Army Secretary. Mark Green, President Trump’s second nomination for Army Secretary on Friday withdrew his name from consideration. He is the second person Trump has tapped for the position that has subsequently withdrawn before the nomination reached the Senate. “It is with deep regret that I am withdrawing my nomination to be the Secretary of the Army,” Green says in a statement. “I am honored that President Trump nominated me for this position. I appreciate his support and confidence in me, as well as that of Secretary Mattis and many others to Make America Great Again by preparing our military to face the many challenges in the world for the safety and security of our nation. But to meet these challenges there should be no distractions. And unfortunately due to false and misleading attacks against me, this nomination has become a distraction.”
… Controversy. Green’s withdrawal comes the same day that The Human Rights Campaign sent a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) calling on senators to reject Green, who has alarmed organizations across the country due to his prior negative comments regarding the LGBTQ community and Muslims. The letter is signed by 41 leading organizations focused on civil rights, LGBTQ equality, women’s rights, Muslims and other religious minorities, and the military. A collection of three dozen House Democrats, numerous members of faculties at military academies and war colleges and Muslim groups called for the Senate to reject Green, an Iraq War veteran who’s claim to fame is being the first person to interrogate Saddam Hussein after his capture. Green is currently chaplain of Tennessee’s Senate GOP Caucus and is the CEO of Align MD, an emergency department staffing company.
… Senate Opinion. SASC Chairman John McCain is on record calling Green’s comments about gays and lesbians “very concerning.” At least two other SASC members voiced opposition to Green’s nomination. A hearing to consider his nomination has not been scheduled. Robert M. Speer is the acting Army secretary.
… Mattis OK. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is on record lauding Green’s nomination in a brief statement released in April when Green was tapped. “I am confident of Mark’s ability to effectively lead the Army,” Mattis says. “Mark will provide strong civilian leadership, improve military readiness and support our service members, civilians and their families. I appreciate his willingness to serve our country. He had my full support during the selection process, and he will have my full support during the Senate confirmation process.”
… Filling Posts. Green is Trump’s second nominee for the Army secretary job. The first, billionaire and Florida Panthers owner Vincent Viola, withdrew his nomination for business reasons. Investment manager Philip Bilden, the Trump administration’s nominee to be Navy secretary, withdrew from consideration in February, citing privacy concerns and challenges separating himself from business interests. Former Navy acquisition chief Sean Stackley is serving as acting Navy Secretary. The Senate plans to vote May 8 on the nomination of former Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) to be Air Force secretary
Omnibus Signed. President DonaldTrump signed the fiscal year 2017 omnibus appropriations bill into law May 5. The $1.1 trillion measure, which the House and Senate approved earlier in the week, will provide $593 billion for the Department of Defense, $19.7 billion for NASA and $10.5 billion for the Coast Guard.
Budget Cuts. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces panel, and 140 of his colleagues have signed a letter urging Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) to hold a vote to repeal across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. Temporary measures that have given the Defense Department relief from the cuts will end in fiscal year 2018. “Now is the time for Congress to take immediate action to repeal defense sequestration,” the letter says. “If we fail to do so, our military’s capabilities will continue to atrophy, our force size will continue to shrink, and our military will continue to assume more risk.”
More C-5s? The Air Force plans to propose that some of its backup C-5 transport planes be returned to service, according to Air Force Gen. Darren McDew, commander of U.S. Transportation Command. “We need those additional C-5s back in the inventory,” McDew testified May 2 before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I believe the Air Force has just recently committed to doing that over the next few years, so that will be very, very helpful.” McDew was responding to a question from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who said the eight C-5s assigned to Westover Air Reserve Base in her state are in high demand. “I’m sure [Westover] would welcome additional C-5s to be able to work on their mission,” she said.
Space Council. The Trump administration’s promised revival of the long-dormant National Space Council seems to be “imminent,” according to former Rep. Bob Walker (R-Pa.), a longtime space advocate. The White House has drafted an executive order to bring back the council, which Vice President Mike Pence will chair, Walker said May 1 at a space event on Capitol Hill. During a March 21 signing ceremony for the fiscal year 2017 NASA authorization bill, Pence said, “We’re going to be bringing together the best and the brightest in NASA and also in the private sector.”
Marine Corps Cyber. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Pacific awarded Science Applications International Corp. a task order to provide the Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command (MARFORCYBER) and subordinate commands with Cyber services. The order specifically calls for comprehensive cyber support services for systems architecture, cyber defense and offense, planning, information assurance, and engineering. The order has a one year base performance period for $27 million if two one-year options are exercised. Under the order SAIC will support MARFORCYBER in its mission to strengthen and protect its IT infrastructure against cyber attacks.
MV-22 Flight. The U.S. Marine Corps completed the first trans-Pacific flights for the MV-22 Osprey. Four MV-22s traveled over 5,300 nautical miles and 21 flight hours from Marine Corps Base Hawaii to Darwin, Australia to support Marine Rotational Force Darwin 17.2. This is the Osprey’s first deployment to Australia. The pilots are with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (VMM-268). This is the largest contingent of MV-22Bs to ever support the Darwin rotation.
Contractor Charged. The U.S. Justice Department indicted Scott Miserendino Sr., a former contractor at the Military Sealift Command (MSC) for his role in a bribery and fraud conspiracy from 1999-2014. Miserendino allegedly received almost $3 million in bribes from Joseph Allen, the owner of a government contracting company. The indictment alleged Miserendino used his influence at MSC to help Allen get and expand a commission agreement with a telecommunications company that sold maritime satellite services to MSC. Allen then allegedly payed half of the commissions received to Miserendino.
355 For Russia. Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Ct.), ranking member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces comments that the reason the Navy is calling for a 355 ship fleet is because of Russian activities. Courtney tells reporters at a May 2 Center for Strategic and international Studies event that while the 2014 force structure assessments calls for an increase to 308 ships, the 2016 assessment of 355 ships “sort of begs the question, what the intervening change of circumstance that drove that higher number and the answer is one word: Russia.”
New BMD Review. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday directed the start of a new Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Review, running concurrent to the Nuclear Posture Review. The BMD Review is meant to identify ways to strengthen missile defense capabilities, rebalance homeland and theater defense priorities, and provide the policy and strategy framework for the missile defense systems, the department says. It will be led by the deputy secretary of defense and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and will also include interagency partners. The process intends to deliver a final report to the president by the end of 2017. The first BMD Review was conducted from 2009-2010.
Mobile Device Security. Threats to the security of mobile devices used by federal government personnel are growing but at the same time security is improving, the Department of Homeland Security says in a mandated report to Congress. The security threat to mobile devices differs from threats to desktop systems because mobile technology is frequently used “:outside of enterprise protections” and have their own architectures, says the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, which led the study. Threats to mobile devices come from nation states, criminal organizations, hackers, and from loss or theft of smart phones, S&T says. Security improvements stem from safeguards stood up by mobile operating system vendors and federal departments and agencies.
Navy Apps. Big Nerd Ranch, known globally for immersive application development “boot camps” and app development services, announces development and execution of a digital tablet-based version of the analogue “kneeboard” note-taking pad pilots still used to record flight information. “This was an important client with unique challenges,” says Big Nerd Ranch Chief Executive Aaron Hillegass. “We believe no one else other than Big Nerd Ranch could have taken it on and succeeded like we did.” Big Nerd Ranch replaces the Navy’s outdated flight information recording process that uses a literal clipboard on the pilot’s knee with an electronic kneeboard application running on an iPad.
Apache Blades. The Army awarded Boeing a $14.5 firm-fixed-price contract for the overhaul and upgrade of the AH-64 Apache main rotor blade. The company, which manufactures the Apache, was the only bidder.
J.F. Lehman Deal. The private equity firm J.F. Lehman & Company has acquired BEI Precision Systems & Space Company, a provider of high-accuracy positioning sensor technologies, providing advanced design, manufacturing and testing for reliable and resilient products and systems. The Arkansas-based company’s core products, which are used in defense and space applications, include optical encoder-based positioning systems, scanners for situational awareness, and precision accelerometers. J.F. Lehman says it plans to support BEI through organic growth and acquisitions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Evercore Partners served as J.F. Lehman’s financial advisor and BEI was advised by KippsDeSanto & Co.
…Aernnova Deal. Spain’s Aernnova, which designs and manufactures aerostructures and components for commercial and military aircraft, has acquired California-based Brek Manufacturing, which makes machined parts and structural components for commercial and military aircraft in the U.S. Term of the deal were not announced. Houlihan Lokey, the investment advisory firm that worked for Brek on the transaction, announced the deal. It said Aernnova, formerly part of Airbus Group, is among the top 10 aerostructures companies in the world.