's Expeditionary Technology Search program, the service's push to get high tech out of small biz. This week, 20 small businesses made their pitches to a panel of Army judges — and in a suitably 21st century touch, it was all done via the web, since the AUSA Huntsville conference where the pitches were originally to take place was canceled because of the coronavirus. (Click here for all our virtual and surrogate AUSA coverage). Yesterday, in a brief webcast, xTechSearch program manager Zeke Topolosky read out the 10 semifinal winners, who'll receive $120,000 each and – even more important for many of the competitors – access to Army expert mentors to help refine their pitch and their product for military use. One final winner will be picked to receive $250,000 this fall, hopefully at AUSA's grand annual meeting in October if the coronavirus permits. Topolosky spoke to me at length by phone after the announcement. What follows, in his own words (edited for brevity and clarity), is what excited the Army about each of the 10 winners. Zeke Topolosky, Program Manager, Army xTechSearch: It's 20 semifinalists that presented the last two days. This is a selection of all of the top technologies from all of the different technology areas. All that is evaluated by 28 judges over the past two days, from all different fields, very senior technical experts, acquisition experts, end users, and soldiers. We had to come to a consensus agreement on the ten that would move on to the finals. Bounce Imaging, they've made a tactical throwable camera, but it's not just throwable. It can be used mounted on a canine, on a person, on a vehicle, and it gives you a complete 360 degree spherical view. They're working on this in both color and IR [infrared]. And they were working on continuing to miniaturize that technology. And it stabilizes at all times. Imagine a body-worn camera [on someone] running through a building: You can't really follow that video. This device kept the video always oriented in one direction that the users requested, and stabilized, at all times. So it really had a lot of immediate use in things like breaching buildings, subterranean investigation, where they could just toss this into a building and get complete 360 degree situational awareness, day and night. GeneCapture, a very strong company, lots of amazing expertise on their staff. Obviously, they made some references to coronavirus [testing]. What they can do is detect infections and pathogens from a deployable, portable system, and do it rapidly. They have the ability to test for multiple things at once. Most detection systems like this, they're testing for one pathogen at a time, and it has to be done in a laboratory. They were pitching the ability to do this downrange, and to test for multiple things. When you have a soldier downrange, not in a hospital or in a medical station, who may have some illness, you have to sort of guess on treating them, or not treat them at all till they get proper testing, which could lead to administering the wrong medication, or no medication. This would allow a field medic to do those tests, real time, and know exactly what they're dealing with. Inductive Ventures. This is a magnetic braking technology. Now, this company pitched numerous use cases for magnetic brakes versus the carbon brakes that we normally use, but for the xTech competition, they focused on braking for helicopters. Right now, when you land a helicopter, you have no way of moving that machine without either turning on the engine or towing by other vehicles. With this technology, you would enable helicopter operators, if they were to land in an emergency, or have to move their vehicle without it fully functioning, they can do that with this magnetic braking. We did have several helicopter pilots in our judging panel who were saying, “This is revolutionary for us.” We even had an example of somebody having to do an emergency landing on a soccer field with a Huey overseas, due to mechanical failure. And then once they landed, they literally had no way of moving that helicopter. They left it. This would have enabled them to be able to move it around and work on it. IoT/AI, these guys kind of blew the socks off the judges. Essentially, they had a device that was hardened against cyber attacks and other interference. They're also able to do all this on an edge device, in this black box that you can take to the field, as opposed to having to send data back to a server. It's just one less vulnerability. Everything can be done there on the edge. It's kind of the golden nugget for deploying AI for the Army, where it's going to be done in forward deployed areas, without infrastructure, without these computing resources that are power draining, in vulnerable areas where the enemy is trying to mess them up. Deploying artificial intelligence in the Army is going to be way more difficult than all the things we see being developed on the commercial side, from self-driving cars to Alexa. Lots of people are developing algorithms, but we don't necessarily have the hardware to make that a reality for the Army, that's really sort of missing right now. IOT/AI, what they're providing is some of the hardware solutions to make that a reality. LynQ Technologies, this was a very strong company, it had strong VC backing, which de-risks a lot for the Army, and they've also been recognized by Techstars, out of the Air Force. It's a very mature product. There's a real near-term win with this, because it's a ready-to-go product that we could be using now to locate injured soldiers in the field, downed pilots, lost cargo, et cetera. It was a very strong company, well-backed on the commercial side. They clearly had a capability that they could deliver the Army now that we don't have. KeriCure – deployable wound care products. Like LynQ, this was a very mature product: You can go on Amazon and buy their product now. It was just a wonder why the Army doesn't have this in their kit. Field medics right now could be using this. Yes, there's some testing that would have to be done with to validate some of the claims, and there is possibly some more development work that has to go into packaging it better for field use. But it's a mature product that can give immediate, lifesaving capability to soldiers now. The Army deals with wounds that can't be dressed properly immediately, that lead to infections. And what this product does, it's a dressing you spray on wounds to prevent those infections from occurring. We had some combat medics in the group, and they all agreed they could use this in their kit right now. MEI Micro, it's a MEMS [Micro Electronic-Mechanical System] IMU [Inertial Measurement Unit]. It's an order of magnitude improvement on position, navigation, and timing capabilities that we have now. When you're GPS-denied, the solutions that are out there — including quantum clocks and gyro [gyroscopic] devices — are very expensive, and they're under development. What they presented showed a leap-ahead capability for a far lower cost. If it can be realized, it's a game changer here for assured position, navigation, and timing, which helps you with things like communications, navigation, et cetera, especially in a congested or a GPS-denied environment. Multiscale Systems, this is a company that competed in a previous round of xTech, when they were a little less mature. They had a meta-material, an engineered material, so you could customize the properties of the material and how you build it. They're able to make materials for air traffic, cargo, and even lining truck beds, much lighter, much stronger than what we currently have, and for cheaper. With the Army where, especially in logistics and transportation, they can have an immediate impact and save a lot of money and a lot of weight, especially when airdropping cargo and containers and things like that. Beyond that, there just seems to be a lot of other applications for these materials. Granted, they will need some work in lowering the cost to produce them, but the product itself could be a huge cost savings for the Army and lighten the load a lot in aircraft and ground logistics platforms. Novaa, that's the next generation SATCOM [satellite communications]. What these guys are proposing is a brand-new way of handling the spectrum. In the Army, we are constantly having to tap into multiple frequencies, so you'll see vehicles, aircraft driving around with lots of antennas on them. If you're on SATCOM, if you have a radar system, if you're doing high frequency, ultra-high frequency, everything requires a different physical antenna — and all of these antennas take up space. Not only that, they stick out, they get snagged, get caught, these antennas break. And worst of all, they are targets. They're highly visible. They stick out like a sore thumb, and they let the enemy know, hey, this is a vehicle of importance, it's got communication gear or sensor gear. What they are offering is an antenna designed to replace all those antennas with one single aperture, with a very low profile. The space savings, the drag savings, and the concealed nature of it, on top of having the complexity and the cost of all these antennas replaced with just one, was very appealing. It was the antenna design, but it was the architecture that goes with it as well, to be able to handle from one aperture, all these other systems that have to tap into that antenna. Really a potentially revolutionary way of approaching the spectrum. Vita Inclinata is the last one. This is another repeat company, they had previously been in the competition and had come back. They make a stabilization system for helicopters that are hoisting up either cargo or gurneys with injured people on them. This is a huge problem in the rescue operations, where a little gust or just the wrong movement can cause a load to spin out of control. There's instances where the Army is dropping expensive cargo because it would bring down the helicopter when they get into a spin, even losing injured people that are being medevac'ed because of these spins. Even rigging these hoist systems is extremely dangerous and requires somebody on the ground. Vita Inclinata, they've developed fully autonomous solution that completely stabilizes any loads, from just a wounded person to tens of thousands of pounds of cargo. They have a ready-to-go, pretty well tested device that could be added on to any helicopter. Since last year, their company has progressed a lot, with lots of interest across the services and the commercial side, landed some good investments and contracts. And this time around, they really understood where the niche was, where the Army needed this the most. Last year, they were trying to talk to the Future Vertical Lift folks about, “your new aircraft could use this.” But it's really all the helicopters, especially the existing ones that we're using now. The Army does not have this capability and it's desperately needed. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/03/xtechsearch-army-picks-top-10-tech-innovators

NAVY Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $392,412,665 modification (P00009) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm contract (N00019-18-C-1068). This modification exercises options for the production and delivery of tactical missiles (Lot 20 AIM-9X, Block II and Block II plus), captive air training missiles, plus all up round tactical missiles, captive test missiles, special air training missiles, advanced optical target detectors, Block II and II plus guidance units (live battery), captive air training missile guidance units (inert battery), Block I and II propulsion steering sections, electronic units, multiple purpose training missiles, tail caps, maintenance, sectionalization kits, containers and spares for the Air Force, Navy and the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona (31%); Andover, Massachusetts (10%); Keyser, West Virginia (9%); Santa Clarita, California (8%); Hillsboro, Oregon (5%); Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (5%); Goleta, California (4%); Cheshire, Connecticut (4%); Heilbronn, Germany (3%); Simsbury, Connecticut (2%); San Jose, California (2%); Valencia, California (2%); Anaheim, California (2%); Cajon, California (2%); Cincinnati, Ohio (1%); Anniston, Alabama (1%); San Diego, California (1%); Chatsworth, California (1%); Amesbury, Massachusetts (1%); Claremont, California (1%); Sumner, Washington (1%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (4%), and is expected to be completed in July 2023. In addition, this modification provides for material in support of repairs, depot maintenance and refurbishment. The following funds will be obligated at the time of award: fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $135,790,070; fiscal 2020 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $129,267,647; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $8,172,170; fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,999,656; fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $800,197; fiscal 2019 missile procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $6,189,530; fiscal 2019 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $3,262,027; fiscal 2019 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) in the amount of $598,896; fiscal 2018 missile procurement (Air Force) in the amount of $503,814; fiscal 2018 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $267,280 and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) funds in the amount of $104,561,378. $4,369,646 of the funds obligated at contract award will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Air Force ($144,732,057; 36.88%); Navy ($143,119,230; 36.47%); and FMS customers ($104,561,378; 26.65%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Alberici-Mortenson JV, St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $191,900,391 fixed-price award-fee contract for design-bid-build recapitalization of the dry dock at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Work will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia, and is expected to be complete by July 2023. The work to be performed provides for concrete repairs in various locations throughout the dry dock, overhaul and repair of the steel caisson, upgrade power distribution, chilled water and a fire detection and alarm system. The project will also repair corroded steel members of the dry dock superstructure, re-coat the entire superstructure and replace roof and wall panels. The project will remove one bridge crane and overhaul two other bridge cranes. The scope also includes effort to rebuild or replace sluice gates and actuators, roller gate rails, flap valves and frames, all piping, and will upgrade control systems, electronic components and the auxiliary seawater system. The contract also contains nine unexercised options, which if exercised will increase the cumulative contract value to $592,343,628. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $191,900,391 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with two proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-C-0016). Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Moorestown, New Jersey, is awarded a $98,674,505 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price and cost contract for sustainment of the Littoral Combat Ship Component Based Total Ship System – 21st Century -(LCS COMBATSS-21); and associated combat system elements. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (84%); Camden, New Jersey (5%); Virginia Beach, Virginia (5%); Deer Creek, Colorado (2%); Manassas, Virginia (1%); Orlando, Florida (1%); and various other locations (under 1% - 2% total). The work executed under this contract will include maintenance and evolution of the LCS COMBATSS-21 (the backbone of the ship's mission system) and associated combat system elements in support of operational LCS ships. The work includes development, integration, test and delivery of future combat system baseline upgrades for in-service ships, supporting ship integration, installation and checkout, developmental test/operational test, developing training and logistics products, providing field technical support for combat systems, providing hardware engineering, equipment procurement and providing life-cycle supportability engineering and fleet support for fielded baselines. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $1,817,298 was obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract includes options, which if exercised will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $789,584,127. This contract was a sole-source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). This contract was not competitively procured and 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 (N00024-20-C-5601). (Awarded March 16, 2020) CACI Inc. - Federal, Chantilly, Virginia, is awarded a $13,222,827 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order for engineering, technical, administrative and managerial (support) services in support of the Ships Availability Planning and Engineering Center and non-nuclear waterfront and deep submergence system programs at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS). Work will be performed in Kittery, Maine, and is expected to be complete by March 2021. The purpose of this service contract is to provide technical work, engineering services, quality assurance, process development, consulting and content management support to the PNS departments, with frequent interface with other PNS departments and outside activities such as other private and naval shipyards, submarine maintenance engineering, planning and procurement. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) support will be in the areas of engineering, technical, planning, deficiency resolution and administration as outlined. This contract includes options, which if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $83,189,359. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,803,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the SeaPort-NxG Navy.mil website, with one offer received. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine, is the contracting activity (N39040-20-F-3000). BAE Systems Land & Armaments LP, Phoenix, Arizona, is awarded an $8,568,715 modification (P00001) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price delivery order N00019-19-F-4133 against basic ordering agreement N00019-18-G-0018. This modification provides for the procurement of 20 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 130 FLU-10 inflators for the Navy, in addition to 60 E-2 parachute survival ensemble units and 70 FLU-10 inflators for the government of Japan. Work will be performed in Phoenix, Arizona (89%); and Orchard Park, New York (11%), and is expected to be completed in November 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,620,920; fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $889,322; fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $156,147; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $4,902,326 will be obligated at time of award, $156,147 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the Navy ($3,666,389; 43%); and the government of Japan ($4,902,326; 57%). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND Lukos LLC, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0011); People, Technology & Processes, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0012); RMGS Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia (H92240-20-D-0013); and SPATHE Systems LLC, Tampa, Florida (H92240-20-D-0014), were awarded a $245,000,000 maximum multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for logistics support, equipment related and knowledge based services in support of Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) enterprise requirements. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,500 are being obligated at the time of award for each contract. The work will be performed in various locations in the U.S. and overseas and is expected to continue through fiscal 2025. The contract was awarded competitively using Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 15 procedures with 13 proposals received. NSWC headquarters, Coronado, California, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY DRS Network & Imaging Systems LLC, Melbourne, Florida, was awarded a competitive single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract for the production of Army installation kits. The contract ceiling is approximately $205,998,367, and the minimum guarantee is $2,000,000. The total value of delivery order 0001 is $16,884,194, funded by fiscal 2020 other procurement (Army) funds. Proposals were solicited via FedBizOpps, now beta.SAM.gov, and three proposals were received. The place of performance will be at the contractor's facility until the installation kits are delivered to the U.S. government at Red River Army Depot. The period of performance for the base period is March 20, 2020, to March 19, 2023; if all options are exercised, the contract performance will end March 19, 2030. The period of performance is a three-year base with seven one-year options. The Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity (HC1084-20-D-0006). ARMY Alliant Techsystems Operations LLC, Plymouth, Minnesota, was awarded a $104,770,422 modification (P00071) to contract W15QKN-13-C-0074 for precision guidance kits. Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minnesota, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 26, 2024. Fiscal 2020 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $104,770,422 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting agency. Raytheon Co., Dulles, Virginia, was awarded a $64,751,190 modification (P00006) to contract W56KGY-16-D-0006 to provide operations and sustainment support for Persistent Surveillance Dissemination System of Systems in support of Product Manager Force Protection Systems. 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 May 31, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ID Technologies LLC,* Ashburn, Virginia, was awarded a $46,579,188 firm-fixed-price contract to purchase information technology equipment and accessories. Bids were solicited via the internet with two received. Work will be performed in Ashburn, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of March 24, 2021. Fiscal 2020 revolving funds in the amount of $46,579,188 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-F-0193). L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded a $19,381,064 modification (P00005) to contract W15QKN-19-C-0040 for the procurement of application specific integrated circuit chips. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 procurement of ammunition, Army funds in the amount of $19,381,064 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting agency. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $17,405,696 modification (P00295) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to exercise an option covering priced man-hours, labor, material and fees on material for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) system technical support JLTV retrofit efforts. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 other procurement, Army; and 2020 Marine Corps procurement funds in the amount of $17,405,696 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Oshkosh Defense LLC, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was awarded a $16,754,161 modification (P00344) to contract W56HZV-15-C-0095 to exercise options for packaged kits for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle family of vehicles. Work will be performed in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2023. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $16,754,161 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Stantec Consulting Services Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana, was awarded a $14,143,940 firm-fixed-price contract for the design of pump stations and drainage structures. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 20, 2024. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity (W912P8-20-D-00004). SI2 Technologies Inc.,* North Billerica, Massachusetts, was awarded a $13,491,546 firm-fixed-price contract for protection of Army and Department of Defense assets and weapon systems from emerging threats. 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 April 28, 2023. U.S. Army Contracting Command, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-20-D-0023). Flick Lumber Co. Inc.,* Galion, Ohio, was awarded a $9,340,523 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of performance oriented packaging (POP) boxes. Bids were solicited via the internet with ten received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 22, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-D-0021). Texas Dewatering LLC,* Bellville, Texas, was awarded an $8,502,179 firm-fixed-price contract for improvements in the Houston Ship Channel. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Houston, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2020 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,502,179 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912HY-20-C-0010). DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE Guidehouse LLP, McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a labor-hour contract option with a maximum value of $10,449,089 for audit finding remediation support services for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Work will be performed in McLean, Virginia, with an expected completion date of March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Defense-wide operating and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,449,089 are being obligated at the time of this option award. This award brings the total cumulative value of the contract to $34,766,166. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition for which two quotes were received. The contract had a 12-month base period plus four individual one-year option periods, with a maximum value of $49,839,283. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Contract Services Directorate, Columbus, Ohio, is the contracting activity (HQ0423-18-F-0055). DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY RadiaBeam Technologies LLC,* Santa Monica, California, has been awarded a $10,202,941 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Gamma Ray Inspection Technology (GRIT) program. In Phase I, RadiaBeam Technologies LLC proposes a Laser-Compton approach for meeting GRIT program objectives and carrying out relevant system demonstrations. Work will be performed in Santa Monica, California (80%); Menlo Park, California (9%); Los Angeles, California (7%); and Paris, France (4%), with an estimated completion date of March 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,718,701 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR0011-20-C-0072). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Chartwell RX LLC, Congers, New York, has been awarded a maximum $7,074,642 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for numerous pharmaceutical products in support of the Corporate Exigency Contracts program. This was a competitive acquisition with one response received. This is a one-year base contract with nine one-year option periods. Location of performance is New York, with a March 18, 2021, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense warstopper funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2D0-20-D-0005). UPDATE: Navistar Defense LLC, Melrose Park, Illinois (SPE8EC-20-D-0057), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial trucks and trailers, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0008 and announced Jan. 9, 2018. (Awarded March 19, 2020) *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2120442/source/GovDelivery/

By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — One hundred thirty members of the House of Representatives are asking key defense committees in Congress to increase the number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters by 24 percent over the number requested by the Pentagon in fiscal 2021. “Our adversaries continue to advance surface-to-air missile systems and develop their own stealth fighters,” read the letter, released Wednesday. “It is essential that we continue to increase production of our nation's only 5th generation stealth fighter in order to ensure the United States maintains air dominance and to further reduce overall program costs.” The letter, addressed to the chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services committees and Appropriations Defense subcommittees, is authored by Reps. John Larson, D-Conn.; Marc. Veasey, D-Texas; Martha Roby, R-Ala.; and Michael Turner, R-Ohio — the four leaders of the bipartisan F-35 caucus. Last year, the four also joined forces to write a similar request, which garnered 103 signatories. The Defense Department's budget request asks for 79 F-35s, including 48 of the F-35A model used by the Air Force, 10 F-35Bs used by the Marines and 21 F-35C models used by the Navy. In the letter, the congressmen note that number is 19 less jets than Congress appropriated in FY20. However, that number creates “a capability gap that 4th Generation, or legacy, aircraft cannot fulfill,” the letter warned. “To reach the minimum 50% ratio of 5th Generation and 4th Generation fighters in the timeframe required to meet the threat, the U.S. must acquire F-35s in much larger quantities.” Instead, the members want a 24 percent increase in fighters procurement, going up to 98 total, including 12 more F-35As, two more F-35Bs and 26 more F-35Cs. Those numbers match the fighter increase listed by the Air Force in its unfunded requirements document sent to Congress earlier this year; the Navy requested only five more F-35C variants, while the Marines did not request more. The letter was first reported by Politico. In addition to the increase in planes bought, the members are seeking additional funding for “spare parts and depot level repair capability to meet the required availability rates and accelerate the stand-up of mandated, organic government repair capabilities.” Additionally, investments are sought for the program dedicated to the jet's reliability, maintainability and improvement, as well as a “long-term, outcome-based sustainment contract” that would guarantee performance metrics at a fixed price. The members then request the committees fully fund the budget request for the continuous capability development and delivery (C2D2) modernization effort and use existing funds to accelerate integration of the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile onto the jet. Earlier this year, the Pentagon's independent weapons tester called the current schedule for C2D2 “high risk” and said the program office is struggling to stay on schedule. “C2D2 is critical to meeting the evolving threat in the mid-2020s and into the 2030s. Full funding is needed for the delivery of new weapons and critical capabilities necessary to keep the F-35 ahead of our adversaries,” the members wrote. https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/03/19/130-house-members-want-24-percent-more-f-35s-procured-in-fy21/

By: Valerie Insinna WASHINGTON — Farnborough International Airshow, this year's largest showcase of commercial and military aerospace technology, has been canceled due to ongoing health concerns stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. The cancellation of the event, which was slated to take place July 20-24 at Farnborough Airport in England, has broad economic implications for the aerospace industry. Farnborough Airshow is often a venue for major deals, with airlines announcing large buys of commercial aircraft during the show. While big defense contracts are sometimes also announced, the show provides a venue for industry to interface with U.S. and international military officials, paving the way for sales. “After very careful consideration, the unprecedented impact of the global coronavirus pandemic has forced this decision in the interests of the health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, contractors and staff,” the Farnborough International Board of Directors said in a statement on March 20. “This decision was reached taking into consideration several major factors surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19, all of which we have concluded, make it is impossible for us to create and host the Airshow this July.” “We understand this news will be an incredible disappointment to all across the international aerospace industry, not to mention our important exhibitors, suppliers and visitors. We at Farnborough International share your disappointment that we are unable to present the Airshow as planned, but rest assured, we are determined to continue to work together and will ensure the Farnborough International Airshow returns in 2022 better than ever,” the statement said. Farnborough International Airshow is held every other year, alternating with Paris Airshow held in Le Bourget, France. Show organizers announced the decision minutes after the formal cancellation of the Royal International Air Tattoo, a major military airshow in England that traditionally occurs in the days before Farnborough International Airshow. This is a developing story. Check back with Defense News for more details. https://www.defensenews.com/2020/03/20/the-years-biggest-air-show-has-been-cancelled-as-covid-19-sweeps-through-europe/

By: Aaron Mehta Updated 3/20 at 6:45 PM EST with new comment from Bialos. WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department has declared that defense contractors are “critical infrastructure” to national security, a designation that comes with an expectation to maintain a consistent, normal work schedule amid the outbreak of the new coronavirus, COVID-19. In a Friday memo to industry, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord made it clear that she wants defense companies to continue to deliver their products and services to the Pentagon on time. “If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as designated by the Department of Homeland Security, you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule,” Lord wrote. “We need your support and dedication in these trying times to ensure the security of this Nation. I understand that this national emergency presents a challenge and we are dedicated to working closely with you to ensure the safety of the workforce and accomplishments of the national security mission.” Lord also spelled out large swaths of the industrial base for which this order applies, including the aerospace sector; mechanical and software engineers; manufacturing/production workers; IT support; security staff; security personnel; intelligence support; aircraft and weapon systems mechanics and maintainers; suppliers of medical suppliers and pharmaceuticals; and critical transportation. Included in the designation are personnel working for companies as well as subcontractors who perform under contract for the department. Contractors who perform tasks such as providing office supplies, recreational support or lawn care are not considered essential. By designating the defense industry in such a way, companies involved may be able to get around state-directed shutdowns such as the one in New York right now. Similarly designated workers include, among many others, law enforcement, health care providers, water and power authorities, and IT support for emergency services — all of whom are still on duty in the current crisis. In the memo, Lord noted, companies involved should “follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as State and local government officials regarding strategies to limit disease spread.” Some companies have instituted work-from-home policies where applicable, although in cases such as production of defense equipment or work in secure facilities, that option appears unrealistic. Force of law? Things may not be as cut and dry as Lord's memo makes it seem, warned Jeff Bialos, a partner with the Eversheds-Sutherland law firm and former deputy under secretary of defense for industrial affairs. He notes that Lord's memo is based on guidance, put out the day before by the Department of Homeland Security, which does not carry with it the force of law to override decisions on work stoppage that may come from a state. “These are guidelines only. They do not have the force of effect of law,” Bialos warned. Bialos thinks the memo may be a useful tool for industry to turn to local governments that are eyeing a work shutdown and say they should be given an exemption. But should the local government decide not to grant that exemption, how much force the memo may have is unclear. “Thee's no slam dunk here. Everyone is struggling with these issues. And I think what this memo does is put another arrow in the quiver of a company that wants to keep doing business to meet defense needs. And it also is a document companies can provide to localities and states, and say ‘please give us an exemption.'” In a statement released late Friday, Lt. Col. Mike Andrews, a spokesman for Lord, said the undersecretary met today with Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Ok., on the memo and other issues. Lord “remains committed to daily communication and collaboration with the defense industrial base, especially the defense industry trade associations. In addition, she'll be contacting several state Governors to discuss state-specific critical infrastructure and essential workforce efforts,” Andrews said, adding that a daily call between members of Lord's team and industry associations continues. Jerry McGinn, a longtime official at the department's Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy, said the move was the right one to make. “You're essentially trying to keep that workforce engaged and supporting that customer. This is trying to give DoD organizations flexibility to reduce contract disruptions, stop-work orders, and other actions that could impact the contractor workforce” said McGinn, now executive director of the Center for Government Contracting at George Mason University. “And that in general is a good thing. It's not something you want to do for six months, because then you might have trouble monitoring performance, but for this critical time it seems like a reasonable kind of thing to do.” https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2020/03/20/pentagon-declares-defense-contractors-critical-infrastructure-must-continue-work/

CRÉONS UNE CHAÎNE SOLIDAIRE DE L'INNOVATION FACE À UNE SITUATION INÉDITE : L'INNOVATION COMME ÉTENDARD PROMPT a pour mission d'accélérer l'innovation et la recherche collaborative dans le secteur des nouvelles technologies afin d'inventer le monde de demain. Plus que jamais au regard de la situation sanitaire, sociale et économique, nous portons cette mission comme un étendard. L'équipe de PROMPT se tient prêt à vous assister et permettre de combler des besoins révélés par cette crise sans précédent. QUE VOUS SOYEZ CHERCHEUR, ENTREPRENEURS, DIRIGEANT : VOUS AVEZ UNE IDÉE , FAITES-LE NOUS SAVOIR ! Pour aider au combat contre le COVID-19 et tous les obstacles et enjeux qu'il créé pour le Québec, le Canada et le monde, PROMPT fait appel à tout le génie et la richesse qui existent au sein de la communauté de recherche et de la communauté entrepreneuriale du Québec. Nous avons aujourd'hui la chance de proposer des solutions aux enjeux multiples soulevés par les maladies infectieuses, et d'assurer le maintien de la prospérité économique du Québec. Si vous avez des idées innovantes ou des projets déjà en cours, des propositions qui ne demandent qu'à voir le jour, Conctactez-nous! Vos idées pourraient faire partie d'un programme de financement PROMPT et nous vous accompagnerons pour trouver au besoin des partenaires et pour créer une chaine solidaire de l'innovation. DONNONS-NOUS les moyens de traverser la crise mais aussi d'être plus forts après celle-ci ! Écrivez-nous à Covid-19@promptinnov.com, particulièrement si vous avez des idées de projets en : Outils de productivité Outils de gestion Outils logistiques Outils de transport et d'approvisionnement Solutions d'automatisations Applications de l'IA aux maladies infectieuses

By: Andrew Chuter LONDON — Former British national security adviser Peter Ricketts has urged the government to put the brakes on its plan to complete an integrated review of defense, security, foreign policy and development by July. The new coronavirus pandemic is partly to blame, he said. “I do not see how a deep, thorough and integrated review covering the entire spectrum [of requirements] can now be done by July,“ Ricketts told a March 17 parliamentary Defence Select Committee hearing on the government's plan. Conservative Party Prime Minister Boris Johnson initiated the review following his general election win in early December. Johnson promised it would be the most fundamental review of its kind since the end of the Cold War. Analysts and others have been concerned that the review will be fudged in the rush to complete the promised deep dive into defense, foreign policy and security strategy reform. The defense committee already called for a delay, and it has questions about how the review is being run. Tobias Elwood, the recently appointed committee chairman, said the panel is “not impressed” by the initial way the review is progressing. Elwood said at the March 17 hearing that the Army had been told to submit their requirements by Mar 20, before they had been informed by the government what its new foreign policy will look like. The committee met with Army chiefs last week. The Foreign Office has produced five separate essays on its view of Britain's role in the world, and the Army had not seen the documents, said Elwood. One government lobbyist said that Elwood's remarks showed that Dominic Cummins, Boris Johnson's special adviser and one of the main proponents for radical change in the defense sector, had settled on an answer even before the review questions had been asked. “He's not listening and doesn't appear to care much how he gets the outcome he wants, particularly around areas like technology and procurement,” he said. Ricketts told the committee the already tight timescale had been further jeopardized by the government's concentration on the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic. “I do not see how you could possibly complete the review over the [coming] months, not least because of the bandwidth available for senior ministers and the government more generally [as a result of the virus],” he said. COVID-19′s influence on defense matters was further illustrated March 19 when the Ministry of Defence announced that thousands of regular and reserve troops are being put on standby to assist public services as part of a new support force. Ricketts, who led the Conservative government's 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, said that given the situation, it is possible Johnson might want to put off the review as well as the comprehensive spending review that's running in parallel. The spending review sets the level of departmental spending across government for several years ahead. Alex Ashbourne-Walmsley of Ashbourne Strategic Consulting also believes the defense and funding reviews should be postponed. “It makes no sense to me that the U.K. should continue with either the defense review process or the comprehensive spending review when it is still too soon to determine the long-term economic and social impacts of coronavirus. It would be more sensible to defer everything for at least a year,” she said. Ricketts has suggested the government could come up with baseline foreign policy principles and some initial military priorities while leaving the more detailed work until later. Both he and Jock Stirupp, the former chief of the Defence Staff, told the committee that it is important the defense review and the comprehensive spending review are done in tandem to ensure the money and military requirements went hand-in-hand. The MoD is facing a serious funding shortfall, which is likely to lead to further cancellations or delays to major programs. A recent report by the National Audit Office, the government financial watchdog, said the MoD's 10-year defense equipment plan shows there is a potential funding shortfall of up to £13 billion (U.S. $15 billion). The funding gap is shrinking, but this is the third year in a row the National Audit Office has deemed the plan unaffordable. Defence Procurement Minister Jeremy Quin told Parliament during a session on defense questions March 16 that the government had every intention of continuing with the review. “It's important we get on with it," he said. "We need to take firm decisions, and the swifter, the better.” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was quizzed about the integrated review timetable in the March 16 session. He said the government is regularly reviewing the decision on timing. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/03/19/uk-should-rethink-deadline-for-defense-foreign-policy-review-says-former-national-security-adviser/

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — It's realistic for the U.S. Army to wait and see how the new coronavirus might affect its ambitious plans to modernize the force, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville told Defense News in a March 18 interview. With major economic centers on both U.S. coasts restricting public gatherings, and with most of the country attempting social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus, industry as of this week appeared to still be sorting out how it would handle its own workforce and keep employees safe from infection. Much of what the Army is doing to address its top modernization priorities depends on industry collaboration and efforts. “We're watching what is happening,” McConville said. “We do have some high-priority tests that we think are continuing to go, and industry is doing the same thing that we're doing — they're putting measures in place with their people. They're weighing risks to the force and, really, risk to their missions as they do that.” Some high-priority tests will continue, he said, while “other ones will slow down.” While he did not list all high-priority tests that would likely go on, McConville noted that the Army is still moving forward with contract awards and making progress where it can. He pointed to the service's recent contract awards to Bell and Sikorsky to continue to develop and test aircraft for the Army's Future Long Range Assault Aircraft program. That contract was awarded on the expected timeline. The Army also tested its Extended Long-Range Cannon Artillery system at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, on March 6, but that was only as uncertainty was just beginning to build in the U.S. regarding the spread of COVID-19. The service has an abundance of important milestones planned across its modernization priorities this year, to include a robust flight test program for the Precision Strike Missile at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and a likely imminent flight test of a jointly developed hypersonic glide body. The Army also plans to award contracts to build Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft prototypes this month. But it's unclear how other programs will move forward. The previously troubled Integrated Battle Command System for air and missile defense is finally slated to go into a limited-user test in May this year, which is critical to the program's success. The Army planned to conduct a series of industry days to restart its effort to competitively procure a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle replacement, but according to sources, a virtual industry day to kick things off has been postponed and the Army plans to post informational slides to industry on Beta.Sam.Gov in the near term instead. “The acquisition cycle continues to move on,” McConville said, “and we'll have a better idea over the next 30 to 60 days, as more measures are implemented in certain states, what and how that really plays out.” https://www.defensenews.com/smr/army-modernization/2020/03/19/army-chief-how-covid-19-will-affect-army-modernization-is-a-wait-and-see-situation/

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The new coronavirus pandemic may have dampened the U.S. Army's major division-level exercise in Europe, but the service's chief told Defense News in a March 18 interview that important lessons have already been learned. Defender Europe was slated to be the third-largest military exercise on the continent since the Cold War and was meant to test the Army's ability to deliver a force from forts to ports in the United States and onward to ports in Europe, and from there to operational areas throughout Europe from Germany to Poland to the Baltic states and other Eastern European nations, Nordic countries and even Georgia. The Army began to move troops and equipment into Europe beginning in January, with the meat of the exercise occurring in April and May this year. But as COVID-19 has spread across the globe, with Europe designated as the newest epicenter of the virus, the Army decided last week that it would scale back Defender Europe, according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe. “We have modified exercise Defender Europe 20 in size and scope,” a March 16 statement read. “As of March 13, all movement of personnel and equipment from the United States to Europe has ceased. The health, safety and readiness of our military, civilians and family members is our primary concern.” The Army decided to cancel linked exercises that would have been a part of Defender Europe, which already happen on a regular basis in Europe, to include Dynamic Front, the Army Joint Warfighting Assessment, Saber Strike and Swift Response. The service said it anticipates the armored brigade combat team already deployed to Europe will conduct gunnery and other combined training events with allies and partners as part of a modified exercise, and that forces already deployed to Europe for other “linked exercises” would come back to the U.S. Also last week, U.S. Army Europe announced that its commander, Lt. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, and his staff were exposed to COVID-19 at a land force commanders conference in Wiesbaden, Germany, on March 6. Out of an abundance of caution, the service decided to quarantine those exposed. According to an Army spokesperson, the quarantine has no effect on operations, and the general and his staff continue to carry out duties from an isolated location. Much was riding on Defender Europe when it comes to teaching the Army where it stands in terms of its ability to rapidly deploy a combat-credible force to Europe to support NATO and the U.S. National Defense Strategy. The exercise was also going to help the Army get more clarity on its Multi-Domain Operations concept as it morphs into official doctrine. The service had also hoped to assess through the exercise whether its pre-positioned stock in Europe had the right equipment and was in the right place. The Army made the difficult decision last week to reduce the size and scope of the exercise to “protect our troops,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said. The service had already deployed roughly 6,000 soldiers and 3,000 pieces of equipment from the U.S. beginning in January in support of the Defender Europe exercise, McConville said, and also deployed a brigade combat team and a division-sized headquarters. The Army also has moved about 9,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment from Army pre-positioned stocks in Europe for the exercise, he noted. “One of the big objectives of this exercise was what we call strategic readiness,” McConville said, “the ability to dynamically employ our forces from the United States, and we were able to demonstrate most of those capabilities. We were able to get our forces over there, we have a draw from the pre-positioned stocks and we're still able to train with our allies and partners, although at much less capability.” Those units that won't be able to train through some of the linked exercises in Europe are already “tactically ready” and could maintain readiness through home station training, McConville added. Lessons learned will directly feed into how the Army crafts its future doctrine and help validate that the service is ready to execute what is laid out in the National Defense Strategy. But the other thing the Army has learned from the spread of COVID-19 and its effects on the exercise is that the service is agile, McConville stressed. “We had to adapt the plan, we were re-missioning some units during the actual deployments; some units may go other places, and that's why this was a very good exercise for us,” he added. For those deployed for the exercise, McConville said that the Army has put in place a rigorous screening process for troops returning home when the exercise is complete, where they will be screened for infection before coming back and then screened again upon return to installations and posts, then quarantined as necessary. While the Army has exercised strategic readiness, testing the ability to move seamlessly from country to country throughout the modified exercise may not get a full shake due to how European countries may choose to handle the pandemic. Border crossing was a challenge in past years. For now, there are too many uncertainties to know whether border crossing and mobility across countries will pose a problem or a challenge for the Army, according to McConville. “Italy was a little ahead of us” in coping with the spread of the virus,” McConville said, “but Europe is probably right along the same lines where we are right now, where leaders are taking a hard look at how they want to try to contain this.” Meanwhile in the Pacific region, where COVID-19 originated and where many countries have been hard hit, the Army was able to complete a recent exercise — Cobra Gold in Thailand, McConville said. The service continues to conduct risk assessment for each upcoming exercise in the theater. The Army is also likely to stick to its plan to focus more largely on a division-sized exercise in the Pacific in 2021 and hold a smaller version of Defender Europe, rather than ramp up the European exercise back up to the intended size for 2020, McConville said. But there are still many unknowns, he added, and the Army will continue to assess its options. https://www.defensenews.com/smr/army-modernization/2020/03/18/covid-19-dampens-european-exercise-but-army-chief-says-all-is-not-lost/