NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $329,400,000 modification to the previously awarded Joint Strike Fighter air system low rate initial production Lot III cost-plus-incentive-fee/award-fee contract (N00019-08-C-0028) for special tooling and special test equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed in November 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., is being awarded a $133,347,704 modification (#P00003) under previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-09-C-0008) for the Trident II (D5) guidance system tactical engineering support and guidance applications program. Specific tasks include tactical engineering support, MK6 field support services, engineering support to develop a strategic guidance application program, develop a GPS receiver design approach, provide support for the Extended Navy Test Bed (ENTB) and ENTB derivative reentry body experiments, and assess maintaining the accuracy of the existing reentry systems. The modification increases the total contract value to $290,690,456. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Mass. (73 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (21 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (4 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (1 percent); and Andover, Mass. (1 percent). Work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $86,512,731 will expire at the end of current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity.
The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., is being awarded a $109,691,035 modification (#P00009) under previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00030-08-C-0010) for the Trident II (D5) guidance system repair, and MK6LE. Specific tasks include guidance system repair and the delivery of MK6LE pre-production units to support three planned proofing test missile flights. The modification increases the total contract value to $547,578,527. Work will be performed in Cambridge, Mass. (82 percent), and Pittsfield, Mass. (18 percent), and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of current fiscal year. Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $36,253,351 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-10-C-2205) to exercise an option for life cycle engineering and support services for LPD 17 class integrated shipboard electronic systems. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (95 percent); Chula Vista, Calif. (3 percent); and Norfolk, Va. (2 percent). Work is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $478,276 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
General Electric Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a $28,096,373 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-06-C-0088) for engineering and integrated logistics services in support of the F/A-18E/F F414-GE-400. Work will be performed in Lynn, Mass. (78 percent); Evendale, Ohio (13 percent); Lemoore, Calif. (5 percent); and Jacksonville, Fla. (4 percent). Work is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $1,039,505 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $15,250,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for technical and engineering support and related operation and maintenance for the Navy's Combat Systems Engineering Development Site, and technical engineering support for the SPY-1A test lab and Naval Systems Computing Center. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $243,182 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-10-C-5124).
The Boeing Co., Seattle, Wash., is being awarded a $12,465,000 not-to-exceed modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-04-C-3146) for non-recurring engineering in support of the P-8A initial operation test and evaluation. Specific efforts include the modification of courseware and training devices and transition and integration of organic maintenance. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (60 percent), and Seattle, Wash. (40 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $1,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River Md., is the contracting activity.
Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $9,875,760 time-and-materials contract to provide support for the care, maintenance and operation of marine mammals that serve in the Navy's Marine Mammal Systems and associated fleet mine countermeasures and force protection systems. This one-year contract includes four one-year options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to a potential $49,721,193. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (96 percent), and Kings Bay, Georgia (4 percent), and is expected to be completed Dec. 3, 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $4,391,950 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Commerce Business Daily's Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with one offer received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-10-C-0070).
Sierra Nevada Corp., Sparks, Nev., is being awarded a $7,384,860 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-6306) to exercise an option for spares and consumables for 1,300 production systems, four field service representatives, and 350 training surrogates for 1,300 dismounted joint counter radio-controlled improvised explosive device electronic warfare systems. Dismounted Joint Counter Radio Electronic Warfare (JCREW) systems are electronic jammers designed to prevent the initiation of radio-controlled improvised explosive devices. This contract is for the procurement and support of JCREW systems to be used by forces in each of the military services of the Central Command area of responsibility. Work will be performed in Sparks, Nev. (90 percent), and Rancho Cordova, Calif. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $7,212,000 firm-fixed-price order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) in support of Navy F-18 aircraft. This order provides for the production and delivery of 14 multipurpose display indicators (MDI); seven horizontal situation displays (HSD); seven AFC-430 install kits (kits to install MDIs and HSDs); 12 AFC-493 install kits (kits to install ejection seats); and seven AYC-1363 install kits (kits to prepare canopy for the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System). Work will be performed in Toronto, Canada (57 percent); St. Louis, Mo. (22 percent); various locations throughout the continental United States (9 percent); Halifax, Canada (4 percent); Grand Rapids, Mich. (2 percent); Sylmar, Calif. (1 percent); Tempe, Ariz. (1 percent); Mesa, Ariz. (1 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (1 percent); O'Fallon, Mo. (1 percent); and Butler, N.J. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
G2 Software Systems, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $6,855,868 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide support in the areas of veterinary care, scientific research and animal management of marine mammals involved in the Navy's Marine Mammal Program. This one-year contract includes four one-year options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to a potential $36,269,609. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif. (96 percent), and Kings Bay, Ga. (4 percent), and is expected to be completed Dec. 3, 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $3,047,052 will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Commerce Business Daily's Federal Business Opportunities website, and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website, with one offer received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-10-C-0066).
Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., Hurst, Texas, is being awarded a $5,900,000 ceiling-priced order (#0031) contract for the repair of left hand and right hand blades for the V-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Contract funds will not expire before the end of the fiscal year. This contract was not competitively awarded. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity (N00383-05-G-048N).
AIR FORCE
Composite Engineering, Incorporated of Sacramento, California was awarded a $29,342,315 contract which will provide Lot 7 option to procure a quantity of 36 additional BQM-167As, also known as the Air Force Subscale Aerial Target. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 691 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida is the contracting activity. (FA8678-10-C-0051)
IAP Worldwide Services, Incorporated of Cape Canaveral, Florida was awarded a $7,117,529 contract which will provide for Public Works services at Fort Dix New Jersey for 1 October 2009 through 31 March 2010. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 87 CONS, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey is the contracting activity. (W911S1-05-C-0001)
ARMY
Tug Hill Construction, Inc., Watertown, N.Y., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $15,919,840 firm-fixed-price contract for raising trail profiles to improve drainage conditions and placement of compacted base course and gravel surface course materials, resulting in a 28-foot wide roadway with adequate shoulders and associated drainage structures for track and wheeled vehicles for approximately 35 miles. Work is to be performed in Fort Bliss, Texas, with an estimated completion date of April 2011. Bids were solicited on the Federal Business Opportunities website with five bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-09-D-0006).
Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., Baltimore, Md., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $15,793,363 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of the General Instruction Building, Vehicle Maintenance Instruction Facility, Project No. 65438, Fort Benning, Ga. This project includes site design and construction to the five-foot line, facility design and construction of associated site work, complete outside the five-foot-line. Work is to be performed in Fort Benning, Ga., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2011. Four bids solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W912HN-07-D-0055).
Weston Solutions, Inc., Houston, Texas, was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $14,681,612 firm-fixed-price contract for the removal/replacement and off-site disposal of damaged sections of articulating concrete block revetments at Placement Areas 36, 37, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43, Rollover Pass to Bolivar Emergent and containment levee placement areas. Work is to be performed in Chamber County, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 3, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity.
Caterpillar, Inc., Defense and Federal Products., Mossville, Ill., was awarded on Nov. 23, 2009, a $6,980,798 firm-fixed-price contract for interim contractor logistics support for 51 armored 966H heavy loaders. Work is to be performed in Peoria, Ill., with an estimated completion date of December 2010. Bids were solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website with five bids received. U.S. Army TACOM-Warren, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-DL424).
A/B Electrical & General Contracting Services, Inc., Detroit, Mich., was awarded on Nov. 23, 2009, a $6,673,400 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of commercial vehicle access control points. Work is to be performed in Warren, Mich., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with seven bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-10-C-0002).
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded on Nov. 30, 2009, a $8,261,800 firm-fixed-price contract to analyze, test, repair and overhaul 50 each T63-A-720, gas turbine engines applicable to the OH-58 Kiowa helicopter. Work is to be performed in Neosha, Mo. (50 percent), and Oakland, Calif. (50 percent), with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CCAM-AL-M, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-D-0207).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Valley Apparel LLC, Knoxville, Tenn.*, is being awarded a maximum $8,002,706 firm-fixed-price, total set-aside contract for Navy task force uniforms. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. The original proposal was web solicited with five responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the second option year period. The date of performance completion is Dec. 4, 2010. The Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM1C1-08-D-1029).
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Battle of Bulge Anniversary Remembered at Tree Lighting
By J.D. LeipoldSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - The Army's chief of staff stepped back in history Thursday evening to Christmas Eve in Belgium 65 years ago by reading one of the most inspirational letters written by a commander to his troops. "What's merry about all this, you ask? We're fighting – it's cold, we aren't home," Gen. George W. Casey read to onlookers at the annual Union Station Christmas tree lighting ceremony and tribute to the 99th Infantry Battalion, a Norwegian-American World War II unit which rescued 52 U.S. soldiers in Malmedy, Belgium.
"All true, but what has the proud Eagle Division accomplished with its worthy comrades, the 10th Armored Division, the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion and all the rest?" Casey continued reading of the letter written by Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe.
McAuliffe was acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division between Dec. 16, 1944 and Jan. 25, 1945, when he and more than 800,000 Allied troops found themselves in a raging battle in Bastogne, Belgium, and the surrounding area. The nearly six-week battle pitted slow-moving, massive German Tiger tanks against nearly twice as small, nimble American Shermans with significantly less firepower.
The outcome of the Battle of the Bulge -- the German army's last offensive drive to split the Allies in the Ardennes -- ultimately determined who would be left standing at the end of World War II in Europe.
Casey continued reading McAuliffe's letter to the troops, many of whom that winter were still wearing clothing from the June 6, 1944, D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy, France.
A special guest at the lighting of the 32-foot fir, 87-year-old Jarvis Taylor was a heavy weapons 30-caliber machine gunner with the 99th Battalion. He recalled in a phone interview how it was a treat to occasionally get shuttled by a jeep behind the battle line for a shower.
"I know it was a great relief to a lot of us when there was a quiet spell where we'd get a chance to have showers, and usually they would give you a change of underwear and maybe socks, but you pretty much had to make do with the uniform you had," he said.
Casey continued with the Christmas letter in which McAuliffe talked about how the Allies had stopped the German advance, though he had conceded that the Germans had surrounded the Allies while "their radios blared our doom. Their commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance," Casey read.
The German commander's Dec. 22 letter to McAuliffe described how "the fortune of war was changing," how the American forces were encircled and that there was only one way in which McAuliffe could save his troops from "total annihilation"... through "honorable surrender." McAuliffe was given two hours to respond.
McAuliffe's four-letter reply to the German commander: "NUTS!"
Norwegian Ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen presented the Christmas tree as a gift for the 13th year to the people of the district. The tree bears hundreds of Norwegian and American flags and is accompanied by a ribbon honoring the 99th Infantry Battalion.
Like the troops far from home during Christmas 1944, Casey reminded the crowd that thousands of U.S. servicemembers are serving worldwide this holiday season.
(J.D. Leipold writes for Army News Service.)
Obama Issues Pearl Harbor Remembrance Proclamation
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 4, 2009 - President Barack Obama today issued a proclamation recognizing Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Here is the complete text:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy." With over 3,500 Americans killed or wounded, the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese on Pearl Harbor was an attempt to break the American will and
destroy our Pacific Fleet. They succeeded in doing neither.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we honor all those who selflessly served our nation at home and abroad during World War II.
On a tranquil Sunday morning, as war raged around the globe, the attack on Pearl Harbor effectively ended American isolation -- thrusting our nation into action. Japanese airplanes had launched an unprovoked assault on our military with immense firepower, and our servicemembers valiantly answered the call. They defended their positions, fought back against the attackers, and cared for the wounded. In that darkest hour, men and women who had considered themselves
ordinary found within themselves the ability to do something extraordinary. And in the months and years that followed, Americans all across the country would respond to Pearl Harbor with firm resolve, many joining our armed forces to defend our shores and our freedom.
This courage is not uncommon in the story of America -- a story of heroes whose sacrifice and valor speak to their love of comrades and country; and whose goodness guides our quest for lasting peace. Today, and every day, we draw strength from the
moment when the best among us defended an island and a nation from the onslaught of tyranny, and forever altered the course of our history.
The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has designated December 7 of each year as "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”
Dec. 4, 2009 - President Barack Obama today issued a proclamation recognizing Dec. 7 as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Here is the complete text:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy." With over 3,500 Americans killed or wounded, the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese on Pearl Harbor was an attempt to break the American will and
destroy our Pacific Fleet. They succeeded in doing neither.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we honor all those who selflessly served our nation at home and abroad during World War II.
On a tranquil Sunday morning, as war raged around the globe, the attack on Pearl Harbor effectively ended American isolation -- thrusting our nation into action. Japanese airplanes had launched an unprovoked assault on our military with immense firepower, and our servicemembers valiantly answered the call. They defended their positions, fought back against the attackers, and cared for the wounded. In that darkest hour, men and women who had considered themselves
ordinary found within themselves the ability to do something extraordinary. And in the months and years that followed, Americans all across the country would respond to Pearl Harbor with firm resolve, many joining our armed forces to defend our shores and our freedom.
This courage is not uncommon in the story of America -- a story of heroes whose sacrifice and valor speak to their love of comrades and country; and whose goodness guides our quest for lasting peace. Today, and every day, we draw strength from the
moment when the best among us defended an island and a nation from the onslaught of tyranny, and forever altered the course of our history.
The Congress, by Public Law 103-308, as amended, has designated December 7 of each year as "National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.”
Packers-Ravens Contest Will Feature "Military Appreciation Night"
Wisconsin National Guard, Oshkosh Corporation To Join Packers In Salute
The Green Bay Packers, along with the Wisconsin National Guard and Oshkosh Corporation, will offer a multifaceted "Military Appreciation Night" in honor of our nation's military at Monday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The salute will culminate at halftime when four individuals and their families, two from the Wisconsin Army National Guard and two from the Wisconsin Air National Guard, will be recognized on the field with a brief ceremony that will end with a short volley of fireworks.
Pregame activities will feature the two Rumble With A Cause motorcycles on display to fans in the Lambeau Field Atrium, one with Army styling and one with Marine styling. The fundraiser by Oshkosh Corporation and the Armed Forces Foundation is helping raise money for service members and their families in time of need, and features a chance to win one of two unique Harley-Davidson® Fat Boy® motorcycles. A $10 donation enters individuals in the sweepstakes, with tickets available in the parking lot and in the Atrium. More information about the program is available online at www.rumblewithacause.org. No donation or purchase is necessary to enter.
Also, an Oshkosh Corporation M-ATV will be on display in the parking lot in the fan walkway adjacent to the Tundra Tailgate Zone, along with a Wisconsin Air National Guard flight simulator available for fans to experience and interactive football-related activities, including a football toss and Sony PlayStation games.
Inside the stadium, TundraVision will broadcast video greetings from Wisconsin National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan offering well wishes to the Packers and fans at Lambeau Field. Additionally, the national anthem will performed by Army Sfc. Jeffrey Vanderlin, a Green Bay native who will be retiring in 2010 from the military.
Fans are encouraged to experience the evening's different offerings and join in the salute to our service men and women and their families.
The Green Bay Packers, along with the Wisconsin National Guard and Oshkosh Corporation, will offer a multifaceted "Military Appreciation Night" in honor of our nation's military at Monday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens.
The salute will culminate at halftime when four individuals and their families, two from the Wisconsin Army National Guard and two from the Wisconsin Air National Guard, will be recognized on the field with a brief ceremony that will end with a short volley of fireworks.
Pregame activities will feature the two Rumble With A Cause motorcycles on display to fans in the Lambeau Field Atrium, one with Army styling and one with Marine styling. The fundraiser by Oshkosh Corporation and the Armed Forces Foundation is helping raise money for service members and their families in time of need, and features a chance to win one of two unique Harley-Davidson® Fat Boy® motorcycles. A $10 donation enters individuals in the sweepstakes, with tickets available in the parking lot and in the Atrium. More information about the program is available online at www.rumblewithacause.org. No donation or purchase is necessary to enter.
Also, an Oshkosh Corporation M-ATV will be on display in the parking lot in the fan walkway adjacent to the Tundra Tailgate Zone, along with a Wisconsin Air National Guard flight simulator available for fans to experience and interactive football-related activities, including a football toss and Sony PlayStation games.
Inside the stadium, TundraVision will broadcast video greetings from Wisconsin National Guard members in Iraq and Afghanistan offering well wishes to the Packers and fans at Lambeau Field. Additionally, the national anthem will performed by Army Sfc. Jeffrey Vanderlin, a Green Bay native who will be retiring in 2010 from the military.
Fans are encouraged to experience the evening's different offerings and join in the salute to our service men and women and their families.
HIV/AIDS Vaccine Has Promising Results
By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Molly A. Burgess
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Through combined military research programs and medical cooperation, the Defense Department has been able to accomplish incredible promise in a future vaccine development for HIV and AIDS, a senior official in that effort said today. "The U.S. Army has sponsored a vaccine program which has now, for the first time ever, shown efficacy in being able to protect individuals from infection with HIV," Dr. Rick Shaffer, director of the Defense Department's HIV and AIDS Prevention Program, said during a Military Health System "Dot Mil Docs" podcast interview.
The prevention program was established in an effort to minimize and prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS through the uniformed services, and to provide support to various countries in the fight for prevention, Shaffer said.
Comprehensive prevention programs that include policies and priorities from the highest leadership levels on down work better than individual activities and efforts, Shaffer noted, citing an interagency program called the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a program launched to help combat global HIV and AIDS.
"We were able expand the opportunities for security cooperation through PEPFAR," Shaffer said, adding that PEPFAR enabled department officials to broaden support to additional countries and within the countries they're already helping.
Although the program has made amazing successes thus far, Shaffer said, it still has obstacles to overcome when it comes to prevention and treatment.
"There's still a long way to go to make sure the treatment is accessible and comprehensive for individuals," he said. "We have a lot to learn about how to enable individuals to get the skill to change their behavior."
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Molly A. Burgess serves with the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Through combined military research programs and medical cooperation, the Defense Department has been able to accomplish incredible promise in a future vaccine development for HIV and AIDS, a senior official in that effort said today. "The U.S. Army has sponsored a vaccine program which has now, for the first time ever, shown efficacy in being able to protect individuals from infection with HIV," Dr. Rick Shaffer, director of the Defense Department's HIV and AIDS Prevention Program, said during a Military Health System "Dot Mil Docs" podcast interview.
The prevention program was established in an effort to minimize and prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS through the uniformed services, and to provide support to various countries in the fight for prevention, Shaffer said.
Comprehensive prevention programs that include policies and priorities from the highest leadership levels on down work better than individual activities and efforts, Shaffer noted, citing an interagency program called the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, a program launched to help combat global HIV and AIDS.
"We were able expand the opportunities for security cooperation through PEPFAR," Shaffer said, adding that PEPFAR enabled department officials to broaden support to additional countries and within the countries they're already helping.
Although the program has made amazing successes thus far, Shaffer said, it still has obstacles to overcome when it comes to prevention and treatment.
"There's still a long way to go to make sure the treatment is accessible and comprehensive for individuals," he said. "We have a lot to learn about how to enable individuals to get the skill to change their behavior."
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Molly A. Burgess serves with the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Belgians Recall Battle of the Bulge
By Christie VanoverSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - It was the early days of the Battle of the Bulge. Germans were advancing into Belgium, and the supplies they needed to strengthen their force were close at hand, until the bravery of a lone rifle company helped to halt their advance. It was Dec. 18, 1944, in the Belgian town of Stavelot. "The U.S. Army evacuated the city, and the 5th Battalion was the only one between this treasure and the Germans," recalled Robert Lemaire, a Belgian soldier who was assigned to the company.
The day prior, German Col. Joachim Peiper and his 1st SS Panzer Regiment were quickly moving through Belgian villages, destined to reach the Meuse River and Allied supply ports in Antwerp. His army plowed through towns like Honsfeld and Büllingen, capturing and killing unarmed Americans.
While the SS Regiment faced casualties and lost tanks and vehicles along the way, Peiper moved them on toward Stavelot. His tanks crossed the only bridge leading into the village and launched a morning attack, capturing the city. Lemaire, who was guarding the American fuel depots while his company was attached to the 1st U.S. Army, recalled that Peiper executed 132 civilians in Stavelot, including numerous children.
Americans repositioned their forces to set up a perimeter defense. However, Lemaire's company was left behind along the Malmedy road.
"In a hurry, packed in a truck," he recalled, "we left our billets in direction of the depot. As we came closer, our lieutenant asked for 10 volunteers."
Lemaire was among the first to jump off the truck, along with Sgts. Harpigny, Magain, Vermeulen, Cpl. Suinen and fellow Pvts. Robert Delbois, Robert Tille, Alfred Cantigneau, Elomir Cambier, Jean Lesire, Paul Wantiez and F. Ingels. Their mission: to set fire to the fuel depot to prevent the SS from retrieving the supplies needed to rejuvenate their offensive.
"The lieutenant ordered us to set fire to the three first piles," Lemaire recalled. "As the first attempt to shoot tracer bullets with a Bren gun failed, we then pierced jerry cans with our bayonets and spread fuel on the three first piles, as well as, a trail of fuel on the road ahead of the piles. We set the fire with matches."
Within moments, the entire depot was engulfed in a trail of flames, stretching seven miles long. "It was impossible for the armored tanks to go through this wall of fire," said Lemaire.
According to the Office of the Chief of Military History, as the gasoline roadblock was still enflamed, the Americans launched a full-fledged ground and air assault against the Panzer unit, reclaiming the town.
Engineers had destroyed the Amblève Bridge that would have allowed the Germans to retreat to their fuel depots to the east, and Lemaire and his company had destroyed the fuel supplies in Stavelot, preventing Peiper from advancing much further.
"We began to realize that we had insufficient gasoline to cross the bridge west of Stoumont," Peiper said in January 1945, as reported by the Office of the Chief of Military History. The German powerhouse of heavy vehicles became meager road debris inefficient against the Allied forces. On Christmas Eve, the regiment was forced to abandon its vehicles and continue the battle on foot.
At the time, Lemaire didn't realize the impact that striking a match would have on defeating the Germans. "We just did our job," he said. It was a job that he had waited four years to accomplish.
Lemaire and a fellow soldier, Marcel D'Haese, began fighting the Germans in 1940. The Belgian Army had surrendered that year, and the Germans put out an order that all young men were to report to Germany as laborers. Therefore, D'Haese said the Belgians made the choice to start a resistance.
"At the beginning of the war, I received an obligation to go to Germany," said Lemaire, "so I became a resistance fighter."
"The resistance was really active in Belgium," said D'Haese. "We were doing sabotage to the Germans, like cutting the communications lines." But despite their heroic actions to defend their nation and "four dark years of underground fight and suffering", D'Haese said, "We waited and we prayed for the Americans."
"Americans brought power, engines and weapons. They were like God to us. They were the only ones that could help to liberate us," he said.
After the Allies jumped into Normandy and later liberated Belgium, the Belgian government called for volunteers. D'Haese said 53,000 men answered that call and joined the newly formed Belgian army.
D'Haese and Lemaire joined the 5th Belgian Fusiliers Battalion, which was made up of six companies from the Mons, Tournai and Charleroi regions. D'Haese, who is now 84, was assigned to the Headquarters Company and Lemaire, who is now 86, the 3rd Company.
The unit was officially activated on Oct. 7, 1944, and the volunteers, who had already been defending their country unofficially, enlisted on Oct. 9.
After two months of training in Charleroi, they joined the First U.S. Army and deployed to the Ardennes where the battalion was divided amongst the American forces. The battalion had 800 men dispersed over 30 miles, according to D'Haese.
"They call us war volunteers. Indeed, we are freedom volunteers," stressed D'Haese. "We were sick about war. We helped the Americans to finish it. We were ready to do anything we could for the Americans."
"If the U.S. did not liberate Belgium, the Germans would still be here," he added.
The 5th Fusilier partnered with the 1st U.S. Army until June 1, 1945. Throughout the war, five members of the battalion were killed, and 80 more injured.
The unit and its actions were recognized by Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander, on July 13, 1945, in a memo that stated: "This battalion contributed materially to the successful operations of the unit with which it served. The high Esprit de Corps and great determination displayed by the officers and men of the Fifth Belgian Fusilier Battalion enabled it to carry through to a successful conclusion each and every assigned mission, thereby contributing immeasurably to the glorious victory of the Allied Nations. The outstanding achievements of this battalion bring credit not only to itself but also to the Belgian Army."
Since that time, many other Americans have recognized the accomplishments of the 5th Fusilier, including U.S. presidents, senators, ambassadors, generals and the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux.
The unit established the 5th Fusilier War Veterans Association in 1945, and D'Haese has served as the chairman since 1980.
"I accepted the role as chairman for six months, and I'm still here," he laughed.
The veterans join the U.S. Army Garrison Benelux color guard on a regular basis to commemorate the American-Belgian partnership that was formed 65 years ago, but that partnership is slowly fading.
"We have 40 to 50 members left in the battalion," said D'Haese, "but less than 10 are able to participate in ceremonies."
In May, a small group remembered the anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in Mons.
On Dec. 12, a few make the annual trip to Bastogne to pay tribute again to the cold, smog-filled days of December 1944 and the allegiance with the Americans that brought liberty to their nation.
"God bless the USA and Belgium," said D'Haese.
(Christie Vanover works for U.S. Army Garrison Benelux.)
Department Seeks to Reclaim Acquisition Expertise
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - The Defense Department is in the throes of a "major in-sourcing initiative" that Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said will recapture some of the vital expertise the department had lost, particularly in the acquisition realm. Lynn told the Aerospace and Defense Conference here yesterday that he considers the rebalancing plan a vital piece of the department's sweeping acquisition reform efforts.
There's "clearly an important role" for private contractors within the Defense Department, Lynn said, noting important contributions they make both at the Pentagon and in the combat theater. But the "outsourcing metric needs to be more targeted," he added, not only to ensure contractors are conducting the appropriate type of missions, but also to prevent overreliance on contractor support in fields such as acquisition.
When the department outsourced many of its acquisition functions during the 1990s, Lynn said, it "lost some of the capabilities that we need to be a good buyer."
"We unbalanced the system," he said. The result was a shortage of in-house expertise in cost estimating, systems engineering and program management capabilities that "allow us to be a very informed buyer," he told the group.
"So we are trying to bring those functions back into government," he said, noting a dramatic increase in the department's acquisition work force.
The department's federal acquisition work force is expected to grow by 20,000 over the next five years. This, Lynn explained, involves hiring 9,000 new employees and converting 11,000 positions now held by contractors to federal jobs. Ultimately, the effort will expand the acquisition work force from its current 127,000 federal employees and 52,000 contractors to 147,000 feds and about 42,000 contractors by fiscal 2015, Shay Assad, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology, told American Forces Press Service.
The additional acquisition employees will focus on awarding more competitive contracts and providing more contract oversight, he said. Others will be hired across the department to improve business management, logistics management, systems engineering and program management functions, jobs now conducted largely by contractors.
Lynn called beefing up and restructuring the acquisition work force a big step toward the Pentagon's broader acquisition reform efforts.
The overhaul also includes:
-- Instilling more discipline into the front end of the process, as requirements are established, to better balance performance needs with schedule and cost limitations;
-- Reducing the risk of cost overruns by relying more on independent cost estimates, as Congress and President Barack Obama have directed;
-- Promoting more fixed-price contracts in which the contractors share more equal financial risks with the government; and
-- Cancelling failing or misdirected programs that either aren't working or are no longer needed.
Lynn praised Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' commitment to "making hard choices" to ensure defense acquisition programs align with genuine requirements and don't get bogged down with spiraling cost overruns and scheduling delays.
The fiscal 2010 budget reflects these priorities, he said, with the department retiring or reshaping the Army's future combat system, the transformational satellite program and the VH-71 presidential helicopter program.
"So we've made an important start on major reform," Lynn said. "And we are going to keep making tough decisions every budget, every year."
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - The Defense Department is in the throes of a "major in-sourcing initiative" that Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said will recapture some of the vital expertise the department had lost, particularly in the acquisition realm. Lynn told the Aerospace and Defense Conference here yesterday that he considers the rebalancing plan a vital piece of the department's sweeping acquisition reform efforts.
There's "clearly an important role" for private contractors within the Defense Department, Lynn said, noting important contributions they make both at the Pentagon and in the combat theater. But the "outsourcing metric needs to be more targeted," he added, not only to ensure contractors are conducting the appropriate type of missions, but also to prevent overreliance on contractor support in fields such as acquisition.
When the department outsourced many of its acquisition functions during the 1990s, Lynn said, it "lost some of the capabilities that we need to be a good buyer."
"We unbalanced the system," he said. The result was a shortage of in-house expertise in cost estimating, systems engineering and program management capabilities that "allow us to be a very informed buyer," he told the group.
"So we are trying to bring those functions back into government," he said, noting a dramatic increase in the department's acquisition work force.
The department's federal acquisition work force is expected to grow by 20,000 over the next five years. This, Lynn explained, involves hiring 9,000 new employees and converting 11,000 positions now held by contractors to federal jobs. Ultimately, the effort will expand the acquisition work force from its current 127,000 federal employees and 52,000 contractors to 147,000 feds and about 42,000 contractors by fiscal 2015, Shay Assad, acting undersecretary of defense for acquisition and technology, told American Forces Press Service.
The additional acquisition employees will focus on awarding more competitive contracts and providing more contract oversight, he said. Others will be hired across the department to improve business management, logistics management, systems engineering and program management functions, jobs now conducted largely by contractors.
Lynn called beefing up and restructuring the acquisition work force a big step toward the Pentagon's broader acquisition reform efforts.
The overhaul also includes:
-- Instilling more discipline into the front end of the process, as requirements are established, to better balance performance needs with schedule and cost limitations;
-- Reducing the risk of cost overruns by relying more on independent cost estimates, as Congress and President Barack Obama have directed;
-- Promoting more fixed-price contracts in which the contractors share more equal financial risks with the government; and
-- Cancelling failing or misdirected programs that either aren't working or are no longer needed.
Lynn praised Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' commitment to "making hard choices" to ensure defense acquisition programs align with genuine requirements and don't get bogged down with spiraling cost overruns and scheduling delays.
The fiscal 2010 budget reflects these priorities, he said, with the department retiring or reshaping the Army's future combat system, the transformational satellite program and the VH-71 presidential helicopter program.
"So we've made an important start on major reform," Lynn said. "And we are going to keep making tough decisions every budget, every year."
Serbian MOD visits Ohio National Guard bases
By Dr. Mark Wayda,
Ohio National Guard
This week, Serbian Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac led a delegation here as part of a partnership between the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard that started in 2006. The Serbian delegation included Dusan Spasojevic, the state secretary in the ministry of defense, and the Serbian ambassador to the United States, Vladimir Petrovic.
The Ohio-Serbia relationship has developed under the National Guard's State Partnership Program. That program pairs military organizations from different countries with a state National Guards to familiarize, build relationships and learn from each other's strengths.
There are currently 62 state partnerships in the program. In addition to Serbia, the Ohio National Guard has been partnered with Hungary since 1993.
"The Ohio-Serbia partnership has been one of the most active since we began in 2006," said Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt, Ohio's adjutant general. "We have had dozens of exchanges with our Soldiers and Airmen going to Serbia and members of the Serbian Armed Forces coming to Ohio."
Prior to arriving in Ohio, Sutanovac and his team spent several days in Washington, D.C., where they were met by Wayt and Air National Guard Maj. Steven Shilliday, the Ohio's new director of the State Partnership Program office.
"Maj. Gen. Wayt attended meetings between the minister, the state secretary, the ambassador and other members of the Serbian delegation and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and with Gen. Craig McKinley, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau," Shilliday said.
While in Ohio, the Serbian delegation spent a day at the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, where they experienced firsthand many of the capabilities in the Army and Air National Guard, then spent another half day at the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing in Springfield.
"They saw many of the missions performed by the National Guard and they were able to discuss with our leadership where additional opportunities for cooperation might exist," Shilliday said.
This visit by the minister of defense is about next steps, Wayt said. "We are looking to grow the relationship and establish new and more involved exchanges that will provide increasing benefits to the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard."
Ohio National Guard
This week, Serbian Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac led a delegation here as part of a partnership between the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard that started in 2006. The Serbian delegation included Dusan Spasojevic, the state secretary in the ministry of defense, and the Serbian ambassador to the United States, Vladimir Petrovic.
The Ohio-Serbia relationship has developed under the National Guard's State Partnership Program. That program pairs military organizations from different countries with a state National Guards to familiarize, build relationships and learn from each other's strengths.
There are currently 62 state partnerships in the program. In addition to Serbia, the Ohio National Guard has been partnered with Hungary since 1993.
"The Ohio-Serbia partnership has been one of the most active since we began in 2006," said Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt, Ohio's adjutant general. "We have had dozens of exchanges with our Soldiers and Airmen going to Serbia and members of the Serbian Armed Forces coming to Ohio."
Prior to arriving in Ohio, Sutanovac and his team spent several days in Washington, D.C., where they were met by Wayt and Air National Guard Maj. Steven Shilliday, the Ohio's new director of the State Partnership Program office.
"Maj. Gen. Wayt attended meetings between the minister, the state secretary, the ambassador and other members of the Serbian delegation and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and with Gen. Craig McKinley, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau," Shilliday said.
While in Ohio, the Serbian delegation spent a day at the Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, where they experienced firsthand many of the capabilities in the Army and Air National Guard, then spent another half day at the Ohio Air National Guard's 178th Fighter Wing in Springfield.
"They saw many of the missions performed by the National Guard and they were able to discuss with our leadership where additional opportunities for cooperation might exist," Shilliday said.
This visit by the minister of defense is about next steps, Wayt said. "We are looking to grow the relationship and establish new and more involved exchanges that will provide increasing benefits to the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard."
MILITARY CONTRACTS December 3, 2009
ARMY
EADS North American Defense, Arlington, Va., was awarded on Dec. 1, 2009, a $247,242,722 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the funding of program year 2005 of the Army's Light Utility Helicopter program for 45 light utility helicopters (UH-72A), 30 medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) mission equipment packages, 30 MEDEVAC B-kits, 30 hoist B-kits, four very important personnel mission equipment packages, 11 engine inlet barrier filters, 34 environmental control units, and 45 airborne radio communication 231s. Work is to be performed in Columbus, Miss., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, CCAM-BH-C, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-C-0194).
Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, Owego, N.Y., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $32,328,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of 30 Marine Corps LAV C2A2 vehicles in the amount of $19,828,000 with the option for 22 additional vehicles in the amount of $12,430,000. Work is to be performed in Owego, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of July 20, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-C-0383).
Weston Solutions, Inc., Houston, Texas, was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $23,228,323 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of levee repairs, shore protection, and channelization within the placement areas and beneficial use sites along the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel (HGNC): North and South Goat Island and Wave Trip; Evia Island; and Bolivar Marsh, including channelization of 200 Acre Marsh . Work is to be performed in HGNC multiple site repairs with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Engineer District, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912BV-08-D-2012).
The Boeing Company, Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $21,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for interim contract support Phase II. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).
Textron, Inc., doing business as Textron Marine and Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded on Nov. 24, 2009, a $20,867,107 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 39 extended personnel carriers to included necessary weapons, spare parts, manuals, and training support required to aid the Colombian Army to deter the narco-terrorist and illegally armed groups that threaten the stability of the region. Work is to be performed in New Orleans, La., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-10-C-0044).
NITEK, Inc., Sterling, Va., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $16,408,810 firm-fixed-price contract for two Husky Mounted Detection Systems, installation, new equipment training, initial spare parts, training manuals and 24 months of sustainment of these systems. The items and services to be acquired under this undefinitized contract action were identified in Foreign Military Sales Case CN-B-ZXR dated Oct. 20, 2008, and amended on Oct. 26, 2009. The acquisition will be made without full and open competition as authorized by DFARS 225.7304 (a); based on a letter of request by the Canadian government dated Oct. 13, 2009. Work is to be performed in Sterling, Va., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. CECOM Contracting Center Washington, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-10-C-0017).
AIR FORCE
Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Carson, Calif., was awarded a $43,983,875 contract which will provide for a space based surveillance satellite. At this time, $4,713,395 has been obligated. SMC/SYSW of El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F8819-04-C-0002).
NAVY
Synergy Electric Co.*, Santee, Calif., is being awarded $9,367,117 for firm-fixed-price task order #0024 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N68711-05-D-4013) for the installation of photovoltaic systems at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The work to be performed provides for full engineering, procurement, installation and testing of a solar power generating facility with a minimum peak clean power production of 1,445 kilowatt standard test conditions. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Funds for this project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $6,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for planned and growth supplemental work for the accomplishment of the fiscal year 2008 extended drydocking selected restricted availability (EDSRA) of USS Enterprise (CVN 65). EDSRAs are similar to overhauls in that they restore the ship, including all subsystems that affect combat capability and safety, to established performance standards. Additionally, an EDSRA provides an opportunity to perform hull inspections, recoating and other maintenance related evolutions below the waterline that cannot be accomplished while the ship is waterborne. The EDSRA provides sufficient time to perform more extensive repairs and testing than are possible during an Extended Selected Restricted Availability. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $6,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Correction: Contract delivery order awarded Nov. 24, 2009, to Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., (N00019-07-D-0001) for $34,302,846, should have read the completion date as April 2011.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Suez Energy Resources NA, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $5,997,922 firm-fixed-price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is Pennsylvania. Using service is Navy. There were originally 100 proposals solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2011. The Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-8003).
EADS North American Defense, Arlington, Va., was awarded on Dec. 1, 2009, a $247,242,722 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the funding of program year 2005 of the Army's Light Utility Helicopter program for 45 light utility helicopters (UH-72A), 30 medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) mission equipment packages, 30 MEDEVAC B-kits, 30 hoist B-kits, four very important personnel mission equipment packages, 11 engine inlet barrier filters, 34 environmental control units, and 45 airborne radio communication 231s. Work is to be performed in Columbus, Miss., with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, CCAM-BH-C, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-06-C-0194).
Lockheed Martin Systems Integration, Owego, N.Y., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $32,328,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the production of 30 Marine Corps LAV C2A2 vehicles in the amount of $19,828,000 with the option for 22 additional vehicles in the amount of $12,430,000. Work is to be performed in Owego, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of July 20, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-05-C-0383).
Weston Solutions, Inc., Houston, Texas, was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $23,228,323 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of levee repairs, shore protection, and channelization within the placement areas and beneficial use sites along the Houston-Galveston Navigation Channel (HGNC): North and South Goat Island and Wave Trip; Evia Island; and Bolivar Marsh, including channelization of 200 Acre Marsh . Work is to be performed in HGNC multiple site repairs with an estimated completion date of Dec. 14, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Engineer District, Galveston, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912BV-08-D-2012).
The Boeing Company, Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $21,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for interim contract support Phase II. Work is to be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).
Textron, Inc., doing business as Textron Marine and Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded on Nov. 24, 2009, a $20,867,107 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 39 extended personnel carriers to included necessary weapons, spare parts, manuals, and training support required to aid the Colombian Army to deter the narco-terrorist and illegally armed groups that threaten the stability of the region. Work is to be performed in New Orleans, La., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-10-C-0044).
NITEK, Inc., Sterling, Va., was awarded on Nov. 25, 2009, a $16,408,810 firm-fixed-price contract for two Husky Mounted Detection Systems, installation, new equipment training, initial spare parts, training manuals and 24 months of sustainment of these systems. The items and services to be acquired under this undefinitized contract action were identified in Foreign Military Sales Case CN-B-ZXR dated Oct. 20, 2008, and amended on Oct. 26, 2009. The acquisition will be made without full and open competition as authorized by DFARS 225.7304 (a); based on a letter of request by the Canadian government dated Oct. 13, 2009. Work is to be performed in Sterling, Va., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 24, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. CECOM Contracting Center Washington, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-10-C-0017).
AIR FORCE
Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Carson, Calif., was awarded a $43,983,875 contract which will provide for a space based surveillance satellite. At this time, $4,713,395 has been obligated. SMC/SYSW of El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F8819-04-C-0002).
NAVY
Synergy Electric Co.*, Santee, Calif., is being awarded $9,367,117 for firm-fixed-price task order #0024 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N68711-05-D-4013) for the installation of photovoltaic systems at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The work to be performed provides for full engineering, procurement, installation and testing of a solar power generating facility with a minimum peak clean power production of 1,445 kilowatt standard test conditions. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by December 2010. Funds for this project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $6,000,000 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-08-C-2100) for planned and growth supplemental work for the accomplishment of the fiscal year 2008 extended drydocking selected restricted availability (EDSRA) of USS Enterprise (CVN 65). EDSRAs are similar to overhauls in that they restore the ship, including all subsystems that affect combat capability and safety, to established performance standards. Additionally, an EDSRA provides an opportunity to perform hull inspections, recoating and other maintenance related evolutions below the waterline that cannot be accomplished while the ship is waterborne. The EDSRA provides sufficient time to perform more extensive repairs and testing than are possible during an Extended Selected Restricted Availability. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by January 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $6,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Correction: Contract delivery order awarded Nov. 24, 2009, to Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., (N00019-07-D-0001) for $34,302,846, should have read the completion date as April 2011.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Suez Energy Resources NA, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $5,997,922 firm-fixed-price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is Pennsylvania. Using service is Navy. There were originally 100 proposals solicited with six responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2011. The Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (SP0600-10-D-8003).
Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard
The December issue of the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard’s online newsletter "@ease Express" can be viewed directly at http://dma.wi.gov/dma/news/atease/pdf/AtEaseExpress_December-2009.pdf
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Truck Driver Takes Road Toward Chaplaincy
By Ina StiewitzSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - For Army Spc. Andrey West, the Lord has worked in mysterious ways. At the age of 40, he found himself enlisting in the Army, something he previously had no intention of doing. And after serving two years as a motor transport operator, he now is on the path to becoming an Army chaplain. When West returned from a 15-month deployment to Iraq with a unit based in Mannheim, he was reassigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Europe, and was given special duty as a chaplain assistant for the Heidelberg garrison.
This, however, was not West's first encounter with the ministry.
One of the things West and his wife, Judy, shared when they met in Chattanooga, Tenn., was a heart and a desire for a relationship with God. After marrying in 1987, they moved to Oklahoma, where they attended a Bible training center.
"Andy decided that he was going to focus on youth ministry, because that's where he came to know the Lord," said Judy, now the chapel coordinator at Patrick Henry Village Chapel. "I graduated in the teacher's area, and we stayed there for 14 years [and] learned a lot about ministry, the church and how to serve."
With their shared passion, the Wests never stopped thinking about working in a church or maybe starting their own church one day.
After 9/11, the Wests' personal business - offering maintenance services for printers, copy and fax machines - felt the shock economically. Andrey felt he needed to do something with his Bible school degree.
"Things were breaking apart. We got kicked out of our nest, and it was time to do what we have been trying to do, and what was in our hearts to do," his wife said. "We packed up everything with our four kids and moved to Maryland - to the unknown world."
The Wests tried hard to establish a new life in their new home in Annapolis.
"The doors just kept closing and closing," Judy said. "We were really fascinated, though, with the military there in Annapolis. We just loved to go out there and watch the Blue Angels fly. We loved to hear them marching and doing other things."
Lots of local churches ministered to the servicemembers there, and the Wests tried to get involved in one of them. Meanwhile, while checking into other opportunities, Andrey found the Army was accepting recruits up to 42 years old at that time.
"I thought, 'Lord, if I can do ministry, even as enlisted, I'll just do that,'" he said.
In 2007, he enlisted in the Army. Both Wests come from families with military backgrounds, and Judy had been to Germany as a child when her father was stationed in Giessen and Baumholder.
"She always wanted to come back to Germany," West said. "It's just how the Lord worked it out: I enlisted in the Army, we came to Germany, I got assigned in Mannheim, and then we ended up living in Heidelberg."
After almost a year on active duty, West deployed to Camp Liberty, Iraq, for 15 months. While he served downrange, his wife took a position as the Patrick Henry Village Chapel coordinator and got to know Army Chaplain (Capt.) Michael Griffith, Heidelberg's Protestant chaplain, and Army Chaplain (Col.) Jerry Jones, U.S. Army Garrison Baden-Württemberg chaplain. They guided her in the right direction for her husband to become a chaplain.
"West was downrange, and his wife, Judy, approached me at the candlelight service a year ago at the [Patrick Henry Village] chapel," Jones said. "She told me that her husband was interested in becoming a chaplain."
When he got back from Iraq, stacks of paperwork and a list of steps awaited him, Andrey said.
"I was able to get reassigned to Heidelberg, and the [company] commander was willing to assign me to special duty," he said. "Between everybody being so supportive and everybody working together, kind of made it happen for me."
Andrey now is preparing himself to become a chaplain candidate. To do so, he must have a bachelor's degree. Then he can apply to be commissioned as a second lieutenant and then proceed to the Chaplain Officer Basic Course.
Only after all the requirements are met - a 72-hour master's degree program, ordination in a recognized faith group by the chief of chaplains office, and the Chaplain Officer Basic Course - can he become an official Army chaplain.
He now has 96 hours toward a bachelor of arts in religion and ministry, and is scheduled to complete his degree in May.
West works at Mark Twain Village Chapel and volunteers at Patrick Henry Village Chapel. He supports memorial services or services that happen during the week, supports the chaplain, learns administrative duties and helps with community relations events.
He teaches Sunday school and serves on the parish council at Patrick Henry Village Chapel as the services coordinator. Sometimes, he is an usher or plays music as well, pitching in wherever help is needed.
"Working in the chapel gives me an opportunity to learn how the Army chapel works, because we volunteered in civilian churches all of our lives," Andrey said. "There are similarities and there are differences, and it's good to see those."
Jones said serving as a chaplain assistant will put West ahead of the game when he goes to the chaplain course.
"He'll already have that exposure to what supervising a chaplain assistant is all about, because he'll know everything a chaplain assistant is supposed to do," Jones said.
West said he plans to apply for his ecclesiastical endorsement as well as his chaplain candidacy in the process of finishing his bachelor's degree.
"I think being a chaplain will be a lot of work, but at the same time, it will be fulfilling, because it has always been my desire since I gave my heart to the Lord," he said. "I expect deployments in the Army, and I watched the chaplains in the deployed and in the garrison arenas. I have been around soldiers that needed help, and I helped the guys from my unit coming to me for counsel."
West's story, Jones said, represents what chaplains believe to be a good number of servicemembers who may feel the call of God to come into the ministry.
"If you are a person of faith and you're paying attention, God will put sign posts along the way in your life - could be people, could be circumstances, could be any number of things - and to pay attention to those could direct you into another career," Jones said. "And for the West family, it is going to be the chaplaincy."
(Ina Stiewitz works in the U.S. Army Garrison Baden-Wuerttemberg public affairs office.)
Department Focuses on F-35 Costs, Fair Tanker Competition
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Pentagon officials are working to halt spiraling costs in the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft program, while ensuring competition for a new refueling tanker remains fair to all contenders, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here yesterday. Lynn told the Aerospace and Defense Conference he's concerned about both "cost and schedule challenges" associated with the next-generation fighter aircraft that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates calls "the heart of the future of our tactical combat aviation."
"We don't like some of the trends we see, and we are determined not to accept those trends," Lynn told the audience of aerospace executives.
Defense Department officials are reviewing the program and exploring ways to get the contractor, Lockheed Martin Corp., to share in the cost of scheduling delays, he said. Meanwhile, they're revising and restructuring the program to make sure it delivers on schedule.
The big question, Lynn told the group, is: "Can we make the test program more robust and more redundant so to ensure the development comes in a timely way?"
Asked about the contentious aerial tanker competition, Lynn said Pentagon officials are striving "to play it right down the middle" to ensure it doesn't favor either Northrop Grumman Corp. or Boeing Co.
"We want a fair competition; we want a balanced competition," Lynn said. "We think that is what will give the best value to the taxpayer."
The issue involves a contract for 179 aerial refuelers estimated at about $35 billion. The new tankers will replace the aging KC-135R Stratotanker fleet.
Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday he wants both contractors vying to build the tanker to remain in the competition. "We believe that both of the principal competitors are highly qualified, and we would like to see competition continue in the process," Gates said.
Northrop-Grumman has threatened to withdraw from the competition if the bidding terms aren't changed, complaining that they favor Boeing. Boeing, on the other hand, contested the initial contract award to a Northrop Grumman/EADS/Airbus consortium in February 2008. The Government Accountability Office reviewed the protest and recommended that the Air Force rebid the contract due to irregularities in the contracting process.
Lynn said yesterday he's not surprised that both contenders, in comments about the new draft request for proposal, "argued for changes that would stress some of the benefits of their individual aircraft."
"We are going to have to play this down the middle, take fair account of any comments that are made by both sides, and move through this," he said. "We very much want to have competition, ... and we can't favor one side over the other."
Lynn said he expects the department to issue a final request for proposals in January.
The Air Force will be the source selection authority for the new tanker, Gates announced during the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference in September. Defense Department officials are working closely with the Air Force to design the strategy leading up to the selection, Lynn told reporters during a late November Pentagon news conference.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Pentagon officials are working to halt spiraling costs in the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft program, while ensuring competition for a new refueling tanker remains fair to all contenders, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here yesterday. Lynn told the Aerospace and Defense Conference he's concerned about both "cost and schedule challenges" associated with the next-generation fighter aircraft that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates calls "the heart of the future of our tactical combat aviation."
"We don't like some of the trends we see, and we are determined not to accept those trends," Lynn told the audience of aerospace executives.
Defense Department officials are reviewing the program and exploring ways to get the contractor, Lockheed Martin Corp., to share in the cost of scheduling delays, he said. Meanwhile, they're revising and restructuring the program to make sure it delivers on schedule.
The big question, Lynn told the group, is: "Can we make the test program more robust and more redundant so to ensure the development comes in a timely way?"
Asked about the contentious aerial tanker competition, Lynn said Pentagon officials are striving "to play it right down the middle" to ensure it doesn't favor either Northrop Grumman Corp. or Boeing Co.
"We want a fair competition; we want a balanced competition," Lynn said. "We think that is what will give the best value to the taxpayer."
The issue involves a contract for 179 aerial refuelers estimated at about $35 billion. The new tankers will replace the aging KC-135R Stratotanker fleet.
Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday he wants both contractors vying to build the tanker to remain in the competition. "We believe that both of the principal competitors are highly qualified, and we would like to see competition continue in the process," Gates said.
Northrop-Grumman has threatened to withdraw from the competition if the bidding terms aren't changed, complaining that they favor Boeing. Boeing, on the other hand, contested the initial contract award to a Northrop Grumman/EADS/Airbus consortium in February 2008. The Government Accountability Office reviewed the protest and recommended that the Air Force rebid the contract due to irregularities in the contracting process.
Lynn said yesterday he's not surprised that both contenders, in comments about the new draft request for proposal, "argued for changes that would stress some of the benefits of their individual aircraft."
"We are going to have to play this down the middle, take fair account of any comments that are made by both sides, and move through this," he said. "We very much want to have competition, ... and we can't favor one side over the other."
Lynn said he expects the department to issue a final request for proposals in January.
The Air Force will be the source selection authority for the new tanker, Gates announced during the Air Force Association's Air and Space Conference in September. Defense Department officials are working closely with the Air Force to design the strategy leading up to the selection, Lynn told reporters during a late November Pentagon news conference.
'New Walter Reed' Effort On Track, Officials Say
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Realignment of military medical facilities in the national capital region ordered by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission is on track to meet the commission's deadline, senior Defense Department officials said here yesterday. Walter Reed Army Medical Center here is consolidating with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and a new hospital is under construction at Fort Belvoir, Va.
"Recommendations proposed a transition from a legacy service-specific medical infrastructure into a premier, modernized joint operational medicine platform," said Allen W. Middleton, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "We are making great progress, and I am pleased to report that we are on track to implement the BRAC recommendations by the statutory deadline of Sept. 15, 2011."
Middleton testified before the House Armed Services Committee's joint readiness and military personnel subcommittees that new construction at the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the Bethesda campus is more than 60 percent complete. New inpatient and outpatient additions are under construction, and work is beginning for wounded warrior lodging, a dining facility, an administrative complex, a gym and a parking garage complex, Middleton said.
Meanwhile, the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is more than 50 percent complete, and will provide a total replacement of the existing community hospital, he said.
"We acknowledge that completion of construction activities represents only part of the story," Middleton told the lawmakers. "Although our primary focus has been completing BRAC recommendations before the deadline, we understand that 'world-class' health-care facilities is a long-term commitment to improvement beyond BRAC, and that additional investments are required to achieve that end state."
The department is willing to support Joint Task Force Capital Medical Region and the military services in identifying additional non-BRAC requirements and ensuring they're considered in future budget requests, he added.
Another senior Defense Department official noted that in addition to construction being on schedule, the department is on the right track with respect to the new Walter Reed.
"First of all, there was a growing mismatch between the location of eligible beneficiaries, with active duty families concentrating in the southern part of the region, and the location of the major medical facilities to the north," said Dorothy Robyn, deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment.
With the estimated cost of $500 million to renovate or $700 million to replace the existing Walter Reed facility, and the six to 15 years that would be needed to accomplish that process, the realignment was the right decision, she said. In addition, she noted, the existing facilities at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center had excessive inpatient capacity, and Walter Reed's infrastructure was deteriorating from heavy use and chronic underinvestment.
The Defense Health Board Subcommittee recently suggested a possible delay in the construction of the new facilities pending further planning of additional improvements outside the scope of BRAC to make the new Walter Reed "world class," Robyn said.
"We fully agree with the need for additional improvements," she told the panel, "but we think it is not necessary to halt the BRAC construction process, and we think to do so would jeopardize the benefits that this endeavor promises. Most importantly, without the discipline of the BRAC process, we could not have overcome the inertia and the impediments to change that created the problems I described in the first place."
The additional improvements being discussed can be addressed separately and subsequently, she added.
Robyn acknowledged the consolidation is a large and complex undertaking, but said it represents a reasonable and balanced approach. The result, she told the panel, will be a superior health-care delivery system.
Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) John M. Mateczun, commander of Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical, agreed. "This transformation will allow the [Defense Department] and the military services to capitalize on their collective strengths, maintain high levels of readiness, [and] provide world-class health care to our armed forces and their families," he said.
The admiral also reassured the lawmakers that patient care remains as his top priority during the consolidation.
"We are committed not just to world-class care, but to the best care that can be provided any time, any place, to the wounded that are coming to us from the theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan," Mateczun said. "We will suffer no diminishment of care or patient safety during this transition to be able to achieve the goals the department has."
In addition to all the BRAC-related construction, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is building a National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the Bethesda campus. The center will offer diagnosis, treatment planning, research, family-centered education, and long-term follow-up for military personnel with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a not-for-profit organization working to support veterans and their families, will pay for the construction and major equipment costs for the center and will donate it to the government upon completion.
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 3, 2009 - Realignment of military medical facilities in the national capital region ordered by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission is on track to meet the commission's deadline, senior Defense Department officials said here yesterday. Walter Reed Army Medical Center here is consolidating with the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and a new hospital is under construction at Fort Belvoir, Va.
"Recommendations proposed a transition from a legacy service-specific medical infrastructure into a premier, modernized joint operational medicine platform," said Allen W. Middleton, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. "We are making great progress, and I am pleased to report that we are on track to implement the BRAC recommendations by the statutory deadline of Sept. 15, 2011."
Middleton testified before the House Armed Services Committee's joint readiness and military personnel subcommittees that new construction at the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on the Bethesda campus is more than 60 percent complete. New inpatient and outpatient additions are under construction, and work is beginning for wounded warrior lodging, a dining facility, an administrative complex, a gym and a parking garage complex, Middleton said.
Meanwhile, the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital is more than 50 percent complete, and will provide a total replacement of the existing community hospital, he said.
"We acknowledge that completion of construction activities represents only part of the story," Middleton told the lawmakers. "Although our primary focus has been completing BRAC recommendations before the deadline, we understand that 'world-class' health-care facilities is a long-term commitment to improvement beyond BRAC, and that additional investments are required to achieve that end state."
The department is willing to support Joint Task Force Capital Medical Region and the military services in identifying additional non-BRAC requirements and ensuring they're considered in future budget requests, he added.
Another senior Defense Department official noted that in addition to construction being on schedule, the department is on the right track with respect to the new Walter Reed.
"First of all, there was a growing mismatch between the location of eligible beneficiaries, with active duty families concentrating in the southern part of the region, and the location of the major medical facilities to the north," said Dorothy Robyn, deputy under secretary of defense for installations and environment.
With the estimated cost of $500 million to renovate or $700 million to replace the existing Walter Reed facility, and the six to 15 years that would be needed to accomplish that process, the realignment was the right decision, she said. In addition, she noted, the existing facilities at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and Walter Reed Army Medical Center had excessive inpatient capacity, and Walter Reed's infrastructure was deteriorating from heavy use and chronic underinvestment.
The Defense Health Board Subcommittee recently suggested a possible delay in the construction of the new facilities pending further planning of additional improvements outside the scope of BRAC to make the new Walter Reed "world class," Robyn said.
"We fully agree with the need for additional improvements," she told the panel, "but we think it is not necessary to halt the BRAC construction process, and we think to do so would jeopardize the benefits that this endeavor promises. Most importantly, without the discipline of the BRAC process, we could not have overcome the inertia and the impediments to change that created the problems I described in the first place."
The additional improvements being discussed can be addressed separately and subsequently, she added.
Robyn acknowledged the consolidation is a large and complex undertaking, but said it represents a reasonable and balanced approach. The result, she told the panel, will be a superior health-care delivery system.
Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) John M. Mateczun, commander of Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical, agreed. "This transformation will allow the [Defense Department] and the military services to capitalize on their collective strengths, maintain high levels of readiness, [and] provide world-class health care to our armed forces and their families," he said.
The admiral also reassured the lawmakers that patient care remains as his top priority during the consolidation.
"We are committed not just to world-class care, but to the best care that can be provided any time, any place, to the wounded that are coming to us from the theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan," Mateczun said. "We will suffer no diminishment of care or patient safety during this transition to be able to achieve the goals the department has."
In addition to all the BRAC-related construction, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund is building a National Intrepid Center of Excellence on the Bethesda campus. The center will offer diagnosis, treatment planning, research, family-centered education, and long-term follow-up for military personnel with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions.
The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a not-for-profit organization working to support veterans and their families, will pay for the construction and major equipment costs for the center and will donate it to the government upon completion.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
MILITARY CONTRACTS December 2, 2009
NAVY
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a letter contract with a not-to-exceed amount of $170,700,000 for long lead time material in support of the construction of DDG 113 under the DDG 51 Class destroyer program. This contract provides propulsion gas turbines, generators, controllable pitch propeller and other components to support construction of DDG 113. Work is anticipated to be performed in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana., Mississippi, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-10-C-2308).
Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Va., is being awarded a $28,163,676 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00421-03-D-0014) to execute an award term for continued E-2/C-2 planning, program and financial services in support of the Navy and the government of Egypt under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Systems Engineering Associates Corp.*, Middletown, R.I., is being awarded a $24,394,707 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services in support of the Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department. Efforts will include applying the extensible markup language test data analysis tool technology to legacy C5I and weapon systems. The work under the contract will also include studies, research, development, analysis for system integration, customizing prototype to specific platform needs, test and evaluation, production buys, support, and training. Work will be performed in Middletown, R.I. (65 percent), and various government sites (35 percent). Work is expected to be completed by December 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-10-D-0205).
Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a cost plus fixed-fee type contract with a Not-to-Exceed amount of $11,500,000 for non-personal professional engineering, technical and management support services in support of the Joint Technology Assessment Activity component of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane. Work will be performed in Crane, Ind. (50 precent); Sullivan, Ind. (10 precent); Butlerville, Ind. (10 precent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (10 precent); Yuma, Ariz. (10 precent); and Mercury, Nev. (10 precent), and is expected to be completed by November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-C-JR01).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $9,518,720 order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for the necessary personnel, material and support to repair or replace damaged components of Kuwait F/A-18 aircraft tail number 421 for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, and is expected to be completed in December 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $5,954,085 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0083) to exercise an option for maintenance, logistics and engineering supplies and services for F100-PW-220/220E augmented turbofan engines, modules and serviceable parts for F-16A and F-16B aircraft based at Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, Nev. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed in November 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $5,954,085 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $5,743,621 for task order #0087 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9011) This task order is issued for Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle support services. Technical support under this effort includes the support services to advance the use of technology to improve system performance and operations, achieve design-to-unit production cost objectives, and to define mature production and manufacturing processes. Work will be performed in Woodbridge, Va., and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Inc., Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a letter contract with a not-to-exceed amount of $170,700,000 for long lead time material in support of the construction of DDG 113 under the DDG 51 Class destroyer program. This contract provides propulsion gas turbines, generators, controllable pitch propeller and other components to support construction of DDG 113. Work is anticipated to be performed in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana., Mississippi, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. Work is expected to be completed by January 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-10-C-2308).
Deloitte Consulting LLP, Arlington, Va., is being awarded a $28,163,676 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award contract (N00421-03-D-0014) to execute an award term for continued E-2/C-2 planning, program and financial services in support of the Navy and the government of Egypt under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Systems Engineering Associates Corp.*, Middletown, R.I., is being awarded a $24,394,707 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for engineering services in support of the Undersea Warfare Combat Systems Department. Efforts will include applying the extensible markup language test data analysis tool technology to legacy C5I and weapon systems. The work under the contract will also include studies, research, development, analysis for system integration, customizing prototype to specific platform needs, test and evaluation, production buys, support, and training. Work will be performed in Middletown, R.I. (65 percent), and various government sites (35 percent). Work is expected to be completed by December 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport, R.I., is the contracting activity (N66604-10-D-0205).
Science Applications International Corporation, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a cost plus fixed-fee type contract with a Not-to-Exceed amount of $11,500,000 for non-personal professional engineering, technical and management support services in support of the Joint Technology Assessment Activity component of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane. Work will be performed in Crane, Ind. (50 precent); Sullivan, Ind. (10 precent); Butlerville, Ind. (10 precent); Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (10 precent); Yuma, Ariz. (10 precent); and Mercury, Nev. (10 precent), and is expected to be completed by November 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-10-C-JR01).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $9,518,720 order against a previously issued Basic Ordering Agreement (N00019-05-G-0026) for the necessary personnel, material and support to repair or replace damaged components of Kuwait F/A-18 aircraft tail number 421 for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, and is expected to be completed in December 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded a $5,954,085 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-09-C-0083) to exercise an option for maintenance, logistics and engineering supplies and services for F100-PW-220/220E augmented turbofan engines, modules and serviceable parts for F-16A and F-16B aircraft based at Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, Nev. Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be completed in November 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $5,954,085 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Dumfries, Va., is being awarded $5,743,621 for task order #0087 under previously awarded contract (M67854-02-A-9011) This task order is issued for Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle support services. Technical support under this effort includes the support services to advance the use of technology to improve system performance and operations, achieve design-to-unit production cost objectives, and to define mature production and manufacturing processes. Work will be performed in Woodbridge, Va., and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps System Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Challenge Academy pays tribute to fallen friend
December 2, 2009 A United States Marine killed in action in Iraq, who had served on the cadre staff at the Wisconsin Challenge Academy at Fort McCoy, was honored at a flagpole and marker dedication ceremony at the Academy Dec. 1. "Sgt. Andy Stevens was a Marine dedicated to his country," Academy Director M.G. MacLaren told guests and the platoon of cadets at the ceremony, "and a charitable citizen to his community as he assumed the role of teacher and mentor for many young adolescents throughout the state of Wisconsin."
Faithful, honorable and charitable is how MacLaren said colleagues at the academy remembered Stevens.
MacLaren led the dedication ceremony at the Academy. The 25-foot flagpole and marker were donated by Stevens' parents, Allen Stevens and Kaye Olson and step-father John Olson and stepmother Deb Schroeder.
A flag detail of three cadets raised a new U.S. flag to full-staff, and then lowered the flag to halfstaff as part of the dedication. The four parents, with MacLaren's assistance, then removed a shroud from a memorial marker at the foot of the flagpole. The steel plate marker is etched with a photo of Stevens and the words "SGT Andy Stevens, USMC, KIA Fallujah, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2005."
"It is quite fitting this ceremony is held today, Dec. 1," MacLaren said. "For it was exactly four years ago today that, while on foot patrol with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, near the city of Fallujah, in the province of al Anbar, Iraq, Sgt. Stevens' unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire."
"Sgt. Stevens and nine other Marines died of injuries as the result of that enemy attack," MacLaren said.
Following Stevens' graduation from Tomah High School in 1995, he enlisted in the Marines. His life shifted to the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Challenge program at Fort McCoy, then back to the Marines, MacLaren said.
During Stevens' year between Marine Corps hitches, he served as a team leader with the Badger Challenge program for two summers and the Challenge Academy in between.
MacLaren, quoting one of Stevens' academy colleagues, said "he worked with me at Badger [Challenge] in 1999, and I remember how very well he worked with the kids, and I remember how he did it. He was one of the few staff there who understood the science behind what we did and how we did it.
"He always had a teaching point behind everything he did and made sure the kids knew the teaching point," the colleague wrote. "He was one of those team leaders who was firm, hard and fair, but he always made sure to come full-circle with the kids, ensuring they learned from every experience."
Stevens was born Aug. 18, 1976, in Tomah. He was a decorated scout sniper and infantry squad leader. He is buried in Highland Cemetery, Menomonie, Wis.
Attending the ceremony at Fort McCoy were Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, deputy adjutant general for Army; Brig. Gen. (retired) Andy Schuster; Col. (retired) Larry Olson, executive assistant to the adjutant general; State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper; and Pastor Bill Rice of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Tomah where Stevens was a member.
Schuster was the Badger Challenge director when Stevens was on the staff. Olson has agency oversight for the National Guard Challenge program.
Faithful, honorable and charitable is how MacLaren said colleagues at the academy remembered Stevens.
MacLaren led the dedication ceremony at the Academy. The 25-foot flagpole and marker were donated by Stevens' parents, Allen Stevens and Kaye Olson and step-father John Olson and stepmother Deb Schroeder.
A flag detail of three cadets raised a new U.S. flag to full-staff, and then lowered the flag to halfstaff as part of the dedication. The four parents, with MacLaren's assistance, then removed a shroud from a memorial marker at the foot of the flagpole. The steel plate marker is etched with a photo of Stevens and the words "SGT Andy Stevens, USMC, KIA Fallujah, Iraq, Dec. 1, 2005."
"It is quite fitting this ceremony is held today, Dec. 1," MacLaren said. "For it was exactly four years ago today that, while on foot patrol with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, near the city of Fallujah, in the province of al Anbar, Iraq, Sgt. Stevens' unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire."
"Sgt. Stevens and nine other Marines died of injuries as the result of that enemy attack," MacLaren said.
Following Stevens' graduation from Tomah High School in 1995, he enlisted in the Marines. His life shifted to the Wisconsin Army National Guard's Challenge program at Fort McCoy, then back to the Marines, MacLaren said.
During Stevens' year between Marine Corps hitches, he served as a team leader with the Badger Challenge program for two summers and the Challenge Academy in between.
MacLaren, quoting one of Stevens' academy colleagues, said "he worked with me at Badger [Challenge] in 1999, and I remember how very well he worked with the kids, and I remember how he did it. He was one of the few staff there who understood the science behind what we did and how we did it.
"He always had a teaching point behind everything he did and made sure the kids knew the teaching point," the colleague wrote. "He was one of those team leaders who was firm, hard and fair, but he always made sure to come full-circle with the kids, ensuring they learned from every experience."
Stevens was born Aug. 18, 1976, in Tomah. He was a decorated scout sniper and infantry squad leader. He is buried in Highland Cemetery, Menomonie, Wis.
Attending the ceremony at Fort McCoy were Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, deputy adjutant general for Army; Brig. Gen. (retired) Andy Schuster; Col. (retired) Larry Olson, executive assistant to the adjutant general; State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper; and Pastor Bill Rice of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Tomah where Stevens was a member.
Schuster was the Badger Challenge director when Stevens was on the staff. Olson has agency oversight for the National Guard Challenge program.
Army Announces Force Structure Actions
The Army announced today the decision to relocate the Translator/Interpreter Military Occupation Specialty (09L) Advanced Individual Training (AIT) Course from Fort Jackson, S.C. to the proponent school at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, Fort Huachuca, Ariz. Seven positions associated with the training will transfer from Fort Jackson to Fort Huachuca, and six civilian positions assigned to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at Presidio of Monterey, Calif., will also relocate. Implementation of these changes is expected to be completed in January 2010.
The 09L course provides soldiers technical training required to function as military entry-level interpreters/translators. The course will expand the skills of a proficient linguist to assist in cross-cultural communications that may be necessary in tactical, operational, or strategic missions. Relocating the course to Fort Huachuca will achieve efficiencies and synergy in the generating force through training of similar occupational specialties while saving resources as the 09L specialty and force structure matures.
Point of contact for this notification is Lt. Col. Lee Packnett, (703) 614-2487, Office of the Chief of the Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Army.
The 09L course provides soldiers technical training required to function as military entry-level interpreters/translators. The course will expand the skills of a proficient linguist to assist in cross-cultural communications that may be necessary in tactical, operational, or strategic missions. Relocating the course to Fort Huachuca will achieve efficiencies and synergy in the generating force through training of similar occupational specialties while saving resources as the 09L specialty and force structure matures.
Point of contact for this notification is Lt. Col. Lee Packnett, (703) 614-2487, Office of the Chief of the Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Army.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Reservist Stays in Touch With Students
By Air Force Senior Airman David DobrydneySpecial to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2009 - Air Force Master Sgt. Linda Adams has been an elementary school teacher for the past four years. After just one day on the job in the current school year, however, she departed on a four-month deployment to Southwest Asia with her Air Force Reserve unit from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.
"I was able to say hi to my new class, and then I was off," said Adams, the 746th Aircraft Maintenance Unit support section noncommissioned officer in charge.
But this teacher has bridged the distance by keeping up with her students online. Adams' school, Kate Shepard Elementary in Mobile, Ala., maintains a blog site where students can write to and speak with local officials.
"They talk to different people like congressmen or school superintendents," Adams said. "It's a good way for them to learn writing skills and work on their communication skills."
When Adams left for deployment, school officials invited her to join the site. "We are so excited that Ms. Adams is sharing her experiences with our students," said Michelle Dumas, the school principal. "Communicating through the blog allows students to utilize technology and expand their global awareness."
Since her arrival in Southwest Asia, Adams said, students have been sending her e-mails, pictures and letters. "I try my best to answer all of them," she said.
Some students have told her about relatives who serve in the armed forces. For those who don't have military family members, Adams has taken the opportunity to not only help with academic questions, but also to educate her students about the Air Force and its mission.
"The boys will ask questions like, 'what kind of gun do you have?' or 'do you drive a tank?'" Adams said.
"They think of the Air Force and they think of planes, so I'm always asked if I'm a pilot," she said. "I tell the kids not everyone is a pilot and I talk to them about my job as an aircraft mechanic along with other careers in the Air Force."
Adams said her students also often ask about life in Southwest Asia. "They've asked about the country, what it looks like, and what they have here," she said. "I tell them there are malls, sports and music here just like at home. I sent a picture of me riding a camel and they were real excited about that."
Previously, Adams taught fifth-grade students. This year, she was assigned to a kindergarten class.
"Knowing I had to deploy, I didn't even tell them I was their teacher because I didn't want to worry them," she said. "They had more important things to think about than their teacher being gone for four months." However, she recently sent her new class a video of her reading a storybook to them.
"The school's principal asked me to interact with them while here because when I come home, they won't be new students anymore," she said. "I don't want them to wonder who I am when I walk in."
In the meantime, her former students and other students are enjoying the opportunity to communicate with her.
"We've learned a lot about Ms. Adams' job in the Air Force by talking to her on the blog," said Rueben, a fourth grade student. "I've learned that not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot and carries a gun."
"We love to keep in touch with Ms. Adams on the blog because we really miss her," said Ebony, another fourth grader. "Our entire school is proud of her defending our country, but we can't wait for her to come back home to teaching."
(Senior Airman David Dobrydney serves with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)
Catch up with the news from Baghdad
December 1st, 2009 History is being made every day in Baghdad's International Zone, where many of the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Brigade is deployed. Wisconsin Army Guard journalists provide the inside scoop in the latest issue of In The Zone.
http://dma.wi.gov/dma/arng/zone/In_the_zone_November_2009.pdf
http://dma.wi.gov/dma/arng/zone/In_the_zone_November_2009.pdf
Belgians, Americans to Celebrate Anniversary of Landmark Victory
By Kevin Downey
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2009 - Sixty-five years after World War II's landmark Battle of the Bulge, U.S. and Belgian troops will again march side by side in Bastogne on Dec. 12 and 13. Veterans and servicemembers from both nations are scheduled to join thousands of well-wishers, including town officials, dignitaries and local residents, in commemorating the Allied forces' victory in the famous World War II battle.
"The traditional carnival-like atmosphere in Bastogne over the weekend celebrates the historic grit and determination of our two nations' veterans 65 years ago, and the solemn ceremony at the Mardasson Memorial overlooking the city honors the great sacrifices our countrymen have made," said U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Commander Col. James P. Drago. "The spirit of which our Benelux community shares with the citizens of Bastogne demonstrates the undying bond between our Allied nations."
The Battle of the Bulge, which lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, was the largest land battle involving American forces in World War II. More than a million Allied troops fought in the battle across the Ardennes, including about 500,000 Americans and 55,000 British. More than 19,000 U.S. troops were killed in action.
The schedule of events for Dec. 12 includes the 32nd Historical Walk, with marches of 8, 12, 16 or 23 kilometers starting in Bastogne, followed by a parade, commemorative ceremony and wreath laying at Gen. Patton's Monument and McAuliffe Square. Historical re-enactments will be held in the evening, along with a memorial ceremony honoring the more than 75,000 U.S. soldiers killed or wounded during the Battle of the Bulge.
On Dec. 13, there will be a paratrooper drop at the Mardasson Memorial at 11 a.m. local time.
(Kevin Downey works for U.S. Army Garrison Benelux public affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2009 - Sixty-five years after World War II's landmark Battle of the Bulge, U.S. and Belgian troops will again march side by side in Bastogne on Dec. 12 and 13. Veterans and servicemembers from both nations are scheduled to join thousands of well-wishers, including town officials, dignitaries and local residents, in commemorating the Allied forces' victory in the famous World War II battle.
"The traditional carnival-like atmosphere in Bastogne over the weekend celebrates the historic grit and determination of our two nations' veterans 65 years ago, and the solemn ceremony at the Mardasson Memorial overlooking the city honors the great sacrifices our countrymen have made," said U.S. Army Garrison Benelux Commander Col. James P. Drago. "The spirit of which our Benelux community shares with the citizens of Bastogne demonstrates the undying bond between our Allied nations."
The Battle of the Bulge, which lasted from Dec. 16, 1944, to Jan. 25, 1945, was the largest land battle involving American forces in World War II. More than a million Allied troops fought in the battle across the Ardennes, including about 500,000 Americans and 55,000 British. More than 19,000 U.S. troops were killed in action.
The schedule of events for Dec. 12 includes the 32nd Historical Walk, with marches of 8, 12, 16 or 23 kilometers starting in Bastogne, followed by a parade, commemorative ceremony and wreath laying at Gen. Patton's Monument and McAuliffe Square. Historical re-enactments will be held in the evening, along with a memorial ceremony honoring the more than 75,000 U.S. soldiers killed or wounded during the Battle of the Bulge.
On Dec. 13, there will be a paratrooper drop at the Mardasson Memorial at 11 a.m. local time.
(Kevin Downey works for U.S. Army Garrison Benelux public affairs.)
Global Strike Command Assumes Ballistic Missile Mission
American Forces Press Service
Dec. 1, 2009 - Air Force Global Strike Command assumes the U.S. Air Force's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile mission today. The transfer of the mission is part of a phased approach, which began in August with the activation of the Global Strike Command, to unify all Air Force nuclear-capable assets under one command, officials said.
"We are well on our way to consolidating all of our Air Force assets in this critical mission area under a single command -- one that will serve as a single major command voice to maintain the high standards necessary for stewardship of our nation's most powerful weapons," said Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, commander of the Global Strike Command.
The new command gains three missile wings, one each at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.; and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., with the assumption of the entire 20th Air Force mission, including that organization's responsibility for all of the United States' 450 ICBMs.
The 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., as well as the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., also now come under the Command's responsibility. Previously, all of those units were part of Air Force Space Command.
"The creation of this new command reflects the Air Force's firm and unshakable conviction that nuclear deterrence and global strike operations are a special trust and responsibility — one that we take very seriously," Klotz said.
On Feb. 1, Global Strike Command also will gain 8th Air Force, based at Barksdale, and along with it, 8th Air Force's nuclear-capable bombers. At that time, the command also will acquire the B-52 Stratofortress wings at Barksdale and Minot, and the B-2 Spirit wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
The Air Force Global Strike Command was established in an effort to boost security and reduce errors.
In a 2007 incident, nuclear weapons were loaded aboard a B-52 bomber at Minot Air Force Base and flown to Barksdale before the mistake was discovered. In another incident, nuclear nose cones mistakenly were shipped to Taiwan. As a result, then-Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and then-Air force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley resigned. Another 15 officers, including six generals, were disciplined.
The new command is part of a roadmap to improving the Air Force's Stewardship of its nuclear program, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said during an October 2008 Pentagon media roundtable to introduce the plan.
"This is a critical milestone for us. It's a new starting point for reinvigoration of this enterprise," he said then. "The changes we make today will help us focus on this enterprise regardless of other changes in Air Force missions along the way, and regardless of how big or small the nuclear enterprise is."
Dec. 1, 2009 - Air Force Global Strike Command assumes the U.S. Air Force's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile mission today. The transfer of the mission is part of a phased approach, which began in August with the activation of the Global Strike Command, to unify all Air Force nuclear-capable assets under one command, officials said.
"We are well on our way to consolidating all of our Air Force assets in this critical mission area under a single command -- one that will serve as a single major command voice to maintain the high standards necessary for stewardship of our nation's most powerful weapons," said Lt. Gen. Frank G. Klotz, commander of the Global Strike Command.
The new command gains three missile wings, one each at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo.; Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont.; and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., with the assumption of the entire 20th Air Force mission, including that organization's responsibility for all of the United States' 450 ICBMs.
The 576th Flight Test Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., as well as the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., also now come under the Command's responsibility. Previously, all of those units were part of Air Force Space Command.
"The creation of this new command reflects the Air Force's firm and unshakable conviction that nuclear deterrence and global strike operations are a special trust and responsibility — one that we take very seriously," Klotz said.
On Feb. 1, Global Strike Command also will gain 8th Air Force, based at Barksdale, and along with it, 8th Air Force's nuclear-capable bombers. At that time, the command also will acquire the B-52 Stratofortress wings at Barksdale and Minot, and the B-2 Spirit wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.
The Air Force Global Strike Command was established in an effort to boost security and reduce errors.
In a 2007 incident, nuclear weapons were loaded aboard a B-52 bomber at Minot Air Force Base and flown to Barksdale before the mistake was discovered. In another incident, nuclear nose cones mistakenly were shipped to Taiwan. As a result, then-Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and then-Air force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley resigned. Another 15 officers, including six generals, were disciplined.
The new command is part of a roadmap to improving the Air Force's Stewardship of its nuclear program, Air Force Secretary Michael B. Donley said during an October 2008 Pentagon media roundtable to introduce the plan.
"This is a critical milestone for us. It's a new starting point for reinvigoration of this enterprise," he said then. "The changes we make today will help us focus on this enterprise regardless of other changes in Air Force missions along the way, and regardless of how big or small the nuclear enterprise is."
Department Observes World AIDS Day, Notes Contributions
By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service
The Defense Department is commemorating World HIV/AIDS Awareness Day today with a broad range of activities with partner militaries aimed at education and prevention, and with progress toward developing the first-ever vaccine.
“Working Together,” the theme of this year’s worldwide commemoration, describes the role the department plays in the overall U.S. government effort, as well as how U.S. military members work hand in hand with other militaries around the world to address the disease, said Rick Shaffer, director of the Defense Department’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.
Shaffer called recently announced progress an Army-sponsored program is making toward developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine one of the most exciting results of that collaboration.
The research began in 1995 when the Thai national army approached the United States to establish a world program to monitor HIV.
The fruit of that partnership, which includes the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the National Institutes of Health, Sanofi Pasteur and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases, is an experimental vaccine that dramatically reduces the risk of infection with the HIV/AIDS virus.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of progress for a vaccine, and it’s been shown for the first time that it may be possible to prevent HIV/AIDS,” Shaffer said.
With an HIV/AIDS vaccine “still a number of years down the road,” the U.S. military supports the overall U.S. government HIV/AIDS program largely by helping partner militaries with their own prevention, care and treatment programs.
The Defense Department’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, based at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, serves as the department’s executive agent for the technical assistance, management and administrative support of the global HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment for foreign militaries.
The U.S. military has provided partner militaries support, technical assistance and resources for their own programs since 2001, Shaffer said. That effort expanded in 2003 with the launch of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which State Department officials describe as the largest commitment any country has ever made to combat a single disease.
The Defense Department currently has HIV/AIDS prevention programs in 80 countries around the world.
Shaffer called these partnerships a way to enhance medical security cooperation – just as military exercises and exchanges promote other aspects of security. That’s important for overall security and stability, because the prevalence of AIDS weakens governments, militaries and economies and can hinder peacekeeping efforts.
“It’s been a real benefit for both the U.S. military, as well as the partner militaries, to be part of PEPFAR and have this mission,” Shaffer said.
Today, in recognition of World HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the U.S. military is supporting a variety of activities around the world to increase awareness and promote prevention.
U.S. Africa Command sponsored a forum of health specialists, doctors and staff yesterday at its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, to discuss positive trends in combating HIV/AIDS.
Maj. Wes Palmer, a health specialist in Africom’s health division, reported improvements since 2008, with the most dramatic decline yet in new infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the United Nations and World Health Organization, the region’s annual HIV-related mortality dropped 18 percent since 2004, and Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a 25-percent decrease in new infections between 1995 and 2008.
Meanwhile, U.S. and partner militaries are coming together today through a variety of special activities to provide camaraderie and fun – as well as HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing, Shaffer said.
In Kenya, counseling and testing is being offered during local soccer matches, beauty contests and body-building contests. In Liberia, a kickball and volleyball match is bringing together the host country’s military, U.S. Navy Seabees and other partners. In Uganda, the military, U.S Embassy, Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Agency for International Development are sponsoring a game show based on the American TV show “Jeopardy” that’s designed to increase HIV awareness and prevention.
If there’s a single lesson from the U.S. and global HIV/AIDS efforts, it’s the importance of comprehensive programs with established policies and priorities and top-level emphasis, Shaffer said. While optimistic about the collective progress the programs are making, he emphasized that it’s far too soon to claim victory over HIV/AIDS.
"The Department of Defense is proud to be an implementing partner in what has been a bold call for action abroad and an equally bold call for a new way of doing business here at home," he said. "We look forward to continuing to answer the call to come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
The Defense Department is commemorating World HIV/AIDS Awareness Day today with a broad range of activities with partner militaries aimed at education and prevention, and with progress toward developing the first-ever vaccine.
“Working Together,” the theme of this year’s worldwide commemoration, describes the role the department plays in the overall U.S. government effort, as well as how U.S. military members work hand in hand with other militaries around the world to address the disease, said Rick Shaffer, director of the Defense Department’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.
Shaffer called recently announced progress an Army-sponsored program is making toward developing an HIV/AIDS vaccine one of the most exciting results of that collaboration.
The research began in 1995 when the Thai national army approached the United States to establish a world program to monitor HIV.
The fruit of that partnership, which includes the Thai Ministry of Public Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, the National Institutes of Health, Sanofi Pasteur and Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases, is an experimental vaccine that dramatically reduces the risk of infection with the HIV/AIDS virus.
“There’s been a tremendous amount of progress for a vaccine, and it’s been shown for the first time that it may be possible to prevent HIV/AIDS,” Shaffer said.
With an HIV/AIDS vaccine “still a number of years down the road,” the U.S. military supports the overall U.S. government HIV/AIDS program largely by helping partner militaries with their own prevention, care and treatment programs.
The Defense Department’s HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, based at the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, serves as the department’s executive agent for the technical assistance, management and administrative support of the global HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment for foreign militaries.
The U.S. military has provided partner militaries support, technical assistance and resources for their own programs since 2001, Shaffer said. That effort expanded in 2003 with the launch of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, which State Department officials describe as the largest commitment any country has ever made to combat a single disease.
The Defense Department currently has HIV/AIDS prevention programs in 80 countries around the world.
Shaffer called these partnerships a way to enhance medical security cooperation – just as military exercises and exchanges promote other aspects of security. That’s important for overall security and stability, because the prevalence of AIDS weakens governments, militaries and economies and can hinder peacekeeping efforts.
“It’s been a real benefit for both the U.S. military, as well as the partner militaries, to be part of PEPFAR and have this mission,” Shaffer said.
Today, in recognition of World HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the U.S. military is supporting a variety of activities around the world to increase awareness and promote prevention.
U.S. Africa Command sponsored a forum of health specialists, doctors and staff yesterday at its headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, to discuss positive trends in combating HIV/AIDS.
Maj. Wes Palmer, a health specialist in Africom’s health division, reported improvements since 2008, with the most dramatic decline yet in new infections in Sub-Saharan Africa. According to the United Nations and World Health Organization, the region’s annual HIV-related mortality dropped 18 percent since 2004, and Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a 25-percent decrease in new infections between 1995 and 2008.
Meanwhile, U.S. and partner militaries are coming together today through a variety of special activities to provide camaraderie and fun – as well as HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing, Shaffer said.
In Kenya, counseling and testing is being offered during local soccer matches, beauty contests and body-building contests. In Liberia, a kickball and volleyball match is bringing together the host country’s military, U.S. Navy Seabees and other partners. In Uganda, the military, U.S Embassy, Centers for Disease Control and U.S. Agency for International Development are sponsoring a game show based on the American TV show “Jeopardy” that’s designed to increase HIV awareness and prevention.
If there’s a single lesson from the U.S. and global HIV/AIDS efforts, it’s the importance of comprehensive programs with established policies and priorities and top-level emphasis, Shaffer said. While optimistic about the collective progress the programs are making, he emphasized that it’s far too soon to claim victory over HIV/AIDS.
"The Department of Defense is proud to be an implementing partner in what has been a bold call for action abroad and an equally bold call for a new way of doing business here at home," he said. "We look forward to continuing to answer the call to come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
MILITARY CONTRACTS December 1, 2009
AIR FORCE
United Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $1,722,906,899 contract which provides F117-PW-100 installation of engines, spare engines and associated data for the C-17 aircraft. A total of up to 208 engines may be acquired under this contract. At this time, no money has been obligated. 577 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-07-D-2073).
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $57,300,000 contract which provides non-personal services to support the operations and sustainment of Milstar and the Defense Satellite Communications System for the next eight months. At this time, $28,650,000 has been obligated. HQ MCSW/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8808-10-C-0002).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $39,500,000 contract which provides contractor sustainment for the AEHF satellite ground segment from Dec. 1, 2009, to Sep. 30, 2010. At this time, $39,500,000 has been obligated. MCSW/PKA, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-02-C-0002, P00399).
The Boeing Co., Seattle, was awarded a $28,000,000 contract which provides for one Boeing 737 C-40B aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-10-C-6599).
United Launch Services, LLC, Centennial, Colo., was awarded a $16,024,713 contract which provides the final close out of the Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) III Delta II contract and transfer of required MLV III assets to a NASA contract. At this time, $16,024,713 has been obligated. LRS/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-93-C-0004, P00386).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, was awarded a $10,640,071 contract which provides an earned award fee based on the contractor's performance for engineering, manufacturing and development activities in support of the Global Hawk Program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-4600, P00338).
GCC/Thomco, LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and CCI Group, LLC, Shalimar, Fla., were each awarded a $10,000,000 contract which provides acquisition of base engineering requirements, maintenance, repair and minor construction efforts. At this time, no money has been obligated. 96 CONS/PKAC, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA2823-10-D-0001, FA2823-10-D-0002).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $24,306,180 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5103) to exercise an option for fiscal 2010 Aegis Platform Systems Engineering Agent activities and Aegis Modernization Advanced Capability Build engineering. The Platform Systems Engineering Agent manages the in-service combat systems configurations, as well as the integration of new or upgraded capability into the CG57 class of ships and the DDG 51 class of ships. Aegis Modernization will provide upgrades to Aegis cruisers and Aegis destroyers and will be applicable to all Aegis ships with a computer program that is backfit compatible to Baseline 2 cruisers. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Fort Wayne, Ind., is being awarded a $12,738,186 delivery order against a previously issued basic order agreement (N00019-05-G-0008) for the procurement of 30 electronic modules for the Royal Australian Air Force AF/A-18F aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Fort Wayne and is expected to be completed in August 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Capps Shoe Co.*, Lynchburg, Va, is being awarded a maximum $5,652,220 firm-fixed-price, partial set-aside contract for men's dress shoes. Other location of performance is Gretna, Va. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. The original proposal was web solicited with four responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third of four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is Dec. 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (SPM1C1-07-D-0023).
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $5,329,730 firm-fixed-price, partial set-aside contract for men's dress shoes. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ariz.; Big Rapids, Mich.; and Cedar Springs, Mich. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. The original proposal was web solicited with four responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third of four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is Dec. 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (SPM1C1-07-D-0022).
United Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Conn., was awarded a $1,722,906,899 contract which provides F117-PW-100 installation of engines, spare engines and associated data for the C-17 aircraft. A total of up to 208 engines may be acquired under this contract. At this time, no money has been obligated. 577 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-07-D-2073).
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $57,300,000 contract which provides non-personal services to support the operations and sustainment of Milstar and the Defense Satellite Communications System for the next eight months. At this time, $28,650,000 has been obligated. HQ MCSW/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8808-10-C-0002).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $39,500,000 contract which provides contractor sustainment for the AEHF satellite ground segment from Dec. 1, 2009, to Sep. 30, 2010. At this time, $39,500,000 has been obligated. MCSW/PKA, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-02-C-0002, P00399).
The Boeing Co., Seattle, was awarded a $28,000,000 contract which provides for one Boeing 737 C-40B aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8625-10-C-6599).
United Launch Services, LLC, Centennial, Colo., was awarded a $16,024,713 contract which provides the final close out of the Medium Launch Vehicle (MLV) III Delta II contract and transfer of required MLV III assets to a NASA contract. At this time, $16,024,713 has been obligated. LRS/PK, El Segundo, Calif., is the contracting activity (F04701-93-C-0004, P00386).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., San Diego, was awarded a $10,640,071 contract which provides an earned award fee based on the contractor's performance for engineering, manufacturing and development activities in support of the Global Hawk Program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 303 AESG/SYK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33657-01-C-4600, P00338).
GCC/Thomco, LLC, Fort Walton Beach, Fla., and CCI Group, LLC, Shalimar, Fla., were each awarded a $10,000,000 contract which provides acquisition of base engineering requirements, maintenance, repair and minor construction efforts. At this time, no money has been obligated. 96 CONS/PKAC, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA2823-10-D-0001, FA2823-10-D-0002).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems and Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $24,306,180 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-5103) to exercise an option for fiscal 2010 Aegis Platform Systems Engineering Agent activities and Aegis Modernization Advanced Capability Build engineering. The Platform Systems Engineering Agent manages the in-service combat systems configurations, as well as the integration of new or upgraded capability into the CG57 class of ships and the DDG 51 class of ships. Aegis Modernization will provide upgrades to Aegis cruisers and Aegis destroyers and will be applicable to all Aegis ships with a computer program that is backfit compatible to Baseline 2 cruisers. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Raytheon Co., Fort Wayne, Ind., is being awarded a $12,738,186 delivery order against a previously issued basic order agreement (N00019-05-G-0008) for the procurement of 30 electronic modules for the Royal Australian Air Force AF/A-18F aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Fort Wayne and is expected to be completed in August 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Capps Shoe Co.*, Lynchburg, Va, is being awarded a maximum $5,652,220 firm-fixed-price, partial set-aside contract for men's dress shoes. Other location of performance is Gretna, Va. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. The original proposal was web solicited with four responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third of four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is Dec. 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (SPM1C1-07-D-0023).
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $5,329,730 firm-fixed-price, partial set-aside contract for men's dress shoes. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ariz.; Big Rapids, Mich.; and Cedar Springs, Mich. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. The original proposal was web solicited with four responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is exercising the third of four one-year option periods. The date of performance completion is Dec. 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (SPM1C1-07-D-0022).
DoD Remains Strong Partners in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
On this international World AIDS Day, the Military Health System joins the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in honoring the millions of people around the world who have been impacted by the AIDS epidemic while recognizing the significant strides that have been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS over the last 25 years. Launched in 2003 to combat global HIV/AIDS, PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history.
"The Department of Defense is proud to be an implementing partner in what has been a bold call for action abroad and an equally bold call for a new way of doing business here at home," said Richard Shaffer, Ph.D., director for the DoD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP). "We look forward to continuing to answer the call to come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
DHAPP, based at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, Calif., is the DoD Executive Agent for the technical assistance, management, and administrative support of the global HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment for foreign militaries. DHAPP administers funding, directly conducts training, and provides technical assistance for focus countries and other bilateral countries. DHAPP oversees the contributions to PEPFAR of a variety of DoD organizations, which fall under the various regional military commands, as well as specialized DoD institutions whose primary mission falls within the continental United States.
DoD currently has HIV/AIDS prevention programs in eighty countries, where World AIDS Day celebrations and activities will take place. In Kenya, counseling and testing will be offered during local soccer matches, beauty contests and body building contests. In Liberia, a Kickball and Volley ball match will be held between the country military, SEA BEES (US Navy) and Implementing Partners. In Uganda, in collaboration with the CDC, USAID, the Embassy and other local partners, a game show based on the American TV show Jeopardy will take place to increase HIV awareness and prevention
For more information on DHAPP, please visit www.health.mil/profiles.
For more information on PEPFAR, please visit www.pepfar.gov.
About the MHS
America's Military Health System is a unique partnership of medical educators, medical researchers, and health care providers and their support personnel worldwide. This DoD enterprise consists of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; the medical departments of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Combatant Command surgeons; and TRICARE providers (including private sector health care providers, hospitals and pharmacies).
"The Department of Defense is proud to be an implementing partner in what has been a bold call for action abroad and an equally bold call for a new way of doing business here at home," said Richard Shaffer, Ph.D., director for the DoD HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP). "We look forward to continuing to answer the call to come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic."
DHAPP, based at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, Calif., is the DoD Executive Agent for the technical assistance, management, and administrative support of the global HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment for foreign militaries. DHAPP administers funding, directly conducts training, and provides technical assistance for focus countries and other bilateral countries. DHAPP oversees the contributions to PEPFAR of a variety of DoD organizations, which fall under the various regional military commands, as well as specialized DoD institutions whose primary mission falls within the continental United States.
DoD currently has HIV/AIDS prevention programs in eighty countries, where World AIDS Day celebrations and activities will take place. In Kenya, counseling and testing will be offered during local soccer matches, beauty contests and body building contests. In Liberia, a Kickball and Volley ball match will be held between the country military, SEA BEES (US Navy) and Implementing Partners. In Uganda, in collaboration with the CDC, USAID, the Embassy and other local partners, a game show based on the American TV show Jeopardy will take place to increase HIV awareness and prevention
For more information on DHAPP, please visit www.health.mil/profiles.
For more information on PEPFAR, please visit www.pepfar.gov.
About the MHS
America's Military Health System is a unique partnership of medical educators, medical researchers, and health care providers and their support personnel worldwide. This DoD enterprise consists of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs; the medical departments of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Combatant Command surgeons; and TRICARE providers (including private sector health care providers, hospitals and pharmacies).
Bryan Anderson: Triumph Over Adversity
By Jessica Klem Health.mil
Former Army sergeant and triple amputee Bryan Anderson offered a message of perseverance and courage at a recent event held in McLean, Va.. Anderson, who received the Purple Heart for his injuries suffered during a deployment to Iraq, urged those in the audience to “experience life and have fun – you only live once.”
Enlisting in the Army in 2001, Anderson was first assigned as a prison guard at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. His first deployment to Iraq came in 2003. He says he landed in Iraq and found women and children in front of their mud huts, cheering the U.S. troops’ arrival.
“Once we saw that, we said ‘we need to help these people,’” Anderson said. “No one bitched about the sand and heat anymore.”
Upon arriving home after that first deployment, Anderson told family and friends about the excitement and camaraderie he enjoyed in Iraq. Four months later, the letter came in the mail: Anderson was to redeploy to Iraq in another four months.
“Then I started paying attention to the news, to how Iraq [had changed],” he said. “I didn’t think it could be any worse than the actual invasion.”
He deployed to Iraq for a second time in January 2005. On his way to the base after arrival, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the road nearby his truck.
Anderson had seen a few IEDs in 2003, but he said those were made out of soda cans – these IEDs were bigger, harder to spot and were capable of doing much more damage. During his second deployment, Anderson says he saw about 60 IEDs explode daily in just the six-mile radius he patrolled as a sergeant in the Military Police.
“We joked about the IEDs just to stay sane,” he said.
On Oct. 23, 2005, Anderson set out with his unit at 11 a.m. to visit an Iraqi police station but they never made it there. While driving the last Humvee in the convoy, Anderson was lighting a cigarette when he saw a flash of light and black smoke engulf the vehicle.
Anderson knew what was happening, that an IED had exploded and that he needed to get out of the Humvee immediately. But he couldn’t move. He remembers his friends pulling him out of the truck and laying him on the sidewalk.
“I was just trying to get to my gun – we were being attacked,” he said.
It was then that he realized his friends acting strangely, so he started assessing himself – he was missing his left hand and a fingertip on his right hand was gone. His friends tried to stop him before he looked down. Both his legs were gone. “I asked my buddy if I would ever be with a woman again, and we all laughed – we sat there for 12 minutes joking around until the helicopter came.”
Seven days later, Anderson woke up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington with his whole family there to support him.
“The accident hurt [my twin brother] Bob more than it hurt me,” he said. “It hurt to see my family suffering.”
Anderson ultimately spent 13 months at WRAMC in surgeries and physical therapy, where he says he received excellent care.
But four months into rehabilitation, Anderson hit a dark place. “I realized I’m half a person,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep, I was having panic and anxiety attacks. I didn’t want to be alone, but I didn’t want to see anyone, either. But after a while, I just realized I couldn’t live like this.”
Realizing he needed a “real life” away from both the Army and rehab, Anderson went to Las Vegas. He tried to not think about his legs or what had happened – he just had fun. He quickly realized this was his new life goal – to just have fun. He began rock climbing, snowboarding, wake boarding and white water rafting. Nothing about his new body would stop him from fun activities. Anderson has prosthetic legs that enable him to walk but still spends most of his time in his wheelchair.
As Anderson is one of only a few triple amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, he has learned a valuable lesson with his new life.
“You never know when or how an opportunity will come up,” he said. “People are scared of new things or changes, but that’s what I’m about. Life can take you in so many different ways. Get out there, experience life and have fun – you only live once.”
Bryan Anderson is the national spokesman for Quantum Rehab, the maker of Anderson’s powered wheelchairs and other assistive devices, and a spokesman for USA Cares, a nonprofit organization that provides military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need. He appeared in the HBO documentary “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq.”
For more information on Anderson, visit his Web site at www.andersonactive.com.
Former Army sergeant and triple amputee Bryan Anderson offered a message of perseverance and courage at a recent event held in McLean, Va.. Anderson, who received the Purple Heart for his injuries suffered during a deployment to Iraq, urged those in the audience to “experience life and have fun – you only live once.”
Enlisting in the Army in 2001, Anderson was first assigned as a prison guard at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. His first deployment to Iraq came in 2003. He says he landed in Iraq and found women and children in front of their mud huts, cheering the U.S. troops’ arrival.
“Once we saw that, we said ‘we need to help these people,’” Anderson said. “No one bitched about the sand and heat anymore.”
Upon arriving home after that first deployment, Anderson told family and friends about the excitement and camaraderie he enjoyed in Iraq. Four months later, the letter came in the mail: Anderson was to redeploy to Iraq in another four months.
“Then I started paying attention to the news, to how Iraq [had changed],” he said. “I didn’t think it could be any worse than the actual invasion.”
He deployed to Iraq for a second time in January 2005. On his way to the base after arrival, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the road nearby his truck.
Anderson had seen a few IEDs in 2003, but he said those were made out of soda cans – these IEDs were bigger, harder to spot and were capable of doing much more damage. During his second deployment, Anderson says he saw about 60 IEDs explode daily in just the six-mile radius he patrolled as a sergeant in the Military Police.
“We joked about the IEDs just to stay sane,” he said.
On Oct. 23, 2005, Anderson set out with his unit at 11 a.m. to visit an Iraqi police station but they never made it there. While driving the last Humvee in the convoy, Anderson was lighting a cigarette when he saw a flash of light and black smoke engulf the vehicle.
Anderson knew what was happening, that an IED had exploded and that he needed to get out of the Humvee immediately. But he couldn’t move. He remembers his friends pulling him out of the truck and laying him on the sidewalk.
“I was just trying to get to my gun – we were being attacked,” he said.
It was then that he realized his friends acting strangely, so he started assessing himself – he was missing his left hand and a fingertip on his right hand was gone. His friends tried to stop him before he looked down. Both his legs were gone. “I asked my buddy if I would ever be with a woman again, and we all laughed – we sat there for 12 minutes joking around until the helicopter came.”
Seven days later, Anderson woke up at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) in Washington with his whole family there to support him.
“The accident hurt [my twin brother] Bob more than it hurt me,” he said. “It hurt to see my family suffering.”
Anderson ultimately spent 13 months at WRAMC in surgeries and physical therapy, where he says he received excellent care.
But four months into rehabilitation, Anderson hit a dark place. “I realized I’m half a person,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep, I was having panic and anxiety attacks. I didn’t want to be alone, but I didn’t want to see anyone, either. But after a while, I just realized I couldn’t live like this.”
Realizing he needed a “real life” away from both the Army and rehab, Anderson went to Las Vegas. He tried to not think about his legs or what had happened – he just had fun. He quickly realized this was his new life goal – to just have fun. He began rock climbing, snowboarding, wake boarding and white water rafting. Nothing about his new body would stop him from fun activities. Anderson has prosthetic legs that enable him to walk but still spends most of his time in his wheelchair.
As Anderson is one of only a few triple amputees from Iraq and Afghanistan, he has learned a valuable lesson with his new life.
“You never know when or how an opportunity will come up,” he said. “People are scared of new things or changes, but that’s what I’m about. Life can take you in so many different ways. Get out there, experience life and have fun – you only live once.”
Bryan Anderson is the national spokesman for Quantum Rehab, the maker of Anderson’s powered wheelchairs and other assistive devices, and a spokesman for USA Cares, a nonprofit organization that provides military families with financial and advocacy support in their time of need. He appeared in the HBO documentary “Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq.”
For more information on Anderson, visit his Web site at www.andersonactive.com.
Choices Let Guard, Reserve Members Transition with TRICARE
The activation and deactivation cycle of National Guard and Reserve members can be a challenging process for service members and their families. TRICARE now offers many options for recently deactivated guardsmen, reservists and their families to maintain their health during the transition from active duty back to civilian life.
After serving in contingency operations for more than 30 days, deactivated guardsmen, reservists and their family members are eligible to receive care through the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) for 180 days after deactivation. TAMP participants can choose TRICARE Standard or TRICARE Prime if it is locally available. Under TAMP, TRICARE Prime requires re-enrollment for sponsors and family members, but there are no fees associated with enrollment.
During TAMP, if a guardsman or reservist has a newly diagnosed medical condition that can be resolved within 180 days of diagnosis and the condition is service-related, he or she may apply for Transitional Care for Service-Related Conditions (TCSRC). To treat the condition TCSRC extends transitional coverage for up to 180 additional days from the date of diagnosis. For more information go to http://www.tricare.mil/tcsrc.
TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) was created to support reservists and guardsmen and their families while they’re not on active duty. TRS is premium-based coverage qualified National guard and Reserve members may purchase at any time. For 2009 premiums are $47.51 per month for individual coverage and $180.17 per month for member-and-family coverage, and rates are adjusted annually. Participants can get care from any TRICARE-authorized provider and in military treatment facilities on a space-available basis. TRS participants must meet a deductible based on the sponsor’s pay grade before cost-sharing of services begins.
To qualify for TRS, a guardsman or reservist must be a member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve and not eligible for, or covered by, the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Coverage cannot overlap with other TRICARE programs such as TAMP.
TRS coverage automatically ends when a Guardsman or Reservist is activated. Once deactivated, sponsors can purchase TRS again if they still qualify. For more information on TRS, go to http://www.tricare.mil/trs. Reservists and guardsmen can qualify for and purchase TRS coverage online at the Guard and Reserve Web Portal at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/trs/index.jsp.
The Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) is another health care option for qualified National Guard and Reserve members. Guardsmen and reservists not eligible for TRICARE can get more information about CHCBP at http://www.tricare.mil/chcbp.
While covered under TRS, TAMP or CHCBP, Reserve and National Guard members and their families have TRICARE prescription drug coverage. They may also purchase dental care coverage through the TRICARE Dental Program at any time.
Learn more about TRICARE options through the activation and deactivation cycle online at the TRICARE beneficiary portal at http://tricare.mil/mybenefit.
About TRICARE Management Activity and the Military Health System
TRICARE Management Activity, the Defense Department activity that administers the health care plan for the uniformed services, retirees and their families, serves more than 9.5 million eligible beneficiaries worldwide in the Military Health System (MHS). The mission of the MHS is to enhance Department of Defense and national security by providing health support for the full range of military operations. The MHS provides quality medical care through a network of providers, military treatment facilities, medical clinics and dental clinics worldwide. For more about the MHS go to www.health.mil.
After serving in contingency operations for more than 30 days, deactivated guardsmen, reservists and their family members are eligible to receive care through the Transitional Assistance Management Program (TAMP) for 180 days after deactivation. TAMP participants can choose TRICARE Standard or TRICARE Prime if it is locally available. Under TAMP, TRICARE Prime requires re-enrollment for sponsors and family members, but there are no fees associated with enrollment.
During TAMP, if a guardsman or reservist has a newly diagnosed medical condition that can be resolved within 180 days of diagnosis and the condition is service-related, he or she may apply for Transitional Care for Service-Related Conditions (TCSRC). To treat the condition TCSRC extends transitional coverage for up to 180 additional days from the date of diagnosis. For more information go to http://www.tricare.mil/tcsrc.
TRICARE Reserve Select (TRS) was created to support reservists and guardsmen and their families while they’re not on active duty. TRS is premium-based coverage qualified National guard and Reserve members may purchase at any time. For 2009 premiums are $47.51 per month for individual coverage and $180.17 per month for member-and-family coverage, and rates are adjusted annually. Participants can get care from any TRICARE-authorized provider and in military treatment facilities on a space-available basis. TRS participants must meet a deductible based on the sponsor’s pay grade before cost-sharing of services begins.
To qualify for TRS, a guardsman or reservist must be a member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve and not eligible for, or covered by, the Federal Employees Health Benefits program. Coverage cannot overlap with other TRICARE programs such as TAMP.
TRS coverage automatically ends when a Guardsman or Reservist is activated. Once deactivated, sponsors can purchase TRS again if they still qualify. For more information on TRS, go to http://www.tricare.mil/trs. Reservists and guardsmen can qualify for and purchase TRS coverage online at the Guard and Reserve Web Portal at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/trs/index.jsp.
The Continued Health Care Benefit Program (CHCBP) is another health care option for qualified National Guard and Reserve members. Guardsmen and reservists not eligible for TRICARE can get more information about CHCBP at http://www.tricare.mil/chcbp.
While covered under TRS, TAMP or CHCBP, Reserve and National Guard members and their families have TRICARE prescription drug coverage. They may also purchase dental care coverage through the TRICARE Dental Program at any time.
Learn more about TRICARE options through the activation and deactivation cycle online at the TRICARE beneficiary portal at http://tricare.mil/mybenefit.
About TRICARE Management Activity and the Military Health System
TRICARE Management Activity, the Defense Department activity that administers the health care plan for the uniformed services, retirees and their families, serves more than 9.5 million eligible beneficiaries worldwide in the Military Health System (MHS). The mission of the MHS is to enhance Department of Defense and national security by providing health support for the full range of military operations. The MHS provides quality medical care through a network of providers, military treatment facilities, medical clinics and dental clinics worldwide. For more about the MHS go to www.health.mil.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Executives Honor Soldier Working for Wounded Care
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2009 - A young Army captain wounded in Iraq and now working to improve conditions for other wounded servicemembers will be honored by the Business Executives for National Service tonight in New York. Capt. D.J. Skelton will receive a special recognition from the group during their annual black-tie Eisenhower Award dinner. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the recipient of this year's Eisenhower Award.
Skelton, from Elk Point, S.D., was grievously wounded when he was hit in the chest by a rocket-propelled grenade in Fallujah in November 2004. Today, he works in the Office of Warrior and Family Support for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The young captain was a Chinese language specialist as an enlisted soldier, then attended West Point where he graduated in 2003. He was an infantry officer in the 5th Infantry's 1st Battalion, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Skelton lost his left eye and is still undergoing operations, but he works a full day and then some to ensure wounded servicemembers get the care they need.
His own experiences inform his work. "I was in Walter Reed for five months and went through a number of operations," he said during an interview. "Then, I left to go back to Fort Lewis for my review board."
His unit was still deployed and he went back to Lewis to help the rear detachment cope. Skelton had grown up rock climbing and doing all sorts of outdoor activities. He reconnected with outdoor organizations at Lewis and rehabilitated his arms and legs.
"Between May and August [2005] I had learned how to walk, learned how to jog, ran a marathon, rock-climbed, climbed Mount Rainier with one arm and did all this fun stuff, and didn't really want to hear the Army say, Thanks, but now you're broken and we don't need you anymore," he said.
Skelton stayed in the service and was assigned to Fort Greeley, Alaska, as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense project. "I was the operations officer and those people really helped me," he said. "I also did a lot of thinking about the gaps in the system that really bothered me."
The process for those wounded is incredibly complicated and has many moving parts, Skelton said. DoD, VA, Congress, local organizations all have roles to play. "I was trying to take all these real-life experiences and apply them," he said.
He started firing e-mails to department leaders. "To make a long story short, [Defense] Secretary [Donald H.] Rumsfeld contacted my boss at Fort Greeley and said tell Lieutenant Skelton to stop -- he's coming to the Pentagon," the captain said.
Skelton reported to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and advised his office on how to address the challenges posed by those severely wounded. "It put pressure on the services to provide for the needs of these people," he said. "There were a lot of growing pains."
The captain served for two years before reporting to the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, Calif., as a company commander.
Then Skelton got the call to report to the chairman's office at his current job. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen has made warrior and family care his highest priority after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Admiral Mullen says our most valued weapon system isn't even a weapon system, but our people," he said.
The captain is working on the continuum of care from the battlefields to military hospitals to the Veterans Administration, and communities. "There has to be a better way to do this," he said. He believes Americans have a sea of goodwill toward servicemembers and there has to be a way to tap into it.
Skelton also is working to connect with the families of those killed.
The Business Executives for National Security chose to honor Skelton, but he is accepting the recognition for all those striving to make the system work. "This is new for us," he said. "We're inventing better and more humane ways of doing this and we need to. We owe these men and women."
American Forces Press Service
Nov. 30, 2009 - A young Army captain wounded in Iraq and now working to improve conditions for other wounded servicemembers will be honored by the Business Executives for National Service tonight in New York. Capt. D.J. Skelton will receive a special recognition from the group during their annual black-tie Eisenhower Award dinner. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the recipient of this year's Eisenhower Award.
Skelton, from Elk Point, S.D., was grievously wounded when he was hit in the chest by a rocket-propelled grenade in Fallujah in November 2004. Today, he works in the Office of Warrior and Family Support for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The young captain was a Chinese language specialist as an enlisted soldier, then attended West Point where he graduated in 2003. He was an infantry officer in the 5th Infantry's 1st Battalion, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Skelton lost his left eye and is still undergoing operations, but he works a full day and then some to ensure wounded servicemembers get the care they need.
His own experiences inform his work. "I was in Walter Reed for five months and went through a number of operations," he said during an interview. "Then, I left to go back to Fort Lewis for my review board."
His unit was still deployed and he went back to Lewis to help the rear detachment cope. Skelton had grown up rock climbing and doing all sorts of outdoor activities. He reconnected with outdoor organizations at Lewis and rehabilitated his arms and legs.
"Between May and August [2005] I had learned how to walk, learned how to jog, ran a marathon, rock-climbed, climbed Mount Rainier with one arm and did all this fun stuff, and didn't really want to hear the Army say, Thanks, but now you're broken and we don't need you anymore," he said.
Skelton stayed in the service and was assigned to Fort Greeley, Alaska, as part of the Ballistic Missile Defense project. "I was the operations officer and those people really helped me," he said. "I also did a lot of thinking about the gaps in the system that really bothered me."
The process for those wounded is incredibly complicated and has many moving parts, Skelton said. DoD, VA, Congress, local organizations all have roles to play. "I was trying to take all these real-life experiences and apply them," he said.
He started firing e-mails to department leaders. "To make a long story short, [Defense] Secretary [Donald H.] Rumsfeld contacted my boss at Fort Greeley and said tell Lieutenant Skelton to stop -- he's coming to the Pentagon," the captain said.
Skelton reported to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England and advised his office on how to address the challenges posed by those severely wounded. "It put pressure on the services to provide for the needs of these people," he said. "There were a lot of growing pains."
The captain served for two years before reporting to the Defense Language Institute in Monterrey, Calif., as a company commander.
Then Skelton got the call to report to the chairman's office at his current job. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen has made warrior and family care his highest priority after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Admiral Mullen says our most valued weapon system isn't even a weapon system, but our people," he said.
The captain is working on the continuum of care from the battlefields to military hospitals to the Veterans Administration, and communities. "There has to be a better way to do this," he said. He believes Americans have a sea of goodwill toward servicemembers and there has to be a way to tap into it.
Skelton also is working to connect with the families of those killed.
The Business Executives for National Security chose to honor Skelton, but he is accepting the recognition for all those striving to make the system work. "This is new for us," he said. "We're inventing better and more humane ways of doing this and we need to. We owe these men and women."
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