Nouvelles

Justin P. Oberman Despite being warned, with impressive precision, about the dangers of so-called black swan events, America tends to ignore or downplay them because they seem remote, or the perceived financial, societal and political costs are too great. In the aftermath of 9/11, of Hurricane Katrina and other major domestic tragedies, we too often learn that our relevant capabilities have atrophied. Now, following perhaps the most devastating such event — the COVID-19 pandemic — the defense industrial base is actively seeking billions of dollars to prop it up without necessarily committing to making step-function leaps forward in a highly complex threat environment. And while keeping the thousands of small companies that support the defense primes alive is important, the Pentagon — flush with cash and a mandate to act quickly to react to the pandemic — should use this opportunity to refine its technology acquisition approach, in part by doing more to engage nontraditional defense firms. The reasons for bringing in new ideas for defense are clear. Just last week, the Department of Defense released its annual report to Congress on China, which states that “China has already achieved parity with — or even exceeded — the United States in several military modernization areas.” Even more concerning, DoD analysts describe China's military-civil fusion development strategy as “a nationwide endeavor that seeks to ‘fuse' its economic and social development strategies with its security strategies to build an integrated national strategic system and capabilities in support of China's national rejuvenation goals.” The United States doesn't need and shouldn't pursue a “fusion” strategy; rather, we need a better approach to strengthening the defense industrial base and engaging with innovators. The United States is at risk of losing its ability to manufacture critical national security technology thanks to a combination of byzantine domestic procurement processes, offshoring and overseas competitors. To counter these and other negative trends, the DoD needs a sustainable, continuous innovation model. In Silicon Valley, everyone from the biggest players to the youngest startups view working against or around slow, tired establishment organizations as almost a prerequisite to success (Uber vs. taxis, Tesla vs. legacy automakers, Amazon vs. everybody). Despite the Pentagon's attractive budget and important missions, many innovators are repelled by restrictive requirements, lengthy sales cycles, high costs of bidding and a deck often stacked in favor of large prime contractors. The DoD must throw open its doors to innovators and free itself to make bets; if it does, it will get more world-class tools for its mission owners. The department should: Make requirements less prescriptive, easier to understand and run two ways. Develop an outreach program for innovators that uses channels they're already occupying, in language they understand, with requirements that are compelling. Encourage two-way communication that surfaces non-obvious solutions to critical defense missions. At the Transportation Security Administration, we worked with an In-Q-Tel-backed company that was founded in Las Vegas to catch casino cheats; the Pentagon should look for similar outside-the-box opportunities. Engage substantively with private sector innovation experts. The best investors and executives back successful entrepreneurs, mentor them as they refine their offerings and support world-changing scale. The DoD needs these skill sets and should set up (unpaid) innovation mentoring boards. Insert flexibility into contracting and financing. To remove barriers to entry without sacrificing quality, the DoD should: Create “off-campus” labs to mitigate procurement and security clearance delays. Build on the work of Dr. Will Roper, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics. to ensure innovators don't run out of funding. In what would be a great advancement and threshold change, work with Congress to arrange for private sector investment in key technologies to bolster programs of record. Lift government price and margin controls. Cost, often controlled through the anti-innovation technique of lowest-price, technically acceptable contracts, is not the key metric, particularly in emerging, dynamic technologies. What matters are outcomes and value. Restricting profit to a bureaucrat-calculated rate of 15 percent will drive innovative and nimble companies away from the DoD. Cost does not effectively incorporate other important metrics, including risk, prior investment and return on investment. Order quantities and frequency are also critical in determining reasonable costs, as these factors underpin business cases. It's not a coincidence that the world's largest, most innovative economy belongs to the same country that has the world's largest, most lethal military and is the world's most attractive target for emerging threats. The threat environment (intensified by the pandemic) makes clear that we need to change our approach; the state of our economy means that we need to start now. https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/09/16/coronavirus-has-kept-us-close-to-home-its-a-helpful-lesson-for-strengthening-national-defense/

Aaron Mehta and David B. Larter Update 9/16/20 — The original version of this story included a statement from Esper's prepared remarks calling for the Navy's shipbuilding accounts to grow to 13 percent of the service's budget. His delivered remarks did not include that specific figure. The story has been appended below to reflect Esper's delivered comments. WASHINGTON — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday announced called for increased funding for Navy shipbuilding after a major review of its force structure — but it is unclear where that funding will come from. In a speech delivered at the think tank Rand, Esper called for a Navy of “over 350 ships,” specifically by increasing the Navy's shipbuilding funding account. “We will build this fleet in such a way that balances tomorrow's challenges with today's readiness needs, and does not create a hollow Navy in the process,” Esper said. "To achieve this outcome, we must increase funding for shipbuilding and the readiness that sustains a larger force. Doing this, and finding the money within the Navy budget and elsewhere to make it real, is something both the Navy leadership and I are committed to doing. The Pentagon sought $207 billion for the Navy in its fiscal 2021 budget request. Even a 2 percent shift under that top line would represent $4.14 billion in extra funding for shipbuilding — real money, even by Pentagon standards. The call to shift funding toward shipbuilding comes amid an accelerating naval arms race in the Pacific, with China investing in both a massive fleet and shore-based, long-range anti-ship missile capabilities to keep the U.S. Navy's powerful carrier air wing out of striking distance. China is building toward a fleet of as many as 425 ships by 2030, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, while the U.S. Navy is building to a fleet of more than 355 ships, Esper said. The decision to increase shipbuilding funds, which Esper billed as a “game changer” in his remarks, comes as a result of an internal “Future Naval Force Study,” led by Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist. That study — which essentially superseded a review from the service itself — was delivered to Esper this week. That envisioned fleet will include a number of unmanned systems that will “perform a variety of warfighting functions, from delivering lethal fires and laying mines, to conducting resupply or surveilling the enemy,” Esper added. “This will be a major shift in how we will conduct naval warfare in the years and decades to come.” In his remarks, Esper said the forthcoming study “will serve as our guidepost as we decide on, program and build out future fleet and conduct follow-on assessment in select areas.” “In short it will be a balanced force of over 350 ships, both manned and unmanned, and will be built in a relevant time frame and budget-informed manner,” he added. Part of the increased funding could come from Congress shifting around authorities. Esper called on the defense committees to allow the service to “put unused end-of-year Navy funding directly into the shipbuilding account, rather than see it expire.” Traditionally, unspent dollars at the end of the fiscal year are no longer usable by the military. But an internal shift in the Navy's budget, without a corresponding overall increase, means a shift in priorities elsewhere — likely, at least in part, through the retirement of older systems. A key question is whether the Navy will need to fully fund the budget realignment from inside its own coffers, or whether the Department of Defense will realign its own priorities to cover any of the increase, something Esper has been hesitant to commit to in the past. The Navy's shipbuilding budget has been squeezed by the arrival of the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, the exorbitantly expensive next generation of nuclear deterrent-bearing boats. Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, said in a January speech at the annual Surface Navy Association symposium that the DoD budget should be realigned to cover the cost of the new Columbia class because it is eating a disproportionate share of the shipbuilding budget at a time the country is trying to grow the size of the fleet to match China. Even a single percentage realignment would make a difference, Gilday argued. To compare, he said, the Navy's budget in the 1980s — when it was building the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine — was much higher than today's budget. “One percent of the DoD budget would be $7 billion per year in the shipbuilding accounts,” the CNO explained. “If I make some comparison from today and I go back to the 1980s, there are some similarities there.” “Right now we are building the Columbia-class submarine. That is my highest priority,” he added. "By the time we sundown the Ohio class, we'll have 42 years in those hulls. We need to get Columbia out there. “Now, let's go back to when we were building Ohio in the 1980s: It was about 20 percent of the shipbuilding budget. Right now, Columbia is about 20-25 percent. In FY26-30 it's going to be about 32 percent. That's a lot of dough. In the 1980s, the Navy's percentage of the DoD budget was 38 percent. Right now, it's 34. So I think historically I have a case to make.” Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and analyst with the Telemus Group, said the recognition that the DoD is underfunding shipbuilding is a big step. “It sounds like he [Esper] has recognized that given where we are going with the Columbia class, that the Navy needs more money for shipbuilding, and that's an important recognition,” Hendrix said. “The other part of this is: Is this coming from the Navy's budget, or is it coming from the DoD budget? Because the Navy still needs the rest of its budget to do training and readiness. So that is a very important aspect of this.” https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/09/16/amid-pacific-naval-arms-race-us-defense-chief-pledges-billions-more-for-ships/

AIR FORCE Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, Redondo Beach, California, has been awarded a $298,044,362 firm-fixed-price Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications contract. This contract provides a payload to develop hardware and software. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California, and is expected to be completed May 2025. This is a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $31,190,000 are being obligated at the time of award. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is the contracting activity (FA8808-20-C-0049). L3Harris Technologies Inc., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $13,534,278, fixed-price incentive firm modification (P00008) to contract FA8823-20-C-0004 for system sustainment services Option Year 1. This modification updates and revises the maintenance of space situational awareness integrated capabilities sustainment performance work statement requirements for the current option year. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Dahlgren, Virginia, and is expected to be completed Jan. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $21,165,500 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $98,994,351. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the contracting activity. NAVY Core Tech-Hawaiian Dredging LLC, Tamuning, Guam, is awarded a $42,876,637 firm-fixed-price contract for design and construction of Munitions Storage Igloos Phase 3 at Andersen Air Force Base. The work to be performed includes construction of 20 adequately sized, configured, sited and protected munitions storage igloos required to support forward-positioned munitions at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The facilities will include reinforced concrete foundations, rated 7-bar construction, floor slabs, columns, beams, lighting and electrical support, fire protection systems, lightning protection systems, intruder detection systems and all necessary supporting utilities for complete and usable facilities. The contract also contains four unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase cumulative contract value to $49,677,730. Work will be performed in Yigo, Guam, and is expected to be completed by June 2023. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Air Force) contract funds in the amount of $42,876,637 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with seven proposals received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-20-C-1324). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $41,437,959 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract provides intermediate level repair capability at Fleet Readiness Centers. Additionally, it provides for the development of support equipment to test and troubleshoot aircraft armament equipment specifically pylons, bomb rack units, sonobuoy launchers, armament control panel and the aft pneumatic source in support of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri (60%); Indianapolis, Indiana (30%); Whidbey Island, Washington (5%); and Jacksonville, Florida (5%), and is expected to be completed in September 2024. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $34,897,349; and fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $6,540,610 will be obligated at time of award, $34,897,349 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-C-0843). Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $21,405,614 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract procures the Electro-Optics fourth generation (EO4) console and replaces the legacy Electro-Optics third generation console configuration to mitigate obsolescence, decreased availability and rising sustainment costs. The EO4 console subsystem is hosted by the electronic Consolidated Automated Support System family of automatic test systems and is used to test, diagnose and repair the H-60 Multi-spectral Targeting System and F/A-18 Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infrared weapon systems. This contract covers the EO4 program lifecycle with emphasis on the engineering and manufacturing development phase, which includes design and development, production and delivery of five engineering development models, spares and calibration equipment as well as support for integration, test and other program requirements. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed in September 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal and two offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0935). BAE Systems Technology Solutions and Services Inc., Rockville, Maryland, is awarded a $20,306,232 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification (P00017) to previously awarded and announced contract N00030-19-C-0007 to provide logistics engineering and integration support of the U.S. Ohio-class and UK Vanguard-class Strategic Weapon System (SWS) platforms, including support of future concepts. Work will be performed in Saint Mary's, Georgia (45.4%); Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania (30.1%); Rockville, Maryland (13.6%); Silverdale, Washington (2.9%); Portsmouth, Virginia (1%); Mount Dora, Florida (1%); New Market, Maryland (1%); Carlisle, Pennsylvania (1%); Mooresboro, North Carolina (1%); Mesa, Arizona (1%), Saint Simons Island, Georgia (1%); and St. Peters, Missouri (1%), with an expected completion date of Sept. 30, 2021. Subject to the availability of funding, fiscal 2021 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $16,641,589; and United Kingdom funds in the amount of $3,664,643 will be obligated. No funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source acquisition pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1)(4). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00030-19-C-0007). Shape Construction Inc.,* Poulsbo, Washington, is awarded a $13,726,809 firm-fixed-price task order (N44255-20-F-4357) under a multiple award construction contract to construct the Navigation, Seamanship and Shiphandling Trainer (NSST) Naval Station Everett, Washington. The work to be performed involves the renovation of Bldg. 2200 on Naval Station Everett into a multi-level space for the installation of the NSST. Renovation will include, but is not limited to, supports, power, data pathways, curtain supports and infrastructure, structural modifications, a new elevator, removal of existing equipment, replacement of roof, design and construction of a perimeter wall, and all utility and system interfaces for the new space. Work will be performed in Everett, Washington, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $13,726,809 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, Silverdale, Washington, is the contracting activity (N44255-17-D-4006). Communications and Power Industries LLC, Beverly, Massachusetts, is awarded a $13,211,358 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 60 precision approach landing systems radio frequency components and assemblies in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Webster Outlying Filed Air Traffic Control and Landing Systems Division. Work will be performed in Beverly, Massachusetts, and is expected to be completed in September 2025. No funds are being obligated at time of award. Funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1). The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-20-D-0047). Salmons Dredging Corp.,* Charleston, South Carolina, is awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a maximum amount of $12,000,000 for crane rental and crane operator services at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. The initial task order is being awarded at $3,753,761 for barge crane and mobile crane rental and operator services at the Nuclear Power Training Unit, Goose Creek, South Carolina. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by June 2021. All work on this contract will be performed in Goose Creek, South Carolina. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of September 2025. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) (O&M,N) contract funds in the amount of $4,880 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by O&M,N. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website with one proposal received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-20-D-0062). The Clement Group LLC,* Montgomery, Alabama, is awarded a $10,933,245 firm-fixed-price task order (N69450-20-F-0894) under a multiple award construction contract for a police station and emergency operations center (EOC) facility at Marine Corps Support Facility (MCSF), Blount Island, Florida. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new two-story police station and EOC facility within MCSF Blount Island. The new facility will be masonry with a metal roof, special foundations and emergency power circuits and will feature sustainable technologies. The options, if exercised, provide for furniture, fixtures and audio visual equipment. The task order also contains two unexercised options, which if exercised, would increase the cumulative task order value to $12,014,234. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by March 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $10,933,245 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida, is the contracting activity (N69450-19-D-0918). Leidos Inc. Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $7,090,632 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order issued under a General Services Administration (GSA) One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This task order provides research support services to the chief science executive and the Research Services Directorate at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), San Diego, California, by conducting high-level technical and programmatic support tasks on various Navy and Marine Corps projects and contractor assistance in program execution. Work will be performed onsite at NHRC in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by September 2024. The base period of performance under this task order will be awarded with fiscal 2020 Navy research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funds. Fiscal 2020 Navy RDT&E funding in the amount of $752,337 will be placed on the task order at time of award and the remainder will be incrementally funded. The total aggregate value of the task order for the base period and three option periods is $7,090,632. This task order was competitively solicited to all OASIS Unrestricted Pool 4 large business award holders with one offer received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N62645-20-F-0263). (Awarded Sept. 14, 2020) ARMY Chavis Inc., Maxton, North Carolina (W91247-17-D-0015, P00002); Outside the Box LLC, Richmond, Virginia (W91247-17-D-0014, P00002); CMC Building Inc., Bolton, North Carolina (W91247-17-D-0013, P00002); Lifecycle Construction Services LLC, Fredericksburg, Virginia (W91247-17-D-0017, P00002); and W4 Construction Group, Kalamazoo, Michigan (W91247-17-D-0018, P00002), were awarded $36,0000 in modifications to execute a broad range of maintenance, repair and minor construction projects at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Bids were solicited via the internet with 17 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2022. U.S. Army 419th Contracting Support Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is the contracting activity. Critical Solutions International, Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded a $35,685,503 modification (P00012) to contract W56HZV-17-D-0045 for support of the Husky 2G Vehicle-Mounted Mine Detection. Work will be performed in Charleston, South Carolina, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2022. Fiscal 2020 and 2021 Pseudo-Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $35,685,503 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity. Intercontinental Construction Contracting Inc.,* Passaic, New Jersey, was awarded a $23,566,504 firm-fixed-price contract for renovation of the Caven Point Army Reserve Center Facility. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Jersey City, New Jersey, with an estimated completion date of March 18, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army Reserve) funds in the amount of $23,566,504 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0036). Nova Group Inc., Napa, California, was awarded a $22,124,000 firm-fixed-price contract for Ellsworth Type III Hydrant Fuel System installation. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 15, 2022. Fiscal 2016 and 2020 military construction (defense-wide) funds in the amount of $22,124,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0039). Nova Group Inc., Napa, California, was awarded a $16,577,550 firm-fixed-price contract to replace and construct a new jet fuel complex at the Fresno Air National Guard Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Fresno, California, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 23, 2022. Fiscal 2016 and 2018 military construction (defense-wide) funds in the amount of $16,577,550 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento, California, is the contracting activity (W91238-20-C-0022). Rice Lake Contracting Corp., Deerwood, Minnesota, was awarded a $15,286,000 firm-fixed-price contract for waste water treatment plant alterations at Fort McCoy. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, with an estimated completion date of July 13, 2022. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Army Reserve) funds in the amount of $15,286,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-20-C-0043). Messer Construction Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded an $11,471,000 firm-fixed-price contract for addition and alteration of an aircraft maintenance hangar at Grissom Air Reserve Base. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Grissom, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of March 10, 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction (Air Force Reserve) funds in the amount of $11,471,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0039). Canvas Inc.,* Huntsville, Alabama, was awarded a $9,015,348 time-and-materials contract for programmatic service support for the Aviation Mission Systems and Architecture program office. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Army); operations and maintenance (Army); research, development, test and evaluation (Army); and Foreign Military Sales (Afghanistan, Albania, Croatia, Greece, Jordan, Latvia, Morocco, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, and United Arab Emirates) funds in the amount of $9,015,348 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-20-F-D003). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Mount Rogers Community Services,** Atkins, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $14,834,277 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for advanced combat shirts. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Virginia, Florida, and Kentucky, with a Sept. 15, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-N120). The National Industries for the Blind,** Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded a maximum $14,834,277 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for advanced combat shirts. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, and New York, with a Sept. 15, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-B090). M&M Manufacturing,*** Lajas, Puerto Rico, has been awarded a maximum $9,213,750 modification (P00015) exercising the first one-year option period of an 18-month base contract (SPE1C1-19-D-1145) with three one-year option periods for various types of blouses and coats. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Puerto Rico, with a Sept. 19, 2021, ordering period end date. Using military services are Navy, Army and Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Amyx Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $10,352,459 modification (P00044) for contract HTC711-17-F-D001 providing continued non-personal advisory and assistance service support providing functional, engineering and resource management services for entire acquisition lifecycles for information technology systems supported and in support of the U.S. Transportation Command and other associated supporting organizations. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The option period of performance is from Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital (TWCF) operating funds; TWCF capital funds; and operations and maintenance funds will be obligated on Oct. 1, 2020. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the contract to $48,590,167 from $ $38,237,708. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott AFB, Illinois, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY UPDATE: The contract ceiling for the award announced on Sept. 3, 2020, to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Reston, Virginia (HC1084-20-D-0009), for Enterprise Storage Solutions (ESS) III for Defense Information Systems Agency's Operations Center, has been updated to $640,000,000 from $79,452,482. The face value of this action is $70,250,013. The period of performance for the base period has also been revised to Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2025, and the option years follow consecutively through Sept. 30, 2030. *Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2350212/source/GovDelivery/

A l'occasion d'une journée dédiée à la coopération franco-allemande ce jeudi 17 septembre, la ministre des Armées, Florence Parly, et son homologue allemande Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, devraient se concerter sur le lancement du projet d'« Eurodrone », le drone européen de moyenne altitude et de longue distance. Ce programme engagé depuis 2017 par Airbus, le maître d'oeuvre du projet avec Dassault Aviation et Leonardo en co-traitants, est proche d'une contractualisation avec l'Organisation conjointe de coopération en matière d'armement (OCCAR), le bureau intergouvernemental qui gère les grands programmes d'armement européens. Il s'agit d'une commande estimée à 7 milliards d'euros pour 21 systèmes de 3 avions non pilotés et de 2 stations sol, dont 7 systèmes sont destinés à l'armée allemande, 5 à l'Italie, 5 à l'Espagne et 4 à la France. Les appareils doivent être livrés entre 2027 et 2030. Les Echos du 17 septembre 2020

By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press — Sep 15 2020 OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says hundreds of billions of dollars in planned spending for the military over the next two decades is "secure" despite the ballooning federal deficit to deal with COVID-19. Fears have been rising in defence circles that the Liberals will look to the military's budget to rein in what is now projected to be a $343-billion deficit this year alone as the government keeps spending to help Canadians with the pandemic. Those fears are based on past experience as the Canadian Armed Forces was hit by deep cuts when Ottawa struggled to balance the books during the 1990s and again in the early 2010s after the last economic downturn. But Sajjan says the government has no intention of abandoning its defence strategy, unveiled in 2017 and known as Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE), which included a plan to spend $553 billion on the military over 20 years. Much of that is to buy new equipment such as jets and warships. "As we look into the future, we're not just going make a knee-jerk decision on where we're going," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press on the sidelines of this week's federal cabinet retreat. "We're going do a very thorough analysis, just like we did in the past, make a good case about it and then make a decision of where we want to go. But absolutely, the SSE funding is secure. ... We're continuing on with SSE investments." Sajjan argued that the pandemic, along with the growing number of natural disasters in Canada in recent years and mounting instability abroad, underscore the need for a strong Canadian Armed Forces more now than ever. At the same time, he suggested money spent on the Canadian Armed Forces should be considered an investment in both the military and the economy, given the industrial benefits associated with building new ships, armoured vehicles and aircraft. "If you just look at our national shipbuilding strategy, we know dollar for dollar, that money goes into our economy," he said, adding that it would involve creating jobs across the country. Sajjan did indicate there may be "adjustments" to the Liberals' defence plan. While he didn't offer much detail, the minister suggested the Liberals have been looking at ways to speed up spending on the military during the pandemic because of the economic benefits. At the same time, there are some unknowns on the horizon, including whether a study being conducted by the parliamentary budget officer will find that the $60 billion set aside for 15 new warships for the navy isn't enough. The Liberals also have yet to decide on a plan for replacing the string of radars in the Arctic used to detect airborne threats approaching North America. Military commanders have said they are obsolete and will likely cost billions. Much of the speculation about potential cuts has been linked the government's search for a military commander after longtime chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance last month announced his plan to retire. The government interviewed potential replacements last week. Some defence insiders and observers have suggested the choice will signal the Liberals' priorities for the military over the next few years. Asked about those priorities, Sajjan listed the continued implementation of the defence policy alongside fighting sexual misconduct and racism in the military. "At the end of the day you look at the reality of what's in front of you and then you look at who is the best person to be able to lead during this time," Sajjan said when asked about the search. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2020. https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2020/09/15/liberals-dont-plan-to-cut-military-spending-to-rein-in-deficit-sajjan/#.X2OP0WhKiUk

Icarus Aerospace is pleased to announce our collaboration with CAE Defence & Security to provide our customers with cost-effective submarine detection and tracking capability. By offering CAE's MAD-XR in a towed configuration we will remove all sources of aircraft interference and provide a superior magnetic anomaly detection solution. WASP-M ensures that crew can operate the aircraft in the most demanding scenarios with minimal workload and for prolonged periods of time without excessive fatigue. We bring technology and capability which greatly enhances safety, mission efficiency and ensures success while enabling reduction of crew members on board the aircraft. https://www.icarus-aerospace.com/2020/09/17/icarus-aerospace-joins-forces-with-cae-defence-and-security/

James Chew The recently published viewpoint “Can the Pentagon Spend More Smartly?” (AW&ST Aug. 31-Sept. 13, p. 58) highlights the consequences of increased dependence on technology to maintain an edge. In fact, the core issue of the exponential growth in cost associated with the linear growth in technology capability is highlighted in Norman Augustine's 1982 book Augustine's Laws. Specifically, two of “Augustine's laws” focus on what needs to be avoided within the Defense Department acquisition community. One of the laws states: “In the year 2054, the entire defense budget will purchase just one aircraft. This aircraft will have to be shared by the Air Force and Navy three and a half days each per week, except for leap year when it will be made available to the Marines for the extra day.” Additionally, the book highlights the Defense Department's growing dependence on electronic systems with this law: “After the year 2015, there will be no airplane crashes. There will be no takeoffs either, because electronics will occupy 100% of every airplane's weight.” Even if these laws seem outlandish, the book's underlying lessons still ring true today. For decades, the Pentagon was the driving force behind the development of microelectronics until, interestingly, the commercial sector ultimately ended up in the driver's seat. To share a little history, the Army-funded Micromodule project was the precursor of the integrated circuit and the Very-Large Scale Integration project created today's electronic design automation companies and resulted in the development of multichip wafer fabrication technology. The fact is, today's microelectronics technology would not exist, or would almost certainly be less sophisticated, if not for a few brave and visionary Defense Department project officers. The electronics industry is likely the most visible and significant example of a commercial market that not only transitioned from but significantly advanced technology developed by the U.S. military. Without the government investment, the device on which I am writing this article, and the one on which you are reading it, would perhaps not exist. There are lessons to be learned from both the public and private sectors, and best practices from each can certainly be applied cross-functionally to optimize outcomes. For example, the commercial electronics industry has enabled electronic systems companies to develop high-quality, sustainable and modernizable products on a “can't-miss-Christmas” schedule. Much of the industry's success is due in large part to an adherence to “first-pass success” and the computational software tools and processes that enable it. These tools and processes have been developed by companies that invest significant portions of their annual sales—some up to 40%—into research and development (that is “IR&D” to you in the Pentagon) and are a result of the intense competition within the unforgiving consumer electronics market. These tools and processes, which have institutionalized the product development practice of “emulate before you fabricate,” make up the foundation of on-schedule, on-cost product development. The best-case scenario is that the current Defense Department and defense industry electronic development process matches up with the commercial electronics development process, where they both seek to achieve “first-pass success.” Even if all things were equal, which they aren't, the commercial timeline would still be around 30% that of the defense timeline. Eliminating the need for prototype hardware and the associated tests and reworks is a major reduction in design time and cost. So, after so many years of funding research into electronic design and development, why have the Defense Department and defense industry turned away from the commercial processes that stemmed from that investment? Why aren't these processes being adopted? Congress appreciates that transitioning to commercial electronics best practices is the basis for the much-desired firm, fixed-price acquisition. The fiscal 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, reinforced by the fiscal 2021 Defense Appropriations Act, has an entire section on transitioning to commercial electronics best practices. Program offices and some individuals within the defense industrial base are seeking to better understand the commercial industry-proven way to design electronics that reduce design schedules by at least 70%, producing “first-pass success” electronic system designs that are immediately sustainable and agilely modernizable. The answer is out there—adopt commercial best practices to save time and money. With nontraditional companies entering the picture (what's the name of that space company?), the public sector should have plenty of motivation to implement tools and processes that are prevalent and successful in today's private sector. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/opinion-how-break-exponential-pentagon-cost-growth

Lee Hudson The head of the U.S. Air Force's mobility fleet needs more data from Boeing on the KC-46 Remote Vision System (RVS) upgrade plan to determine if an interim fix is worth taking the maintenance downtime. Boeing is upgrading the RVS to version 1.5, which is now renamed the enhanced RVS that the company promises will deliver sharper imaging, Air Mobility Command chief Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost told reporters Sept. 14. “But the proof is in the pudding when it comes to whether or not it actually would provide additional operational capability or additional safety,” she said. Van Ovost and the head of the Pentagon's operational test and evaluation office met with Boeing on Sept. 4 for KC-46 briefings. Toward the end of September, Van Ovost expects a briefing on why the Pentagon should implement enhanced RVS at no cost to the Air Force. Air Force Research Laboratory personnel will participate in the discussion on whether the service should pursue enhanced RVS or wait until 2.0 comes online, she said. Boeing began flight testing the enhanced RVS in June, which includes numerous software changes and a few hardware updates. If the government opts not to deploy the upgrade, the fixes identified for RVS 1.5 will flow into the 2.0 version that is slated for fielding in the second half of 2023. “If the Air Force decides to deploy initial RVS enhancements we could provide aircraft with those during the second half of 2021 (calendar year),” Mike Hafer, KC-46 global sales and marketing at Boeing, said in a Sept. 15 statement. “The full suite of state-of-the-art enhancements, commonly known as RVS 2.0, should be installed in tankers we deliver starting in late 2023 or early in 2024.” https://aviationweek.com/shows-events/afa-air-space-cyber-conference/usaf-inches-closer-kc-46-vision-system-decision

ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Donald Trump today for 12 Boeing V-22s, another squadron of F-35s to bring the total to 75, and the very early delivery of two Boeing KC-46As at the White House today. The request was made during a day of extraordinary meetings as President Trump, the Prime Minister of Israel and the Foreign Ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were to sign what are being called the Abraham Accords, meant to normalize relations between the Arab states and Israel. The new weapons are meant to keep Israel's qualitative edge after the U.S agreed to sell the F-35 to the UAE and Teheran rattles its homemade swords, furious about the new era between Israel and some Gulf states. Hours before hosting the signing of historic peace agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, President Trump doubled down on the idea of selling F-35s to the UAE. “I personally would have no problem with it,” the president told Fox and Friends this morning, “I would have no problem in selling them the F-35.” The Israelis, who understand the US political system well, are likely to press Trump to put the new sales in motion before the November elections to minimize the chances they might fall victim to a change in power in Washington. “The Israeli request will be based on an accelerated process aimed at getting all the approvals before the November presidential elections” one Israeli source told BD. The request is also likely to include a replacement for Israeli Apache AH-64A combat helicopters that are planned to go out of service in 2025. Israel, one source says, will also ask for “increased numbers” of bunker buster bombs, usually thought to be designed to strike Iranian nuclear sites. On top of all that, the Israelis may seek an advanced communication satellite, a source told Breaking D. The request for a new weapons package would be in addition to the existing Foreign Military Financing agreement with the US. The current agreement, signed in 2016, increased US assistance from $ 34 billion in the decade to $38 billion between 2019 and 2028. Why is Israeli seeking so much new gear? It's not, Israeli sources explain, because of the prospective sale of F-35s to the UAE, but because they believe this deal will open a new arms race in the region and they want to stay head of it. Israel is also concerned about the possibility of leadership changes in some Gulf countries The assessments for what's needed were drawn up when the IDF formed a special team headed by Maj. General Tomer Bar, the IDF's head of its planning and force building department. This team is reviewing the operational demands of some of the IDF ground forces units. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/09/israel-seeks-8b-arms-deal-at-white-house-f-35s-v-22s-kc-46s/