B-52 Engine Loss. A B-52 aircraft dropped an engine while in flight Jan. 4, according to Air Force spokesman Capt. Michael Hertzog. Hertzog said there were no weapons on board and the engine drop took place during a local training mission. He said UH-1N helicopters assigned to the 54th Helicopter Squadron at Minot AFB, N.D., have located possible engine debris in an unpopulated area approximately 25 miles northeast of Minot AFB. The B-52, which declared initial operational capability (IOC) in 1952, is powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-3/103 turbofan engines.
JWST. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will resume testing this month after an unexpected response occurred during testing, according to a NASA statement. During vibration testing on Dec. 3 at NASA Goddard Space Center, Md., accelerometers attached to the telescope detected unexpected responses and, consequently, stopped testing to protect the hardware. Since then, the team of engineers and scientists has analyzed many potential scenarios for the measured responses. They are closer to pinning down the cause and have successfully conducted three low-level vibrations of the telescope. JWST will be a large infrared (IR) telescope with a 6.5-meter primary mirror. It is set to be launched in October 2018.
IRAD. The Pentagon is extending for 30 days a comment period for remarks on a proposed rule amendment regarding the use of independent research and development expenses (IRAD) in source selection, according to a Dec. 22 notice in the Federal Register. On Nov. 4, DoD proposed a rule to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) to “ensure” that substantial future IRAD expenses, used as a means to reduce evaluated bid prices, are evaluated in a uniform way. The comment period is extended 30 days from Jan. 3 to Feb. 2. Comments can be made at http://www.regulations.gov/ under “DFARS Case 2016-D017”; via email at [email protected] with the email subject as “DFARS Case 2016-D017”; or fax at 571-372-6094.
T56 Engine Repair. The Air Force is soliciting contractors for a T56 engine Series 3.0 and Series 3.5 depot maintenance competition with an estimated value of $775 million, according to a notice posted on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO). The service is holding its second industry day on Jan. 10 at Tinker AFB, Okla. The scope includes the initial installation of Series 3.5 kits into reparable 3.0 compressor and turbine modules to render serviceable 3.5 modules. A formal request for proposals (RFP) is expected in March while a draft requirements package is anticipated for January or February. This will be a single award contract.
Wideband AoA. Pentagon acquisition czar Frank Kendall is kicking off the long anticipated wideband communications service analysis of alternatives (AoA) by signing the acquisition decision memorandum (ADM) on Dec. 23. Air Force spokeswoman Capt. Annmarie Annicelli says in an email the Air Force was designated as the lead component for the program and that the service looks forward to working with industry and international partners over the course of the AoA. Annicelli says guidance will be discussed in person at the next SATCOM industry roundtable at the Pentagon in a couple weeks. The AoA is the Pentagon’s effort to the best mix of military and commercial SATCOM for a future SATCOM architecture.
Laser Vulnerability Research. The Air Force on Dec. 28 issued a request for information (RFI) for industry capability on the effects of high power continuous-wave (up to megawatt class) and possible comparisons to high energy pulsed lasers interacting with individual materials, multi-material subsystems and/or fully functional targets. The announcement on Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) says accomplishing these research goals requires conducting both interaction testing and high-fidelity physics modeling and simulation to support the development of target vulnerability assessments. A LVR program objective is to utilize the results of laser interaction testing with well-controlled experimental procedures to determine susceptibility of various materials, components and subsystems to laser irradiation. Deadline for responses is Jan. 30.
SpaceX. The FAA granted SpaceX its license to return to flight, according to agency spokesman Hank Price. He says the FAA accepted the company’s investigation report on the Falcon 9 mishap from September and has closed its investigation. SpaceX is scheduled to return to flight on an Iridium Monday at 1:22 p.m. EST from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., Iridium said on Twitter.
Ship Spending. Expanding the Navy’s fleet to 350 ships by 2046 could require spending $25 billion a year on shipbuilding, up from the current annual level of about $15 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A recent Navy study calls for a 355-ship fleet, up from 274 ships today. In addition, President-elect Donald Trump said during the campaign that he would enlarge the Navy to 350 ships.
Unmanned Record. Vanilla Aircraft’s small, diesel-powered VA001 unmanned aerial vehicle flew for 56 hours from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 over Las Cruces, N.M., setting a world record for flight duration in its weight class, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which backs the aircraft’s development. While the flight, which occurred at altitudes of 6,500 to 7,500 feet, ended several days early because of incoming weather, the VA001 is designed to ultimately carry a 30-pound payload at 15,000 feet for up to 10 days without refueling. “This capability would help extend the footprint of small units by providing scalable, persistent UAV-based communications and [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] coverage without forward basing, thereby reducing personnel and operating costs,” DARPA program manager Jean-Charles Ledé says.
LCS-10 Delivered. The Navy has accepted delivery of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords, a Littoral Combat Ship (LCS-10). Named after a former congresswoman, the Gabrielle Giffords is the ninth LCS and fifth Independence variant delivered to the Navy. Built by an Austal USA-led team in Mobile, Ala., the ship is to be commissioned in Galveston, Texas, in the spring and be homeported in San Diego.
Wall Bill. The United States, at least initially, will pay for additional wall and fencing along America’s border with Mexico, with Mexico eventually paying the U.S. back, says President-elect Donald Trump in a tweet on Friday. “The dishonest media does not report that any money spent on building the Great Wall (for sake of speed), will be paid back by Mexico later!” his tweet says. A hallmark of Trump’s election campaign was to build additional physical barriers beyond the nearly 700 miles of wall and fencing currently on the southern border and to have Mexico pay for it. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), ranking member on the House Homeland Security Committee, says Trump’s messaging “was always a campaign fantasy that Mexico would pay for a wall,” adding that Republicans in Congress are “eager to help him…while adding billions to the deficit.”
Kelly Up. John Kelly, a retired Marine general nominated by President-elect Donald Trump, will have his confirmation hearing on Wednesday afternoon before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Kelly retired from the Marine Corps last January after serving more than three years as commander of United States Southern Command, giving him a strong understanding of the maritime and border security challenges the U.S. faces in the south. Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.), a member of the committee, says he met with Kelly on Jan. 4 and focused the discussion on security of the northern border, strengthening the Visa Waiver Program, Tester’s opposition to the REAL ID Act, and strengthening the background security clearance process to prevent insider threats.
IG Objection. Homeland Security Inspector General John Roth in a Dec. 30 memo to Transportation Security Administrator Peter Neffenger lodged an objection over the agency’s “unjustifiable” redactions in a new report even though the redacted information had been publicly disclosed in previous IG reports. For example, in the memo accompanying the report on Audits of Security Controls for TSA Information Technology Systems at Airports, Roth says that in one previous IG report on security controls at John F. Kennedy International Airport, a discussion about fire protection systems in airport server rooms lists the rooms by name and terminal locations. Yet in the new report, he points out, TSA marked the same information as sensitive security information. “I can only conclude that TSA is abusing its stewardship of the SSI program,” adding that the redactions are arbitrary and will not “make us safer.”
IoT Security Challenge. The Federal Trade Commission has initiated a public challenge to create an innovative tool to help protect consumers from security vulnerabilities in home devices connected to the Internet of Things. Under its Home Inspector Challenge, the FTC is offering a cash prize of up to $25,000 for the best technical solution, with up to $3,000 available to up to three honorable mention winners. Submissions are due between March 1 and May 22 with winners announced by the end of July.
Mattis Memberships. Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, this week is no longer listed as a board member on the website of medical technology company Theranos, which came under fire for misrepresenting the effectiveness of its seemingly groundbreaking diagnostic tests. Mattis, who begins the confirmation process next week, is still listed as an elected member of the General Dynamics board of directors.
Industry Appointment. The Trump Transition Team picked Alexander Gray as deputy director of the National Trade Council for the defense industrial base. Trump made the appointment public on his transition website Thursday. Gray is a member of Trump’s State Department Landing Team focusing on Asia-Pacific issues. He served as senior defense adviser to the Trump-Pence presidential campaign helping to craft a plan to rebuild the U.S. military and the defense industrial base, the Trump team says in a statement. Gray has also served as senior adviser to Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), a former senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he worked on defense industrial base issues and Asia-Pacific security.
Taylor To Approps... Rep. Scott Taylor (R-Va.), a freshman lawmaker, has been named to the House Appropriations Committee, according to a statement. Taylor will also be the only Virginia lawmaker on the panel. Taylor ousted former House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Chairman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) in the 2016 Republican primary for the 2nd district of Virginia, which covers Williamsburg, the outskirts of Hampton and Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and the Eastern Shore.
…More New Approps. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) and John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) are also joining House Appropriations. In a statement, new committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-N.J.) congratulated these new members, saying they will play key roles in the critically important work of funding the federal government in a responsible and timely way.”
Trump Briefed. President-elect Donald Trump received a briefing from a covey of top U.S. intelligence officials on the results of their collective investigation into Russian interference in the recently concluded presidential election. Central intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan, National Security Agency (NSA) chief Adm. Mike Rogers, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper and FBI Director James Comey meet with Trump and senior advisers at Trump Tower in New York on Friday. Joining the president-elect in the meeting are incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, National Security Advisor appointee Michael Flynn and his deputy K.T. McFarland, Homeland Security Advisor appointee Tom Bassert, and Mike Pompeo, Trump’s pick for CIA director.
… Constructive Meeting. Trump released a brief statement describing the meeting as “constructive” and espousing “tremendous respect” for an intelligence community that he has publicly disparaged and maligned since allegations were brought against Russia for hacking the Democratic National Committee and leaking sensitive documents before the Nov. 8 election. “I had a constructive meeting and conversation with the leaders of the Intelligence Community this afternoon,” Trump says. “I have tremendous respect for the work and service done by the men and women of this community to our great nation.”
… No Effect. Although Trump does not acknowledge direct Russian involvement in the hacking, which is the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence Community, he vowed to commission a plan to deal with foreign cyber espionage within the first three months of his term in office. “While Russia, China, other countries outside groups and people are consistently trying to break through the cyber infrastructure of our governmental institutions, businesses and organization including the Democratic National Committee, there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines. There were attempts to hack the Republican National Committee, but the RNC had strong hacking defenses and the hackers were unsuccessful. Whether it is our government, organizations, associations or businesses, we need to aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks. I will appoint a team to give me a plan within 90 days of taking office. The methods, tools and tactics we use to keep America safe should not be a public discussion that will benefit those who see to do us harm. Two weeks from today I will take the oath of office and America’s safety and security will be my number one priority.”
Cyber Officer Assignment. The Chief of Staff of the Air Force assigned Brig. Gen. Kevin B. Kennedy, director of Cyberspace Operations and Warfighting Integration at the Office of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer (CIO) at the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force to be deputy CIO, Command, Communications and Computers (C4) and Information Infrastructure Capabilities at the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.
Army IT Equipment. The U.S. Army awarded Carahsoft Technology Corp. a nearly $24 million firm-fixed-price contract for a program manager license agreement to acquire proprietary brand name, commercial off-the-shelf VMware vSphere enterprise plus, vCenter for vSphere, NSX and workstation software licenses. The equipment is aimed to support the virtualization and management of the program manager warfighter information networks-tactical server infrastructure. Bids were initially solicited on the Internet with four received. Fiscal 2015 and 2016 Army other-procurement funds of $9 million were obligated at award time. Work will be performed at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The estimated completion date is Dec. 30, 2018. The contracting activity is Army Contracting Command at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.
Microsoft USAF Contract. The U.S. Air Force awarded Microsoft a $34 million firm-fixed-price contract for consulting support services. The company is set to provide information technology expertise to mature Microsoft products for the Air Force acquired under the Microsoft Joint Enterprise License Agreement in an effort to meet core Air Force mission requirements for improved security and reduced cost. The Microsoft equipment will also enable essential new enterprise capabilities supporting the Air Force Network. This award results from a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2017 operations and maintenance (O&M) funds of $3 million were obligated at award time. The work will be primarily performed at Maxwell Air Force Base-Gunter Annex, Ala., with an expected completion date of Dec. 31, 2020.
Predictive Analysis Software. The U.S. Air Force awarded Soera Defense Solutions Inc. a $9.8 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Predictive Analysis Software Prototype and report. Sotera is set to develop capabilities allowing for multi-source data fusion, predicting malicious cyber operator activities, and serving as the architect and integrator of the experimental software prototype. The contract is the result of a competitive acquisition with 23 offers received.. Fiscal 2016 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) funds of over $1 million were obligated at award time. Work will be performed at Austin, Texas; Arlington, Va.; and Columbia, Md., with an expected completion date of July 3, 2021.
Blackberry-Giuliani Partner. BlackBerry Limited says subsidiary BlackBerry Secure was selected by Giuliani Partners as the underlying software platform to support the firm’s cybersecurity consulting services. The partnership involves the firm using BlackBerry’s capabilities in secure mobile communications technology to assess infrastructures, identify potential cyber security vulnerabilities, address gaps, and secure endpoints with the goal of offering customers another channel to security standards.Giuliani Partners is a strategic management consulting firm founded by former New York City Mayor and former campaign adviser to Present-elect Donald Trump.