Nouvelles

Joe Gould WASHINGTON ― The Democratic split over the size of future defense budgets will come to a head in the new Congress, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., predicted Tuesday. The outcome of the long-simmering dispute would take on higher stakes if some pre-election polling becomes a reality and Democrats retake Congress and the White House. Though President Donald Trump and his supporters claim the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the far left, Smith's remarks suggest the party's future direction, at least on defense spending, is not yet settled. Instead of slashing next year's $740 billion defense budget, as some progressives want, Smith is pushing, “a rational Democratic, progressive national security strategy,” as he called it. That stance seems to align Smith with his party's pragmatic standard-bearer, Joe Biden, who's said he doesn't foresee major defense cuts, if elected. “I don't think that rational policy involves 20 percent defense cut, but that fight is going to be had,” Smith said at an event hosted by George Mason University. “There are extremists on the right and extremists on the left, and what I'm trying to do is say, ‘Let's go for pragmatic problem solving.' I don't see extremism solving problems.” If Democrats are swept into power Nov. 3, it will be by voters opposed to President Donald Trump from across the political spectrum, Smith said. To hold on that mandate, Democrats would need to govern with a broad coalition and not overreach from the left on issues like defense. “Okay, we can win an election because people are appalled by Donald Trump,” Smith said, “but that doesn't mean that they're endorsing us in any sort of huge, dramatic way.” After the House passed an early version of last year's defense policy bill without Republicans aboard, negotiations to reconcile it with theWhite House and GOP-held Senate dragged for months before a compromise bill passed Congress with progressive priorities stripped from it, leaving them dissatisfied. This year, many of the progressives' priorities were deflected from the House's version of the bill, and it passed the chamber with support from more than half of Republicans and more than two-thirds of Democrats. Military spending remains popular with most Republicans, and they largely opposed progressive amendments in the House and Senate this summer to slash the authorization bill by 10 percent. HASC member Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., called the House amendment, “a deeply irresponsible stunt.” Biden and congressional Democrats are already under pressure from progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who have been part of a campaign to direct spending away from the military in favor of healthcare, education and jobs. Massive spending on national security, they say, didn't protect the country from COVID-19. “You have a progressive movement in the party now that is really motivated and mobilized around foreign policy and national security issues, and that's not going away,” Matt Duss, a Sanders foreign policy aide, told Defense News last month. “That is something a President Biden will have to work with, and I think his team understands that.” As both Biden, Trump and lawmakers of both parties have called for the U.S. to extricate itself from the Mideast and end the “endless wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan, Smith said it's important to educate a war-weary American people about why it's unwise to retreat from the world stage ― marked by hotspots in Libya, Syria and West Africa. “We've got to make the case to them: ‘Here's why the defense budget is what it is, here's why we're trying to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish, and here's why it's in your best interest,'” Smith said. “And we're going to be very aggressive about having public hearings and public discussions to listen to people, to listen to those concerns and try to address them.” The Pentagon's five-year defense plan indicates it will request flat defense spending after 2021, and ― amid pandemic-related expenses and historic deficits ― the budget is widely expected to stay flat regardless of who is president. Smith pretty much echoed that view Tuesday. “I think the reasonable assumption is yeah, the defense budget is going to be flat for a while ― and there is no reason on Earth in my view that we cannot defend the United States of America for $700 to $740 billion,” Smith said. “So I think the better question, the question to focus on, is how do we get more out of it?” On that one, Smith echoed some ideas from his committee's bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force. Its report emphasized the need, in order to compete with a surging China, to divest from some legacy programs and heavily invest in artificial intelligence, among other potentially game-changing technologies. Citing a spate of acquisition failures, Smith said Washington has to work with its defense contractors “about how we spend our money and the results we get for that money.” He also acknowledged the need to protect key contractors stressed by the pandemic's economic impacts and strengthen the industrial base overall. Smith defended the Pentagon's allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funding for items like jet and submarine parts instead of increasing the country's supply of medical equipment. The remarks seemed to set him at odds with liberals like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who have asked the Defense inspector general to look into the department's “reported misuse” of funds. The Democrat-led House Oversight and Reform Committee, Financial Services Committee, and select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis are conducting a joint investigation. “Three committees in Congress are now investigating this, and I'm not one of them because there's nothing to investigate here, in my view,” Smith said. “This was part of the CARES Act: We gave a billion dollars to DoD to deal with COVID-related expenses. Very specifically, it said one of the COVID related expenses you could deal with was the defense industrial base, which they did. And now we're chewing on them for doing that.” Smith said the Pentagon did “nothing illegal,” but he suggested it's reasonable to explore whether DoD balanced the money it received appropriately and whether its payments to large contractors are flowing to smaller, more vulnerable firms, as they should. “I think it is important to make sure we keep the industrial base going,” Smith said, “but there's going to be pressure on that [decision].” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2020/10/07/democrats-face-internal-fight-on-defense-spending-says-smith/

AIR FORCE Hydraulics International Inc., Chatsworth, California, has been awarded a $377,357,493 firm-fixed-price, requirements-type, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for multiple pieces of hydraulic equipment and hydraulic fluid purification systems to be used on multiple aviation platforms. Work will be performed in Chatsworth, California, and is expected to be completed Oct. 7, 2029. This award is a result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 aircraft procurement; and future fiscal aircraft procurement funds will be obligated upon availability for task orders. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA8532-21-D-0001). PKL Services Inc., Poway, California, has been awarded a $13,757,191 firm-fixed-price modification (P00008) to contract FA4897-18-C-2002 to continue providing military aircraft F15 SG maintenance and operations training. This contract provides for the Republic of Singapore Air Force training on F15 aircraft, and includes both maintenance and operations on the F15 aircraft. Work will be performed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2022. Foreign Military Sales funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 366th Financial Acquisition Squadron, Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, is the contracting activity. Honeywell International Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been awarded an $11,638,078 modification (P00006) to contract FA9453-19-C-0010 to exercise Option Two for critical design review, providing research options for Space Enterprise Technologies. The contractor shall conduct experiments, evaluate, and perform process development back-end pillar fabrication process. Work will be performed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is expected to be completed April 14, 2022, per Option Two: Critical Design Review contract line item number 2001 and a Military interdepartmental purchase request from HQ0157 Office of the Under Secretary of the Air Force – Acquisition, Technology and Logistics will be obligated to incrementally fund the option at time of modification. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $17,361,381. Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, is the contracting activity. CORRECTION: The dollar amounts awarded and obligated on Oct. 1, 2020, to Gryphon Technologies L.C., Washington, D.C. (FA7022-21-D-0001), for the processing, analysis and quantitative evaluation of environmental samples and other associated services in support of the Air Force Technical Applications Center's mission were announced inaccurately. The contract amount is actually $49,503,924, and the obligated amount is $4,160,824. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Senn Brothers Inc.,* West Columbia, South Carolina, has been awarded a maximum $225,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for fresh fruit and vegetables. This was a competitive acquisition with two responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is South Carolina, with an Oct. 3, 2025, ordering period end date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Department of Agriculture schools. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE300-21-D-P365). The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, has been awarded a maximum $149,528,875 firm-fixed-price delivery order (SPRPA1-21-D-9001) against five-year basic ordering agreement SPRPA1-14-D-002U for KC-46 Commercial Common Program consumable parts. This was a sole-source acquisition using justification 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), as stated in Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. This is a three-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Location of performance is Missouri, with an Oct. 7, 2023, performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. L1 Enterprises Inc., Frederick, Maryland, has been awarded a maximum $45,000,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for medical equipment and accessories for the Defense Logistics Agency electronic catalog. This was a competitive acquisition with 131 responses received. This is a five-year contract with no option periods. Location of performance is Maryland, with an Oct. 6, 2025, ordering period end date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2021 through 2026 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE2DH-21-D-0050). * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2375598/source/GovDelivery/

SYDNEY J. FREEDBERG JR. The Light Reconnaissance Vehicle, an off-road truck to scout ahead of airborne and light infantry units, could lead the Army's move to electric motors. But electrifying heavy cargo trucks, let alone tanks, could take decades. WASHINGTON: The Army will brief interested companies Oct. 20 on an electric-drive version of the long-delayed Light Reconnaissance Vehicle and the service's emerging strategy to convert its gas-guzzling formations to electric power. The service is working with a non-profit consortium of more than 200 companies and universities developing clean transportation technologies, CALSTART. But the driving logic here is pure Army green, not eco-friendliness. Tactically, electric vehicles accelerate quicker, run cooler, and move quieter than internal combustion ones – advantages that are all especially valuable for stealthy scouts like LRV. They can also run power-hungry high-tech systems, from sensors to lasers, without needing a bulky auxiliary power unit. Logistically, even if the Army has to recharge its electric vehicles from diesel generators, that would actually get more miles per gallon than putting the same fuel directly into an internal combustion vehicle, because electric motors are much more efficient. So electric power could reduce dependence on long supply lines and vulnerable convoys of tanker trucks, which are prime targets for adversaries ranging from Taliban irregulars to Russian missiles. Army and NATO wargames have shown some alarming vulnerabilities in the fuel supply. What's the timeline? “We'd like to see an Electric Light Reconnaissance Vehicle by FY25,” said Maj. Ryan Ressler, who's leading the effort for Army Futures Command. But electrifying the Army's whole fleet of wheeled vehicles – let alone its heavier tracked vehicles – may take decades, starting with light trucks and gradually working up to heavy armor. “You're not going to go straight to an all-electric [fleet]. The battery density is not there for your combat vehicles,” Ressler told me – at least, not yet. “We would like to see all electric vehicles by 2040,” he said. “There might be potential to have all electric vehicles in the near term, if industry can help.” The Oct. 20 industry day will be the first step toward finding out. From Light to Heavy Ressler hopes to have a formal Abbreviated Capabilities Development Document (ACDD) for ELRV approved “in a matter of months,” he told me. “We see this as the first electrified vehicle for the Army ground combat fleet.” Industry feedback on ELRV – and progress on development, if the program goes ahead – will then inform the long-term strategy for Tactical and Combat Vehicle Electrification across the wider fleet. Ressler's team is now drafting what's called an Initial Capabilities Document for TaCVE. To test those concepts out in practice, he added, “we're looking at other potential candidates for electrification right now.” High on that list is the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) being built by GM Defense, an air-droppable light truck designed to carry airborne troops from their drop sites to the objective. Electric vehicles' innate stealth and reduced dependence on fuel supply would be particularly valuable to paratroopers, who operate on the ragged end of long supply lines. There's already been work done on an electric Infantry Squad Vehicle. “An electric prototype representative of the ISV proved it could be whisper-quiet, achieve sprint speed immediately, and offered excess power for extended silent watch mode exceeding current objectives,” according to an Army Futures Command white paper. LRV and ISV are natural partners. The Light Reconnaissance Vehicle was intended to scout ahead of the vulnerable Infantry Squad Vehicles, helping the unarmored transports avoid a lethal ambush. But the Army decided to delay a purpose-built LRV and use the heavier Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) as a stopgap scout. So it looks like LRV may have a second chance at life. ISV and LRV are both ultralight vehicles, meant to support airborne troops and other light infantry units that can deploy rapidly by air but after that mostly maneuver on foot. But even light infantry brigades have a small fleet of heavy trucks to carry supplies and special equipment. Mechanized units have a host of armored vehicles – 8×8 wheeled Strykers for medium brigades; tracked tanks, howitzers, missile launchers, and troop carriers for heavy brigades – followed by an even larger number of trucks to carry fuel, spare parts, supplies, and other support. There's already been some progress with these heavier vehicles. BAE Systems is developing an experimental hybrid diesel-electric engine for the M2 Bradley troop carrier. BAE's experimented with hybrid-electric armored vehicles for decades, company exec Andrew Rosenfeld told me – they once built a hybrid as heavy as an M1 Abrams tank – but the company's recent boom in civilian hybrid-electric buses has advanced the state of the art. Their engine for the Bradley can move up to 45 tons, and the same basic design could scale larger or smaller to go in a wide range of other vehicles. The hybrid Bradley uses 10 to 20 percent less fuel during a normal mission, he told me, and it can generate 500 kilowatts of power, enough to run an Army field hospital. On the wheeled side, the Army's Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC, formerly TARDEC) converted an Oshkosh cargo truck, the four-axle M977 HEMTT, to hybrid electric drive for a 2019 demonstration. That Tactical Vehicle Electrification Kit cut the HEMTT's fuel consumption by 15-25 percent, according to the Army Futures Command white paper. TVEK also tripled the truck's capacity to generate power. Increased power generation not only allows an electrified vehicle to have more technology on board, like sensors and weapons. Such vehicles could also park, plug in, and power up soldiers' charging kits, field hospitals, command posts, or radar sites – potentially replacing traditional diesel generators. “The very concept of what constitutes a vehicle has changed,” the white paper argued. “Electrification has transformed vehicles into sensor platforms, communication nodes, and mobile computational hubs.” Just as the F-35 fighter is so full of electronics that a former Air Force Chief of Staff called it “a computer that happens to fly,” electrified ground vehicles could become computers that happen to drive – and not just computers, but mobile charging stations as well. Today's complex and vulnerable supply chain must move large amounts of fuel from refinery to tanker to forward depot to individual vehicles and generators. A future system could be much more decentralized, supplying smaller amounts of fuel to hybrid-electric vehicles, which could then generate power to share with all-electric ones. Such streamlined logistics could make a life-or-death difference in wartime. The Army's concept for future combat, Multi-Domain Operations, calls for individual brigades to operate up to seven days without stopping for resupply. That's unimaginable today. Improving fuel-efficiency of internal combustion engines would make for only “marginal” progress towards the goal, the white paper argued. Truly self-sufficient combat units will require largescale replacement of fossil fuel with electricity, potentially drawn from small, mobile nuclear reactors. “It's fundamental to Multi-Domain Operations,” argued retired Lt. Gen. Eric Wesley, who commissioned the white paper when he was Futures & Concepts Center chief for Army Futures Command. He just took on a private-sector job with Flyer Defense, a maker of lightweight off-road trucks that's now developing an electric-drive vehicle with a small, built-in diesel generator to recharge itself. (This isn't a hybrid-electric drive, since the diesel doesn't' drive the wheels; it just charges the batteries). “Moving energy on the battlefield is the biggest challenge commanders will have in the future,” Wesley told me. But if you electrify your vehicle, he argued, it can “become more than just a combat vehicle: It becomes an energy node [in] a distribution network, where every vehicle is part of your energy distribution plan.” Such a decentralized and flexible system, he argues, is much harder for a Russian missile strike to take out than a fuel depot. https://breakingdefense.com/2020/10/army-seeks-electric-scout-by-2025/

The Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey on Tuesday accused Canada of double standards after Ottawa suspended arms exports to Turkey as it investigates the use of Canadian technology in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced Monday that he has suspended export permits to Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, in line with Canada's export control regime. He said he had instructed his ministry to investigate claims that Canadian drone technology is being used in the fighting. Turkey, which has military cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan, accused NATO ally Canada of creating obstacles concerning the export of military equipment to Turkey “in a way that does not comply with the spirit of alliance.” A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement also insisted that Turkey “rigorously” implements obligations stemming from the export control regime. The ministry statement noted that a U.N. report has named Canada as one of the countries helping fuel the war in Yemen. The statement also accused Canada of being influenced by Armenian diaspora groups. “Our expectation from Canada, is to lead a policy that stays away from double standards, to act without falling under the influence of anti-Turkish groups in the country and without being trapped by narrow political interests,” the Turkish ministry said. https://www.defensenews.com/global/the-americas/2020/10/06/turkey-canada-in-spat-over-suspension-of-arms-exports/

Alexander Panetta Biden, Trump have deep differences — and each could significantly impact Canada This story is part of a five-part series looking at how the policies of the two U.S. presidential candidates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, differ when it comes to the major issues of interest to Canada, including energy, defence, trade and immigration. The old truism that elections have consequences is doubly apt for the United States, a country whose politics reach beyond its borders. It's certainly so for Canada. Specific policy issues in a U.S. election hold particular stakes for Canada, including energy and the environment, national defence, the border and migration and U.S. relations with China. In advance of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 3, CBC will run stories on these five issues, and how they might play out if the winner is current President Donald Trump or his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden. Our first instalment examines one of the most striking differences between them: energy and the environment. If Biden wins Biden drew attention in Canada for promising to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta, then doubling down on it. Rory Johnston, an energy analyst at Price Street in Toronto, said a president clearly has the legal power to revoke a permit. What's not clear to him is whether Biden would, in precarious economic times, actually cancel a big project, which would cost jobs and anger construction unions. The Democratic nominee has a sweeping environmental platform that goes far beyond that one pipeline pledge. For starters, he said he'd re-join the Paris climate accord on Day 1 of his presidency. Then he would convene, shame and potentially punish other countries that slack on their carbon emissions commitments. Within 100 days, Biden said he'd hold a global climate summit to push countries to join the U.S. in toughening their climate objectives. He said he would also demand a worldwide ban on government subsidies for fossil fuels. INTERACTIVE Will Biden or Trump be the U.S. president? These states will decide Biden also intends to grade countries on their performance. He promises a global climate change report, similar to the State Department's annual report on human rights and human trafficking. It would rank countries' performance in meeting their Paris commitments. If that doesn't work, he's threatening to wield the stick of trade tariffs. Biden said he wants to impose what he calls "carbon-adjustment fees," or perhaps quotas, on carbon-intensive products from countries that fail to meet climate and environmental obligations. It's not clear how many countries Biden would target. "We can no longer separate trade policy from our climate objectives," says Biden's platform. Canada is projecting a lowering of emissions but not nearly by enough to meet its Paris commitment. Implementing such a tariff could be tricky. To become embedded in U.S. law, it would have to get through Congress — and receiving the 51 to 60 per cent of votes required in the Senate would be a tall order. Some trade analysts believe such a tactic would also be illegal protectionism under international trade law unless the U.S. imposed a similar carbon tax domestically — also a tall order. However, other analysts say there's one tool Biden could use, which has become famous in the Trump era: declare carbon emissions a national security matter and apply the same trade weapon the current president used against foreign steel and aluminum. Any regulatory moves could face another hurdle in a more hostile Supreme Court. Speaking of the environment and trade, Biden is proposing a massive, $2 trillion green-infrastructure plan aimed at new transit, vehicles and a carbon-free power grid by 2035. Biden says the construction would be done by U.S. firms under Buy American rules. He would also re-establish policies from the Obama era that Canada has signed onto, from methane and auto regulations to an Arctic drilling ban. Gerald Butts, who was a former senior aide to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and worked on some of those agreements with the U.S, said Biden's climate policies go far beyond Obama's and reflect a growing recognition of the environmental threat. "Biden's plan would have been unthinkable for a presidential nominee for a major party even one cycle ago," said Butts, now vice-chair of the political risk consultancy Eurasia Group. Bob Deans, a spokesman for the political action committee of the Washington-based Natural Resources Defence Council, called climate change a defining issue for this election. "The American people are facing a stark choice in this election. Two completely different energy futures," Deans said. "We need to be reducing our reliance on oil and gas, not locking future generations into this climate nightmare." If Trump wins In his 2016 platform, Trump promised more oil drilling, more pipelines — and less regulation. He delivered that on several fronts. Just last month he announced a border permit for a multi-purpose rail project that, if built, could eventually ship Canadian oil through Alaska. Trump ditched a number of Obama's climate rules, and left the Paris Accord. (His pullout from the Paris agreement officially goes into effect the day after this year's election.) Trump hasn't published a platform for the next four years. His campaign website simply lists things he's done to slash regulations and promote fossil-fuel development. He's promising no major policy changes. "We would continue what we're doing," Trump told The New York Times, when asked about his overall second-term plans. As far as Canada is concerned, that means a continued commitment to the still-unbuilt Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry nearly one-fifth of the oil Canada exports to the U.S. each day. Johnston said that pipeline isn't, on its own, a make-or-break issue for the Canadian oilpatch, but it would help, he said. He said the oilsands likely need two pipelines completed over the next few years out of the three major projects underway — Trans Mountain to the Pacific Coast, the Line 3 expansion to the Great Lakes and Keystone XL to the Gulf of Mexico — to avoid the type of transportation bottlenecks that have previously devastated Canadian oil prices. "It's never ideal to be just at the limit of your [transportation] capacity," Johnston said. Even with the current president's support, Keystone XL faces challenges. The ground has been cleared for only 100 kilometres of pipe to be laid inside Canada. A border-crossing segment has been built, and 17 pump stations out of an eventual 36 along the route are under construction. That leaves the project about two years, many hundreds of kilometres and some legal and regulatory fights shy of completion. A Supreme Court decision this summer allowed a Montana ruling to stand, which forced the pipeline company to get permits for crossing waterways. Permit hearings were scheduled for late September in Montana and North Dakota. It's an uncertain moment for oil — and the financial stakes for Canada are considerable. It's Canada's top export to the U.S., in dollar figures; Canadian oil accounts for about half of U.S. oil imports, following years of growth. But energy giant BP projects that global oil demand has peaked. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects U.S. imports will flatten out and even decline a bit. That's happening as several automakers say they will keep building vehicles to the stricter emissions standards set in California — standards that are backed by Ottawa. California, the largest U.S. vehicle market, recently announced it planned to ban sales of gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Some of these changes in energy markets will proceed regardless of who's president. Johnston's own projection? Barring a sudden change in the market, Canadian oil production will grow a bit for two to five years, then plateau at similar levels for decades. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/us-issues-canada-environment-1.5746288

U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Maersk Line Ltd., Norfolk, Virginia, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W026 in the amount of $173,052,625. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $170,116,349, to $343,168,974. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. American President Lines LLC, Washington, D.C., has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W014 in the amount of $142,730,774. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $140,308,983, to $283,039,757. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier LLC, Parsippany, New Jersey, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W015 in the amount of $85,444,626. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $83,994,841, to $169,439,467. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Matson Navigation Co. Inc., Oakland, California, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W027 in the amount of $72,447,073. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $71,217,825, to $143,664,898. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Liberty Global Logistics LLC, Lake Success, New York, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W025 in the amount of $69,533,730. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $68,353,914, to $137,887,644. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Farrell Lines Inc., Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W021 in the amount of $63,026,301. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $61,956,899, to $124,983,200. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Hapag-Lloyd USA LLC, Piscataway, New Jersey, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W023 in the amount of $56,870,780. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $55,905,822, to $112,776,602. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Waterman Transport Inc., New York, New York, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W016 in the amount of $34,585,142. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $33,998,316, to $68,583,458. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. TOTE Maritime Alaska LLC, Federal Way, Washington, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W036 in the amount of $19,787,662. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $19,451,914, to $39,239,576. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico LLC, Jacksonville, Florida, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W037 in the amount of $14,243,656. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $14,001,975, to $28,245,631. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. Schuyler Line Navigation Co. LLC, Annapolis, Maryland, has been awarded a contract modification on contract HTC711-19-D-W031 in the amount of $12,386,038. This modification provides continued international ocean and intermodal distribution services. Work will be performed worldwide as specified on each individual order. The option period of performance is from Dec. 1, 2020, to Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds to be obligated on individual task orders. This modification increases the total cumulative face value of the contract from $12,175,877, to $24,561,915. The U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. NAVY Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Baltimore, Maryland, is awarded a $78,530,376 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2300 to exercise options for the accomplishment of class design services for the Littoral Combat Ship program. Work will be performed in Hampton, Virginia (31%); Moorestown, New Jersey (27%); Washington, D.C. (22%); and Marinette, Wisconsin (20%), and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2015 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $13,148,817 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Perspecta Labs Inc., Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is awarded a $17,790,079 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering and telecommunication standards support to enhance national security and emergency preparedness services by enabling Next Generation Network Priority Services over the Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem and Long Term Evolution networks. This five-year contract includes two one-year option periods which, if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $24,658,266. All work will be performed at the contractor's facility in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. The period of performance of the base award is from Oct. 6, 2020, through Oct. 5, 2025. If both option periods are exercised, the period of performance would extend through Oct. 5, 2027. Fiscal 2020 Department of Homeland Security procurement, construction, and improvement funds in the amount of $258,000 will be obligated at the time of award under the initial task order. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is awarded using other than full and open competition in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations Subpart 6.302-1 and 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1); only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-21-D-0011). FlightSafety Services Corp., Denver, Colorado, is awarded a $13,906,642 modification (P00022) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N61340-18-C-0019. This modification exercises an option to provide aircrew training services in support of the TH-57B/C community, including instruction, operation, and curriculum support. Work will be performed in Whiting Field, Florida, and is expected to be completed in October 2021. No funds are being obligated at time of award. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity. RLF and Sherlock Smith and Adams JV, Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $7,412,091 firm-fixed-price task order (N62473-21-F-4010) under previously-awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract N62470-19-D-5015 for architectural design and engineering services for an addition and alteration to the current ambulatory care center at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar. The work to be performed provides for design and engineering services for a 65,164-gross-square-feet (GSF) addition and a 41,819 GSF alteration to the current ambulatory care center, for a total building of 106,983 GSF, to incorporate the Marine-centered medical home concept for active duty personnel at MCAS Miramar. Supporting facilities include utilities, site improvements, facility special foundations, parking, signage, antiterrorism/force protection measures, demolition and environmental protection measures. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida (85%); and Birmingham, Alabama (15%), and is expected to be completed by May 2022. Fiscal 2020 military construction planning and design (Defense Health Agency) funding in the amount of $7,412,091 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE L-3 Communications Integrated Systems, Greenville, Texas, has been awarded a $44,651,345 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order for engineering, procurement and fabrication that will result in modification, installation and test of the aircraft mission system. Work will be performed in Greenville, Texas, and is expected to be completed April 30, 2023. This contract involves 100% Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. FMS funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 645th Aeronautical Systems Group, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8620-21-F-4866). Airfield Contracting, Columbus, Ohio, has been awarded a $9,242,034 firm-fixed-price contract for the repair of transient parking ramp projects. Work will be performed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, and is expected to be completed Jan. 18, 2022. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The 94th Contracting Flight, Dobbins ARB, Georgia, is the contracting activity (FA6703-20-C-0006). (Awarded Sept. 28, 2020) Tapestry Solutions Inc., San Diego, has been awarded an $8,522,321 firm-fixed-price modification (P00003) to contract FA4452-20-C-0006 for Global Decision Support System application support services. This modification is for the exercise of Option Year One, which was already agreed upon at contract award. Work will be performed in Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $40,142,421. The 763rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. InfoReliance LLC, Fairfax, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,183,001 modification (P0015) to contract FA4452-18-F-0003 for Global Air Transportation Execution System application and system support. The contract modification is to fund Option Year Three, which was agreed upon at contract award. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Virginia, and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2021. Fiscal 2021 transportation working capital funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the contract is $51,118,522. The 763rd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Oct. 2, 2020) Raytheon Co., El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $7,107,820 modification (P00018) to contract FA8523-16-F-0049 for miniaturized airborne Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver 2K-M development. This contract modification implements a period of performance extension due to a program delay with the Military GPS User Equipment program. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California; and Huntsville, Alabama, and is expected by to completed Aug. 31, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $2,500,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Total cumulative face value of the delivery order is $76,711,451. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Sept. 25, 2020) DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY UPDATE: Celina Tent,* Celina, Ohio (SPE1C1-21-D-1402), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial shelters, issued against solicitation SPE1C1-18-R-0003. (Awarded May 10, 2019) * Small business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2373904/source/GovDelivery/

Gabriel Dominguez The Beijing North Vehicle Group Corporation, a subsidiary of the China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco), has released video footage showing a new lightweight tracked armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) reminiscent of the German Army's Wiesel air-transportable vehicle. In a promotional video released on its WeChat page on 1 October, the company showed the small AFV – the designation of which was not disclosed – being test-driven in September by employees in a plateau area at an undisclosed location. Several other larger AFVs of multiple types were also shown in the video undergoing tests at different locations. The video, which was released to mark the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, shows that the small tracked AFV features four roadwheels per side, a drive sprocket at the front of the hull, a large idler at the rear, and two return rollers supporting the track. https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/beijing-north-vehicle-group-corporation-unveils-lightweight-tracked-afv

Oct 6, 2020 SOURCE: GDLS Sterling Heights, Mich. – October 2, 2020 - General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS), a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), was awarded a $1.219 billion contract to produce, test and deliver Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) systems to the U.S. Army. The Army's initial order on the contract calls for 28 Stryker IM-SHORAD vehicles for $230 million. General Dynamics Land Systems awarded $1.2 Billion U.S. Army Contract for Stryker IM-SHORAD Vehicles“General Dynamics and our teammates Leonardo DRS and Raytheon are pleased to be able to partner with the Army to bring this powerful capability to U.S. Soldiers,” said Don Kotchman, Vice President and General Manager of GD Land Systems. “This dedicated SHORAD capability adds a new operational dimension to the Stryker fleet in all of the Army's maneuver formations.” The IM-SHORAD is designed to counter threats from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and a multitude of other Rotary and Fixed Wing aircraft, and provides a common Army platform that is cost-effective, highly mobile, survivable, sustainable and transportable. Stryker continues to be a highly sought platform beyond the Stryker Brigade Combat Team formations. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of September, 30, 2025. GD Land Systems has production locations in Tallahassee, Florida; Scranton, Pennsylvania; London, Ontario; Lima, Ohio; and Anniston, Alabama. Headquartered in Sterling Heights, Michigan, General Dynamics Land Systems provides innovative design, engineering, technology, production and full life-cycle support for land combat vehicles around the globe. The company's extensive experience, customer-first focus and seasoned supply chain network provide unmatched capabilities to the U.S. military and its allies. More information about General Dynamics Land Systems is available at www.gdls.com General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; IT services; C4ISR solutions; and shipbuilding and ship repair. General Dynamics employs more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated $39.4 billion in revenue in 2019. More information about General Dynamics is available at www.gd.com. LAND SYSTEMS Media Contact: Robin Porter porterr@gdls.com (586) 825-7141 Land Systems-Canada: Douglas Wilson-Hodge wilsonho@gdls.com (519) 964-5178 https://www.epicos.com/article/632685/general-dynamics-land-systems-awarded-12-billion-us-army-contract-stryker-im-shorad

Christina Mackenzie PARIS — Despite calls from French lawmakers for the nation's defense industry to receive extra financial support from the government to counter the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the 2021 defense budget will remain unchanged. Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said last week that the 2021 defense budget — planned before the pandemic as part of the 2019-2025 military program law — represents “the third year in a row that we have followed the military program law to the letter: This is an unprecedented effort, with an additional €1.7 billion [U.S. $2 billion] or so every year.” She added that the armed forces since 2019 have had €18 billion more to spend than in 2017, noting that between 2019 and 2023, the military investment budget will total €110 billion, which is more than the €100 billion national recovery plan announced by the French government last month to support a suffering economy. But Françoise Dumas, president of the National Assembly's National Defense and Armed Forces Committee, had called for “defense to be at the heart of the future recovery plan." And Cédric Perrin, vice president of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, argued “there is no specific component of this €100 billion plan for the defense industry sector.” The €49.7 billion French defense budget for 2021 includes payment appropriations of €39.2 billion, which is an increase from the previous year, as planned in the 2019-2025 military program law. Of this, a record €22.3 billion is earmarked for modernizing equipment and buildings; €12.3 billion will go toward wages; and €4.6 billion is appropriated for operating costs. The government's department focused on veterans' affairs is to receive €2 billion of the total defense budget, and the remaining €8.5 billion will go toward pensions. What about the recovery plan? In early June, the government revealed a series of recovery plans aimed at specific industries particularly hard hit by the pandemic. Though the defense sector was not the sole target of the €15 billion aeronautics recovery plan, it nevertheless benefits from the funds, given France's aeronautic giants — Airbus and Dassault Aviation — are active in both the civilian and military sectors, as are their two major suppliers, Safran and Thales. There are about 1,300 companies ranging from startups to major firms in the French aeronautics sector, and they employ approximately 300,000 people. The recovery plan is not aimed at the four major companies, but rather in helping their supply chain involved in specific projects, such as modernizing production tools, research and development efforts, and digital transformation. As a condition for receiving the government funds, the four large companies promised to “consider favorably” offers made by suppliers in France and within the European Union based on global cost, while also taking into account litigation risks, the reliability of after-sales services, the conformity of products and services, their societal and environmental responsibility, and their innovation. The Armed Forces Ministry is participating in the recovery plan by spending €832 million on five measures to ensure “an immediate workload for the whole sector.” The first measure was to anticipate an order for three A330 Phénix multirole tankers, a move enabling the Air and Space Force's two A340 aircraft to retire from service this year instead of in 2028, and its three A310 aircraft to retire in 2021 instead of 2023. The second measure is an order for a light surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft; the third is an early order for eight H225M Caracal helicopters for the Air and Space Force; and the fourth is for a naval airborne drone system (known by its French acronym SDAM) and an onboard mini-drone (SMDM). The fifth measure is for 12 helicopters (two EC-145s and 10 EC-160s) for the Gendarmerie and the civil security force. The ministry's contributions also include €300 million in subsidies for suppliers and subcontractors, as well as €1.5 billion spent over the next three years to support R&D and innovation. What are the defense funds going toward? Under the defense budget, the Army will procure: 12,000 HK416F assault rifles (and order another 12,000). Five Caiman helicopters (and order 21 light joint helicopters). 20 Jaguar armored vehicles; 157 Griffon armored vehicles; 80 renovated VBL light armored vehicles (and order another 120); and 1,000 VLTP light tactical multipurpose vehicles. 850 portable radios (and order 2,900); and 925 vehicle radios (and order 7,300). 200 MMP medium-range missiles and 75 firing posts. 10 SDT tactical drones. The Navy is procuring: A FREMM multimission frigate (and ordering an intervention and defense FDI frigate); and an upgraded light stealth frigate. A Caiman helicopter (and ordering eight HIL light joint helicopters). Three upgraded ATL2 patrol aircraft. Aster 30 missiles; F21 Artemis torpedoes; and four Exocet MM40 Block 3C anti-ship missiles (and ordering 45 Exocet kits). The Air & Space Force is acquiring: An Atlas A400M transport aircraft; three A330 Phénix multirole tankers; two upgraded C-130H transport aircraft; and 14 upgraded Mirage M2000D fighter aircraft. 14 Talios laser designation pods. 90 upgraded Scalp missiles. Six SCCOA 4 radars. Specifically for the space segment, a Musis/CSO satellite; 15 Syracuse IV ground stations; and one Ceres satellite system. The service is also ordering one HIL light joint helicopter; 367 MICA NG air-to-air missiles; 150 Mica NG training missiles; and 13 Syracuse IV ground stations. Two major programs for the service will also be launched in 2021: the Mentor training aircraft and the future combat air system demonstrator. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/10/05/despite-pressure-from-lawmakers-and-pandemic-french-defense-budget-to-remain-unchanged/