By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A California group is offering active-duty servicemembers the chance to secure a key component to finding a job before they reenter civilian life: experience. The group, Military Civilian Experience, created by active-duty servicemembers for their fellow troops, was partly inspired by the Military's practice of thoroughly training servicemembers before sending them to the battlefield, according to the organization's Web site. The group's officials feel it shouldn't stop there, and they're working to give servicemembers a head start on finding their civilian careers.
"In our spare time since 2006, we have helped 96 servicemembers obtain civilian career experience or some kind of civilian career counseling," said Navy Cmdr. Calvin Hill, the organization's chief executive officer. "Once active-duty members sign up at MilCivEx.org, we match them with a local civilian company according to the information that is given in the application."
Conversely, the organization is always seeking civilian companies offering on-the-job training, internships or volunteer opportunities, he said.
The organization also has decided to turn its fundraiser into a reality TV series. Members of each branch of Military service would compete for the honor of being chosen as top man and woman of each service earning the title of being called Mr. or Mrs. Army, for instance.
"The best thing about it is that America's votes will determine the winners," Hill said.
Military Civilian Experience is a new supporter of America Supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and companies with servicemembers and their families serving at home and abroad.
"I believe our group will benefit from any networking, exposure, and credibility that [America Supports You] will bring our way," Hill said. "All of it will be greatly appreciated."
Monday, August 11, 2008
Native American Tribe Supports Troops, Families
By Sara Moore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - During World War I, the Choctaw Nation began a long tradition of service to the country when a group of Choctaws volunteered as "code talkers," sending messages for the military in a code derived from their own language to confuse German spies. Today, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma continues that tradition of service, extending it to include support of its members and employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves and families of military members. The organization is being recognized for its efforts with the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Serving in the military and supporting others who serve come naturally for the people of the Choctaw Nation because they have strong ties to the country and are passionate about protecting their families and homes, said Gregory Pyle, chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
"There's a basic principle we have here that you always support your military," Pyle said. "They're literally fighting for our freedom, and many lose their lives, so it's the least we can do."
The Choctaw Nation is sovereign, and therefore exempt from legal requirements to support its employees in the National Guard and reserves, but it voluntarily complies with those laws. The Choctaw Nation provides full pay and benefits for its Guard and reserve members and provides emergency assistance for their families while military members are on deployment.
The Choctaw Nation also supports its members who have served in the military with its veterans advocacy program, and it supports local military units. Last year during the holiday season, the Choctaw Nation chartered 14 buses to provide free round-trip transportation for Oklahoma National Guard members training at Fort Bliss, Texas, so they could spend time with their families.
It's this kind of support that motivated Anton Pavlovsky, Pyle's son-in-law, to nominate the Choctaw Nation for the Freedom Award. Pavlovsky served in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. During his deployment, the Choctaw Nation sent him many care packages, he said, and even sent crucial equipment for his unit. Pavlovsky was a truck driver whose unit transported heavy equipment, and in the searing desert temperatures, he and his colleagues found their gloves wearing out very quickly. When Pyle heard about their situation, he coordinated an effort to send over six cases of gloves.
The Choctaw Nation also has sent to Iraq walkie-talkies to help units communicate in the thick dust and an ultrasound machine to help troops in the field detect shrapnel. The Choctaw Nation also provides mailing service, complete with paid postage, for anyone who wants to send a care package to troops serving overseas.
"Chief Pyle and the people of the Choctaw Nation are amazing patriots," Pavlovsky said. "They have done so much throughout the course of this conflict."
Pavlovsky said that, as a family member, he has seen firsthand the willingness of the Choctaw Nation to support not only its members, but also family members and friends who serve in the military. He specifically praised Pyle for his dedication to the troops.
"He truly is a person who wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night thinking about the soldiers serving our country," Pavlovsky said of the chief.
For his part, Pyle said that he and the rest of the Choctaw Nation are just doing what they feel is their duty, and they were very surprised to be recognized for their efforts. "It's a huge honor; ... it was overwhelming for many of our tribal members," he said. "It's nice for the Indian people that have fought for so many years to be recognized."
Pavlovsky said he was thrilled to hear the Choctaw Nation would receive the Freedom Award. When he heard the news, he had a "grin from ear to ear," he said.
"I think it's amazing," Pavlovsky said. "They truly are doing wonderful things for military members and veterans in Oklahoma and in the area."
The Choctaw Nation will continue to do what it can to support military members and their families, Pyle said. "Whatever comes up, we're happy to help," he said.
The Choctaw Nation will be honored along with 14 other companies receiving the Freedom Award in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - During World War I, the Choctaw Nation began a long tradition of service to the country when a group of Choctaws volunteered as "code talkers," sending messages for the military in a code derived from their own language to confuse German spies. Today, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma continues that tradition of service, extending it to include support of its members and employees who serve in the National Guard and reserves and families of military members. The organization is being recognized for its efforts with the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.
Serving in the military and supporting others who serve come naturally for the people of the Choctaw Nation because they have strong ties to the country and are passionate about protecting their families and homes, said Gregory Pyle, chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
"There's a basic principle we have here that you always support your military," Pyle said. "They're literally fighting for our freedom, and many lose their lives, so it's the least we can do."
The Choctaw Nation is sovereign, and therefore exempt from legal requirements to support its employees in the National Guard and reserves, but it voluntarily complies with those laws. The Choctaw Nation provides full pay and benefits for its Guard and reserve members and provides emergency assistance for their families while military members are on deployment.
The Choctaw Nation also supports its members who have served in the military with its veterans advocacy program, and it supports local military units. Last year during the holiday season, the Choctaw Nation chartered 14 buses to provide free round-trip transportation for Oklahoma National Guard members training at Fort Bliss, Texas, so they could spend time with their families.
It's this kind of support that motivated Anton Pavlovsky, Pyle's son-in-law, to nominate the Choctaw Nation for the Freedom Award. Pavlovsky served in the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. During his deployment, the Choctaw Nation sent him many care packages, he said, and even sent crucial equipment for his unit. Pavlovsky was a truck driver whose unit transported heavy equipment, and in the searing desert temperatures, he and his colleagues found their gloves wearing out very quickly. When Pyle heard about their situation, he coordinated an effort to send over six cases of gloves.
The Choctaw Nation also has sent to Iraq walkie-talkies to help units communicate in the thick dust and an ultrasound machine to help troops in the field detect shrapnel. The Choctaw Nation also provides mailing service, complete with paid postage, for anyone who wants to send a care package to troops serving overseas.
"Chief Pyle and the people of the Choctaw Nation are amazing patriots," Pavlovsky said. "They have done so much throughout the course of this conflict."
Pavlovsky said that, as a family member, he has seen firsthand the willingness of the Choctaw Nation to support not only its members, but also family members and friends who serve in the military. He specifically praised Pyle for his dedication to the troops.
"He truly is a person who wakes up in the morning and goes to bed at night thinking about the soldiers serving our country," Pavlovsky said of the chief.
For his part, Pyle said that he and the rest of the Choctaw Nation are just doing what they feel is their duty, and they were very surprised to be recognized for their efforts. "It's a huge honor; ... it was overwhelming for many of our tribal members," he said. "It's nice for the Indian people that have fought for so many years to be recognized."
Pavlovsky said he was thrilled to hear the Choctaw Nation would receive the Freedom Award. When he heard the news, he had a "grin from ear to ear," he said.
"I think it's amazing," Pavlovsky said. "They truly are doing wonderful things for military members and veterans in Oklahoma and in the area."
The Choctaw Nation will continue to do what it can to support military members and their families, Pyle said. "Whatever comes up, we're happy to help," he said.
The Choctaw Nation will be honored along with 14 other companies receiving the Freedom Award in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.
MILITARY CONTRACTS August 11, 2008
Army
Mantech Telecommunications and Information Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $106,000,000 time & materials contract for one lot of route clearance equipment contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 15, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0516).
Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $77,919,400 firm fixed price contract for vehicular installation kits, for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 18, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 1, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0611).
Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $44,560,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for replacement of family housing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Work will be performed in Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 16, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two bids were received on May 16, 2008. US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912DW-08-C-0014).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,995,000 cost plus fixed fee contract for systems technical support for the Abrams Tank program. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bids solicited on Jun. 8, 2006, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-0046).
Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,405,064 firm fixed price , contract for hand held thermal Imagers. Work will be performed in Londonderry, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Seven bids were received on July 7, 2008. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-F-0073).
DTC Engineers & Constructors, LLC, North Haven, Conn., was awarded on Aug. 4, 2008, a $12,164,809 Firm fixed price for Construction, contract for an Air Sovereignty Alert Complex. Work will be performed in Barnes Army National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on Apr. 14, 2008. National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., is the contracting activity (W912SV-08-C-0009).
Raytheon Co., Bedford, Mass., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $7,511,135 cost plus fixed fee, level-of-effort, contract for fy08 PATRIOT engineering services contract option award. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass., and across the continental United States, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 26, 2003 and one bid was received. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-04-C-0020).
US Divers Co., Inc., Vista, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $5,478,180 firm fixed price indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract, contract for purchase of portable helicopter oxygen delivery systems. Work will be performed in Vista, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Sept. 20, 2007, and one bid was received. US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0048).
Navy
Watts-Healy Tibbitts, (joint venture), Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded an $84,842,140 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a submarine drive-in magnetic silencing facility at Beckoning Point, Naval Station, Pearl Harbor. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $42,421,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in FY 09 at $35,850,220. An additional third increment will be funded in FY 10 at $6,570,920. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $86,062,140. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 41 offers solicited and four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-C-1311).
The Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., is being awarded a $62,110,538 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0054). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. The Harris Corp., software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $4,447,504,598. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Thales Communications, Inc., Clarksburg, Md., is being awarded a $56,602,845 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0107). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. Thales Communications Inc.'s software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $5,685,055,263. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Md., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Cubic Applications, Inc., Lacey, Wash., a member of the Cubic Corp., family of companies, is being awarded a $31,711,289 firm-fixed-price contract. The Security Cooperation Education and Training Center (SCETC) provide the Training and Education Command oversight of the Marine Corps advisor pre-deployment Training Program for military advisor transition teams and also for training of other security cooperation teams. SCETC is also responsible for ensuring security cooperation teams deployed to various countries throughout the world who receive customized pre-deployment training. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, Calif; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Dec. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was competed as a full and open competition procurement, with seven offers received to the solicitation. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-8006).
Dell Federal Systems L.P., Round Rock, Texas, is being awarded $13,969,235 for delivery order MU66 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity Army contract (W91QUZ-06-D-0002) for Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to provide Marine Corps hardware suite support for the MCSC program manager for training systems (PMTRASYS), in essence providing PMTRASYS high performance laptop configuration hardware suite for the MCSC environment utilizing the MCHS delivery processes. Delivery of Laptops will be performed as follows: Minimum of 500 laptops delivered every 30 days with initial delivery of 500 each 30 days from award. Work will be performed in Round Rock, Texas, and is expected to be completed Nov. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co.*, Elma, Wash., is being awarded $12,599,763 for modification P00022 under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-01-C-1002) for Shelton-Bangor-Bremerton Navy railroad repairs at Navy Region Northwest, West Sound area. The work to be performed provides for all labor, materials, equipment, management and administration, public safety, supply, housing, facilities support, utilities, support vehicles, environmental services, and other incidental work required to perform simultaneous low complexity, minor construction, repair, and alteration. The current total contract value after award of this modification will be $16,262,721. Work will be performed on the Bangor-Shelton-Bremerton Navy Railroad, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity.
Teza Design*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for engineering studies and reports, site investigation reports, preparation of requests for proposals for design-build projects, preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for invitation for bid projects, cost estimates, evaluations and construction support services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent), Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M., (1 percent) and Utah, (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Aug. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8605).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $11,887,628 fixed price with economic adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot and temperate weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ark., and Big Rapids and Howard City, Mich. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1099).
Belleville Shoe Manufacturing, Co., Belleville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $11,387,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other location of performance is Dewitt, Ark. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1098).
Ram Dis Ticaret A.S., Istanbul, Turkey, is being awarded a maximum $25,165,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for unleaded gasoline. Other locations of performance are in Iraq. Using service is Army. This proposal was originally Web solicited with eight responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SPO600-08-D-1022).
Mantech Telecommunications and Information Systems Corp., Chantilly, Va., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $106,000,000 time & materials contract for one lot of route clearance equipment contractor logistics support services. Work will be performed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Mar. 15, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0516).
Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $77,919,400 firm fixed price contract for vehicular installation kits, for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 18, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 1, 2008, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-C-0611).
Garco Construction, Spokane, Wash., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $44,560,000 firm-fixed price construction contract for replacement of family housing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont. Work will be performed in Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 16, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two bids were received on May 16, 2008. US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912DW-08-C-0014).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,995,000 cost plus fixed fee contract for systems technical support for the Abrams Tank program. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bids solicited on Jun. 8, 2006, and one bid was received. TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-0046).
Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $20,405,064 firm fixed price , contract for hand held thermal Imagers. Work will be performed in Londonderry, N.H., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Seven bids were received on July 7, 2008. U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-F-0073).
DTC Engineers & Constructors, LLC, North Haven, Conn., was awarded on Aug. 4, 2008, a $12,164,809 Firm fixed price for Construction, contract for an Air Sovereignty Alert Complex. Work will be performed in Barnes Army National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on Apr. 14, 2008. National Guard Bureau, Westfield, Mass., is the contracting activity (W912SV-08-C-0009).
Raytheon Co., Bedford, Mass., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $7,511,135 cost plus fixed fee, level-of-effort, contract for fy08 PATRIOT engineering services contract option award. Work will be performed in Burlington, Mass., and across the continental United States, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Aug. 26, 2003 and one bid was received. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-04-C-0020).
US Divers Co., Inc., Vista, Calif., was awarded on Aug. 8, 2008, a $5,478,180 firm fixed price indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity contract, contract for purchase of portable helicopter oxygen delivery systems. Work will be performed in Vista, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on Sept. 20, 2007, and one bid was received. US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0048).
Navy
Watts-Healy Tibbitts, (joint venture), Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded an $84,842,140 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of a submarine drive-in magnetic silencing facility at Beckoning Point, Naval Station, Pearl Harbor. The contract is incrementally funded with the first increment of $42,421,000 being allocated at the time of award. The second increment will be funded in FY 09 at $35,850,220. An additional third increment will be funded in FY 10 at $6,570,920. The contract also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $86,062,140. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with 41 offers solicited and four proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62742-08-C-1311).
The Harris Corp., Rochester, N.Y., is being awarded a $62,110,538 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0054). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. The Harris Corp., software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $4,447,504,598. Work will be performed in Rochester, N.Y., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Thales Communications, Inc., Clarksburg, Md., is being awarded a $56,602,845 modification to a previously awarded contract (N66001-07-D-0107). The modification (#P00003) will include additional contract line items for maritime single-channel, handheld radios and maritime handheld and vehicular components and accessories for the U.S. military. Thales Communications Inc.'s software-definable radio supports interoperability in joint operations of the U.S. military as well as among other government personnel. This modification brings the cumulative value of this contract to $5,685,055,263. Work will be performed in Clarksburg, Md., and work is expected to be completed Jun. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification was negotiated as a supplemental agreement on a sole source basis in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1), Only One Responsible Source (FAR Subpart 6.302-1). The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Cubic Applications, Inc., Lacey, Wash., a member of the Cubic Corp., family of companies, is being awarded a $31,711,289 firm-fixed-price contract. The Security Cooperation Education and Training Center (SCETC) provide the Training and Education Command oversight of the Marine Corps advisor pre-deployment Training Program for military advisor transition teams and also for training of other security cooperation teams. SCETC is also responsible for ensuring security cooperation teams deployed to various countries throughout the world who receive customized pre-deployment training. Work will be performed at Camp Pendleton, Calif; Camp Lejeune, N.C.; and Twenty Nine Palms, Calif., and work is expected to be completed Dec. 2012. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This effort was competed as a full and open competition procurement, with seven offers received to the solicitation. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-C-8006).
Dell Federal Systems L.P., Round Rock, Texas, is being awarded $13,969,235 for delivery order MU66 under previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity Army contract (W91QUZ-06-D-0002) for Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) to provide Marine Corps hardware suite support for the MCSC program manager for training systems (PMTRASYS), in essence providing PMTRASYS high performance laptop configuration hardware suite for the MCSC environment utilizing the MCHS delivery processes. Delivery of Laptops will be performed as follows: Minimum of 500 laptops delivered every 30 days with initial delivery of 500 each 30 days from award. Work will be performed in Round Rock, Texas, and is expected to be completed Nov. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad Co.*, Elma, Wash., is being awarded $12,599,763 for modification P00022 under a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N44255-01-C-1002) for Shelton-Bangor-Bremerton Navy railroad repairs at Navy Region Northwest, West Sound area. The work to be performed provides for all labor, materials, equipment, management and administration, public safety, supply, housing, facilities support, utilities, support vehicles, environmental services, and other incidental work required to perform simultaneous low complexity, minor construction, repair, and alteration. The current total contract value after award of this modification will be $16,262,721. Work will be performed on the Bangor-Shelton-Bremerton Navy Railroad, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2009. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Silverdale, Wash., is the contracting activity.
Teza Design*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $7,500,000 (base and options - with a guaranteed minimum of $5,000) firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect/engineering contract for mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering services in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for engineering studies and reports, site investigation reports, preparation of requests for proposals for design-build projects, preparation of fully designed plans and specifications for invitation for bid projects, cost estimates, evaluations and construction support services. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR including, but not limited to Calif., (87 percent), Ariz., (5 percent), Nev., (5 percent), Colo., (1 percent), N.M., (1 percent) and Utah, (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Aug. 2009 (Mar. 2013 with options exercised). Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured as an 8(a) Small Business set-aside via the NAVFAC e-solicitation website,with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-08-D-8605).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Wolverine World Wide, Rockford, Mich., is being awarded a maximum $11,887,628 fixed price with economic adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot and temperate weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other locations of performance are Jonesboro, Ark., and Big Rapids and Howard City, Mich. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1099).
Belleville Shoe Manufacturing, Co., Belleville, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $11,387,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract for hot weather boots. Using service is Marine Corps. Other location of performance is Dewitt, Ark. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 11 responses. The date of performance completion is Aug. 11, 2009. The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-08-D-1098).
Ram Dis Ticaret A.S., Istanbul, Turkey, is being awarded a maximum $25,165,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for unleaded gasoline. Other locations of performance are in Iraq. Using service is Army. This proposal was originally Web solicited with eight responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Feb. 28, 2011. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SPO600-08-D-1022).
Travel Regulation Change Protects Renters Whose Landlords Default
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A new change to the Joint Federal Travel Regulations authorizes the military to pay to move servicemembers and their families whose landlords default on property the military members are renting. Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy and chairman of the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee, approved the change Aug. 8, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
The change is retroactive to July 30, the date President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. That law strengthened regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac government-backed mortgage companies and created a new program to help about 400,000 families save their homes from foreclosure.
The federal regulation change is designed to help military servicemembers forced to relocate locally when landlords default on their mortgages, Lainez said. It does not apply to military members who own their own homes and default on their loans.
Army Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said the change will come as welcome news to the high percentage of servicemembers who rent rather than buy their homes due to frequent moves. While more than 65 percent of Americans own their homes, only about 25 percent of servicemembers are homeowners, he said.
Because they rent their residences at disproportionately high numbers, servicemembers haven't been impacted as heavily by the foreclosure crisis facing many communities, he said. But anecdotal evidence indicates that a growing number experience the second-hand effects of the crisis when their landlords default and they are forced to quickly find new housing nearby.
"When that happens, the servicemember should not have to incur the cost of the move," Melnyk said. "This change in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation ensures that they are financially protected when this happens and shows that we as a department care about our troops and their welfare."
Melnyk encouraged servicemembers who believe the new JFTR change may help them to contact their housing or administrative officers. In addition, he urged all servicemembers to take advantage of free legal and financial counseling offered at all military installations and through the Military OneSource Web site.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - A new change to the Joint Federal Travel Regulations authorizes the military to pay to move servicemembers and their families whose landlords default on property the military members are renting. Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy and chairman of the Per Diem, Travel and Transportation Allowance Committee, approved the change Aug. 8, said Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman.
The change is retroactive to July 30, the date President Bush signed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. That law strengthened regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac government-backed mortgage companies and created a new program to help about 400,000 families save their homes from foreclosure.
The federal regulation change is designed to help military servicemembers forced to relocate locally when landlords default on their mortgages, Lainez said. It does not apply to military members who own their own homes and default on their loans.
Army Lt. Col. Les Melnyk, a Pentagon spokesman, said the change will come as welcome news to the high percentage of servicemembers who rent rather than buy their homes due to frequent moves. While more than 65 percent of Americans own their homes, only about 25 percent of servicemembers are homeowners, he said.
Because they rent their residences at disproportionately high numbers, servicemembers haven't been impacted as heavily by the foreclosure crisis facing many communities, he said. But anecdotal evidence indicates that a growing number experience the second-hand effects of the crisis when their landlords default and they are forced to quickly find new housing nearby.
"When that happens, the servicemember should not have to incur the cost of the move," Melnyk said. "This change in the Joint Federal Travel Regulation ensures that they are financially protected when this happens and shows that we as a department care about our troops and their welfare."
Melnyk encouraged servicemembers who believe the new JFTR change may help them to contact their housing or administrative officers. In addition, he urged all servicemembers to take advantage of free legal and financial counseling offered at all military installations and through the Military OneSource Web site.
Stress Management Important Throughout Military Careers
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control is teaching sailors and Marines how to deal with everyday and combat-related stress starting at the beginning of their military careers, a senior Navy official said. The center recently was established at Naval Medical Center San Diego to address the issues of psychological health by improving care for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, but also how to effectively teach sailors and Marines to recognize the signs of stress.
"The idea of the center is ... not only to help sailors and Marines in distress, but to promote good stress management and promote psychological health so it starts when ... people come into boot camp and [lasts] all of the way until they graduate from war college," Navy Capt. (Dr.) Paul Hammer, the center's director, said Aug. 7 in an interview on Dot-Mil-Docs radio show hosted on BlogTalkRadio.com.
"The idea is that we get past the concept of just dealing with things when they are in crisis and hopefully promote a system of addressing stress and addressing our ability to cope with it so we rarely get into a crisis mode," Hammer said.
He added that the routine stressors that sailors and Marines undergo on a routine basis, not looking at when they are in a combat zone, are extremely dangerous at times and require that leaders manage their stress well.
One of the center's missions is to determine where officials might have the most impact to help educate sailors and Marines, for example in the curriculum they are taught in military training, Hammer said.
"One of the things that I like to look at, when people are training and they go through drills is, 'How can we incorporate stress training into that so that they are more aware of when they are dealing with stress?'" Hammer said.
The center is the first of its kind in the Navy to incorporate stress training during both pre- and post-deployment periods. With more than 14,000 sailors and Marines currently serving as individual augmentees around the world in combat areas, learning how to recognize operational stress is important for everyone's' well-being.
"When we talk about operational stress, we're talking about that unique set of circumstances that people have when they are deployed or when they are in the jobs that they do," Hammer said. "For example, somebody who works on the deck of an aircraft carrier has a much different level of stress than someone who is a civilian and works in an office building downtown."
According to the Navy Bureau of Medicine's Combat/Operational Stress Cell, the signs of operational stress can be sudden or build up over time. Combat stress can happen suddenly when a sailor or Marine encounters immediate danger or it can build up from things such as lack of adequate sleep, loud or constant noise, extreme heat or cold -- things that make life in combat stressful. Stress can have harmful effects on a sailors' or Marines' bodies, minds and actions, he said. It also can directly affect how sailors or Marines deal with others—friends or enemies.
"Combat stress, of course, is the stress that occurs when you are in combat -- the extreme set of circumstances when your life is in danger and when you have to [make] life and death ... decisions quickly ... and when you are under extreme pressure," Hammer said.
Some common signs of combat stress can include extreme restlessness, staring into the distance, shallow breathing, trembling or sweaty hands, and feeling detached from others or even feeling sick or nauseated.
Dealing with both routine and operational stress is handled by the center's four major divisions to address how to recognize stress and look at methods to improve treatment. "The center has four major divisions: knowledge management, programs, research facilitation, and strategic communications," Hammer said.
Knowledge management looks at what is currently known about PTSD and TBI; programs looks at ways to improve the level of care provided to servicemembers; research facilitation is designed to examine causes of stress; and strategic communications focuses on ways to communicate and educate servicemembers about these issues, he explained.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media Directorate for the Defense Media Activity)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control is teaching sailors and Marines how to deal with everyday and combat-related stress starting at the beginning of their military careers, a senior Navy official said. The center recently was established at Naval Medical Center San Diego to address the issues of psychological health by improving care for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, but also how to effectively teach sailors and Marines to recognize the signs of stress.
"The idea of the center is ... not only to help sailors and Marines in distress, but to promote good stress management and promote psychological health so it starts when ... people come into boot camp and [lasts] all of the way until they graduate from war college," Navy Capt. (Dr.) Paul Hammer, the center's director, said Aug. 7 in an interview on Dot-Mil-Docs radio show hosted on BlogTalkRadio.com.
"The idea is that we get past the concept of just dealing with things when they are in crisis and hopefully promote a system of addressing stress and addressing our ability to cope with it so we rarely get into a crisis mode," Hammer said.
He added that the routine stressors that sailors and Marines undergo on a routine basis, not looking at when they are in a combat zone, are extremely dangerous at times and require that leaders manage their stress well.
One of the center's missions is to determine where officials might have the most impact to help educate sailors and Marines, for example in the curriculum they are taught in military training, Hammer said.
"One of the things that I like to look at, when people are training and they go through drills is, 'How can we incorporate stress training into that so that they are more aware of when they are dealing with stress?'" Hammer said.
The center is the first of its kind in the Navy to incorporate stress training during both pre- and post-deployment periods. With more than 14,000 sailors and Marines currently serving as individual augmentees around the world in combat areas, learning how to recognize operational stress is important for everyone's' well-being.
"When we talk about operational stress, we're talking about that unique set of circumstances that people have when they are deployed or when they are in the jobs that they do," Hammer said. "For example, somebody who works on the deck of an aircraft carrier has a much different level of stress than someone who is a civilian and works in an office building downtown."
According to the Navy Bureau of Medicine's Combat/Operational Stress Cell, the signs of operational stress can be sudden or build up over time. Combat stress can happen suddenly when a sailor or Marine encounters immediate danger or it can build up from things such as lack of adequate sleep, loud or constant noise, extreme heat or cold -- things that make life in combat stressful. Stress can have harmful effects on a sailors' or Marines' bodies, minds and actions, he said. It also can directly affect how sailors or Marines deal with others—friends or enemies.
"Combat stress, of course, is the stress that occurs when you are in combat -- the extreme set of circumstances when your life is in danger and when you have to [make] life and death ... decisions quickly ... and when you are under extreme pressure," Hammer said.
Some common signs of combat stress can include extreme restlessness, staring into the distance, shallow breathing, trembling or sweaty hands, and feeling detached from others or even feeling sick or nauseated.
Dealing with both routine and operational stress is handled by the center's four major divisions to address how to recognize stress and look at methods to improve treatment. "The center has four major divisions: knowledge management, programs, research facilitation, and strategic communications," Hammer said.
Knowledge management looks at what is currently known about PTSD and TBI; programs looks at ways to improve the level of care provided to servicemembers; research facilitation is designed to examine causes of stress; and strategic communications focuses on ways to communicate and educate servicemembers about these issues, he explained.
(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg works in the New Media Directorate for the Defense Media Activity)
U.S. to Complete Redeployment of Georgian Forces from Iraq
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The U.S.-assisted redeployment of Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country should be completed today, a Pentagon spokesman said. American military aircraft began shuttling the brigade of Georgian forces yesterday, as clashes with Russian forces intensified since fighting broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The U.S.-provided transport of the 2,000-strong contingent adheres to an agreement that U.S. and Georgian government officials arranged before Russian tanks and troops crossed Georgia's border on Aug. 8, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.
"We are fulfilling our agreement with the Georgian government that in an emergency we would assist them in redeploying their troops," Whitman said. "We are honoring that commitment and we are following through with that."
At the same time, U.S. military commanders in Iraq are adapting to the departure of Georgian troops, which primarily occupied infantry roles and represented the third-largest foreign contingent in Iraq.
"Commanders on the ground are making necessary adjustments to mitigate any of the impact of the loss of Georgian forces," said Whitman, who declined to specify where Georgian troops were landing, but added that the contingent is not being sent directly into combat against Russia.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North and 1st Armored Division, said the redeployment of Georgian forces will affect some U.S. commands more than others.
"Quite frankly, these were good soldiers, but we've been able to adapt at the battle space to account for their loss," he told Pentagon reporters today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq.
With roughly 80 Georgian troops departing from his contingency, Hertling said their absence will not have as significant an impact on his unit as it will in areas of operation like Multinational Division Central, where the foreign troops were split across several U.S. brigades.
Meanwhile, some 130 U.S. military personnel serving as trainers to national forces in Georgia will remain in the war-torn country, Whitman said. He added that all U.S. trainers there are safe and accounted for, and that presently there are no plans to remove them from Georgia.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continue to profess Russian allegiance.
The situation was already tense when Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia, where they were aided by regional separatists. Fighting escalated a day later in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, as Russian aircraft were reported to have bombed that city, as well as parts of Georgia.
President Bush and other world leaders have called for a peaceful resolution to end the fighting, which has broadened beyond the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to media reports today.
In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, President Bush today denounced fighting in Georgia.
"I said this violence is unacceptable," Bush said during an interview with NBC. "I not only said it to [Russian Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the president of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev.
"I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia," he said.
The Bush administration has been engaged with both sides of the conflict in attempts to broker a ceasefire that would return forces to pre-invasion levels, the president said.
"Hopefully this will get resolved peacefully," he said, adding: "There needs to be an international mediation there for the South Ossetia issue."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - The U.S.-assisted redeployment of Georgian troops from Iraq to their home country should be completed today, a Pentagon spokesman said. American military aircraft began shuttling the brigade of Georgian forces yesterday, as clashes with Russian forces intensified since fighting broke out last week in the breakaway region of South Ossetia in Georgia, a former Soviet republic.
The U.S.-provided transport of the 2,000-strong contingent adheres to an agreement that U.S. and Georgian government officials arranged before Russian tanks and troops crossed Georgia's border on Aug. 8, Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.
"We are fulfilling our agreement with the Georgian government that in an emergency we would assist them in redeploying their troops," Whitman said. "We are honoring that commitment and we are following through with that."
At the same time, U.S. military commanders in Iraq are adapting to the departure of Georgian troops, which primarily occupied infantry roles and represented the third-largest foreign contingent in Iraq.
"Commanders on the ground are making necessary adjustments to mitigate any of the impact of the loss of Georgian forces," said Whitman, who declined to specify where Georgian troops were landing, but added that the contingent is not being sent directly into combat against Russia.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North and 1st Armored Division, said the redeployment of Georgian forces will affect some U.S. commands more than others.
"Quite frankly, these were good soldiers, but we've been able to adapt at the battle space to account for their loss," he told Pentagon reporters today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Speicher, near Tikrit, Iraq.
With roughly 80 Georgian troops departing from his contingency, Hertling said their absence will not have as significant an impact on his unit as it will in areas of operation like Multinational Division Central, where the foreign troops were split across several U.S. brigades.
Meanwhile, some 130 U.S. military personnel serving as trainers to national forces in Georgia will remain in the war-torn country, Whitman said. He added that all U.S. trainers there are safe and accounted for, and that presently there are no plans to remove them from Georgia.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continue to profess Russian allegiance.
The situation was already tense when Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia, where they were aided by regional separatists. Fighting escalated a day later in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital, as Russian aircraft were reported to have bombed that city, as well as parts of Georgia.
President Bush and other world leaders have called for a peaceful resolution to end the fighting, which has broadened beyond the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, according to media reports today.
In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, President Bush today denounced fighting in Georgia.
"I said this violence is unacceptable," Bush said during an interview with NBC. "I not only said it to [Russian Prime Minister] Vladimir Putin, I've said it to the president of the country, Dmitriy Medvedev.
"I expressed my grave concern about the disproportionate response of Russia and that we strongly condemn bombing outside of South Ossetia," he said.
The Bush administration has been engaged with both sides of the conflict in attempts to broker a ceasefire that would return forces to pre-invasion levels, the president said.
"Hopefully this will get resolved peacefully," he said, adding: "There needs to be an international mediation there for the South Ossetia issue."
Face of Defense: Sergeant Improves Process, Saves Time
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - An airman with the 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop has helped save man-hours with a better way of cleaning C-17 Globemaster III nose-wheel bolts that need to be inspected. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eddie Melendez, an aircraft maintenance craftsman, realized airmen in the shop were spending too many hours cleaning and preparing the nose bolts to be inspected by airmen in the unit's "non-destructive inspection" shop.
Airmen in the wheel and tire shop typically have more than 450 bolts a week to be inspected by non-destructive inspection. To get them ready for inspection, anti-seize graphite has to be removed from the bolts. Anti-seize graphite is a compound that keeps the bolts from seizing up when nuts are screwed on to a bolt.
Before the new process was introduced, the bolts would have to soak in a parts-cleaning tank for 60 minutes. After that, 10 minutes would be spent manually cleaning one set, consisting of 12 bolts, with a wire brush to remove remaining anti-seize from the threads.
In total, the airmen manually clean about 1,260 bolts, spending more than 200 hours a year cleaning and more than 105 hours waiting for the bolts to be cleaned in the parts washers.
"Our objective was to increase the efficiency of cleaning the bolts," Melendez said.
To add to the time spent on cleaning the bolts, if the bolts were not entirely cleaned after being sent to non-destructive inspection, they could be sent back to the wheel and tire shop for additional cleaning, which would add to the time spent on a set of bolts.
To help decrease the time spent on cleaning a set of bolts, Melendez devised a way of speeding up the process by using a powered cleaning device to clean the bolts more efficiently.
Melendez decided the best way to create such an item was to use materials readily available and fabricate tools that could help with the process. A power drill was purchased along with a bolt cleaner that is cylindrical with soft bristles in the middle. He also asked the 437th Maintenance Squadron fabrication shop to make a jig, or small platform, with 12 holes and sockets to safely secure the bolts for cleaning.
With items purchased and made, the airmen now just need to brush off the anti-seize with the bolt cleaner without having to deal with the parts cleaner, and taking less time to do it.
With the new tool and jig, it now takes one minute, 15 seconds to clean a set of bolts. Because of the thorough cleaning the bolts now receive, the process also has cut back on the number of bolts that are returned from non-destructive inspection due to not be clean enough.
"We set out with one goal in mind: take one task that was both difficult and time-consuming and improve it," Melendez said. "What we found was a better way of doing the same job in less time and more efficiently."
Because of the introduction of the new process for cleaning the nose-wheel bolts, one airman said he thinks the new process is a great improvement.
"The old process just took so long, and it required more than one person to get the bolts cleaned in a reasonable time," said Airman 1st Class Quinton Valentine, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop crew chief. "With the new process, it has cut down the time dramatically. We don't have to use wire brushes, and there is no solvent that has to be used."
Because of the change in the way the bolts are prepared for inspection and the affects it has had on airmen, Tech. Sgt. Lamont Butler, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop section chief, also sees how the improvement has affected the way airmen are now looking at other areas for improvement.
"This trend has proven to be contagious," Butler said. "The airmen now actually see tangible results from thinking smarter. They are now looking at each shop-related task and brainstorming on how to improve it."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo is assigned to 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 11, 2008 - An airman with the 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop has helped save man-hours with a better way of cleaning C-17 Globemaster III nose-wheel bolts that need to be inspected. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Eddie Melendez, an aircraft maintenance craftsman, realized airmen in the shop were spending too many hours cleaning and preparing the nose bolts to be inspected by airmen in the unit's "non-destructive inspection" shop.
Airmen in the wheel and tire shop typically have more than 450 bolts a week to be inspected by non-destructive inspection. To get them ready for inspection, anti-seize graphite has to be removed from the bolts. Anti-seize graphite is a compound that keeps the bolts from seizing up when nuts are screwed on to a bolt.
Before the new process was introduced, the bolts would have to soak in a parts-cleaning tank for 60 minutes. After that, 10 minutes would be spent manually cleaning one set, consisting of 12 bolts, with a wire brush to remove remaining anti-seize from the threads.
In total, the airmen manually clean about 1,260 bolts, spending more than 200 hours a year cleaning and more than 105 hours waiting for the bolts to be cleaned in the parts washers.
"Our objective was to increase the efficiency of cleaning the bolts," Melendez said.
To add to the time spent on cleaning the bolts, if the bolts were not entirely cleaned after being sent to non-destructive inspection, they could be sent back to the wheel and tire shop for additional cleaning, which would add to the time spent on a set of bolts.
To help decrease the time spent on cleaning a set of bolts, Melendez devised a way of speeding up the process by using a powered cleaning device to clean the bolts more efficiently.
Melendez decided the best way to create such an item was to use materials readily available and fabricate tools that could help with the process. A power drill was purchased along with a bolt cleaner that is cylindrical with soft bristles in the middle. He also asked the 437th Maintenance Squadron fabrication shop to make a jig, or small platform, with 12 holes and sockets to safely secure the bolts for cleaning.
With items purchased and made, the airmen now just need to brush off the anti-seize with the bolt cleaner without having to deal with the parts cleaner, and taking less time to do it.
With the new tool and jig, it now takes one minute, 15 seconds to clean a set of bolts. Because of the thorough cleaning the bolts now receive, the process also has cut back on the number of bolts that are returned from non-destructive inspection due to not be clean enough.
"We set out with one goal in mind: take one task that was both difficult and time-consuming and improve it," Melendez said. "What we found was a better way of doing the same job in less time and more efficiently."
Because of the introduction of the new process for cleaning the nose-wheel bolts, one airman said he thinks the new process is a great improvement.
"The old process just took so long, and it required more than one person to get the bolts cleaned in a reasonable time," said Airman 1st Class Quinton Valentine, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop crew chief. "With the new process, it has cut down the time dramatically. We don't have to use wire brushes, and there is no solvent that has to be used."
Because of the change in the way the bolts are prepared for inspection and the affects it has had on airmen, Tech. Sgt. Lamont Butler, 437th Maintenance Squadron wheel and tire shop section chief, also sees how the improvement has affected the way airmen are now looking at other areas for improvement.
"This trend has proven to be contagious," Butler said. "The airmen now actually see tangible results from thinking smarter. They are now looking at each shop-related task and brainstorming on how to improve it."
(Air Force Staff Sgt. Jennifer Arredondo is assigned to 437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs.)
Saturday, August 09, 2008
Bush Calls for End of Hostilities in South Ossetia Conflict
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 9, 2008 - President Bush today called for an end to hostilities in South Ossetia that's pitting Georgian forces against Russian troops and regional separatists. In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, Bush said the conflict in South Ossetia, a part of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, threatens peace across the region.
"We have urged an immediate halt to the violence," Bush told reporters in Beijing. He also called for an end to Russian air strikes that reportedly have bombed targets in South Ossetia and Georgia.
Bush reportedly has discussed events in South Ossetia with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was also in Beijing.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continued to profess Russian allegiance.
Yesterday, Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia. Fighting escalated in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital city and reportedly has reached into parts of Georgia.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters yesterday the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation in South Ossetia. Whitman said about 130 U.S. military and civilian personnel were located near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi helping to train Georgian troops for an upcoming deployment to Iraq. All of the Americans have been accounted for, and none had been injured, he said.
The U.S. State Department is the lead U.S. agency regarding the situation in South Ossetia, Whitman said yesterday.
"The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement released yesterday. "We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil."
Rice said she and other senior U.S. officials "have spoken with the parties and continue to work with them to seek an end to hostilities." The United States, she continued, is working with its European partners to launch international mediation to end the conflict.
"We urgently seek Russia's support of these efforts," Rice said in her statement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reportedly has dispatched a senior envoy, deputy assistant secretary of state Matthew Bryza, to the region to try to arrange a peace agreement.
Senior UN and NATO leaders have also called to end the fighting in South Ossetia and urged that a peaceful settlement be found.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 9, 2008 - President Bush today called for an end to hostilities in South Ossetia that's pitting Georgian forces against Russian troops and regional separatists. In Beijing to view the start of the Summer Olympic Games hosted by China, Bush said the conflict in South Ossetia, a part of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, threatens peace across the region.
"We have urged an immediate halt to the violence," Bush told reporters in Beijing. He also called for an end to Russian air strikes that reportedly have bombed targets in South Ossetia and Georgia.
Bush reportedly has discussed events in South Ossetia with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who was also in Beijing.
Georgia declared its independence from the then-Soviet Union in 1991. However, many South Ossetia residents continued to profess Russian allegiance.
Yesterday, Russian tanks and troops crossed the border into South Ossetia. Fighting escalated in and around Tskhinvali, South Ossetia's capital city and reportedly has reached into parts of Georgia.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman told Pentagon reporters yesterday the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation in South Ossetia. Whitman said about 130 U.S. military and civilian personnel were located near the Georgian capital of Tbilisi helping to train Georgian troops for an upcoming deployment to Iraq. All of the Americans have been accounted for, and none had been injured, he said.
The U.S. State Department is the lead U.S. agency regarding the situation in South Ossetia, Whitman said yesterday.
"The United States calls for an immediate ceasefire to the armed conflict in Georgia's region of South Ossetia," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement released yesterday. "We call on Russia to cease attacks on Georgia by aircraft and missiles, respect Georgia's territorial integrity, and withdraw its ground combat forces from Georgian soil."
Rice said she and other senior U.S. officials "have spoken with the parties and continue to work with them to seek an end to hostilities." The United States, she continued, is working with its European partners to launch international mediation to end the conflict.
"We urgently seek Russia's support of these efforts," Rice said in her statement.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department reportedly has dispatched a senior envoy, deputy assistant secretary of state Matthew Bryza, to the region to try to arrange a peace agreement.
Senior UN and NATO leaders have also called to end the fighting in South Ossetia and urged that a peaceful settlement be found.
Friday, August 08, 2008
VA Official: Political Changes Won't Sideline Progress in Wounded Warrior Transition
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - Strides made or under way to improve care for wounded warriors transitioning from Defense Department care to the Veterans Affairs system won't be disrupted by upcoming changes in both departments' leadership, the No. 2 VA official said. Gordon H. Mansfield, deputy secretary of veterans affairs, said he's confident whichever candidate wins the November elections will build on successes made to provide the best support possible for wounded troops and veterans.
Mansfield spoke with American Forces Press Service during the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which wrapped up last week in Omaha, Neb.
Citing closer DoD-VA cooperation and collaboration than ever before, Mansfield said he expects the momentum to continue as new initiatives take shape.
DoD and VA are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations of five major studies. The commissions and task forces were formed to examine servicemembers' and veterans' health care after a February 2007 Washington Post series shed light on administrative shortfalls at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
A year and a half later, Mansfield said he believes both departments are on the right track, building on efforts dating back to 2002 and paving the way to a more seamless transition between their two systems.
Senior non-political staff members at both departments are working to ensure these and other initiatives continue without interruption as the political changeover takes place, he said.
Meanwhile, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has started attending meetings of the joint senior oversight committee designed to improve the two departments' cooperation. Mansfield and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England co-chair the committee, which includes all service secretaries and meets frequently to review progress and eliminate any roadblocks.
Mansfield said he and England have established "a very positive and open and cooperative effort" that is bearing fruit.
In a joint prepared statement submitted to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in April, the two outlined specific improvements in their two departments' cooperation. "Specifically, we have endeavored to improve the disability evaluation system, established the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, improved data sharing between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, developed housing facility-inspection standards, and improved delivery of pay and benefits," they said.
Mansfield called fixes to the disability-evaluation process, including one in which both DoD and VA would use a single physical exam and give a single disability rating, one of the biggest steps forward. The process, he said, will reduce delays and uncertainty for transitioning veterans.
A pilot program under way at three major medical hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area is testing the concept, which would eliminate the often confusing elements of the two disability processes. Its goal is to cut by half the time it takes to transition a wounded troop to veteran status and to receive VA benefits and compensation.
The pilot is proving so successful that, Mansfield said, other regions are being eyed as additional test beds. "We have laid the groundwork, and now we are getting ready to choose other regions and to move forward from there," he said.
In addition, case management has improved dramatically, with VA staff members posted in military medical centers to assess patients' needs before they transfer to a VA facility.
"VA people are in military treatment facilities to an extent they have never been in the past, so we can pick up these people and know who they are and what their needs are and what their families' needs are before they wind up in the VA," Mansfield said. "That way, we can work on the transfer to anticipate the needs and make the necessary arrangements for them."
The two departments signed a partnership agreement in October that put 10 federal recovery coordinators in place to manage the care of severely injured servicemembers and their families. These coordinators are based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and Naval Medical Center San Diego.
The coordinators are responsible for managing the needs of servicemembers as they move through the recovery and rehabilitation process and back to their communities.
In addition to caring for newly wounded veterans, the coordinators are beginning to pick up the cases of veterans processed through the system before the federal recovery-coordinator program started. "We have to do a little more work there," Mansfield said. "We're in the first phase of this effort, but we're taking the lessons learned from it and going into the second phase."
Mansfield cited steps toward improving the sharing of medical information between the two departments to develop a seamless health information system. DoD and VA are sharing more electronic health information through secure networks than ever before. For transitioning servicemembers, this means less hassle and fewer delays as they enter the VA system and begin receiving care and benefits, he said.
The VA is committed to ensuring all 7.8 million veterans eligible for care continue to receive the best-quality support they deserve, Mansfield said. "We need to do it accurately, kindly and get them what they need," he said. "So the closer we work with DoD, the easier it is going to be, once they cross the line [from DoD into VA], for us to be prepared to serve them."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - Strides made or under way to improve care for wounded warriors transitioning from Defense Department care to the Veterans Affairs system won't be disrupted by upcoming changes in both departments' leadership, the No. 2 VA official said. Gordon H. Mansfield, deputy secretary of veterans affairs, said he's confident whichever candidate wins the November elections will build on successes made to provide the best support possible for wounded troops and veterans.
Mansfield spoke with American Forces Press Service during the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games, which wrapped up last week in Omaha, Neb.
Citing closer DoD-VA cooperation and collaboration than ever before, Mansfield said he expects the momentum to continue as new initiatives take shape.
DoD and VA are in the process of implementing more than 400 recommendations of five major studies. The commissions and task forces were formed to examine servicemembers' and veterans' health care after a February 2007 Washington Post series shed light on administrative shortfalls at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
A year and a half later, Mansfield said he believes both departments are on the right track, building on efforts dating back to 2002 and paving the way to a more seamless transition between their two systems.
Senior non-political staff members at both departments are working to ensure these and other initiatives continue without interruption as the political changeover takes place, he said.
Meanwhile, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has started attending meetings of the joint senior oversight committee designed to improve the two departments' cooperation. Mansfield and Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England co-chair the committee, which includes all service secretaries and meets frequently to review progress and eliminate any roadblocks.
Mansfield said he and England have established "a very positive and open and cooperative effort" that is bearing fruit.
In a joint prepared statement submitted to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in April, the two outlined specific improvements in their two departments' cooperation. "Specifically, we have endeavored to improve the disability evaluation system, established the Federal Recovery Coordination Program, improved data sharing between the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, developed housing facility-inspection standards, and improved delivery of pay and benefits," they said.
Mansfield called fixes to the disability-evaluation process, including one in which both DoD and VA would use a single physical exam and give a single disability rating, one of the biggest steps forward. The process, he said, will reduce delays and uncertainty for transitioning veterans.
A pilot program under way at three major medical hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area is testing the concept, which would eliminate the often confusing elements of the two disability processes. Its goal is to cut by half the time it takes to transition a wounded troop to veteran status and to receive VA benefits and compensation.
The pilot is proving so successful that, Mansfield said, other regions are being eyed as additional test beds. "We have laid the groundwork, and now we are getting ready to choose other regions and to move forward from there," he said.
In addition, case management has improved dramatically, with VA staff members posted in military medical centers to assess patients' needs before they transfer to a VA facility.
"VA people are in military treatment facilities to an extent they have never been in the past, so we can pick up these people and know who they are and what their needs are and what their families' needs are before they wind up in the VA," Mansfield said. "That way, we can work on the transfer to anticipate the needs and make the necessary arrangements for them."
The two departments signed a partnership agreement in October that put 10 federal recovery coordinators in place to manage the care of severely injured servicemembers and their families. These coordinators are based at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md.; Brooke Army Medical Center, in San Antonio; and Naval Medical Center San Diego.
The coordinators are responsible for managing the needs of servicemembers as they move through the recovery and rehabilitation process and back to their communities.
In addition to caring for newly wounded veterans, the coordinators are beginning to pick up the cases of veterans processed through the system before the federal recovery-coordinator program started. "We have to do a little more work there," Mansfield said. "We're in the first phase of this effort, but we're taking the lessons learned from it and going into the second phase."
Mansfield cited steps toward improving the sharing of medical information between the two departments to develop a seamless health information system. DoD and VA are sharing more electronic health information through secure networks than ever before. For transitioning servicemembers, this means less hassle and fewer delays as they enter the VA system and begin receiving care and benefits, he said.
The VA is committed to ensuring all 7.8 million veterans eligible for care continue to receive the best-quality support they deserve, Mansfield said. "We need to do it accurately, kindly and get them what they need," he said. "So the closer we work with DoD, the easier it is going to be, once they cross the line [from DoD into VA], for us to be prepared to serve them."
National Guard Supporters Sample Leapfest Adventure
By Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - No, they did not jump out of a perfectly good helicopter. But 16 civilians involved with Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program did get an idea of what an international group of military paratroopers would experience during Leapfest 2008 two days before the 26th annual international competition takes place here tomorrow.
The civilians, including an assistant U.S. attorney, a U.S. Naval War College professor, and the owner of a North Kingston pest control business, were flown aboard an Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over the Rhode Island countryside on that heavily overcast Thursday morning.
They saw for themselves the terrain the airborne soldiers would glimpse during the couple of minutes it would take them to parachute onto a landing zone beside the University of Rhode Island after jumping out of larger helicopters at 1,500 feet.
"We had a good mix of educators, public officials and small-business people who support our National Guard and reserve troops," said Donna Callahan, executive director for Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve committee. "We wanted to give them an idea of what Leapfest, which is hosted by the Rhode Island Guard, is all about."
ESGR officials frequently escort civilian employers or supervisors for National Guardmembers and reservists to events such as Leapfest to give them an idea of what citizen-servicemembers do when they are in uniform and away from their jobs. It is one way that ESGR, whose national committee is based in Arlington, Va., attempts to avoid conflicts arising from employees' military commitments.
Ironically, the ESGR participants in Rhode Island were the only ones to get off the ground that day. The paratroopers from 11 countries were grounded by rain clouds that were too low to safely make the friendship jumps that were also intended to familiarize the foreign troops with the equipment used for the competition, explained Air National Guard Lt. Col. Denis Riel, the Rhode Island National Guard's state spokesman.
"I got interested in ESGR because First Lieutenant Kate Auxier, in the Army National Guard, used to work for me," explained Tom Alarie, manager of a graduate-level population studies and training program at Brown University in Providence.
"I wanted to see this because we teach National Guard and reserve officers at the Naval War College in Newport," said Jeffrey Norwitz, a professor of national security decision making. "We have always had a good relationship with the National Guard and Reserve."
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 8, 2008 - No, they did not jump out of a perfectly good helicopter. But 16 civilians involved with Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program did get an idea of what an international group of military paratroopers would experience during Leapfest 2008 two days before the 26th annual international competition takes place here tomorrow.
The civilians, including an assistant U.S. attorney, a U.S. Naval War College professor, and the owner of a North Kingston pest control business, were flown aboard an Army National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter over the Rhode Island countryside on that heavily overcast Thursday morning.
They saw for themselves the terrain the airborne soldiers would glimpse during the couple of minutes it would take them to parachute onto a landing zone beside the University of Rhode Island after jumping out of larger helicopters at 1,500 feet.
"We had a good mix of educators, public officials and small-business people who support our National Guard and reserve troops," said Donna Callahan, executive director for Rhode Island's Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve committee. "We wanted to give them an idea of what Leapfest, which is hosted by the Rhode Island Guard, is all about."
ESGR officials frequently escort civilian employers or supervisors for National Guardmembers and reservists to events such as Leapfest to give them an idea of what citizen-servicemembers do when they are in uniform and away from their jobs. It is one way that ESGR, whose national committee is based in Arlington, Va., attempts to avoid conflicts arising from employees' military commitments.
Ironically, the ESGR participants in Rhode Island were the only ones to get off the ground that day. The paratroopers from 11 countries were grounded by rain clouds that were too low to safely make the friendship jumps that were also intended to familiarize the foreign troops with the equipment used for the competition, explained Air National Guard Lt. Col. Denis Riel, the Rhode Island National Guard's state spokesman.
"I got interested in ESGR because First Lieutenant Kate Auxier, in the Army National Guard, used to work for me," explained Tom Alarie, manager of a graduate-level population studies and training program at Brown University in Providence.
"I wanted to see this because we teach National Guard and reserve officers at the Naval War College in Newport," said Jeffrey Norwitz, a professor of national security decision making. "We have always had a good relationship with the National Guard and Reserve."
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Face of Defense: War Bride, Military Mom, Soldier Serves in Iraq
By Army Sgt. David Turner
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - Two years after the Army raised the maximum age for enlistees, it is not uncommon to find soldiers over the age of 40 in the junior enlisted ranks. Some served in their younger years; others just always wanted to serve. Still others followed in their children's footsteps to the recruiting office.
Army Spc. Gina Keller, a war bride and a military mother in addition to being a soldier, said her service is the realization of a dream she had for more than 20 years.
"I always wanted to join the service," she said. "I tried at 18, but because of family values and respect for my family, I chose not to."
Keller said her parents didn't think joining the military was the right move for her at that time. In the meantime, she started a family of her own and put her dream of military service on hold. Her children -- three sons and a daughter -- came first, she said. But she always hoped the chance to serve would come again.
"I still knew that if someday it came around, that I could do it," she said.
At age 40, Keller learned the age limit for enlistment had been raised to 39. She sought a waiver to join the National Guard, but was turned down.
"My heart was broken," she said. "I thought I would never get to do this."
Months passed. Then she heard the Army had raised the age limit again, to 42. An Army recruiter called her the next day and asked her if she still wanted to join.
"I was always hoping and praying somehow I'd make this goal, this dream, happen," she said.
Her eldest son, Isaac, had just joined the National Guard, and mother and son shipped off to basic training within days of each other. He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Keller left for Fort Jackson, S.C.
Despite the rigors of basic training, Keller proved herself in a group of younger recruits. Drill sergeants didn't treat her any differently, she said, and the woman drill sergeants were the hardest on her.
"I was called 'grandma' and 'old lady' most of the time I was there," she recalled, noting that her fellow soldiers helped her manage the stress of the training.
After basic training, Keller completed her advanced individual training, qualifying as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic. Then, in a strange twist, she received orders to report to her new unit, 92nd Engineer Brigade -- her son Andrew's unit.
"He said, 'You can't be coming here.' I said, 'Yes, I am," she recalled with a laugh. Keller said Andrew pleaded with his company's first sergeant, "You can't let that happen; I can't have my mom here."
Worries of standing next to Mom in formation subsided right away. Andrew deployed to Iraq, expecting to return home in October 2007. He had not seen his mother in 18 months, and the day of his scheduled return turned out to be the day of his mother's departure; she received orders to deploy to Iraq, too.
Things were happening fast for the 42-year-old single parent. She relocated with her youngest child, now 13, to Fort Stewart, Ga., and began preparing for a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team. Her commander allowed her an extra 10 days before deploying to spend time with Andrew. Mother and son bonded in a new way; he helped her pack her bags and advised her on her upcoming journey.
"He knew what I had to face," she said. "He knew where I was going."
Keller said the prospect of a long deployment didn't discourage her.
"I wanted to try and accomplish the rest of my goal, which was to come to the service and to serve the soldiers. I knew what the soldiers had to go through; I saw my sons go through it, and I wanted to be here to be of service to them," she said.
"All the way through basic training they kept emphasizing that we were going to be deployed. I was wholeheartedly engaged with the fact that I was going to serve my country, one way or the other," Keller said. "Whatever my country expected of me, that's what I was going to do."
While at Fort Stewart, Keller had another surprise in store for her. On the rifle range one day, she met the man who would become her husband. "I wasn't looking for anybody to be my significant other when I got to Fort Stewart," she recalled.
Army Sgt. Kevin Keller was working safety duty on the range that day, and while he was helping her adjust the sights on her rifle, they struck up a friendship.
"He came over to me in the foxhole and said, 'What are you shooting at?' I said, 'The targets, Sergeant.' He said, 'Well, you're not hitting any of them.'"
After their first meeting, she began seeing him around the motor pool; she worked there as a mechanic, and he worked as a fuel specialist. He was a sergeant and she was a private first class, which made a relationship challenging.
Though they served in separate companies in the same battalion, rules against such a relationship drew criticism from their leaders. But, Keller said, the sergeant's warmth and confidence won her over.
"He said from the first day he met me, 'You're going to marry me.' He was telling everybody," she recalled.
There was little time for courtship, though. Deployed together to Iraq, the two were stationed here with different jobs and schedules that prevented them from seeing much of each other.
Still, their relationship was the cause of talk, so in January they decided to do something about it. Taking leave together, they went home to the United States to get married. Within two days of their arrival, they were officially husband and wife. Then, they went back to Iraq.
Serving together as newlyweds has afforded the two a unique version of marital bliss. Though they do not share living quarters and they work different hours in different places, they enjoy the moments they do spend together. They often share meals in the dining facility, and Specialist Keller frequently takes iced tea to her husband on the job.
Though their marriage so far has been spent mostly apart while serving in a combat zone, Specialist Keller said, she has not been disappointed with her deployment.
"I've enjoyed everything that I've done," she said. "I've always felt that when soldiers accept me as working hard and getting them where they need to be, helping them accomplish their mission -- that is my reward," she said.
With her two-year enlistment soon to be over, Specialist Keller said she wanted to re-enlist, "but Sergeant Keller had other plans for me," she said. "He said that since he was retiring, I would be 'retiring,' too."
The couple plans to purchase five acres of land and build their own house. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Specialist Keller said she plans to do the work herself. Her previous civilian job was as a carpenter.
Others like her shouldn't be afraid of the challenge to serve their country, she said.
"For anybody over 40 who really wants to come to the service, there is a very big reward here," she explained. "You have to come here open-minded; you can't come here as your own individual. You have to be willing to change, and you have to be willing to serve."
(Army Sgt. David Turner serves with the 3rd Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - Two years after the Army raised the maximum age for enlistees, it is not uncommon to find soldiers over the age of 40 in the junior enlisted ranks. Some served in their younger years; others just always wanted to serve. Still others followed in their children's footsteps to the recruiting office.
Army Spc. Gina Keller, a war bride and a military mother in addition to being a soldier, said her service is the realization of a dream she had for more than 20 years.
"I always wanted to join the service," she said. "I tried at 18, but because of family values and respect for my family, I chose not to."
Keller said her parents didn't think joining the military was the right move for her at that time. In the meantime, she started a family of her own and put her dream of military service on hold. Her children -- three sons and a daughter -- came first, she said. But she always hoped the chance to serve would come again.
"I still knew that if someday it came around, that I could do it," she said.
At age 40, Keller learned the age limit for enlistment had been raised to 39. She sought a waiver to join the National Guard, but was turned down.
"My heart was broken," she said. "I thought I would never get to do this."
Months passed. Then she heard the Army had raised the age limit again, to 42. An Army recruiter called her the next day and asked her if she still wanted to join.
"I was always hoping and praying somehow I'd make this goal, this dream, happen," she said.
Her eldest son, Isaac, had just joined the National Guard, and mother and son shipped off to basic training within days of each other. He went to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Keller left for Fort Jackson, S.C.
Despite the rigors of basic training, Keller proved herself in a group of younger recruits. Drill sergeants didn't treat her any differently, she said, and the woman drill sergeants were the hardest on her.
"I was called 'grandma' and 'old lady' most of the time I was there," she recalled, noting that her fellow soldiers helped her manage the stress of the training.
After basic training, Keller completed her advanced individual training, qualifying as a wheeled-vehicle mechanic. Then, in a strange twist, she received orders to report to her new unit, 92nd Engineer Brigade -- her son Andrew's unit.
"He said, 'You can't be coming here.' I said, 'Yes, I am," she recalled with a laugh. Keller said Andrew pleaded with his company's first sergeant, "You can't let that happen; I can't have my mom here."
Worries of standing next to Mom in formation subsided right away. Andrew deployed to Iraq, expecting to return home in October 2007. He had not seen his mother in 18 months, and the day of his scheduled return turned out to be the day of his mother's departure; she received orders to deploy to Iraq, too.
Things were happening fast for the 42-year-old single parent. She relocated with her youngest child, now 13, to Fort Stewart, Ga., and began preparing for a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq, assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division's 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team. Her commander allowed her an extra 10 days before deploying to spend time with Andrew. Mother and son bonded in a new way; he helped her pack her bags and advised her on her upcoming journey.
"He knew what I had to face," she said. "He knew where I was going."
Keller said the prospect of a long deployment didn't discourage her.
"I wanted to try and accomplish the rest of my goal, which was to come to the service and to serve the soldiers. I knew what the soldiers had to go through; I saw my sons go through it, and I wanted to be here to be of service to them," she said.
"All the way through basic training they kept emphasizing that we were going to be deployed. I was wholeheartedly engaged with the fact that I was going to serve my country, one way or the other," Keller said. "Whatever my country expected of me, that's what I was going to do."
While at Fort Stewart, Keller had another surprise in store for her. On the rifle range one day, she met the man who would become her husband. "I wasn't looking for anybody to be my significant other when I got to Fort Stewart," she recalled.
Army Sgt. Kevin Keller was working safety duty on the range that day, and while he was helping her adjust the sights on her rifle, they struck up a friendship.
"He came over to me in the foxhole and said, 'What are you shooting at?' I said, 'The targets, Sergeant.' He said, 'Well, you're not hitting any of them.'"
After their first meeting, she began seeing him around the motor pool; she worked there as a mechanic, and he worked as a fuel specialist. He was a sergeant and she was a private first class, which made a relationship challenging.
Though they served in separate companies in the same battalion, rules against such a relationship drew criticism from their leaders. But, Keller said, the sergeant's warmth and confidence won her over.
"He said from the first day he met me, 'You're going to marry me.' He was telling everybody," she recalled.
There was little time for courtship, though. Deployed together to Iraq, the two were stationed here with different jobs and schedules that prevented them from seeing much of each other.
Still, their relationship was the cause of talk, so in January they decided to do something about it. Taking leave together, they went home to the United States to get married. Within two days of their arrival, they were officially husband and wife. Then, they went back to Iraq.
Serving together as newlyweds has afforded the two a unique version of marital bliss. Though they do not share living quarters and they work different hours in different places, they enjoy the moments they do spend together. They often share meals in the dining facility, and Specialist Keller frequently takes iced tea to her husband on the job.
Though their marriage so far has been spent mostly apart while serving in a combat zone, Specialist Keller said, she has not been disappointed with her deployment.
"I've enjoyed everything that I've done," she said. "I've always felt that when soldiers accept me as working hard and getting them where they need to be, helping them accomplish their mission -- that is my reward," she said.
With her two-year enlistment soon to be over, Specialist Keller said she wanted to re-enlist, "but Sergeant Keller had other plans for me," she said. "He said that since he was retiring, I would be 'retiring,' too."
The couple plans to purchase five acres of land and build their own house. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Specialist Keller said she plans to do the work herself. Her previous civilian job was as a carpenter.
Others like her shouldn't be afraid of the challenge to serve their country, she said.
"For anybody over 40 who really wants to come to the service, there is a very big reward here," she explained. "You have to come here open-minded; you can't come here as your own individual. You have to be willing to change, and you have to be willing to serve."
(Army Sgt. David Turner serves with the 3rd Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)
Panel Recommends Changes to Military Retirement
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - A panel looking at military compensation has recommended dramatic changes in the military retirement system. The recommendations are part of the second volume put out by the 10th Quadrennial Review of military Compensation.
The first volume -- released in March -- looked at cash compensation. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Jan D. "Denny" Eakle was director of the panel, and she briefed the press during a Pentagon news conference today.
Eakle said critics of the current military retirement system say it is not equitable, it is not flexible, and it is not efficient.
"There is a perception that the system we have today is inequitable because only 15 percent of all enlisted personnel and less than half of officers will ever receive anything in the system," she said. Reserve-component personnel also believe the current system discriminates against them, especially at a time when reserve forces are being called on more, she said.
The retirement proposal would offer a defined benefit, defined contributions, "gate" pays and separation pays.
The defined benefit would be 2.5 percent of the average basic pay for the highest 36 months of the individual's career multiplied by the number of years of service, with servicemembers vested at 10 years of service. Payments to retirees would begin at age 60 for those with less than 20 years of service and at age 57 for those with 20 years of service or more.
Servicemembers could opt for an immediate annuity, but the payout would follow the Federal Employee Retirement System methodology -- a 5 percent penalty per year for early withdrawal.
The defined contribution portion would be an automatic government-funded Thrift Savings Plan. Servicemembers would not have to match any government payment. The government would not put any money in for the first year, but would put in 2 percent of base pay for two years of service, 3 percent for three and four years of service, and 5 percent for five and more years of service. Again, this would be vested after 10 years of service.
The military also would make "gate pays" to servicemembers who reach specific years of service. These would vary by years of service and skills, Eakle said.
"This is a payment made for achieving a particular year of service," she explained. "And within the services, they would have the flexibility to vary this by year of service as well as by skill. That way, they could begin to shape the skills by dragging people further into their career by offering them an incentive."
Finally, the system would include separation pays to servicemembers that would also vary by years of service and skills.
"The separation payments would be made available by the service to members that they wished to entice to leave," Eakle said. This would be a permanent tool services would have available, she added.
The panel used a Rand Corporation computer model to test the recommendations, but Eakle said the panel members would like a large-scale test in the Defense Department.
"Therefore, the recommendation of this QRMC is that the Department of Defense conduct a multi-year test of this system," Eakle said. "The way the test would work is this: All four services would be asked to identify some skills that have different types of retention patterns -- some that stay not very long, some that stay longer periods of time -- and ones they wish to influence."
The test would offer people in those skills in the first eight years of service an opportunity to volunteer.
"If someone was selected for the test, they would be paid all of the TSP that they should have earned up until that point, and it will be put in their TSP account for them," she said. "The program's vesting rules would in fact apply to all those individuals. So should they achieve 10 years of service while they are in the test, they would fully own it."
At the end of the test period, people who are in the new system who wish to revert to the original retirement system would be allowed to do so, she said.
Any change in the retirement system would require action by Congress. DoD officials said they will carefully examine the panel's recommendations and then decide if they should move forward. The study will take at least six to 12 months, so any decision would be made by the next administration, DoD officials added.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - A panel looking at military compensation has recommended dramatic changes in the military retirement system. The recommendations are part of the second volume put out by the 10th Quadrennial Review of military Compensation.
The first volume -- released in March -- looked at cash compensation. Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Jan D. "Denny" Eakle was director of the panel, and she briefed the press during a Pentagon news conference today.
Eakle said critics of the current military retirement system say it is not equitable, it is not flexible, and it is not efficient.
"There is a perception that the system we have today is inequitable because only 15 percent of all enlisted personnel and less than half of officers will ever receive anything in the system," she said. Reserve-component personnel also believe the current system discriminates against them, especially at a time when reserve forces are being called on more, she said.
The retirement proposal would offer a defined benefit, defined contributions, "gate" pays and separation pays.
The defined benefit would be 2.5 percent of the average basic pay for the highest 36 months of the individual's career multiplied by the number of years of service, with servicemembers vested at 10 years of service. Payments to retirees would begin at age 60 for those with less than 20 years of service and at age 57 for those with 20 years of service or more.
Servicemembers could opt for an immediate annuity, but the payout would follow the Federal Employee Retirement System methodology -- a 5 percent penalty per year for early withdrawal.
The defined contribution portion would be an automatic government-funded Thrift Savings Plan. Servicemembers would not have to match any government payment. The government would not put any money in for the first year, but would put in 2 percent of base pay for two years of service, 3 percent for three and four years of service, and 5 percent for five and more years of service. Again, this would be vested after 10 years of service.
The military also would make "gate pays" to servicemembers who reach specific years of service. These would vary by years of service and skills, Eakle said.
"This is a payment made for achieving a particular year of service," she explained. "And within the services, they would have the flexibility to vary this by year of service as well as by skill. That way, they could begin to shape the skills by dragging people further into their career by offering them an incentive."
Finally, the system would include separation pays to servicemembers that would also vary by years of service and skills.
"The separation payments would be made available by the service to members that they wished to entice to leave," Eakle said. This would be a permanent tool services would have available, she added.
The panel used a Rand Corporation computer model to test the recommendations, but Eakle said the panel members would like a large-scale test in the Defense Department.
"Therefore, the recommendation of this QRMC is that the Department of Defense conduct a multi-year test of this system," Eakle said. "The way the test would work is this: All four services would be asked to identify some skills that have different types of retention patterns -- some that stay not very long, some that stay longer periods of time -- and ones they wish to influence."
The test would offer people in those skills in the first eight years of service an opportunity to volunteer.
"If someone was selected for the test, they would be paid all of the TSP that they should have earned up until that point, and it will be put in their TSP account for them," she said. "The program's vesting rules would in fact apply to all those individuals. So should they achieve 10 years of service while they are in the test, they would fully own it."
At the end of the test period, people who are in the new system who wish to revert to the original retirement system would be allowed to do so, she said.
Any change in the retirement system would require action by Congress. DoD officials said they will carefully examine the panel's recommendations and then decide if they should move forward. The study will take at least six to 12 months, so any decision would be made by the next administration, DoD officials added.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
MILITARY CONTRACTS August 5, 2008
Air Force
EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc., of Hunt Valley, Md., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for a maximum of $3 billion. This action will provide professional architect-engineer services to perform Title I, Title II, and other architect-engineer services to administer, coordinate, and technically support environmental, military construction, military family housing, and facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization programs of interest to the government worldwide. The ordering period for this contract shall be 60 months. At this time $2,500 (Task order 0001 for each prime contract) has been obligated. AFCEE/ACV, Brooks City-Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-08-D-8791).
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract for $7,278,700 with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Navigation Systems Division, of Woodland Hills, Calif. This action will provide for one hundred thirty EGI Production Units for the USAF F-16. The Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) Units is a non-development item (NDI) being procured to meet the navigation requirements for tri-service and Foreign military Sales (FMS) platforms. This is a modification to exercise options for the aforementioned efforts. At this time all funds have been obligated. 647 AESS/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2066 P00036).
Navy
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $659,237,888 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0014) to exercise the option for the procurement of 13 F/A-18Fs and 3 E/A-18G aircraft for the U.S. Navy. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (28.7 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Goleta, Calif. (8.6 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (2.3 percent); Greenlawn, N.Y. (2.1 percent); Burnsville, Minn. (2.1 percent); Johnson City, N.Y. (2.1 percent); Brooklyn Heights, Ohio (2 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (2 percent); Grand Rapids, Mich. (2 percent); South Bend, Ind. (2 percent); Mesa, Ariz. (1.8 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (1.8 percent); and at various locations across the United States (17.5 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.
Bay Electric Co., Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded $9,726,275 for firm-fixed price Task Order #0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-06-D-6006) for design and construction of a truck company maintenance/operations complex at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune. Construction will include drive-through equipment maintenance bays, a battery charging room, tool storage, parts storage, administrative space, classroom space, showers and lockers and weapons storage/cleaning area. Also includes technical operating manuals, anti-terrorism/force protection features, and necessary environmental mitigation. The total contract amount is not to exceed $11,125,045. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by February 2010. 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, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $9,068,457 modification to previously awarded contract (N00178-04-C-2004) to exercise an option for continuing engineering support for engineering expertise to support Research and Development (R&D), Total Ship System Engineering, and Combat System Engineering (CSE) initiatives for the introduction of advanced Technology into advanced combat systems, and for the modernization of current combat systems for surface ship combatants. Work will be performed in Dahlgren, Va. (90 percent), and Virginia Beach, Va. (10 percent) and is expected to be completed by August 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $542,553 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity.
L-3 Services, Inc., San Leandro, Calif., is being awarded a $7,438,904 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the design, development, integration and production of a form, fit and function, environmentally sealed, state-of-the-art Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Pulser and its associated control system. Work will be performed in San Leandro, Calif., and is expected to be completed in August 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $1,250,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-08-C-0070).
Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif. is being awarded $6,273,910 for firm-fixed price Task Order #0003 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity environmental multiple award contract (N62473-08-D-8813) for transportation and removal of contaminated soil at Hunters Point Shipyard. Work will be performed in San Francisco, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 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.
Management Consulting Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $5,588,665 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity with firm-fixed-price provisions contract for Supply Chain Management (SCM) services and material utilizing a Third Party Logistics (3PL) provider in support of Naval Facility Command (NAVFAC) Midwest Public Works Department (PWD), Crane, Ind. This contract contains four one-year options, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $29,677,961. Work will be performed at Crane, Ind., and work is expected to be completed by August 2009. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This offer was awarded competitively through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-M002).
Army
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Conn., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $285,997,538 Firm Fixed Price, contract for procurement of UH-60Ls, to include technical support, technical publication and Ground Station Radios for Royal Saudi Land Forces. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was 1 bid solicited on October 4, 2000. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH23-02-C-0006).
S.M. Wilson, St. Louis, Mo., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $22,400,000.00 Firm Fixed Price-Construction, contract for construction, repair and alteration of real property at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Work will be performed in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and is expected to be completed by December 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on January 18, 2008. Corps of Engineers Kansas City District, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-08-C-0057).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $613,532,017.90 Firm Fixed Price, contract for Award Program Year One increment 2 of multi-year contract for Abrams M1A2 system enhancement program Version 2 upgrade vehicles. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio and across the continental United States and is expected to be completed by October 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on October 5, 2007, and one bid was received. TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).
Robertson Aviation, L.L.C., Tempe, Ariz., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $5,292,008.00 Firm Fixed Price, contract for Internal Auxiliary Fuel Systems. Work will be performed in Tempe, Ariz. and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one solicited on February 26, 2008, and 1 bid was received. Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0152).
EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc., of Hunt Valley, Md., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for a maximum of $3 billion. This action will provide professional architect-engineer services to perform Title I, Title II, and other architect-engineer services to administer, coordinate, and technically support environmental, military construction, military family housing, and facility sustainment, restoration, and modernization programs of interest to the government worldwide. The ordering period for this contract shall be 60 months. At this time $2,500 (Task order 0001 for each prime contract) has been obligated. AFCEE/ACV, Brooks City-Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-08-D-8791).
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract for $7,278,700 with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Navigation Systems Division, of Woodland Hills, Calif. This action will provide for one hundred thirty EGI Production Units for the USAF F-16. The Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) Units is a non-development item (NDI) being procured to meet the navigation requirements for tri-service and Foreign military Sales (FMS) platforms. This is a modification to exercise options for the aforementioned efforts. At this time all funds have been obligated. 647 AESS/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2066 P00036).
Navy
McDonnell Douglas Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a $659,237,888 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-04-C-0014) to exercise the option for the procurement of 13 F/A-18Fs and 3 E/A-18G aircraft for the U.S. Navy. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo. (28.7 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Goleta, Calif. (8.6 percent); Clearwater, Fla. (2.3 percent); Greenlawn, N.Y. (2.1 percent); Burnsville, Minn. (2.1 percent); Johnson City, N.Y. (2.1 percent); Brooklyn Heights, Ohio (2 percent); Vandalia, Ohio (2 percent); Grand Rapids, Mich. (2 percent); South Bend, Ind. (2 percent); Mesa, Ariz. (1.8 percent); Fort Worth, Texas (1.8 percent); and at various locations across the United States (17.5 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.
Bay Electric Co., Inc., Newport News, Va., is being awarded $9,726,275 for firm-fixed price Task Order #0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-06-D-6006) for design and construction of a truck company maintenance/operations complex at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune. Construction will include drive-through equipment maintenance bays, a battery charging room, tool storage, parts storage, administrative space, classroom space, showers and lockers and weapons storage/cleaning area. Also includes technical operating manuals, anti-terrorism/force protection features, and necessary environmental mitigation. The total contract amount is not to exceed $11,125,045. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, N.C., and is expected to be completed by February 2010. 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, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $9,068,457 modification to previously awarded contract (N00178-04-C-2004) to exercise an option for continuing engineering support for engineering expertise to support Research and Development (R&D), Total Ship System Engineering, and Combat System Engineering (CSE) initiatives for the introduction of advanced Technology into advanced combat systems, and for the modernization of current combat systems for surface ship combatants. Work will be performed in Dahlgren, Va. (90 percent), and Virginia Beach, Va. (10 percent) and is expected to be completed by August 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $542,553 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Dahlgren, Va., is the contracting activity.
L-3 Services, Inc., San Leandro, Calif., is being awarded a $7,438,904 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the design, development, integration and production of a form, fit and function, environmentally sealed, state-of-the-art Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Pulser and its associated control system. Work will be performed in San Leandro, Calif., and is expected to be completed in August 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $1,250,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured under an electronic request for proposals, with two offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-08-C-0070).
Innovative Technical Solutions, Inc., Walnut Creek, Calif. is being awarded $6,273,910 for firm-fixed price Task Order #0003 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity environmental multiple award contract (N62473-08-D-8813) for transportation and removal of contaminated soil at Hunters Point Shipyard. Work will be performed in San Francisco, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 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.
Management Consulting Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., is being awarded a $5,588,665 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity with firm-fixed-price provisions contract for Supply Chain Management (SCM) services and material utilizing a Third Party Logistics (3PL) provider in support of Naval Facility Command (NAVFAC) Midwest Public Works Department (PWD), Crane, Ind. This contract contains four one-year options, which if exercised, bring the total estimated value of the contract to $29,677,961. Work will be performed at Crane, Ind., and work is expected to be completed by August 2009. The contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This offer was awarded competitively through Navy Electronic Commerce Online and Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk is the contracting activity (N00189-08-D-M002).
Army
Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, Conn., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $285,997,538 Firm Fixed Price, contract for procurement of UH-60Ls, to include technical support, technical publication and Ground Station Radios for Royal Saudi Land Forces. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed by September 30, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was 1 bid solicited on October 4, 2000. US Army Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH23-02-C-0006).
S.M. Wilson, St. Louis, Mo., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $22,400,000.00 Firm Fixed Price-Construction, contract for construction, repair and alteration of real property at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Work will be performed in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and is expected to be completed by December 30, 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Eight bids were received on January 18, 2008. Corps of Engineers Kansas City District, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-08-C-0057).
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on August 1, 2008, a $613,532,017.90 Firm Fixed Price, contract for Award Program Year One increment 2 of multi-year contract for Abrams M1A2 system enhancement program Version 2 upgrade vehicles. Work will be performed in Lima, Ohio and across the continental United States and is expected to be completed by October 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one bid solicited on October 5, 2007, and one bid was received. TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-G-0006).
Robertson Aviation, L.L.C., Tempe, Ariz., was awarded on July 31, 2008, a $5,292,008.00 Firm Fixed Price, contract for Internal Auxiliary Fuel Systems. Work will be performed in Tempe, Ariz. and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was one solicited on February 26, 2008, and 1 bid was received. Aviation and Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-08-C-0152).
Compensation Panel Recommends TRICARE Changes
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - The Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation has recommended fee changes to Tricare, the Military's health care system. The recommendations would mostly affect retirees and will not affect active-duty servicemembers or their dependents, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Jan D. "Denny" Eakle, the director of the study, said in a Pentagon briefing today.
"Retiree fees ought to relate to how much the plan is worth," she said. "The ... higher-value plans should have higher premiums associated with them."
The panel believes fees need to be fair to all retired Military members, Eakle said. "They ought to reflect how much income an individual has, so that if they make more money and are therefore better able to pay for a system, they should do so," she said.
One problem is the fee structure for Tricare has not changed in 13 years. "When Tricare started out in 1995, Military members, retirees were charged $230 per individual, $460 per family," she said. "Today in 2008, they're charged $230 per individual, $460 per family."
In 1995, servicemembers paid 27 percent of their health care cost. Today that share is less than 12 percent.
Over-65 Military retirees -- those using the "Tricare for Life" program -- have been paying the Medicare Part B program fee of 25 percent, but this is due to rise. "Essentially what this says to you is that we are asking our older retirees, who are in fact the least likely to hold jobs and therefore have the lowest incomes, to pay the most for their system," Eakle said.
But Tricare for Life is a much more generous program than Tricare Prime. "We believe we need to get some parity between our older and our younger retirees," Eakle said.
The panel wants to redress some of this imbalance. "We believe that the under-65 retirees should begin paying 40 percent of the Medicare Part B premium using the same fee structure that is laid on by the Medicare system," Eakle said, adding that this should bring the system into a semblance of parity.
"In addition, we believe that the under-65 retirees ... who elect to use Tricare Standard and Extra need to pay a small fee for that," she said. "And we would suggest to the department that that fee be set at 15 percent of the Medicare Part B. We think the family rate should be set at double the individual rate and that the premium increase needs to be phased in over four years."
Other recommendations include using the Medicare deductible rate -- $135 per person in 2008 -- for Tricare. The panel also recommended to the department that all co-pays and co-insurance for any preventative service be provided at no cost to all members and retirees who have access to Tricare.
The final panel recommendation to DoD is to establish an open enrollment period for Tricare, Eakle said.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - The Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation has recommended fee changes to Tricare, the Military's health care system. The recommendations would mostly affect retirees and will not affect active-duty servicemembers or their dependents, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Jan D. "Denny" Eakle, the director of the study, said in a Pentagon briefing today.
"Retiree fees ought to relate to how much the plan is worth," she said. "The ... higher-value plans should have higher premiums associated with them."
The panel believes fees need to be fair to all retired Military members, Eakle said. "They ought to reflect how much income an individual has, so that if they make more money and are therefore better able to pay for a system, they should do so," she said.
One problem is the fee structure for Tricare has not changed in 13 years. "When Tricare started out in 1995, Military members, retirees were charged $230 per individual, $460 per family," she said. "Today in 2008, they're charged $230 per individual, $460 per family."
In 1995, servicemembers paid 27 percent of their health care cost. Today that share is less than 12 percent.
Over-65 Military retirees -- those using the "Tricare for Life" program -- have been paying the Medicare Part B program fee of 25 percent, but this is due to rise. "Essentially what this says to you is that we are asking our older retirees, who are in fact the least likely to hold jobs and therefore have the lowest incomes, to pay the most for their system," Eakle said.
But Tricare for Life is a much more generous program than Tricare Prime. "We believe we need to get some parity between our older and our younger retirees," Eakle said.
The panel wants to redress some of this imbalance. "We believe that the under-65 retirees should begin paying 40 percent of the Medicare Part B premium using the same fee structure that is laid on by the Medicare system," Eakle said, adding that this should bring the system into a semblance of parity.
"In addition, we believe that the under-65 retirees ... who elect to use Tricare Standard and Extra need to pay a small fee for that," she said. "And we would suggest to the department that that fee be set at 15 percent of the Medicare Part B. We think the family rate should be set at double the individual rate and that the premium increase needs to be phased in over four years."
Other recommendations include using the Medicare deductible rate -- $135 per person in 2008 -- for Tricare. The panel also recommended to the department that all co-pays and co-insurance for any preventative service be provided at no cost to all members and retirees who have access to Tricare.
The final panel recommendation to DoD is to establish an open enrollment period for Tricare, Eakle said.
Massachusetts Militia Soldier Was Olympic Pioneer
By Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - Imagine the Olympic Games without the specter of terrorists, tests for outlawed drugs or gold medals. That was the Olympics that a soldier who served in the Massachusetts militia experienced in Greece in 1896. Thomas Pelham Curtis was his name, and he was an Olympic pioneer in the sense that he competed in the first games of the modern Olympic era. He won the 110-meter hurdles for the United States.
His time of 17.6 seconds on a soft track is by far the slowest winning time in that event's Olympic history. But Curtis, who had studied electrical engineering, played football and ran track at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was just as proud to be an Olympian in Athens as will the 10,500 who will march and compete in Beijing during the 29th Summer Games beginning Aug. 8.
"There was a romance and a novelty connected with them that is hard to describe," stated Curtis, who wrote extensively about his experiences. He also took many photos of those games with a camera that his parents gave him.
He was born in San Francisco, and he was 23 when he competed, according to Leonid Kondratiuk, the state historian for the Massachusetts National Guard. Curtis attended the U.S. Military Academy for five months in 1891, and he was a private in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia's 1st Corps of Cadets from March 1892 to March 1895, Kondratiuk reported. The 1st Corps was the elite infantry battalion in Boston, he added.
Curtis later served as a captain in the Quartermaster Corps with the Massachusetts State Guard from October 1918 to June 1919 while the Massachusetts National Guard was mobilized for World War I.
Others who have served in the National Guard -- including African-Americans Brig. Gen. Edward Gourdin and Col. Willie Davenport -- also savored the Olympic experience.
Gourdin, a track star at Harvard, got the silver medal in the long jump during the 1924 Summer Games in Paris, the same year he earned his Harvard law degree. His accomplishments included being the first man to long jump 25 feet, becoming the first African-American to be promoted to general in the Massachusetts Guard when he retired in 1959, and becoming the Bay State's first African-American superior court justice.
Davenport, from Alabama, competed in five Olympics and was one of just eight Americans to compete in Summer and Winter Games. The man nicknamed "Breeze" won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in 1968 at Mexico City and earned the bronze in the same event eight years later in Montreal when he was 33.
He made his final Olympic appearance as a member of the U.S. bobsled team during the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. Davenport was honored as one of this country's 100 Golden Olympians before the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta. He was 59 when he died in June 2002.
The Olympics were ingrained into the international sports culture by the time Gourdin and Davenport came along. In fact, the Winter Games were first held in 1924 – the same year that Gourdin long jumped in Paris.
But they were very much a novelty when Thomas Pelham Curtis traveled to Athens to compete in 1896. The ancient games had last been held in A.D. 393 before the Roman emperor Theodosius ended them.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, persuaded 13 countries to send athletes to Athens for the first modern Olympics to promote interest in education and culture and to foster better international understanding through the love of athletics, according to The World Almanac.
The U.S. Olympic track and field trials did not exist. Curtis and other members of the Boston Athletic Association decided to compete in the inaugural games at the last minute, according to an MIT News Office report in 1996. The Boston group joined a team from Princeton and sailed for Greece less than two weeks before the games began.
One report states that the team trained in secret at Pennington, N.J., before sailing. The MIT account stated that the athletes trained for an hour a day on the steamship Fulda's rear deck and that they practiced during a stop in Gibraltar. They arrived in Athens the day before the games began, April 5, a Sunday, according to the MIT story.
Curtis qualified for the finals in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles. But his trainer saved him for the hurdles, and Curtis edged Great Britain's Grantley Goulding for the victory. That, Curtis acknowledged later, was the race "I had come especially to run."
He made many other observations.
"Athens presented a splendid appearance. It was a small city built of very white houses, with white streets, white sidewalks and white everything, and with that background the thousands upon thousands of flags of every color and kind showed out in striking contrast, making the city seem almost like a huge kaleidoscope.
"Eighty-two thousand people were seated [at the stadium] and thirty thousand more, for whom there was no room, were standing tier on tier on a hill that towered above one of the seats.
"During the week following the Games, our American team was involved in continuous fetes. We were shown about the country by the three Princes, took dinner with them, went to dances and cotillions at the American Minister's, Russian Minister's and elsewhere, and in our progress through the streets were greeted with cries of 'Nike, Nike' ['Victor, Victor']. Small shopkeepers insisted that we enter their stores and accept neckties, handkerchiefs, etc., for which they refused to accept payment, and which we were warned we should accept in order not to cause hurt feelings."
It was, indeed, a more innocent time for the Olympics in which this Massachusetts militia soldier competed.
The terrorists would not strike until 1972 in Munich. The use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs would not become an international issue until well into the 20th century. And the gold medals?
Curtis didn't get one. Gold medals were not given to Olympic champions until the St. Louis Games in 1904. The winners of the events during the 1896 Games, Curtis wrote, were presented an olive branch from the sacred grove of Olympus, a large silver medal, and a diploma printed in Greek.
(Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 5, 2008 - Imagine the Olympic Games without the specter of terrorists, tests for outlawed drugs or gold medals. That was the Olympics that a soldier who served in the Massachusetts militia experienced in Greece in 1896. Thomas Pelham Curtis was his name, and he was an Olympic pioneer in the sense that he competed in the first games of the modern Olympic era. He won the 110-meter hurdles for the United States.
His time of 17.6 seconds on a soft track is by far the slowest winning time in that event's Olympic history. But Curtis, who had studied electrical engineering, played football and ran track at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was just as proud to be an Olympian in Athens as will the 10,500 who will march and compete in Beijing during the 29th Summer Games beginning Aug. 8.
"There was a romance and a novelty connected with them that is hard to describe," stated Curtis, who wrote extensively about his experiences. He also took many photos of those games with a camera that his parents gave him.
He was born in San Francisco, and he was 23 when he competed, according to Leonid Kondratiuk, the state historian for the Massachusetts National Guard. Curtis attended the U.S. Military Academy for five months in 1891, and he was a private in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia's 1st Corps of Cadets from March 1892 to March 1895, Kondratiuk reported. The 1st Corps was the elite infantry battalion in Boston, he added.
Curtis later served as a captain in the Quartermaster Corps with the Massachusetts State Guard from October 1918 to June 1919 while the Massachusetts National Guard was mobilized for World War I.
Others who have served in the National Guard -- including African-Americans Brig. Gen. Edward Gourdin and Col. Willie Davenport -- also savored the Olympic experience.
Gourdin, a track star at Harvard, got the silver medal in the long jump during the 1924 Summer Games in Paris, the same year he earned his Harvard law degree. His accomplishments included being the first man to long jump 25 feet, becoming the first African-American to be promoted to general in the Massachusetts Guard when he retired in 1959, and becoming the Bay State's first African-American superior court justice.
Davenport, from Alabama, competed in five Olympics and was one of just eight Americans to compete in Summer and Winter Games. The man nicknamed "Breeze" won the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles in 1968 at Mexico City and earned the bronze in the same event eight years later in Montreal when he was 33.
He made his final Olympic appearance as a member of the U.S. bobsled team during the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. Davenport was honored as one of this country's 100 Golden Olympians before the 1996 Centennial Olympics in Atlanta. He was 59 when he died in June 2002.
The Olympics were ingrained into the international sports culture by the time Gourdin and Davenport came along. In fact, the Winter Games were first held in 1924 – the same year that Gourdin long jumped in Paris.
But they were very much a novelty when Thomas Pelham Curtis traveled to Athens to compete in 1896. The ancient games had last been held in A.D. 393 before the Roman emperor Theodosius ended them.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, a French educator, persuaded 13 countries to send athletes to Athens for the first modern Olympics to promote interest in education and culture and to foster better international understanding through the love of athletics, according to The World Almanac.
The U.S. Olympic track and field trials did not exist. Curtis and other members of the Boston Athletic Association decided to compete in the inaugural games at the last minute, according to an MIT News Office report in 1996. The Boston group joined a team from Princeton and sailed for Greece less than two weeks before the games began.
One report states that the team trained in secret at Pennington, N.J., before sailing. The MIT account stated that the athletes trained for an hour a day on the steamship Fulda's rear deck and that they practiced during a stop in Gibraltar. They arrived in Athens the day before the games began, April 5, a Sunday, according to the MIT story.
Curtis qualified for the finals in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles. But his trainer saved him for the hurdles, and Curtis edged Great Britain's Grantley Goulding for the victory. That, Curtis acknowledged later, was the race "I had come especially to run."
He made many other observations.
"Athens presented a splendid appearance. It was a small city built of very white houses, with white streets, white sidewalks and white everything, and with that background the thousands upon thousands of flags of every color and kind showed out in striking contrast, making the city seem almost like a huge kaleidoscope.
"Eighty-two thousand people were seated [at the stadium] and thirty thousand more, for whom there was no room, were standing tier on tier on a hill that towered above one of the seats.
"During the week following the Games, our American team was involved in continuous fetes. We were shown about the country by the three Princes, took dinner with them, went to dances and cotillions at the American Minister's, Russian Minister's and elsewhere, and in our progress through the streets were greeted with cries of 'Nike, Nike' ['Victor, Victor']. Small shopkeepers insisted that we enter their stores and accept neckties, handkerchiefs, etc., for which they refused to accept payment, and which we were warned we should accept in order not to cause hurt feelings."
It was, indeed, a more innocent time for the Olympics in which this Massachusetts militia soldier competed.
The terrorists would not strike until 1972 in Munich. The use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs would not become an international issue until well into the 20th century. And the gold medals?
Curtis didn't get one. Gold medals were not given to Olympic champions until the St. Louis Games in 1904. The winners of the events during the 1896 Games, Curtis wrote, were presented an olive branch from the sacred grove of Olympus, a large silver medal, and a diploma printed in Greek.
(Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
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