Navy Budget Impact. The Navy’s top acquisition official said the COVID-19 pandemic has not had a major impact on the FY 2022 budget process yet, but it depends on the severity and time. “The Department’s kind of working their arms around that right now, that’s really being driven by [the Office of the Secretary of Defense],” Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition James Geurts told reporters on an April 16 media call. “I think it will cause us to take a look at ‘22 perhaps a little bit differently, but right now we’re still going through our kind of normal budgeting process and I haven’t seen a drastic impact yet. But it’s still early in the year. I think it depends on the length and the severity of the disruption,” he added.
…No Boom Or Bust.
Geurts said the contract acceleration he is pushing out to help industry deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is not meant to shift contracts such that there is a boom or busy cycle. Moving the contracts “puts us in a good position to be able to pivot in a number of different directions,” primarily helping to preserve a vibrant industrial base and the health of the workforce. “What I’m not trying to do is create a boom or bust cycle…it’s really a move work to the left which allows us to more efficiently deal with delay and disruption and provide as much stability as possible for the industrial base.”
…FFG(X). Geurts also said the future frigate program, FFG(X), is proceeding on its normal schedule. While he was unwilling to provide a specific date when they expect to award a contract to one of the four competitors, Geurts said, “we are marching along the schedule I’ve had all along and that is to try and get that awarded as early as possible this fiscal year.” He added they are moving in a “disciplined manner but aggressively in that program.” According to the Navy’s FY 2021 budget request documents, the service plans to award the contract for the first vessel around July. In a February interview with conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt, former Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly said he asked Geurts to try to accelerate the award faster than the plan of the “latter part of this year” while staying within acquisition rules.
Back to Work. Boeing is resuming commercial aircraft production at its Puget Sound facilities in Washington this week, several weeks after the company shut down all production in the region due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a week after starting up defense operations at its plants in the area. The back-to-work plan affects about 27,000 employees that manufacture the 747, 767, 777 and 787 aircraft. Boeing will also begin work on restarting production of its troubled 737 MAX aircraft. The work will resume with new safety practices in place, including staggered shift start times, social distancing controls, mandatory face coverings, personal protective equipment for personnel that can’t socially distance, employee wellness checks at the start of every shift, hand washing stations in high traffic areas and more. Employees who can telework will continue to do so.
SPACECOM Rebukes Russian Test. Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite missile Wednesday, and U.S. Space Command Commander Gen. John Raymond called it “further proof of Russia’s hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control proposals designed to restrict the capabilities of the United States while clearly having no intention of halting their counterspace weapons programs.” Raymond, who is dual-hatted as the chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force, said SPACECOM is aware and tracking the missile test. “Russia’s DA-ASAT test provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” he added. “The United States is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies, and U.S. interests from hostile acts in space.”
DDG-80. The first Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA destroyer to be a Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDND-E) destroyer, the USS Roosevelt (DDG-80), was conducting operations in the 6th Fleet on April 14 before completing a homeport shift to Rota, Spain. The ship is supporting maritime security operations in a regional patrol. Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM-48) Det 7 ‘Mayport Mules’ is embarked on Roosevelt, the first FDNF-E destroyer capable of deploying with organic Lamps MK III MH-60 helicopters. DDG-80 will replace the USS Carney (DDG-64) as the Navy starts gradually rotating out the four Rota-based destroyers. DDG-80 features an Aegis Baseline 9 weapon system for use in the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) integrated air and missile defense system.
CMV-22B Test. Navy personnel flew the first CMV-22B Carrier Onboard Delivery variant of the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft for the first time outside the manufacturer’s test area from the Bell Military Aircraft Assembly and Delivery Center in Amarillo, Texas, to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., in early February. The Navy said this flight “mirrored many of the conditions that the aircraft will encounter when operational.” The flight lasted two days and included about 6.5 hours in the air. The aircraft was fitted with test equipment, limiting it to clear weather during daylight hours after it completed developmental test flights in Texas.
Navy Air Maintenance. The Navy awarded 42 companies $6.1 billion on April 14 in a kits, aircraft recovery, augmentation, components and engines (KRACEn) multiple award contracts for aircraft maintenance services and support. The work covers modification kit build and installations, recovery of downed aircraft, repair of aircraft and components, overhaul of engines, and augmentation labor supplement for maintenance where custody of the aircraft is not required. The award announcement said this KRACEn award will also support single satellite site, simple platform, and organizational level contractor logistics support requirements with limited aircraft quantities in support of Navy Fleet Readiness Centers. Funds will only be obligated on individual orders as they are issued, with each company having an opportunity to bid on task orders. Work is expected to be finished by April 2030.
Ship Maintenance. The Navy awarded seven companies a total $117 million in modifications April 10 to exercise option period three non-complex emergent and continuous maintenance of surface combatant ships and amphibious ships homeported or visiting San Diego. The types of ships this covers include guided missile destroyers (DDG-51s), guided missile cruisers (CG-47s), dock landing ships (LSDs), landing platform/docks (LPDs), landing helicopter assaults (LHAs), and landing helicopter docks (LHDs). Work is expected to be finished by May 2021. No funding was obligated at time of award but will be provided under specific delivery orders and will expire at the end of the respective fiscal years. The winners include Colonna’s Shipyard West LLC, East Coast Repair and Fabrication, Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Marine Group Boat Works, Pacific Ship Repair and Fabrication Inc., Propulsion Controls Engineering, and South Coast Welding and Manufacturing Inc.
Ship Maintenance. The Navy awarded seven companies a total $117 million in modifications April 10 to exercise option period three non-complex emergent and continuous maintenance of surface combatant ships and amphibious ships homeported or visiting San Diego. The types of ships this covers include guided missile destroyers (DDG-51s), guided missile cruisers (CG-47s), dock landing ships (LSDs), landing platform/docks (LPDs), landing helicopter assaults (LHAs), and landing helicopter docks (LHDs). Work is expected to be finished by May 2021. No funding was obligated at time of award but will be provided under specific delivery orders and will expire at the end of the respective fiscal years. The winners include Colonna’s Shipyard West LLC, East Coast Repair and Fabrication, Epsilon Systems Solutions Inc., Marine Group Boat Works, Pacific Ship Repair and Fabrication Inc., Propulsion Controls Engineering, and South Coast Welding and Manufacturing Inc.
Columbia Tubes. Naval Sea Systems Command awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $56 million modification on April 10 to manufacture another 18 missile tubes for the U.S. Columbia-class and U.K. Dreadnaught-class future ballistic missile submarines. The work on the joint U.S.-U.K. common missile compartment program is expected to be finished by May 2028. This modification was funded via U.K. Foreign Military Sales funding, with $12 million obligated at the time of award.
Netherlands FMS. The State Department approved a possible $40.55 million Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Netherlands of 199 Excalibur Increment IB M982A1 tactical projectiles and related equipment. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the sale on April 10. The primary contractor would be Raytheon Technologies. DSCA said the Netherlands would integrate the munitions with conventional artillery units currently equipped with the PzH2000NL self-propelled howitzer (SPH) “to provide precision fires capability in order to reduce collateral damage and increase effectiveness in various areas of operation.”
Lending a Hand. L3Harris Technologies says it will contribute $2 million to COVID-19 relief efforts globally, providing funds to the efforts led by local United Way agencies and the American Red Cross, doubling employee matches to these and other organizations. L3Harris said it is emphasizing its contributions where it has a significant presence. In addition to financial contributions, the company is donating thousands of protective suits for a hospital in Virginia, contributing masks to a medical group in New York, and making grants to its employees impacted by the virus. The company’s engineers and scientists are also working with the Univ. of Utah Health to manufacture positive air pressure respirators to keep hospital staff safe and producing medical grade components for respirators for Parkview Health in Indiana.
Distance Learning. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz is learning that amid the COVID-19 pandemic the Coast Guard isn’t very good at doing distance learning. Across the country there is a lot of distance learning going on but “We’re not very technologically advanced on this,” he said during the Navy’s League’s virtual Sea-Air-Space conference last week. The health crisis is creating a lot of learning opportunities and exposing areas the service is lacking “and I think we can press into that with a different level of urgency and maybe a stronger narrative to take outside of the Coast Guard,” he said.
AWS/IG Report. Amazon Web Services has said a new report from the Pentagon’s inspector general regarding the JEDI cloud competition does not adequately address its complaints regarding the procurement process and that it didn’t assess potential White House interference in the competition. “This report doesn’t tell us much. It says nothing about the merits of the award, which we know are highly questionable based on the Judge’s recent statements and the government’s request to go back and take corrective action. And, it’s clear that this report couldn’t assess political interference because several DoD witnesses were instructed by the White House not to answer the IG’s questions about communications between the White House and DoD officials. The White House’s refusal to cooperate with the IG’s investigation is yet another blatant attempt to avoid a meaningful and transparent review of the JEDI contract award,” an AWS spokesperson said in a statement to Defense Daily. The IG report, released on April 15, concluded the procurement process for JEDI was conducted fairly, while noting that proprietary information was improperly disclosed to Amazon after it lost out to Microsoft and that program officials were barred from answering questions on their communications with the White House.
Hack the Air Force. HackerOne and the Pentagon’s Defense Digital Service have announced the results of the Air Force’s latest bug bounty program, which resulted in 60 ethical hackers uncovering 460 vulnerabilities. Hack the Air Force 4.0 specifically tasked hackers with reporting flaws in the Air Force Virtual Data Center, a group of cloud-based servers and systems. The four-week challenge ran from Oct. 23-Nov. 20 and included paying out more than $290,000 to participants.
National Guard. The National Guard Association of the United States has canceled its annual conference set to take place at the end of August in Boston due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In its place, NGAUS said it is planning to hold an abbreviated virtual conference. Details for the digital conference will be provided by June 1. NGAUS has also issued a statement calling on defense leaders to push for full federal support and benefits for National Guardsmen assisting in the outbreak response, including for those who may fall ill during their service. As of April 14, more than 30,000 guardsmen were supporting the pandemic response effort, according to the NGAUS.
Futures Command IT. NCI Information Systems announced April 14 it has received a new 17-month deal from the Army to continue providing C5I systems and information technology for Futures Command headquarters in Austin, Texas. This is NCI’s second deal with Futures Command for C5I and IT services. Under the deal, NCI will provide IT system development and support to include engineering, furnishing, installing, securing and testing Futures Commands’s command, control, communications, computers, cyber, and intelligence/information technology systems.
INDOPACOM Initiative? HASC Ranking Member Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) wants to create a European Deterrence Initiative for the INDOPACOM region, per a draft of legislation released Thursday. In it, he calls for over $6 billion in the FY ’21 defense budget to be spent on the Indo-Pacific region, particularly to enhance missile defense, ISR programs, infrastructure, prepositioned equipment and munitions, logistics, training and exercise, and programs meant to strengthen the capacity of allied and partner countries. In particular, it authorizes funding for a permanent and persistent land-based integrated air and missile defense system and associated weapons delivery system on Guam and funding for a homeland defense radar in Hawaii; funding to maintain rotational forces in the Indo-Pacific region along with a rotational bomber presence in the Indo-Pacific region; makes investments for an increased undersea warfare capability; and develops long-range precision fires systems with a plan to posture the systems throughout the region. “These are not all new programs, but by pulling them together under one policy we will be better able to judge our own commitment here at home, demonstrate our resolve to our allies and partners, and deter China,” Thornberry said. “We may not be able to cover all of these programs this year, but it is important that we make a start, and then use this legislation to measure our progress going forward.”
F-35 Basing. The Air Force said Wednesday that Truax Field, Wisconsin, and Dannelly Field, Alabama, will become the next two Air National Guard F-35A Lightning hosting bases. “The Department of the Air Force selected the 115th Fighter Wing and the 187th Fighter Wing as the next Air National Guard locations to receive the F-35A,” said Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett in a statement. “Putting F-35s at these two bases continues our transition into the next generation of air superiority.” The Air Force expects the F-35As to begin arriving at Truax and Dannelly Fields in 2023. Currently, the F-35 is based at three active duty operational locations—Hill Air Force Base, Utah; RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom; and Eielson AFB, Alaska; as well as one other Air National Guard location, Burlington Air Guard Station, Vermont. One Air Force Reserve location, Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, has been selected to host F-35A aircraft, pending the results of an environmental study.