19 mai 2024 | International, Terrestre
An analysis of Romania's defence sector, covering budgetary surges, procurement strategies, and market dynamics.
https://www.army-technology.com/news/in-data-romanias-defence-modernisation-strategy/
16 décembre 2021 | International, Aérospatial
Les Émirats arabes unis ont menacé mardi d’annuler leur achat d’avions de combat F-35 auprès des États-Unis, en protestant contre des conditions jugées trop strictes, sur fond de méfiance américaine à l’égard de la Chine.
22 mai 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Autre défense
By: Jen Judson WASHINGTON — The most valuable role for U.S. special operations forces within the National Defense Strategy is to build relationships with countries in hot spots around the globe to keep Russia and China at bay. But that effort can't be at the expense of its counterterrorism mission, which remains the No. 1 priority of special forces, according to leadership within U.S. Special Operations Command. SOCOM plans to issue a report to Congress on a comprehensive review of its roles and missions this month, according to Mark Mitchell, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, who was speaking during a recent hearing with the House Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. One of the main priorities for SOCOM is to carry out counterterror missions, but the National Defense Strategy focuses on great power competition against near-peer adversaries Russia and China, so House lawmakers wanted to know how special forces fit in a strategy that focuses less on counterterrorism and more on powerful adversaries. “We've been the tip of the spear on the [counterterror] fight,” SOCOM Commander Gen. Richard Clarke said during the hearing. “However, moving forward, particularly in great power competition, our special operations forces are not necessarily going to be in that fight because the whole idea of the strategy is to avoid a kinetic” confrontation, he added. Clarke said he's examining SOCOM relationships with U.S. Cyber Command, U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Transportation Command as well as the global combatant commanders to see “how we can best integrate our forces and provide support to those in other domains.” “I think the special operations community is uniquely suited to build networks of partners and allies around the globe to put us in a position, first of all, to compete for that influence and legitimacy in peacetime,” Clarke added. Special forces also have an important role to play within the military information support operations center in Tampa, Florida, which is aligned with the State Department's Global Engagement Center, which “allows us to compete in the space ahead of time and make sure that we're countering some of the vitriol that's coming out of Russia at this time and the falsehoods,” Clarke said. According to Clarke and Mitchell, it's unlikely the reach of special forces around the globe will wane. “A [counterterror] deployment to Africa is also a part of that great power competition against the Russians and Chinese,” Clarke noted as an example. “We are trying to look at our employment of the SOF force from a holistic view to ensure that we're maximizing the return on that investment to our counterterrorism mission and our great power competition.” The relationships that U.S. special forces develop with other countries is also unique, Clarke noted. “A small team, a small element of Special Operations forces, can bring a significant impact working with foreign forces.” “Remember,” Mitchell added, “Chinese and Russian threats are global, and that's part of the reason why we're in 80 countries.” For example, Mitchell added, SOCOM received recent congressional approval to move forward with an important counterterror effort in the Philippines, but that is also a critical component of building influence within the country and “keeping Chinese at arm's length.” While the NDS is focused on great power competition, the strategy still recognizes the need to combat violent extremist organizations, which “is not going away, and we've got to balance that,” Mitchell said. So some new concepts for employment of special forces will likely emerge, according to Mitchell. “We're working with the services to ensure that we are integrated with their development efforts,” he added. But there are a few tasks where, if given the chance, SOCOM would take off its plate, particularly to improve its deployment ratio with double the time spent at home compared to overseas. Clarke said special forces in Africa could be better optimized. “That's not necessarily ‘take away the mission,' but I see reduction internal to some of these missions,” he said. Additionally, the mission to counter weapons of mass destruction is also an increasing burden on the force, Clarke said: “I think it's a right-sizing in the mission internal to make sure we have the right force allocation against it.” And SOCOM is looking at how the Army's security force assistance brigades might be better suited for certain security force assistance-type missions. “SOF should be in places where it's a light footprint, it's politically sensitive, with a small team, that is training other special operations forces primarily,” Clarke said. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2019/05/17/where-do-special-forces-fit-in-the-national-defense-strategy/
18 novembre 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
NAVY General Dynamics, Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is awarded a $146,118,867 cost-plus-award-fee modification against previously awarded contract N00024-19-C-4452 for DDG planning yard services. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine, and is expected to be completed by January 2022. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) (80%); and fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance (Navy) (20%), funding in the amount of $1,016,645 will be obligated at time of award, of which $200,866 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair, Bath, Maine, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Liverpool, New York, is awarded a $22,827,962 modification (P00003) to a firm-fixed-price order N00019-20-F-0535 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0029. This modification exercises an option to procure 12 retrofit advanced radar processor systems for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (54%); and Andover, Massachusetts (46%), and is expected to be completed in April 2025. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $22,827,962 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $11,977,622 modification (P00003) to previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract N00019-20-C-0026. This modification provides continued support required to establish the common reprogramming tool development network and selection of a service-oriented architecture for the development of enhanced reprogramming tools, which is essential for all standing labs in support of the F-35 aircraft for the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the governments of Australia and Great Britain. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (90%); and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida (10%), and is expected to be completed in December 2021. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $711,406; fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Air Force) funds in the amount of $711,406; and non-Department of Defense funds in the amount of $2,800,000, will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Rolling Meadows, Illinois, is awarded an $8,456,902 modification (P00010) to cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order N00019-19-F-0453 against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-15-G-0026. This modification adds scope to provide non-recurring engineering to upgrade the current large aircraft infrared countermeasures system processor replacement in support of efforts to resolve advanced threat warning processor and control indicator unit diminishing manufacturing source issues, and exercises an option to provide expanded growth capability for the AN/AAQ-24 system for the Navy and the Air Force. Work will be performed in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, and is expected to be completed in April 2023. Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $5,075,661; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,961,241; and fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $420,000, will be obligated at time of award; $5,075,661 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. ARMY BAE Systems, Nashua, New Hampshire, was awarded a $49,937,097 firm-fixed-price contract for the Common Missile Warning System. 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 Nov. 15, 2025. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-21-D-0010). General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $25,982,972 modification (P00004) to contract W56HZV-20-C-0031 to provide maintenance training and procedural technical assistance to the Kuwait Land Force. Work will be performed in Kuwait City, Kuwait, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 5, 2023. Fiscal 2010 Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $25,982,972 were obligated at the time of the award. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY ARES Technical Services Corp.,* Burlingame, California, is being awarded a $51,962,387 competitive cost-plus-fixed-fee, level-of-effort contract with a three-year base value of $21,651,531 and two one-year options for Technical, Engineering, Advisory, and Management Support (TEAMS) - Next Safety advisory and assistance services. The work will be performed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Dahlgren, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; Fort Greely, Alaska; Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; Kirkland AFB, New Mexico; Pacific Missile Range Facility, Hawaii; and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 13, 2025. This contract was competitively procured via publication on the beta.SAM.gov website with three proposals received. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $2,599,751 are being obligated at time of award. The Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0858-21-C-0011). AIR FORCE L‐3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi, has been awarded a $38,000,000 firm-fixed‐price, indefinite‐delivery/indefinite‐quantity modification (P00021) to contract FA8106‐17‐D‐0001 for contractor logistic support of the Air Force C‐12 fleet. Work will be performed in Madison, Mississippi; San Angelo, Texas; Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Buenos Ares, Argentina; Gaborone, Botswana; Brasilia, Brazil; Bogota, Colombia; Cairo, Egypt; Accra, Ghana; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Budapest, Hungary; Joint Base Andrews, Maryland; Nairobi, Kenya; Rabat, Morocco; Manila, Philippines; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Bangkok, Thailand; Ankara, Turkey; Edwards Air Force Base, California; Holloman AFB, New Mexico; Joint Base Elmendorf‐Richardson, Alaska; Oslo, Norway; and Yokota Air Base, Japan. Work is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2021. The estimated cumulative face value of the contract is $158,000,000. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance in the amount of $6,648,772 will be obligated at the time of award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, is the contracting activity. Engineering Arresting Systems Corp., Ashton, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $15,691,772 requirements-indefinite-delivery type, firm‐fixed-price production contract for the Mobile Runway Edge Sheave (MRES). Work will be performed in Ashton, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed Nov. 15, 2028. This contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8534-21-D-0001). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Burlington Apparel Fabrics, Greensboro, North Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $9,602,250 modification (P00010) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1113) with four one-year option periods for cloth. This is a firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is North Carolina, with a Nov. 18, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2022 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2416815/source/GovDelivery/