Nouvelles

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

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

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

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

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

NAVY Lockheed Martin Space, Titusville, Florida, is awarded a $601,332,075 fixed-price-incentive, cost-plus-incentive-fee and cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00005) to exercise options under a previously awarded and announced contract N00030-19-C-0100 for the submarine-launched ballistic missile (model) Trident II D5 production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Magna, Utah (33.5%); Sunnyvale, California (13.7%); Denver, Colorado (10.6%); Cape Canaveral, Florida (6.9%); Titusville, Florida (4.7%); Orange, Virginia (4.4%); Kings Bay, Georgia (3.4%); Kingsport, Tennessee (3.4%); Pittsfield, Massachusetts (3.3%); El Segundo, California (2.4%); Lancaster, Pennsylvania (2.2%); Inglewood, California (1.6%); Clearwater, Florida (1.3%); and other various locations (less than 1% each, 8.6% total). Work is expected to be complete by September 2024. Fiscal 2020 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $499,278,762; United Kingdom funds in the amount of $93,325,301; and incremental fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $500,000 are obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis under 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) and was previously synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. AECOM Technical Services Inc., Los Angeles, California (N62470-19-D-8022); Aptim Federal Services LLC, Alexandria, Virginia (N62470-19-D-8023); CH2M Hill Constructors Inc., Englewood, Colorado (N62470-19-D-8024); Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, California (N62470-19-D-8025); Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Greensville, South Carolina (N62470-19-D-8026); and Perini Management Services Inc., Framingham, Massachusetts (N62470-19-D-8027), are awarded an $85,000,000 modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award contract for global contingency construction projects. Work will be predominately construction, worldwide and is expected to be complete by March 2024. The work to be performed provides for the Navy on behalf of the Navy, Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The construction and related engineering services will respond to natural disasters, humanitarian assistance, conflict and various projects with similar characteristics. The contractor may be required to provide initial base operating support services in support of the construction effort, which will be incidental to construction efforts. After award of this modification, the total cumulative contract value will be $1,060,000,000. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on subsequent modifications for work on existing individual task orders. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Environmental Chemical Corp., Burlingame, California, is awarded a $9,788,756 firm-fixed-price task order modification (N62470-20-F-9001) under the global contingency construction, multiple award contract for the exercise of Option One, which provides for the design, fabrication, transportation and installation of a waterside obstacle system at Mina Salman, Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain. Work will be performed at Mina Salman, NSA Bahrain, and is expected to be complete by August 2020. The total task order amount after exercise of this option will be $14,772,620. The task order also contains three unexercised options, which if exercised will increase the cumulative task order value to $16,427,558. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,788,756 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Europe Africa Central is the contracting activity (N62470-19-D-8025). KOAM Engineering Systems Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded a $9,711,022 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. All work will be performed in San Diego, California, at government facilities (50%) and contractors' facilities (50%). The work provides for systems engineering integration, engineering analysis, installation, testing and evaluation, fleet troubleshooting, configuration management, integrated logistics support, deploying group systems integration testing and combat systems ship qualification trials of tactical data link systems. The period of performance of the base award is from March 19, 2020, to March 18, 2021. If all options are exercised, the period of performance would extend through March 18, 2027. This one-year contract includes six one-year options, which will bring the potential value of this contact to an estimated $71,051,742 if exercised. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as task orders are issued using operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); Foreign Military Sales; and funding from other government agencies such as the Air Force on fiscal year spending plans. This contract was competitively procured as a small business set-aside solicitation by a request for proposal N66001-19-R-0044, which was published on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command's e-Commerce website. Four proposals were received and one was selected for the award. Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N66001-20-D-0044). Innovative Defense Technologies LLC, Arlington, Virginia, is awarded an $8,067,432 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-6116 to exercise and fund options for Navy engineering services, required material and travel. Work will be performed in Fall River, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,300,000 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 Navy Yard, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Connecticut, is awarded a $7,307,480 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to exercise Options 5 through 9 to previously awarded contract N00024-09-C-2104 for planning and execution of U.S. ship South Dakota (SSN 790) guaranty. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut, and is expected to be complete by December 2020. Electric Boat Corp. will perform planning and execution efforts and material procurement in preparation to accomplish work on the U.S. ship South Dakota (model SSN 790) during its guaranty period. Fiscal 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $7,307,480 will be obligated at award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. These exercised options will bring the total cost-plus-fixed-fee award to $16,889,161. The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Connecticut, is the contracting activity. AIR FORCE AECOM International Inc., Neu-Isenburg, Germany (FA5641‐20‐D‐0003); Arcadis, London, United Kingdom (FA5641‐20‐D‐0004); Cardno GS Inc., Charlottesville, Virginia (FA5641‐20‐D‐0005); Jacobs Government Services Co., Arlington, Virginia (FA5641‐20‐D‐0006); Tetra Tech Inc., Pasadena, California (FA5641‐20‐D‐0007); and Wood Environment and Infrastructure Solutions Inc., Blue Bell, Pennsylvania (FA5641‐20‐D‐0008), have been awarded a $90,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for environmental services and environmental construction. This contract provides a broad range of environmental services including operations and maintenance activities associated with environmental programs, environmental construction, repair and demolition work including remediation, restoration and abatement on real property in support of the Department of Defense environmental mission. Work will be performed at various installations within the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of operation and is expected to be completed by June 14, 2031. This contract is the result of a competitive acquisition and six offers were received. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,500 are being obligated for each awardee at the time of the award. The 764th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, is the contracting activity. ARMY Lagan Construction LLC, Woodbridge, Virginia, was awarded a $29,716,940 firm-fixed-price contract for the design, build repair and replacement of runways and overruns. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of July 9, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance, Defense funds in the amount of $29,716,940 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-20-C-0010). AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $22,497,260 modification (P00005) to contract W58RGZ-19-F-0301 for repair or recap efforts of aircraft structures, engines, transmissions, blades, and components for various rotary wing aircraft. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $22,497,260 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Red Stone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. CHC/SJH JV LLC, Miami, Florida, was awarded a $21,481,049 firm-fixed price contract for long-term riprap repair of the Walter F. George Dam. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 10, 2021. Fiscal 2019 civil works funds in the amount of $21,481,049 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-20-C-0011). AECOM Management Services Inc., Germantown, Maryland, was awarded a $12,177,497 modification (P00003) to contract W58RGZ19-F-0304 to support the Aircraft and Aircraft Components Production Directorate, including facilities maintenance, supply logistics and administrative duties. Work will be performed in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2022. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $12,177,497 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Federal Prison Industries,** doing business as UNICOR, Washington, District of Columbia, has been awarded a maximum $12,720,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for Army physical fitness uniform jackets. This is a one-year base contract with two one-year option periods. Locations of performance are Florida and Washington, District of Columbia, with a March 18, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPE1C1-20-D-F055). UPDATE: Kohler Co., Sheboygan, Wisconsin (SPE8EC-20-D-0056), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial portable power equipment, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0010 and announced Dec. 10, 2018. (Awarded March 18, 2020) *Small business **Mandatory source https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2118872/source/GovDelivery/

Par Michel Cabirol Le salon international de défense et de sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres Eurosatory maintient pour le moment ses dates du 8 au 12 juin. Alors que les organisateurs du salon aéronautique ILA de Berlin ont été contraints d'annuler l'édition de 2020 (13 au 17 mai 2020), le salon international de défense et de sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres Eurosatory, maintient quant à lui et pour le moment ses dates du 8 au 12 juin au Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte. Le Coges, qui organise Eurosatory, a mis tout son personnel en télétravail. "Nous nous employons à préparer avec soin le salon tout en assurant la sécurité et la protection de tous les participants", a précisé le Coges. Une décision concernant la tenue du salon ou son annulation sera prise avant fin avril. "Nous espérons que cette crise sanitaire sera la plus courte possible ; nul ne sait aujourd'hui comment cette crise va évoluer", a fait observer le Coges. https://www.latribune.fr/entreprises-finance/industrie/aeronautique-defense/defense-le-salon-eurosatory-est-pour-le-moment-maintenu-842676.html

NAVY Barber-Nichols Inc., Arvada, Colorado (N66604-20-D-E001); Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia (N66604-20-D-E002); L3 Technologies Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts (N66604-20-D-E003); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia (N66604-20-D-E004); Leonardo DRS Inc., Melbourne, Florida (N66604-20-D-E005); Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc., Marion, Massachusetts (N66604-20-D-E006); MIKEL Inc., Middletown, Rhode Island (N66604-20-D-E007); Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Annapolis, Maryland (N66604-20-D-E008); Progeny Systems Corp., Manassas, Virginia (N66604-20-D-E009); Foster-Miller Inc., doing business as QinetiQ-NA, Waltham, Massachusetts (N66604-20-D-E010); Raytheon Co., Keyport, Washington (N66604-20-D-E011); Rite-Solutions Inc., Pawcatuck, Connecticut (N66604-20-D-E012); Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia (N66604-20-D-E013); Systems Engineering Associates Corp., Middletown, Rhode Island (N66604-20-D-E014); Sechan Electronics Inc., Lititz, Pennsylvania (N66604-20-D-E015); Sonalysts Inc., Waterford, Connecticut (N66604-20-D-E016); and Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia (N66604-20-D-E017), are being awarded a $73,730,343 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple-award contract for the procurement of materials and services to design, develop, fabricate, test, install, document and deliver rapid prototype solutions in support of the Undersea Warfare/Undersea Defensive Family of Systems. Work will be performed at the contractors' sites, minimally at government locations and is expected to be completed by March 2023. For these base indefinite-quality/indefinite-delivery, three-year contracts, funding will not be obligated at time of award. A $2,500 minimum guarantee will be executed on each awardee's initial task order. This multiple-award contract was competitively procured with 17 acceptable offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Orlando, Florida, is awarded a $48,235,113 single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N65236-20-D-8012) with provisions for cost-plus, fixed-fee and firm-fixed-price task/delivery orders. This contract is for the procurement of Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) to legacy Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Satellite Communications Gateway Component systems and services. Work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be complete by March 2029. These systems support interoperability from tactical-to-tactical (point-to-point, point-to-group/net, group-to-net) satellite communications between MUOS and legacy UHF satellite communication users. In addition, the required services include Satellite Communication Gateway Component Suite B interface development, technical refresh enhancements, training, documentation updates, cybersecurity services, pre-installation test and checkout, implementation/installation and sustainment. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contract includes a five-year ordering period, a two-year option period and one six-month option to extend services in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.217-8. The option periods, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to an estimated $65,214,634. Contract funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award. This requirement was not competitively procured because it is a sole-source acquisition pursuant to the authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) with only one responsible source. Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Charleston, South Carolina, is the contracting activity. Teledyne Defense Electronics LLC, doing business as Teledyne Microwave Solutions, Rancho Cordova, California, is awarded a $34,963,200 firm-fixed-price requirements contract for the repair of traveling wave tubes (model 10 kW) in support of the Advanced Electronic Guidance and Instrumentation System/Combat System. Work will be performed in Rancho Cordova, California, and is expected to be complete by March 2025. This contract includes a five-year base period with no options. Annual working capital funds (Navy) will be obligated as individual task orders as issued, and funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. One company was solicited for this sole-source requirement pursuant to the authority set forth in 10 U.S. Code 2304 (c)(1), with one offer received. Naval Supply Systems Command Weapon Systems Support, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00104-20-D-V001). Lockheed Martin Corp. Rotary and Mission Systems, Liverpool, New York, is awarded a $19,413,337 modification to previously awarded contract N00024-13-C-6292 to exercise and fund options for the production of Navy equipment. Work will be performed in Liverpool, New York (66%); Millersville, Maryland (33%); and Marion, Massachusetts (1%), and is expected to be complete by November 2021. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $19,413,337 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, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. CB Tech Services Inc.,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N32253-20-D-0006); Coastal Marine Services Inc.,* San Diego, California (N32253-20-D-0007); Sitta, Paige and Associates Inc.,* National City, California (N32253-20-D-0005); and Pacific Shipyards International,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N32253-20-D-0008), are awarded $13,000,000 for a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with firm-fixed-price pricing for the procurement of interior decking commercial industrial services at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Hawaii. Work will be performed in the state of Hawai'i and is expected to be completed by February 2025. The four contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. The maximum ceiling value for all four contracts is $13,000,000. No funding will be obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively procured with five offers received via the Federal Business Opportunities website. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. FLIR Systems Inc., North Billerica, Massachusetts, is awarded a $12,133,461 ceiling increase modification to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00164-18-D-JQ99) for non-warranty repairs, provision item ordering spares, product revisions, upgrades and production systems of the maritime mounted sensor. Work will be performed in North Billerica, Massachusetts, and is expected to be complete by February 2023. The contract will support multiple electro-optic sensor systems to include the following maritime forward-looking infrared, combatant craft forward looking infrared, shipboard infrared sensor systems, sea forward looking infrared. The electro-optic systems are utilized by the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command to carry out assigned missions. These systems provide electro-optical surveillance capability allowing the user to operate in low-light conditions. This contract was awarded on a sole-source basis in accordance with the statutory authority of 10 U.S. Code 2304(c) (1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulations 6.302-1, only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $650,000 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Indiana, is the contracting activity. Colonna Shipyards Inc., Norfolk, Virginia, is awarded an $8,903,875 firm-fixed-price contract for an 80-day shipyard availability for the emergency dry-docking of Navy Ship Spearhead (T-EPF 1). Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by June 2020. This contract includes an 80-day base period and three options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $9,241,725. Working capital contract funds (Navy) in the amount of $8,903,875 are obligated for fiscal 2020 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia; and Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Syracuse, New York, is awarded an $8,759,811 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-09-C-6247 to exercise options for Integrated Submarine Imaging System (for submarine electronic warfare models AN/BLQ-10 and TI-18) kits and spares. Work will be performed in Manassas, Virginia (47%); Syracuse, New York (29%); Chantilly, Virginia (13%); Marion, Massachusetts (7%); and Newport, Rhode Island (4 %), and is expected to be completed by March 2023. Fiscal 2020 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $8,759,811 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 Navy Yard, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 12, 2020) U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND Construction Helicopters Inc., Howell, Michigan, has been awarded a task order modification, HTC711-18-F-R029/P00008, on contract HTC711-17-D-R016 in the amount of $33,995,543. This modification provides continued support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization Air Command-Afghanistan/Combined Security Transition Command. The services provide dedicated rotary wing air transportation to move passengers, cargo and human remains as well as perform casualty evacuation in support of the Afghan Air Force. Work will be performed in the government of Afghanistan. The option period of performance is from March 19, 2020, to March 18, 2021. Fiscal 2020 Afghanistan Security Force funds (Army) were obligated at award of the modification. This modification brings the total cumulative face value of the task order to $101,571,160, from $67,575,617. U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, is the contracting activity. ARMY R&D Maintenance Services Inc.,* Tulsa, Oklahoma, was awarded a $15,989,749 cost-plus, firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance, repair, minor construction and operations of the Hartwell Lake and Dam project. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work will be performed in Hartwell, Georgia, with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2020 civil investigation funds in the amount of $15,989,749 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Georgia, is the contracting activity (W912HN-20-C-5000). Navistar Defense, Melrose Park, Illinois, was awarded an $11,442,992 firm-fixed-price Foreign Military Sales (Iraq) contract for 6x6 and 4x4 general transport trucks, recovery vehicles, and spare parts. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Springfield, Ohio; and Ooltewah, Tennessee, with an estimated completion date of Feb. 28, 2021. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-20-F-0206). *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2117069/source/GovDelivery/

By: Aaron Mehta , Valerie Insinna , Jen Judson , David B. Larter , and Joe Gould WASHINGTON — Like everyone else in America, the defense industry is still reeling from how quickly the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, went from a potential issue to a city-shuttering pandemic. But as major economic hubs like San Francisco and New York City struggle with curfews and restrictions on public gatherings, companies — and the Defense Department — still appear to be sorting out if any shutdowns related to work are imminent. The fluid nature of the situation is reflected in a series of industry statements, captured below by Defense News reporters. In many cases, when contacted by reporters and asked directly if any production lines were being slowed or halted by the attempt to reduce the rate of infection, spokespeople responded with general comments about challenges with the disease. That's not a huge surprise to Byron Callan, an analyst with Capital Alpha Partners, who noted that there are many moving parts for companies to work through. “Maybe it's too soon for a lot of these guys,” Callan said. “When you think about it, we're into the second week of this [as a national emergency]. By the time they do earning calls in April, they should definitely have a better grip on what's happened in the last few weeks and what might they be looking at.” That could potentially include anything from supply chain issues to delays in delivery of defense articles to a massive bailout of the commercial aerospace industry and issues with pension requirements, Callan warned. “It's like a giant rock you drop in a lake. It's got all these waves. The people who work in restaurants or hotels are the ones feeling it immediately, but it's going to wash up and ripple through all these sectors, and we just don't know how or when the impact will be,” Callan said. “You're pilling up unknowns and unknowns here.” Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted that the design of modern production spaces shouldn't preclude people being able to work there, noting that for “a lot of those manufacturing jobs, they're set up, and the way a lot of people are doing work, they have adequate social distancing anyway." “If you've been in these facilities, they're not like sweatshops where people are in crowded, unventilated areas. It's pretty spread out, and a lot of the jobs in defense manufacturing are basically operating machinery,” he said. “I think what would be more affected would be the engineering and design functions, where the engineers tend to operate in more cubicle-like spaces — and you probably don't want to be doing that right now.” The Pentagon is also early in the process of getting a handle on what those impacts may look like. The department's top acquisitions official, Ellen Lord, has instituted a daily phone call with the Aerospace Industries Association, National Defense Industrial Association, Professional Services Council, National Association of Manufacturers, and Chamber of Commerce to “ensure the security, reliability and resilience of our defense-industrial base” and “and get feedback on COVID-19 impacts on industry,” according to a department spokesman. The first call, which happened Tuesday, was chaired by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy Jennifer Santos and included representatives from the Industrial Policy office, the Defense Contracting Management Agency, the Defense Logistics Agency, and the Defense Pricing and Contracting office. One potentially vulnerable part of the defense-industrial base is the ongoing modernization of America's nuclear arsenal, which the head of U.S. Strategic Command said last month is approaching a “point of no return” should there be even small delays in the upgrade effort. On Tuesday, Capt. Bill Clinton, STRATCOM's chief of public affairs, said the combatant command is “confident the services, along with industry partners, are able to keep production related to modernization of our nuclear forces on track, while taking appropriate precautions to keep their workforces safe and healthy. ... While our nation is working diligently to solve this acute public health crisis, I am confident we can continue modernizing our nuclear forces on time as planned.” Over the past few days, Defense News reached out to a number of key defense players whose production lines could be impacted by the virus. Here is a collection of their responses: BAE Systems spokeswoman Kelly Golden: BAE Systems has robust business continuity plans which have been implemented and are under constant review as the situation evolves. We continue to ensure we are providing a safe work environment for our employees, customers and suppliers while minimizing impact to our operations. We have also asked our suppliers and contractors to implement measures that are consistent with those we have put in place to protect our employees. Boeing spokesman Larry Chambers: Boeing has issued updated guidance directing all employees who are able to perform their work from home effectively to telecommute until further notice. Some Boeing sites were already partially or fully operating under these guidelines in accordance with local or national government mandates. Production continues at this time, and the company has enhanced cleaning procedures in work spaces, common areas and on high-touch surfaces. We're assessing the safety of all of our sites and their alignment with local, state and national government guidance as we continuously monitor this evolving situation. Leadership at each of our sites is working closely with their employees to implement the guidance, and will make all decisions necessary to follow evolving government direction and to ensure the health and wellbeing of their teams and communities. Electric Boat spokeswoman Liz Power: Electric Boat remains open for business. Our ongoing mission is to provide our Navy with the high-quality submarines they require to complete their missions. We have initiated all government-recommended measures to mitigate spread of the disease and continue to work closely with our employees, customers, suppliers, stakeholders and our community to keep them informed. Fincantieri spokesman Eric Dent: Fincantieri Marine Group has customers with important missions — naval and commercial — and together we're dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic and working to prevent or reduce its impact to our mission and our people. So far, we have experienced no production delays. Obviously like other businesses and shipyards, we have to balance force health protection and production as we work through this. We've taken several mitigating actions, such as extensive cleanings of common areas, scrutinizing the self-reported health of every guest or visitor in the yard, eliminating all but critical travel outside the local area. In some circumstances, we are encouraging employees to work from home if possible. Through this all, we continue to reinforce the need for stringent personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, as well as eliminating large gatherings. We continue communicating with our employees so they understand the importance of their health is to us and their families, and if they exhibit symptoms or are caring for someone with flu-like symptoms, they should not risk the potential spread of it and stay home in accordance with our personnel policies. We suspended all international travel Mar. 4, and all non-critical domestic travel on Mar. 9. We suspended intracompany travel Mar. 13, to reduce the chance of exposure across multiple Fincantieri shipyards in Wisconsin. General Dynamics Land Systems: We are open for business. Our ongoing mission is to provide our Soldiers with the critical platforms and capabilities that they require to complete their mission. We have initiated all government-recommended measures to mitigate spread of the disease and continue to work closely with our employees, customers, suppliers, stakeholders and our community to keep them informed. Huntington Ingalls Industries spokeswoman Beci Brenton: At HII we are taking actions that are designed with the health and safety of our employees at the forefront of our decision making, and this extends across the enterprise. We are having multiple meetings 24/7 with leadership and diligently monitoring the ever changing situation, as well as following CDC's guidelines. This is rapidly evolving and some measures are division specific while others are universal. [HII has put a video statement from its CEO online addressing several issues.] Lockheed Martin spokesman Trent Perrotto As we monitor global developments we continue to use best practices to mitigate risks related to Coronavirus (COVID-19). The health and well-being of our employees and partners is our top priority. Across Lockheed Martin, employees with potential exposure are instructed to work remotely and self-quarantine. We have provided guidance to employees and their managers to accommodate flexible work schedules and alternative arrangements where possible. We continue to follow travel guidance from the U.S. government and other countries where we do business, and are limiting all other international and domestic travel unless necessary for business. We also pre-screen visitors to company locations and limit guests to ensure visits are necessary for business. When the circumstances warrant, we deep clean work areas and common spaces in any facility with elevated exposure to COVID-19 and regularly share exposure-prevention protocols to reinforce healthy behaviors. Additionally, we are mitigating any potential impacts to customers and implementing business continuity plans as required, including secure telework for our customer support teams. There are no specific impacts to our operations or supply chain at this time. We will continue to monitor and coordinate with customers should issues arise. Northrop Grumman spokesman Tim Paynter: We continue to closely monitor this rapidly evolving situation so we can quickly address concerns and impacts to our employees, operations and customers, and we are ready with contingency plans as the situation continues to develop. The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority and we are continuing to provide our employees as much information as possible. We are taking additional steps to protect the well-being of our employees, including halting travel, limiting non-essential visitors to work environments, reducing density and increasing separation distance where possible, providing personal hand sanitizers and cleaning our workplaces on a daily basis and disinfecting as needed. Oshkosh Defense spokeswoman Alexandra Hittle: Oshkosh Defense is committed to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and is closely following the Center of Disease Control's (CDC) guidelines and recommendations. The safety and wellbeing of our team members and our customers is of the utmost importance, therefore we have taken critical steps to ensure we are taking care of our people while maintaining continuity of operations. Raytheon spokesman John Patterson: We are actively monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and have taken a variety of immediate steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees. This includes domestic and international travel restrictions, restrictions on face to face meetings, and new work-from-home and social distancing protocols in all our facilities. https://www.defensenews.com/coronavirus/2020/03/18/we-asked-defense-companies-how-theyre-impacted-by-the-coronavirus-heres-what-they-said