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January 24, 2020 - On the 30th of December 2019, the French defence procurement agency (DGA) awarded the sixth contract amendment on the SCORPION programme to the consortium[1] formed by Nexter, Arquus and Thales. This latest award, known as MEPAC[2], covers the delivery of 54 additional Griffon multi-role armoured vehicles (VBMR[3]) equipped with Thales's 120-mm 2R2M (Rifled Recoiled Mounted Mortar) system, reaching the total number of Griffon vehicles on the SCORPION program to 1,872 in accordance with the Military Planning Law 2019-2025. Since consultations began in November 2018, the three industry partners have worked together and with the DGA to design a new version of the vehicle concept with artillery capabilities. This is the first time the French Army will field the 2R2M, which is already in service in four other countries. The mounted mortar system will provide added mobility and precision in front-line combat operations as well as better protection for soldiers. In particular, the Thales system has built its reputation on its semi-automatic loading system and the precision of its rifled barrel, and has been combat-proven in numerous theatres of operations. In addition to structural modifications to the system architecture, this new version will include significant changes to the onboard optronics and the vehicle's mobility systems. The rear compartment of the vehicle will be modified to accommodate the weapon system, mortar operators and the mortar rounds needed on the mission. Roof hatches will also be installed to open or close the top of the vehicle as the needs of the battlegroup evolve. Finally, as for the other versions of the Griffon VBMR, the consortium's value proposition includes a substantial support and configuration management component. After qualification of the MEPAC variant, the DGA will take delivery of the first vehicles by the end of 2023, with the remaining deliveries scheduled between 2024 and 2027. [1] Consortium status under French law: groupement momentané d'entreprises (GME) [2] MEPAC: mortier embarqué pour l'appui au contact / mounted mortar for front-line fire support [3] VBMR: véhicule blindé multi-rôle / multi-role armoured vehicles View source version on Thales: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/group/journalist/press-release/scorpion-temporary-company-grouping-awarded-mepac-contract-mounted

By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The Army has picked six companies to work on concepts and designs for an autoloader for the service's future Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) program currently under development, according to a Jan. 24 Army Futures Command statement. While the first ERCA cannons will be fielded in fiscal 2023, the goal is to begin fielding the system with an autoloader just one year later. The companies — Actuate (formerly Aegis Systems, Inc.); Apptronik, Inc.; Carnegie Robotics LLC; Pratt & Miller Engineering; Neya Systems, LLC and Hivemapper, Inc. — will work under the Army Capability Accelerator and the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) as part of the Field Artillery Autonomous Resupply (FAAR) “cohort” and will come up with novel, outside-of-the-box concepts for the autoloader. AAL is part of AFC, the Army's new four-star command in charge of rapid modernization that will align with the service's new developing doctrine. The cohort began work on Jan. 13 in Austin, Texas, where the AAL and AFC reside, and will wrap up work with capability presentations on April 2, the statement notes. “Sourced from across the country, the selected companies represent a range of technologies and expertise all aimed at developing autonomous resupply capabilities,” the statement reads. Among the companies selected, Actuate specializes in artificial intelligence focusing on computer vision software that turns any security camera into an “intruder- and threat-detecting smart camera," the release states. Apptronik is a robotics company spun out of the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Robotics specializes in robotic sensors and platforms for defense, agriculture, mining, infrastructure and energy applications and was founded out of Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center. Pratt & Miller's focus has been on addressing technology challenges in the motorsports, defense and mobility industries. Neya Systems, also from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is another robotics company focused on advanced unmanned systems, off-road autonomy and self-driving vehicle technologies. The AAL has become the face of doing business with the Army in the startup community and has set up shop in the heart of Austin within an innovation incubator hub called the Capital Factory. Anyone can walk through an open garage door and pitch ideas to the Army and the service. But the Army is also going out to companies and trying to convey problems they need solved on the battlefield in the hopes of finding new and novel solutions. “Designed for small businesses and companies that don't typically work with the federal government, the program connects qualified companies that want to grow a new line of business into the DoD with Army stakeholders who want to speed capability development, transition to a program of record, or de-risk and inform requirements,” according to the statement. “We've spent the past year working to introduce commercial business models that translate to the Army and can help evolve its approach to capability development,” Porter Orr, product innovation lead at AAL, said. “We're helping nontraditional companies build a new line of business into the government. And that's important, but it's just as important that we're giving Army leaders a choice between writing a large check or doing nothing. This is a way for them to get more insight—more confidence—in a solution before purchasing it. That will mean a higher probability of success in the field.” Cohort participants receive $150,000 to complete a 12-week program ending in a pitch to the Army. FAAR is the pilot effort of likely many attempts to bring in non-traditional businesses to help solve some of the Army's problems both big and small. https://www.defensenews.com/land/2020/01/24/army-picks-6-to-work-on-autoloader-for-extended-range-cannon

By: Aaron Mehta WASHINGTON — Lockheed Martin has added Joe Dunford, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to its board of directors, the company announced Friday. Dunford, the Marine general who retired out of service at the end of September 2019, will become the 12th member of Lockheed's board come Feb. 10 of this year. He will serve on the board's Classified Business and Security Committee as well as its Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. "General Dunford's service to the nation at the highest levels of military leadership will bring valuable insight to our board," Marillyn Hewson, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin, said in a statement. "His experience in complex, global operations and risk management, including cybersecurity threats, is a tremendous asset and will enhance board oversight in key business areas." Lockheed Martin is the world's largest defense contractor, with $50.5 billion in defense revenue in fiscal 2018. The announcement may spur renewed calls by good government groups to close the so-called “revolving door” between the Pentagon and the defense industry, an issue that has taken on new life given the number of industry executives who have joined the defense department under President Donald Trump. That list is most prominently headlined by Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, a former Raytheon executive, and Pat Shanahan, a Boeing executive who was confirmed as deputy secretary of defense and then served six months as the acting secretary to start 2019 before departing the building. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a top nominee for the Democratic nomination for president, has called for a ban on defense primes hiring senior Pentagon officials and officers for four years after they leave retire. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/01/25/lockheed-adds-dunford-former-top-us-military-officer-to-board

ARMY Longbow LLC, Orlando, Florida, was awarded a $235,794,870 hybrid (cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price) Foreign Military Sales (Republic of Korea (South Korea), Greece, India, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom) contract for procurement of production support services for the Fire Control Radar System for the Apache attack helicopter. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2025. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, is the contracting activity (W52P1J-20-D-0009). Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, Tucker, Georgia, was awarded a $94,213,911 firm-fixed-price contract for full food services. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2025. Field Directorate Office, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9124J-20-D-0003). United Materials of Great Falls,* Great Falls, Montana, was awarded an $8,450,955 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of new parking apron and connecting taxiways. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Great Falls, Montana, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2019 military construction funds in the amount of $8,450,955 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Property and Fiscal Office, Helena, Montana, is the contracting activity (W9124V-20-C-0002). MCON LLC,* Wathena, Kansas, was awarded a $7,536,190 firm-fixed-price contract for raising the Missouri River levee system and installing relief wells. Bids were solicited via the internet with nine received. Work will be performed in Elwood, Kansas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 23, 2022. Fiscal 2020 civil construction funds in the amount of $7,536,190 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, Missouri, is the contracting activity (W912DQ-20-C-1009). AIR FORCE Rolls Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, has been awarded a $69,087,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the T56 Engine Component Improvement Program (CIP). The T56 Engine CIP establishes a prioritized list of projects each calendar year to include developing engineering changes to the engines, developing organizational, intermediate and depot level repairs as needed, and designing modifications to existing support equipment as well as initiating new support equipment designs as required by engine driven changes. The program also provides support to resolve service-revealed deficiencies and maintain or extend the life limits of aircraft engine. Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2029. Foreign Military Sales Fair Share funds in the amount of $385,938 are being obligated at the time of award. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity (FA8626-20-D-0003). Graf Research Corp., Blacksburg, Virginia, has been awarded a $49,500,000 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders for research and development. This contract provides for applied and advanced research for the advancement of trusted and assured microelectronics technologies; trust assessment strategies in areas related to known and potential system vulnerabilities; development and implementation of mitigation strategies and methodologies to prevent vulnerabilities; development and implementation of mitigation strategies and methodologies to prevent vulnerabilities before mitigation is required. Work will be performed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by Feb. 15, 2028. This award is the result of a Small Business Innovative Research III request for proposal. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the total amount of $5,999,985 are being obligated at the time of award for the first task order (FA8650-20-F-1880). The Air Force Research Lab, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-20-D-1879). EWR Radar Systems Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a $20,705,290 contract for the Portable Doppler Radar (PDR) program. This contract provides for the purchase of 22 PDR systems, with an option to purchase up to an additional 14 systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 24, 2023. This contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2018 and 2019 other procurement funds in the amount of $12,662,566 are being obligated at the time of award. The Aerospace Management Systems Division, Digital Directorate, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity (FA8730-20-C-0033). L3 Harris Corp., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded an $11,457,610 firm-fixed-price contract for repair services of electronic flight indicators and radar display units for the C‐130H Hercules. The work is expected to be complete by Jan. 24, 2025. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. No funds are being obligated at the time of award as this is a requirements type contract. The Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8538-20-D-0003). Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, California, has been awarded a $9,856,800 cost reimbursement contract modification (P00157) to previously awarded contract FA8810-08-C-0002 for a cross domain solution (CDS). The contract modification is for an updated CDS interface and associated hardware and software changes, as well as test, installation and checkout of the modified interface. Work will be performed at Boulder, Colorado; Aurora, Colorado; Azusa, California; and Sunnyvale, California. Work is expected to be completed by Jan. 21, 2021. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $3,451,650,654. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity. NAVY Advanced Technology Construction,* Tacoma, Washington (N44255-17-D-4004); Shape Construction Inc.,* Poulsbo, Washington (N44255-17-D-4006); Vet Industrial Inc.,* Bremerton Washington (N44255-17-D-4007); and Weldin Construction LLC,* Parker, Alaska (N44255-17-D-4008) are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price modification to increase the overall multiple award contract maximum, not-to-exceed amount for the indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract by $50,000,000 from $99,000,000 to $149,000,000, for design-build or design-bid-build construction projects located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Northwest (NW) area of operation (AO). All work on this contract will be performed primarily within the NAVFAC NW AO that includes Washington state (92%); Alaska (2%); Idaho (1%); Montana (1%); Oregon (2%); and Wyoming (1%). Work for this contract may also be performed in the remainder of the U.S. (1%). The work to be performed provides for new construction, renovation, alteration, demolition and repair work by design-build or design-bid-build of facilities located primarily within the NAVFAC NW AO. Types of projects include, but are not limited to, administrative and industrial facilities, housing renovation, child care centers, lodges, recreation/fitness centers, retail complexes, warehouses, housing offices, community centers, commercial and institutional buildings, manufacturing and industrial buildings and other similar facilities. This procurement was set aside for historically underutilized business zone construction firms. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of December 2021. Task orders will be primarily funded by military construction (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); and Navy working capital funds. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with 12 proposals received. These four contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract. NAVFAC NW, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity. Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Indiana, is awarded a $20,487,223 modification (P00003) to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price requirements contract (N00019-19-D-0024). This modification exercises the option to provide T56-A-427 engine depot repair to include repair of the power section, torque meter, gearbox and accessories in accordance with Navy depot manuals and approved repair practices. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas (70%); Winnipeg, Canada (25%); and Indianapolis, Indiana (5%), and is expected to be completed in January 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded a $16,851,140 cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-only modification to a previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-5218 to produce Technical Insertion-20 Shore Site Systems and provide incremental funding in support of the continued development, integration and production of the Navy's AN/SQQ89-A(V)15 Surface Ships Undersea Warfare System. This option exercise is for the procurement of shore site systems to further develop TI-20 AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 systems. AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 is the Surface Ship Undersea Warfare combat system with the capabilities to search, detect, classify, localize and track undersea contacts, and to engage and evade submarines, mine-like small objects and torpedo threats. The contract is for development, integration and production of future Advanced Capability Build and Technical Insertion baselines of the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 USW Systems. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (85%); and the government of the Commonwealth of Australia (15%) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Work will be performed in Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania (73%); Clearwater, Florida (24%); Syracuse, New York (2%); Marion, Massachusetts (1%); and is expected to be completed by June 2021. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (35%); 2019 research, development, testing and evaluation (15%); 2020 other procurement (Navy) (15%); 2018 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) (13%); FMS Australia (15%); and 2019 other procurement (Navy) (7%) funding in the amount $16,851,140 will be obligated at the time of award, and $2,617,132 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. Vigor Marine LLC, Portland, Oregon, is awarded a $15,284,851 firm-fixed-price contract for a 75 calendar-day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10). Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by May 9, 2020. The maximum dollar value, including base period and six options is $15,284,851. Fiscal 2020 working capital funds in the amount of $14,629,243 are being obligated at the time of the award. Contract funds in the amount of $14,629,243 are obligated in fiscal 2020 and do not expire at the end of year. This contract was competitively procured with one company soliciting via the Federal Business Opportunities website and one offer received. The Navy's Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N32205-20-C-6172). Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, is awarded a $14,484,290 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price other transaction agreement (N66001-18-9-4703) in support of prototype project “Artificial Intelligence Enhanced Autonomy for Long-endurance System Operations” to design and implement autonomy software to support long-term, continuous autonomous operation goals of the Office of Naval Research's Future Naval Capabilities system prototype. This three-year modification includes no options. The period of performance is Jan. 24, 2020 - Jan. 23, 2023. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $626,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Work will be performed in Edinburgh, Scotland (32%); Cambridge, Massachusetts (26%); Fairfax, Virginia (18%); Woburn, Massachusetts (16%); and Concord, Massachusetts (8%). This other transaction agreement was competed under the authority of Section 815 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 016, Public Law 114-92, and permanently codified in 10 U.S. Code 2371b. The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-18-9-4703). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY DNO Inc.,* Columbus, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $48,000,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for fresh fruits and vegetables. This was a competitive acquisition with four responses received. This is a 36-month contract with no option periods. Locations of performance are Michigan and Ohio, with a Jan. 21, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Department of Agriculture schools. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-20-D-S741). Seiler Instrument & Manufacturing Co., Inc.,* St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $12,482,499 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for mount telescopes. This was a competitive acquisition with three responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with a Jan. 25, 2025, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 Army working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0059). DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Redondo Beach, California, has been awarded a $13,006,683 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the base period of the Glide Breaker program. This contract provides for the research, development and demonstration of a technology that is critical for enabling an advanced interceptor capable of engaging maneuvering hypersonic threats in the upper atmosphere. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California (73%); Mesa, Arizona (21%); Sacramento, California (4%); and Huntsville, Alabama (2%), with an estimated completion date of January 2021. Fiscal 2019 research and development funds in the amount of $13,006,683 are being obligated at the time of award. This contract is a competitive acquisition in accordance with the original broad agency announcement, HR0011-19-S-0008. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HR001120C0025). Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, has been awarded a $7,483,871 modification (P00003) for the option effort on previously awarded contract HR0011-19-C-0019. The contract is for research and development of an advanced networked sensor to detect and identify biological weapons of mass destruction threats in support of the SIGMA+ program. The modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $9,985,170. Work will be performed in Columbus, Ohio (60%); and Cambridge, Massachusetts (40%), with an expected completion date of June 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,430,000 are being obligated at time of award. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2065636/source/GovDelivery/

By SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. WASHINGTON: For the third time in 11 years, the Army's attempt to replace the 1980s-vintage M2 Bradley ran afoul of the age-old tradeoff between armor and mobility, several knowledgeable sources tell Breaking Defense. The General Dynamics prototype for the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle – the only competitor left after other companies bowed out or were disqualified – was too heavy to meet the Army's requirement that a single Air Force C-17 cargo jet could carry two complete OMFVs to a war zone, we're told. But the vehicle had to be that heavy, GD's defenders say, to meet the Army's requirement for armor protection. Now, the Army hasn't officially said why it cancelled the current OMFV contract. Senior leaders – Chief of Staff, Gen. James McConville; the four-star chief of Army Futures Command, Gen. Mike Murray; and the civilian Army Acquisition Executive, Assistant Secretary Bruce Jette – have all publicly acknowledged that the requirements and timeline were “aggressive.” (Yes, all three men used the same word). Jette was the most specific, telling reporters that one vendor – which, from the context of his remark, could only be GD – did not meet all the requirements, but he wouldn't say which requirements weren't met. So, while we generally avoid writing a story based solely on anonymous sources, in this case we decided their track records (which we can't tell you about) were so good and the subject was so important that it was worth going ahead. “Industry told the Army the schedule was ‘unobtainium,' but they elected to proceed anyway,” one source told us: That's why the other potential competitors dropped out, seeing the requirements as too hard to meet. In particular, the source said, “industry needs more time to evaluate the trade [offs] associated with achieving the weight requirement.” With more time, industry might have been able to refine the design further to reduce weight, redesign major components to be lighter, or possibly – and this one is a stretch – even invent new stronger, lighter materials. But on the schedule the Army demanded, another source told us, reaching the minimum allowable protection without exceeding the maximum allowable weight was physically impossible. Why This Keeps Happening The Army's been down this road before and stalled out in similar ways. The Ground Combat Vehicle was too heavy, the Future Combat Systems vehicles were too light; “just right” still seems elusive. In 2009, Defense Secretary Bob Gates cancelled the Future Combat Systems program, whose BAE-designed Manned Ground Vehicles – including a Bradley replacement – had been designed to such strict weight limits that they lacked adequate armor. The Army had initially asked for the FCS vehicles to come in under 20 tons so one could fit aboard an Air Force C-130 turboprop transport. After that figure proved unfeasible, and the Air Force pointed out a C-130 couldn't actually carry 20 tons any tactically useful distance, the weight crept up to 26 tons, but the added armor wasn't enough to satisfy Gates' concerns about roadside bombs, then taking a devastating toll on US soldiers in Iraq. Four years later, amidst tightening budgets, the Army itself gave up on the Ground Combat Vehicle, another Bradley replacement, after strict requirements for armor protection drove both competing designs – from General Dynamics and BAE Systems – into the 56-70 ton range, depending on the level of modular add-on armor bolted onto the basic chassis. (A much-publicized Governmental Accountability Office study claimed GCV could reach 84 tons, but that was a projection for future growth, not an actual design). Not quite nine months ago, after getting initial feedback from industry on the Optionally Manned Fighting Vehicle, the Army made the tough call to reduce its protection requirements somewhat to make it possible to fit two OMFVs on a C-17. If our sources are correct, however, it didn't reduce the armor requirement enough for General Dynamics to achieve the weight goal. One source says that two of the General Dynamics vehicles would fit on a C-17 if you removed its modular armor. The add-on armor kit could then be shipped to the war zone on a separate flight and installed, or simply left off if intelligence was sure the enemy lacked heavy weapons. But the requirements didn't allow for that compromise, and the Army wasn't willing to waive them, the source said, because officers feared a vehicle in the less-armored configuration could get troops killed. Other Options Now, there are ways to protect a vehicle besides heavy passive armor. Some IEDs in Iraq were big enough to cripple a 70-ton M1 Abrams. Russian tanks get by with much lighter passive armor covered by a layer of so-called reactive armor, which explodes outwards when hit, blasting incoming warheads before they can penetrate. Both Russia and Israel have fielded, and the US Army is urgently acquiring, Active Protection Systems that shoot down incoming projectiles. The problem with both reactive armor and active protection is that they're only proven effective against explosive warheads, like those found on anti-tank missiles. They're much less useful against solid shells, and while no missile ever fielded can use those, a tank's main gun can fling solid shot with such force that it penetrates armor through sheer concentrated kinetic energy. (Protecting against roadside bombs and land mines is yet another design issue, because they explode from underneath, but it's no longer the all-consuming question it once ways. Advances in suspension, blast-deflecting hull shapes, and shock absorption for the crew have made even the four-wheeled Joint Light Tactical Vehicle remarkably IED-resistant and pretty comfortable). If the Army were willing to take the risk of relying more on active protection systems, or give industry more time to improve active protection technology, it could reduce its requirements for heavy passive armor. Or the Army could remove the soldiers from its combat vehicles entirely and operate them with a mix of automation and remote control, which would make crew protection a moot point. In fact, the service is investing in lightly-armored and relatively expendable Robotic Combat Vehicles – but it still sees those unmanned machines as adjuncts to humans, not replacements. As long as the Army puts soldiers on the battlefield, it will want the vehicles that carry them to be well-protected. Alternatively, the Army could drop its air transport requirements and accept a much heavier vehicle. Israel has already done this with its Namer troop carrier, a modified Merkava heavy tank, but then the Israel army doesn't plan to fight anywhere far away. The US, by contrast, routinely intervenes overseas and has dismantled many of its Cold War bases around the world. Air transport is a limited commodity anyway, and war plans assume most heavy equipment will either arrive by sea or be pre-positioned in warehouses on allied territory. But the Army really wants to have the option to send at least some armored vehicles by air in a crisis. If the Army won't give ground on either protection or transportability, then it faces a different dilemma: They need to either give industry more time to invent something revolutionary, or accept a merely evolutionary improvement. “We're going to reset the requirements, we're going to reset the acquisition strategy and timeline,” Gen. McConville said about OMFV on Tuesday. But, when he discussed Army modernization overall, he repeatedly emphasized that “we need transformational change, not incremental improvements. “Transformational change is how we get overmatch and how we get dominance in the future,” the Chief of Staff said. “We aren't looking for longer cords for our phones or faster horses for our cavalry.” https://breakingdefense.com/2020/01/bradley-replacement-did-army-ask-for-unobtainium

ARMY Brayman Construction Corp., Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $319,592,539 firm-fixed-price contract for labor, rehabilitation of recreational areas, equipment, supervision and modifications to the stilling basin of the Bluestone Dam in Hinton, West Virginia. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Hinton, West Virginia, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2029. Fiscal 2018 operations and maintenance, civil works funds in the amount of $319,592,539 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntington, West Virginia, is the contracting activity (W91237-20-C-0004). Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $12,847,708 cost-no-fee and firm-fixed-price contract for information technology support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with six received. Work will be performed in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $12,847,708 were obligated at the time of the award. 411th Contracting Support Brigade, Seoul, South Korea, is the contracting activity (W91QVN-20-F-0157). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Simulab Corp., Seattle, Washington, has been awarded a maximum $36,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for hospital equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. This was a competitive acquisition with 102 responses received. Location of performance is Washington, with a Jan. 22, 2025, performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-20-D-0029). NAVY PAE Applied Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded a $32,967,099 modification (P00342) to a previously awarded contract N66604-05-C-1277 to extend the period of performance for six months and increase target cost for Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC). AUTEC is the Navy's large-area, deep-water, undersea test and evaluation range. Underwater research, testing and evaluation of anti-submarine weapons, sonar tracking and communications are the predominant activities conducted at AUTEC. The contractor performs AUTEC range operations support services and maintenance of facilities and range systems. In addition, the contractor is responsible for operating a self-sufficient one square mile Navy outpost. This modification increases the value of the basic contract by $32,967,099. The new total value is $885,984,261. Work will be performed in Andros Island, Commonwealth of the Bahamas (80%); and West Palm Beach, Florida (20%), and is expected to be completed in September 2020. No funding will be obligated at time of this modification award. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport Division, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2064381/source/GovDelivery/

AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., doing business as Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $217,160,682 modification (P00021) to previously-awarded base contract FA8726-18-C-0005 to extend the contract by an additional year. This contract provides for Battlefield Airborne Communications Node payload operation and support for payload equipment and services. Work will be performed at San Diego, California, and undisclosed overseas locations, and is expected to be complete by Jan. 23, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $20,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $570,165,699. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Ft. Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $7,794,188 modification under modification 21 to previously-awarded contract FA8650-16-C-7656 for research and development. The contract modification is for the incorporation of additional within-scope work to further the technologies established under current System of Systems Integration Technology and Experimentation program. Work will be performed at Ft. Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2021. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $5,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $52,337,677. The Air Force Research Lab, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. NAVY M.C. Dean Inc., Tysons, Virginia, is awarded a $98,000,492 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity performance-based contract (N65236-20-D-8001) with provisions for cost-plus-fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task/delivery orders. This contract is for the design, development and sustainment of electronic security systems and emergency management systems solutions for Department of Defense and federal agencies at shore installations worldwide. The contract will provide rapid and streamlined procurement of electronic security systems and emergency management systems solutions where there are emerging or special security requirements that require rapid response in order to mitigate and limit risk exposure to cyber and physical security threats. The contract includes a five-year ordering period. Contract funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia (77%); and Charleston, South Carolina (23%), and is expected to be completed by January 2026. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract was competitively procured by full and open competition via the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command-Electronic Commerce Central website and the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one timely offer received. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Florida Ordnance Corp.,* Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has been awarded a maximum $48,586,695 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for M88 Recovery Vehicle diesel cylinder heads. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Florida, with a March 26, 2026, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2025 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-D-0038). UPDATE: Enterprise Cabling Inc., Ocean City, Maryland (SPRBL1-20-D-0017), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract issued against solicitation SPRBL1-19-R-0042 announced Dec. 18, 2019. ARMY Scientia Global Inc.,* Melbourne, Florida, was awarded a $12,149,039 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Iraq) contract to procure combat effective Digital Mobile Radio Tier III equipment, development, deployment, training and support services. One bid was solicited via the internet with one bid received. Work will be performed in Erbil, Iraq; and Melbourne, Florida, with an estimated completion date of April 29, 2022. Fiscal 2017 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $12,149,039 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-20-C-5012). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2063144/source/GovDelivery/

SAGUENAY – La plupart des PME croient que le marché de la défense et des équipements militaires est complexe et inaccessible. En réalité, ce n'est pas le cas. C'est ce qu'ont expliqué Rock Lemay et Patrick Sirois de la firme Triodeaux quelque 40 entrepreneurs de la région lors d'un déjeuner-conférence organisé par la Société de la Vallée de l'Aluminium(SVA), ce matin, au Manoir du Saguenay. « Il est important pour les PME de comprendre que les contrats ne concernent pas les armements et les avions, par exemple. Il y a plein de petites et grandes entreprises qui ont découvert le marché militaire. Ce marché de la défense et des équipements militaires qui avait été délaissé pendant plusieurs années au Canada, connaît une recrudescence dans les investissements afin de renouveler les équipements nécessaires aux soldats. Il ne s'agit pas seulement des produits de haute technologie, mais également de produits et de l'équipement communs tels que les bateaux, les camions, les plateformes, les uniformes et bien d'autres. Par exemple, l'entreprise d'autobus Prévost a une division militaire. L'armée a acheté 1 500 camions en France et Prévost doit les habiller avec des équipements adaptés. C'est là que les sous-traitants rentrent en ligne de compte et peut fournir des équipements comme des coffres, échelle, pièces de métal, plateforme, etc. », explique Patrick Sirois, président de Triode. Forte croissance Au cours des 10 prochaines années, les besoins du marché de la défense connaîtront une forte croissance. Les budgets pour le renouvellement des équipements sont déjà votés et alloués et les différents départements de l'armée s'affairent à déterminer leurs besoins avant d'aller en appel d'offres. « Autre facteur intéressant, Développement économique Canada (DEC) a mis en place au cours des dernières années une politique de retombées industrielles et technologiques qui favorisent les PME et les régions. En gros, cette politique assure que même si le contrat est octroyé à des entreprises étrangères, celles-ci n'auront d'autre choix que de travailler avec des fournisseurs ou des partenaires locaux pour faire de la recherche ou de l'assemblage de produits. » En fait, les prochaines années promettent d'être très intéressantes dans ce marché. Nul besoin d'être impliqué dans des projets d'armement. « Il y a beaucoup d'équipements pour lesquels la défense canadienne cherchera des fournisseurs, tels que des remorques, des ponts, des ponceaux, des équipements logistiques, des conteneurs ainsi que l'ensemble de l'équipement nécessaire à installer et soutenir des campements temporaires. Tous ces projets représentent de belles opportunités pour les entreprises de la région », affirment M. Sirois et son collègue Rock Lemay en précisant que le marché de la défense et des équipements militaires est de plus en plus accessible pour les PME qui savent se préparer et qui ont un minimum de processus déployés dans leur organisation. Enfin, soulignons que ce déjeuner-conférence servait à démystifier le processus et de permettre aux PME qui le désirent d'êtres accompagnées tout au long de la démarche par la SVA et son créneau d'excellence. (Texte en collaboration avec Guy Bouchard) https://informeaffaires.com/regional/manufacturier-et-fournisseur/le-marche-militaire-a-la-portee-des-pme-regionales

By: Susanna V. Blume and Molly Parrish It's no secret that the military services fight hard to protect their shares of the defense budget. Just last week, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday made his case for a greater share of the defense budget. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy quickly answered, making the same claim on behalf of his service. What if the Department of Defense were able to use these rivalries as a force for good? The secretary of defense should pit the services against each other in a healthy competition for solutions to real operational challenges. The reward? More funding in their budgets to implement the best solutions. It is by now old news that the 2018 National Defense Strategy solidified a shift in priorities from long-term counterinsurgency and stabilization operations in the Middle East to strategic competition with China and Russia. This shift represents a significant change in what the country will require of the joint force in the future. As a result, to fully embrace this shift in priorities, it follows that the services must accept additional risk in some areas in order to invest in the capabilities required to sustain U.S. military advantage over aspiring great powers. In other words, in order to implement the NDS, the DoD must shift resources. But shifting resource around with the defense budget is really hard. For the most part, defense budgets are built from the bottom up, with each program having strong institutional champions, regardless of how relevant that program is to the current strategy. In this environment, it's difficult to take money away from something to give it to something else. The result is budgets that largely reflect the status quo. While the DoD should of course avoid capricious and destabilizing swings in funding for defense programs, there are times when deliberate, strategy-driven shifts in resources are necessary. To make it a little easier to move money around the DoD in these cases, we recommend in our latest report that the secretary of defense harness interservice rivalry as a force for good. The secretary should give the services specific operational challenges to solve at the outset of the budget cycle, and reward the service or services with the best solutions at the end of the cycle with the funds to implement them. The DoD competition would start at the beginning of the budget cycle, with the operational challenge given alongside the usual strategic, planning and fiscal guidance. Over the course of the budget cycle, the services would each work to come up with solutions to the operational challenges posed by the secretary. During program review, the services would present their solutions to defense leadership. The service or services with the best solution to the secretary's challenges would then receive the funds to implement them. To fund this competition, the secretary would have to hold back some resources at the start of the process, effectively giving less to each of the services to begin with. This decision will be extremely unpopular with the services, but it will also ensure that the secretary has easily accessible funding available to him or her at the end of program review with which to ensure that the services are implementing his or her top priorities. The idea of spurring innovation through competition is not new. The DoD already uses competitions to drive innovative solutions to a wide variety of technical challenges. Take the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Launch Challenge, which aims to improve resiliency in space by tasking participants to “launch payloads to orbit on extremely short notice.” DARPA will give the team who is able to complete both launches a prize of $10 million to continue their work. In addition, this past September, the DoD's Joint Artificial intelligence Center, along with the National Security Innovation Network, hosted a Hackathon at the University of Michigan. Participants came from both academia and the commercial industry to find artificial intelligence-enabled solutions. The hackers were given a specific problem and then tasked with finding a solution. The winners of the Hackathon are rewarded with — surprise — money! The services like money just as much as the average citizen, and the Department of Defense needs to take this concept and use these persistent and unavoidable interservice rivalries as a force for good. A healthy competition between the services, incentivized by funding, could be the next step toward implementing and addressing the challenges inherent in implementing the National Defense Strategy. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/01/21/interservice-rivalries-a-force-for-good/