The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. airman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Lt. Col. Earl P. Hopper Jr., U.S. Air Force, of Phoenix, Ariz. He is to be buried on April 3 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.
On Jan. 10, 1968, Hopper and Capt. Keith Hall were flying an F-4D Phantom near Hanoi, North Vietnam, as part of a four-ship MiG combat air patrol. Before they reached the target, an enemy surface-to-air missile exploded slightly below their aircraft. Hall radioed that he and Hopper were ejecting. He told Hopper to eject, but when he heard no response, he repeated "Earl get out!" Hopper replied, "I've pulled on it and it [the ejection seat] did not go," followed by "you go!" Hall then pulled on his primary ejection handle but it failed to initiate, forcing him to use the alternate. Hall was captured and held as a prisoner of war until 1973, but Hopper was unable to get out of the aircraft.
Between 1993-1998, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) conducted three joint investigations and five excavations at the crash site in Son La Province, west of Hanoi. The team interviewed four informants who had knowledge of the site. The excavations recovered numerous skeletal fragments and crew-related items which were ultimately used in the forensic identification process.
Among other forensic tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists used extensive dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169 or (703) 699-1420.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Face of Defense: Soldier Cooks His Way to Culinary Big Leagues
By Army Staff Sgt. Mike PryorSpecial to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - Army Sgt. Orlando Serna has a bone to pick with anyone who thinks cooking is nothing more than throwing a few ingredients together in a pot. "It's a science. Everything is a formula," said Serna, a cook with the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Serna's precision and attention to detail inside the kitchen enabled him to clean house at the 34th annual U.S. Army Culinary Arts Competition held at Fort Lee, Va., last month. Serna won three individual awards and helped the Fort Bragg team claim Installation of the Year honors. Additionally, Serna was selected to join the U.S. Army Culinary Arts Team -- the culinary equivalent of the Olympic "Dream Team."
"It's huge," Serna, 32, of Atlanta, said. Serna and the rest of the Army's culinary team will face off against cooks from all over the world during the World Culinary Olympics in 2010.
Serna's recent accomplishments in the kitchen had humble beginnings. When he first joined the Army in 1998, the only thing he knew how to make was cookies, he said.
But after a three-year stint as a cook with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, during which he helped Fort Bragg to an Installation of the Year title in 2000, Serna knew he had found his calling. He left the Army to pursue an advanced degree in culinary technology. In 2008, armed with new skills and new techniques, Serna joined back up again, and he has been cooking his way to the top ever since.
Serna's area of expertise is baking. He sounds like a NASA scientist as he rattles off butter ratios, browning-point temperatures, caramelization differences between sugars, and the technique required to get the perfect consistency on a chilled chocolate mousse.
"I like the geek stuff," Serna said.
That painstaking attention to detail is what separates Serna from the rest of the pack. At the Culinary Arts Competition, a dessert centerpiece he created portraying the Muppet character "Animal" took 36 hours of work to craft, but in the end it won the "Most Artistic Exhibit in Show" award.
Despite his individual achievements, Serna was quick to give credit to the soldiers at his unit dining facility.
"At the end of the day, it's not just you, it's your whole [dining facility] behind you picking up the slack that allows you to succeed," he said.
Serna also was proud of the performance of his teammate Army Sgt. Michael Williams, who was his apprentice during the competition and won a Bronze Medal.
"He has a long future out there," Serna predicted.
Like any soldier, Serna said he knows he will be judged on how well he passes on what he knows to his subordinates.
"You can't keep that knowledge to yourself," he said.
The one group that won't be benefitting from Serna's expertise in the kitchen is his family. At home, he said, he keeps the cooking simple. What does he mostly eat there?
"A lot of cereal; quick and easy, you know?" he said.
(Army Staff Sgt. Mike Pryor serves with the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team public affairs office.)
Obama Praises U.S.-South Korea Alliance at London Summit
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - South Korea is a vital ally and firm friend of the United States, President Barack Obama said today while attending the Group of 20 international economic conference in London. Officially known as the Republic of Korea, South Korea "is one of America's closest allies and greatest friends," Obama told reporters just before he met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
And, under Lee's leadership, Obama said, the friendship between the United States and South Korea "has only grown stronger."
The annual G-20 economic summit is a venue for consultation on the global financial system. It features participation by the world's 19 largest economies, plus the European Union.
South Korea has the fourth largest economy in Asia and boasts one of the world's fastest-growing advanced economic systems.
The United States, Obama said, is keen to discuss issues related to the current global economic downturn at the London conference.
Yet, there are other important issues at hand, Obama said before meeting with Lee, including the topics of defense, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, South Korea's contributions in Afghanistan, and it's global leadership role on climate change.
Afterward, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters that the two chief executives enjoyed a "warm meeting," and that Obama invited Lee to visit him in Washington in June.
There also "was a fair amount of discussion of the North Korean issue," the official said. North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, recently announced its intent to test-launch another ballistic missile within the next few days.
A North Korean missile launch would be a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, the U.S. official said, noting that the United States and South Korea would consult closely about how to respond firmly at the U.N. if the launch occurs.
Meanwhile, the official said, there is a "general expectation" that the North Koreans will proceed with the launch.
"But, we have been making maximum efforts to try to dissuade them, and still hope that they may change their minds," the U.S. official added.
Obama and Lee also had discussed ongoing efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, the official said. North Korea, according to the official, would not be able to drive a wedge between the United States and South Korea.
Obama praised Lee's "calm resolve and restraint and steadfastness" in the face of North Korea's recent actions, the U.S. official said.
North Korea invaded U.S. ally South Korea in June 1950. The ensuing Korean War, in which United States and U.N. combat troops deployed to the Korean peninsula to drive out the North Koreans, eventually brought the People's Republic of China into the conflict on the side of the North Koreans. A truce was signed in 1953.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - South Korea is a vital ally and firm friend of the United States, President Barack Obama said today while attending the Group of 20 international economic conference in London. Officially known as the Republic of Korea, South Korea "is one of America's closest allies and greatest friends," Obama told reporters just before he met with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
And, under Lee's leadership, Obama said, the friendship between the United States and South Korea "has only grown stronger."
The annual G-20 economic summit is a venue for consultation on the global financial system. It features participation by the world's 19 largest economies, plus the European Union.
South Korea has the fourth largest economy in Asia and boasts one of the world's fastest-growing advanced economic systems.
The United States, Obama said, is keen to discuss issues related to the current global economic downturn at the London conference.
Yet, there are other important issues at hand, Obama said before meeting with Lee, including the topics of defense, peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, South Korea's contributions in Afghanistan, and it's global leadership role on climate change.
Afterward, a senior U.S. administration official told reporters that the two chief executives enjoyed a "warm meeting," and that Obama invited Lee to visit him in Washington in June.
There also "was a fair amount of discussion of the North Korean issue," the official said. North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, recently announced its intent to test-launch another ballistic missile within the next few days.
A North Korean missile launch would be a violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, the U.S. official said, noting that the United States and South Korea would consult closely about how to respond firmly at the U.N. if the launch occurs.
Meanwhile, the official said, there is a "general expectation" that the North Koreans will proceed with the launch.
"But, we have been making maximum efforts to try to dissuade them, and still hope that they may change their minds," the U.S. official added.
Obama and Lee also had discussed ongoing efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, the official said. North Korea, according to the official, would not be able to drive a wedge between the United States and South Korea.
Obama praised Lee's "calm resolve and restraint and steadfastness" in the face of North Korea's recent actions, the U.S. official said.
North Korea invaded U.S. ally South Korea in June 1950. The ensuing Korean War, in which United States and U.N. combat troops deployed to the Korean peninsula to drive out the North Koreans, eventually brought the People's Republic of China into the conflict on the side of the North Koreans. A truce was signed in 1953.
Bataan Memorial Death March Honors World War II Soldiers
By Army Staff Sgt. Anna DooSpecial to American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The resounding boom of cannon fire broke the sound of thousands of participants talking as they waited in anticipation March 29 for the start of the 2009 Bataan Memorial Death March. This year, the 26.2-mile event at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., included more than 5,300 participants from 50 states and eight countries, including the Philippines, Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.
While individuals marched for their own reasons, they all came together for the same purpose: to honor the soldiers, who were part of the Bataan Death March during World War II.
The Bataan Death March occurred in 1942 after the Japanese attacked the Bataan peninsula in the Philippines, where American and Filipino soldiers were stationed. After three months of fighting the Japanese with insufficient weapons and dwindling supplies, the American and Filipino soldiers were ordered to surrender April 9, 1942.
The Japanese forced the soldiers to march more than 60 miles with nearly no food or water. The prisoners were subjected to heinous acts of torture and many were killed or perished while marching. Some of the soldiers who survived the march spent the next three years in Japanese prisoner of war camps until freed in 1945.
The opening ceremony for the march included a roll call of the New Mexico National Guard survivors, who were members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units.
One by one, the names of those living and deceased were called out as a reminder of what's called America's "Greatest Generation."
Some of the Bataan survivors lined up along the starting line and shook hands with the racers as a show of gratitude to those who were marching in their honor.
Young and old marched side by side on the rugged terrain with runners, military personnel carrying rucksacks weighing at least 35 pounds, and wounded warriors marching on prosthetic limbs.
Each participant was determined to finish the march and could be heard inspiring others no matter how much their body ached and feet hurt.
Tabitha Baker recalled the moment she crossed the finish line. "The proudest moment was ... seeing the survivors waiting there to commemorate the participants for completing the march. As I shook the survivor's hand I said, 'It is an honor to meet you.' He looked at me, held my hand and answered, 'No, it is an honor to meet you.'
"It is amazing to see these men ... have so much pride and admiration for the soldiers of today."
As each year passes, there are fewer living Bataan veterans, but the responsibility to keep the memory alive
will never perish.
(Army Staff Sgt. Anna Doo serves with the New Mexico National Guard.)
Defense Department Celebrates Military Children in April
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - The Defense Department and communities throughout the world will continue the 23-year tradition of recognizing the importance of military children in the month of April. The Month of the Military Child, first celebrated in 1986, is especially important today, said Arthur J. Myers, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.
"Children are our nation's unsung heroes," Myers said. "This month-long recognition is a time set aside to acknowledge the important role that children play in the lives of their military parents and express appreciation for their service. This is our chance to thank them for being so supportive of their parents."
About 1.9 million children are part of the military family, and more than two-thirds have had a parent deploy, Myers said. Their role is unique and quietly significant.
"The military lifestyle is tough for kids," he said. "Multiple moves, new schools, saying goodbye to old friends, needing to make new friends -- none of this is easy. And there are many missed special occasions and developmental milestones because of military duties.
"While military parents know this and respect the sacrifices their children make, the nation is largely unaware," he continued. "This is why April is such an important month in military communities. The activities and special recognition help to express gratitude for these contributions."
Military installations, schools and local communities around the world will host ceremonies and special activities throughout the month. Myers encourages families to participate.
"We are grateful to our many community partners who join in this salute," he said. "Let's remember that kids serve, too."
(From a Defense Department news release.)
April 2, 2009 - The Defense Department and communities throughout the world will continue the 23-year tradition of recognizing the importance of military children in the month of April. The Month of the Military Child, first celebrated in 1986, is especially important today, said Arthur J. Myers, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.
"Children are our nation's unsung heroes," Myers said. "This month-long recognition is a time set aside to acknowledge the important role that children play in the lives of their military parents and express appreciation for their service. This is our chance to thank them for being so supportive of their parents."
About 1.9 million children are part of the military family, and more than two-thirds have had a parent deploy, Myers said. Their role is unique and quietly significant.
"The military lifestyle is tough for kids," he said. "Multiple moves, new schools, saying goodbye to old friends, needing to make new friends -- none of this is easy. And there are many missed special occasions and developmental milestones because of military duties.
"While military parents know this and respect the sacrifices their children make, the nation is largely unaware," he continued. "This is why April is such an important month in military communities. The activities and special recognition help to express gratitude for these contributions."
Military installations, schools and local communities around the world will host ceremonies and special activities throughout the month. Myers encourages families to participate.
"We are grateful to our many community partners who join in this salute," he said. "Let's remember that kids serve, too."
(From a Defense Department news release.)
NATO Prepares for Historic Anniversary, Summit
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - NATO leaders are slated to focus on a broad range of issues at the summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, this week against the backdrop of the alliance's 60th anniversary. President Barack Obama will lead the U.S. delegation during meetings in which the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan is expected to take center stage. The United States worked closely among NATO allies on an Afghan-Pakistan strategy review the Obama administration unveiled last week.
"We believe that we are going to be able to ensure that the NATO members who've made so many sacrifices and have been working so hard already are reinvigorated, and that the coordination that's going to be taking place will make it even more effective for us as we complete a successful NATO mission," Obama said after meeting at the White House last week with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Ahead of the summit's formal start tomorrow, the alliance today officially added two new members -- Albania and Croatia -- raising to 28 the number of allies that will celebrate six decades since a dozen nations endorsed the North Atlantic Treaty at an April 4, 1949, ceremony here.
De Hoop Scheffer noted that the anniversary would be a time not only to reflect on past successes, but also to look ahead.
"The summit must be more than a celebration," he said in a statement on the NATO Web site. "It must also deliver results in order for our alliance to be able to meet current and future challenges."
The summit's agenda comprises issues beyond the scope of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, as Obama noted after his meeting with the NATO secretary general.
"We have a set of challenges that require NATO to shift from the 20th century to the 21st century; issues of terrorism, failed states, nuclear proliferation, a whole host of new challenges as well as the traditional role that NATO has played in preserving the territorial integrity of NATO members," he said.
Topics of interest include NATO's stabilization operation in Kosovo, NATO-Russia relations, arms control and future expansion.
Today's enlargement of the alliance marks only the sixth time in NATO history that the collective security organization has expanded its borders. Accession by the two Balkan nations follows the addition of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania in 2004; Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in 1999; Spain in 1982; West Germany in 1955; and Greece and Turkey in 1952.
The founding NATO members were the United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
De Hoop Scheffer welcomed the alliance's newest members in a statement from the NATO headquarters in Brussels today.
"In becoming NATO members, Albania and Croatia share the benefits and responsibilities of collective security," he said.
American Forces Press Service
April 2, 2009 - NATO leaders are slated to focus on a broad range of issues at the summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, this week against the backdrop of the alliance's 60th anniversary. President Barack Obama will lead the U.S. delegation during meetings in which the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan is expected to take center stage. The United States worked closely among NATO allies on an Afghan-Pakistan strategy review the Obama administration unveiled last week.
"We believe that we are going to be able to ensure that the NATO members who've made so many sacrifices and have been working so hard already are reinvigorated, and that the coordination that's going to be taking place will make it even more effective for us as we complete a successful NATO mission," Obama said after meeting at the White House last week with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Ahead of the summit's formal start tomorrow, the alliance today officially added two new members -- Albania and Croatia -- raising to 28 the number of allies that will celebrate six decades since a dozen nations endorsed the North Atlantic Treaty at an April 4, 1949, ceremony here.
De Hoop Scheffer noted that the anniversary would be a time not only to reflect on past successes, but also to look ahead.
"The summit must be more than a celebration," he said in a statement on the NATO Web site. "It must also deliver results in order for our alliance to be able to meet current and future challenges."
The summit's agenda comprises issues beyond the scope of the NATO mission in Afghanistan, as Obama noted after his meeting with the NATO secretary general.
"We have a set of challenges that require NATO to shift from the 20th century to the 21st century; issues of terrorism, failed states, nuclear proliferation, a whole host of new challenges as well as the traditional role that NATO has played in preserving the territorial integrity of NATO members," he said.
Topics of interest include NATO's stabilization operation in Kosovo, NATO-Russia relations, arms control and future expansion.
Today's enlargement of the alliance marks only the sixth time in NATO history that the collective security organization has expanded its borders. Accession by the two Balkan nations follows the addition of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania in 2004; Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland in 1999; Spain in 1982; West Germany in 1955; and Greece and Turkey in 1952.
The founding NATO members were the United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
De Hoop Scheffer welcomed the alliance's newest members in a statement from the NATO headquarters in Brussels today.
"In becoming NATO members, Albania and Croatia share the benefits and responsibilities of collective security," he said.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
MILITARY CONTRACTS April 1, 2009
NAVY
General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a basic ordering agreement with a potential value of up to $47,400,000 for Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) for DDG 51 Class Destroyers. The orders to be issued are for PSA planning and support services and will include advance planning, engineering support, on-site engineering liaison, craft assistance, the ordering and processing of required material in support of PSAs, and the accomplishment of emergent industrial availabilities. Emergent industrial availabilities include, but are not limited to, restricted availabilities, drydocking availabilities, and technical availabilities which may be required from time of ship's delivery through the SCN Obligation Work and Limiting Date (OWLD). Work will be performed in Bath, Maine, (60 percent), and in the ships' homeport (40 percent) which may include Norfolk, Va., San Diego, Calif., Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-G-2304).
American Defense Systems, Inc., Hicksville, N.Y., is being awarded a $29,999,382 firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a maximum ordering quantity of 206 Add on Armor (AoA) Crew Protection Kits (CPK), associated manuals and spares parts kits. The initial delivery order is for Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) 0001 through 0011 available on the contract and is valued at $16,027,057.87. Work will be performed in Hicksville, N.Y., and work is expected to be complete by Mar. 31, 2012. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award to American Defense Systems, Inc. as they are the sole manufacturer of the Add on Armor (AoA) Crew Protection Kits (CPK). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-D-5069).
Insitu, Inc., Bingen, Wash., is being awarded a $20,917,403 firm fixed price contract for the procurement of ScanEagle Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) hardware for four operational sites, 3 spare/operational float packages, and critical spares kits in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) missions. Work will be performed in Bingen, Wash., and is expected to be completed in Jul. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-2. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0005).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Archbald, Pa., is being awarded a $16,531,431 not-to-exceed order against a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract (N00019-05-D-0020) for the procurement of 9,303 enhanced laser-guided training rounds and containers. Work will be performed in Archbald, Pa., and is expected to be completed in April 2010. 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.
BAE Systems TSS Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $10,538,835 modification to previously awarded delivery order (N00024-08-F-B062) to provide engineering, technical, professional and operations support services for the Navy Above Water Sensors Program. The contract shall provide engineering, technical, professional, and operations support services in the program areas of program management, financial management, engineering, test and evaluation, and logistics for above water radar systems. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,040,429 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C. is the contracting activity.
Wyle Laboratories, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $10,366,346 modification to a previously awarded cost plus fixed fee contract (N00421-08-C-0025) to exercise an option for services to support the Naval Test Wing Atlantic and Naval Test Wing Pacific with operation, scheduling, and aircrew support. The estimated level of effort for this option is 118,600 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $627,642 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $7,640,028 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2009 production of the AN/ARC-210(V) Electronic Protection Radio Systems for the U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 40-50 aircraft. This modification provides for 118 MT-4935/ARC mounting bases, and 118 RT-1851A (C)/ARC receiver-transmitters. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2009. 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.
Chesapeake Sciences Corporation, Millersville, Md., is being awarded a $7,398,262 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6223) to exercise an option to procure 10 additional TB-34 Towed Bodies and associated interface hardware. The TB-34 Towed Body Arrays consists of one Array and Tow Cable, including Inboard Termination Hardware that will be deployed on submarines. Work will be performed in Millersville, Md., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Tekia Research Inc., Woodbridge, Va., is being awarded a $5,585,348 modification (P00124) under a previously awarded cost plus fixed fee term contract (N000173-05-C-2056) for research and development support services. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., and work is expected to be completed Jul. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Modification
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Outdoor Venture Corporation, Stearns, Ky.*, is being awarded a maximum $35,753,790 fixed price with economic price adjustment, total set-aside, indefinite delivery contract for modular general purpose tent system. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-0019).
General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a basic ordering agreement with a potential value of up to $47,400,000 for Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) for DDG 51 Class Destroyers. The orders to be issued are for PSA planning and support services and will include advance planning, engineering support, on-site engineering liaison, craft assistance, the ordering and processing of required material in support of PSAs, and the accomplishment of emergent industrial availabilities. Emergent industrial availabilities include, but are not limited to, restricted availabilities, drydocking availabilities, and technical availabilities which may be required from time of ship's delivery through the SCN Obligation Work and Limiting Date (OWLD). Work will be performed in Bath, Maine, (60 percent), and in the ships' homeport (40 percent) which may include Norfolk, Va., San Diego, Calif., Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Mayport, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-G-2304).
American Defense Systems, Inc., Hicksville, N.Y., is being awarded a $29,999,382 firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with a maximum ordering quantity of 206 Add on Armor (AoA) Crew Protection Kits (CPK), associated manuals and spares parts kits. The initial delivery order is for Contract Line Item Numbers (CLINs) 0001 through 0011 available on the contract and is valued at $16,027,057.87. Work will be performed in Hicksville, N.Y., and work is expected to be complete by Mar. 31, 2012. Contract funds will not expire by the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole source award to American Defense Systems, Inc. as they are the sole manufacturer of the Add on Armor (AoA) Crew Protection Kits (CPK). The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-D-5069).
Insitu, Inc., Bingen, Wash., is being awarded a $20,917,403 firm fixed price contract for the procurement of ScanEagle Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) hardware for four operational sites, 3 spare/operational float packages, and critical spares kits in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) missions. Work will be performed in Bingen, Wash., and is expected to be completed in Jul. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-2. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0005).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Archbald, Pa., is being awarded a $16,531,431 not-to-exceed order against a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract (N00019-05-D-0020) for the procurement of 9,303 enhanced laser-guided training rounds and containers. Work will be performed in Archbald, Pa., and is expected to be completed in April 2010. 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.
BAE Systems TSS Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded a $10,538,835 modification to previously awarded delivery order (N00024-08-F-B062) to provide engineering, technical, professional and operations support services for the Navy Above Water Sensors Program. The contract shall provide engineering, technical, professional, and operations support services in the program areas of program management, financial management, engineering, test and evaluation, and logistics for above water radar systems. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., and is expected to be completed by Jun. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $1,040,429 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C. is the contracting activity.
Wyle Laboratories, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., is being awarded a $10,366,346 modification to a previously awarded cost plus fixed fee contract (N00421-08-C-0025) to exercise an option for services to support the Naval Test Wing Atlantic and Naval Test Wing Pacific with operation, scheduling, and aircrew support. The estimated level of effort for this option is 118,600 man-hours. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in Mar. 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $627,642 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Rockwell Collins Government Systems, Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is being awarded a $7,640,028 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed priced contract (N00019-05-C-0050) to exercise an option for the FY 2009 production of the AN/ARC-210(V) Electronic Protection Radio Systems for the U.S. Air Force F-16 Block 40-50 aircraft. This modification provides for 118 MT-4935/ARC mounting bases, and 118 RT-1851A (C)/ARC receiver-transmitters. Work will be performed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2009. 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.
Chesapeake Sciences Corporation, Millersville, Md., is being awarded a $7,398,262 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6223) to exercise an option to procure 10 additional TB-34 Towed Bodies and associated interface hardware. The TB-34 Towed Body Arrays consists of one Array and Tow Cable, including Inboard Termination Hardware that will be deployed on submarines. Work will be performed in Millersville, Md., and is expected to be completed by Mar. 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Tekia Research Inc., Woodbridge, Va., is being awarded a $5,585,348 modification (P00124) under a previously awarded cost plus fixed fee term contract (N000173-05-C-2056) for research and development support services. Work will be performed at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., and work is expected to be completed Jul. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Modification
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Outdoor Venture Corporation, Stearns, Ky.*, is being awarded a maximum $35,753,790 fixed price with economic price adjustment, total set-aside, indefinite delivery contract for modular general purpose tent system. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally Web solicited with three responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-09-D-0019).
Defense Department Program Aims to Create New Biodiesel Fuel
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Ever imagine filling up the fuel tanks on a military aircraft with french fry grease? It's no April Fools' Day joke -- that's exactly what the Air Force could do someday if a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research program proves successful. DARPA is the Defense Department's scientific agency that pushes the envelope toward what Anthony J. Tether, its long-time previous director, described as "the far side" of science and technology development to support military requirements.
So in an effort to reduce the military's huge reliance on imported oil, DARPA is on the fast track exploring ways to convert so-called "yellow grease oil" or plant-based "cellulosic and algae sources" into JP8 jet fuel.
The goal, explained Barbara McQuiston, director of the Strategic Technology Office and program manager for biofuels, is to come up with nonpetroleum sources to power military aircraft, ground vehicles and non-nuclear ships. Two side benefits, she said, will be lower fuel costs and fewer environmentally unfriendly carbon emissions.
The DARPA-funded biofuels program has the scientific community looking into some seemingly unlikely petroleum alternatives: algae, seeds and corn husks among them. These crops produce a type of oil that can be converted through a complicated process into biofuel, McQuiston said.
The private sector is exploring this possibility, too, in the quest for cheaper, domestically produced fuel. In fact, several commercial airlines already have conducted test flights using a blend of petroleum and biofuel.
This research may have some military application, McQuiston said, but the biodiesel produced through current commercial processes isn't necessarily suitable for military uses. The military, for example, needs a fuel that meets exceptionally high standards; it must be as efficient at minus 20 degrees as at 140 degrees.
Some participants in the DARPA program have produced samples that meet these standards. They could, if produced in a big enough scale and at a low enough cost, potentially serve as stand-ins for JP8 jet fuel, McQuiston said.
Within the next few years, she said, she expects to have a proven biodiesel alternative that meets all the established requirements, and to be able to present it to the military services so they can consider using it.
"Our interest is in being able to prove out the technology and be able to demonstrate that these goals are achievable," she said. "We want to show that this can be done, and that it can be done within a feasible and manufactureable and scalable process."
Developing alternative energies has strategic importance to the United States, McQuiston said. "Being able to develop this alternative energy independence is good for the military, and it's good for the nation," she said.
This recognition, McQuiston said, is a great motivator for her and her team. "I think all of us are here because we want to do service to the country," she said. "And at DARPA, we get to be able to do this high-risk, high-return investment that we feel is critical to the nation. We're able to not only address some of the more challenging problems, but also to provide leadership into the future."
DARPA was established in response to the Russian Sputnik launch, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. Its work has built the foundations for the NASA space program, the World Wide Web and myriad other technologies.
Technologies developed by DARPA have revolutionized warfare as well. Stealth aircraft, advanced precision munitions and the Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles used in Iraq and Afghanistan today all began on DARPA's drawing boards.
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Ever imagine filling up the fuel tanks on a military aircraft with french fry grease? It's no April Fools' Day joke -- that's exactly what the Air Force could do someday if a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency research program proves successful. DARPA is the Defense Department's scientific agency that pushes the envelope toward what Anthony J. Tether, its long-time previous director, described as "the far side" of science and technology development to support military requirements.
So in an effort to reduce the military's huge reliance on imported oil, DARPA is on the fast track exploring ways to convert so-called "yellow grease oil" or plant-based "cellulosic and algae sources" into JP8 jet fuel.
The goal, explained Barbara McQuiston, director of the Strategic Technology Office and program manager for biofuels, is to come up with nonpetroleum sources to power military aircraft, ground vehicles and non-nuclear ships. Two side benefits, she said, will be lower fuel costs and fewer environmentally unfriendly carbon emissions.
The DARPA-funded biofuels program has the scientific community looking into some seemingly unlikely petroleum alternatives: algae, seeds and corn husks among them. These crops produce a type of oil that can be converted through a complicated process into biofuel, McQuiston said.
The private sector is exploring this possibility, too, in the quest for cheaper, domestically produced fuel. In fact, several commercial airlines already have conducted test flights using a blend of petroleum and biofuel.
This research may have some military application, McQuiston said, but the biodiesel produced through current commercial processes isn't necessarily suitable for military uses. The military, for example, needs a fuel that meets exceptionally high standards; it must be as efficient at minus 20 degrees as at 140 degrees.
Some participants in the DARPA program have produced samples that meet these standards. They could, if produced in a big enough scale and at a low enough cost, potentially serve as stand-ins for JP8 jet fuel, McQuiston said.
Within the next few years, she said, she expects to have a proven biodiesel alternative that meets all the established requirements, and to be able to present it to the military services so they can consider using it.
"Our interest is in being able to prove out the technology and be able to demonstrate that these goals are achievable," she said. "We want to show that this can be done, and that it can be done within a feasible and manufactureable and scalable process."
Developing alternative energies has strategic importance to the United States, McQuiston said. "Being able to develop this alternative energy independence is good for the military, and it's good for the nation," she said.
This recognition, McQuiston said, is a great motivator for her and her team. "I think all of us are here because we want to do service to the country," she said. "And at DARPA, we get to be able to do this high-risk, high-return investment that we feel is critical to the nation. We're able to not only address some of the more challenging problems, but also to provide leadership into the future."
DARPA was established in response to the Russian Sputnik launch, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. Its work has built the foundations for the NASA space program, the World Wide Web and myriad other technologies.
Technologies developed by DARPA have revolutionized warfare as well. Stealth aircraft, advanced precision munitions and the Predator and Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles used in Iraq and Afghanistan today all began on DARPA's drawing boards.
Obama, Medvedev Commit to Reduce Nuclear Arms, Reset Relationship
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - The leaders of the world's two largest nuclear superpowers today agreed to start new talks aimed at reducing nuclear arms stockpiles, and to use the platform to "reset" relationships between the United States and Russia. "What I believe we've begun today is a very constructive dialogue that will allow us to work on issues of mutual interest," President Barack Obama said following his first meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in London today.
Both presidents acknowledged a "drift" in relations between the United States and Russia, but said common interests should give them cause to work together.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, both leaders agreed "that the era when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over," and pledged a "substantive agenda for Russia and the United States to be developed over the coming months and years."
"We ... are ready to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start in relations between our two countries," the statement reads.
In a separate news conference before the meeting, Obama said both countries have an interest in reducing nuclear stockpiles, reducing the threat of terrorism, and stabilizing the world economy. And, he said, nuclear arms talks are an ideal first front to begin moving the two countries toward common grounds.
"The presence of these deadly weapons, their proliferation, the possibility of them finding their way into the hands of terrorists, continues to be the gravest threat to humanity," Obama said.
In the joint statement, Obama and Medvedev agreed to strengthen their obligations under Article VI of the treaty on nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and to replace the strategic arms reduction treaty. Talks on the new treaty are to begin immediately, and the two leaders called for a report on results by July.
"We committed our two countries to achieving a nuclear free world," the statement reads.
Still, the two acknowledged that differences remain over missile defense assets in Europe.
The United States wants to base missile defense interceptors in Poland and associated radar in the Czech Republic. U.S. officials want to extend the zone of coverage in Europe for the potential long-range missile threat from Iran or others in the region.
Russian officials, however, have downplayed the threat from Iran and have been outspoken opponents of the plan. Both Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with former Russian president Vladimir Putin and Medvedev in the past two years in Moscow for talks on the plan.
In the statement, though, the two leaders agreed to forge ahead on the missile defense discussions, and Medvedev later said he looks forward to meeting with Obama in Moscow in July.
"We discussed new possibilities for mutual international cooperation in the field of missile defense," the statement reads. "The relationship between offensive and defensive arms will be discussed by the two governments."
The statement also put Obama and Medvedev on the same side of the fight against al-Qaida and other insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and it expressed joint concern over a possible upcoming North Korean ballistic missile launch. The statement said the launch "would be damaging to peace and stability in the region."
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - The leaders of the world's two largest nuclear superpowers today agreed to start new talks aimed at reducing nuclear arms stockpiles, and to use the platform to "reset" relationships between the United States and Russia. "What I believe we've begun today is a very constructive dialogue that will allow us to work on issues of mutual interest," President Barack Obama said following his first meeting with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, held on the sidelines of the Group of 20 economic summit in London today.
Both presidents acknowledged a "drift" in relations between the United States and Russia, but said common interests should give them cause to work together.
In a joint statement released after the meeting, both leaders agreed "that the era when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over," and pledged a "substantive agenda for Russia and the United States to be developed over the coming months and years."
"We ... are ready to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start in relations between our two countries," the statement reads.
In a separate news conference before the meeting, Obama said both countries have an interest in reducing nuclear stockpiles, reducing the threat of terrorism, and stabilizing the world economy. And, he said, nuclear arms talks are an ideal first front to begin moving the two countries toward common grounds.
"The presence of these deadly weapons, their proliferation, the possibility of them finding their way into the hands of terrorists, continues to be the gravest threat to humanity," Obama said.
In the joint statement, Obama and Medvedev agreed to strengthen their obligations under Article VI of the treaty on nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and to replace the strategic arms reduction treaty. Talks on the new treaty are to begin immediately, and the two leaders called for a report on results by July.
"We committed our two countries to achieving a nuclear free world," the statement reads.
Still, the two acknowledged that differences remain over missile defense assets in Europe.
The United States wants to base missile defense interceptors in Poland and associated radar in the Czech Republic. U.S. officials want to extend the zone of coverage in Europe for the potential long-range missile threat from Iran or others in the region.
Russian officials, however, have downplayed the threat from Iran and have been outspoken opponents of the plan. Both Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with former Russian president Vladimir Putin and Medvedev in the past two years in Moscow for talks on the plan.
In the statement, though, the two leaders agreed to forge ahead on the missile defense discussions, and Medvedev later said he looks forward to meeting with Obama in Moscow in July.
"We discussed new possibilities for mutual international cooperation in the field of missile defense," the statement reads. "The relationship between offensive and defensive arms will be discussed by the two governments."
The statement also put Obama and Medvedev on the same side of the fight against al-Qaida and other insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and it expressed joint concern over a possible upcoming North Korean ballistic missile launch. The statement said the launch "would be damaging to peace and stability in the region."
Chairman Lauds Group for Work With Families of Fallen Warriors
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Those in uniform must always remember their fallen comrades and their families, and those families deserve help in enduring their heartache, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here last night. "All of us know that nobody goes through life alone -- nobody," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told those gathered for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Honor Guard Gala. "[And] nobody should have to go through grief alone. It's really that that TAPS does so well."
Bonnie Carroll started TAPS after her husband, Army Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, an Alaska National Guardsman, was killed in a plane crash in 1992. Seven others died in the same crash. TAPS, a nonprofit organization, provides ongoing peer-based support to anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one who served in the armed forces. It brings together survivors for comfort, healing, and hope through grief seminars for adults and its Good Grief Camps for children.
It's easy to call TAPS the "gold standard," Mullen said.
"I use it as a gold standard in my travels, in my discussions when I speak with people about organizations [that] reach out and help those who serve and help the families who serve and have sacrificed so much," he said. "All of you who are members, or who work for ... and support TAPS, please don't ever underestimate the impact of what you do.
"It's almost beyond what we can describe," he said.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Graham found words after accepting the TAPS Honor Guard Leadership Award.
"Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is truly for survivors," the commander of Division West and Fort Carson, Colo., said. "TAPS touches every survivor. "[It's] there for everyone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They never take time off."
Graham's son, Army 2nd Lt. Kevin Graham, was killed in Iraq in 2004 after warning his fellow soldiers of a roadside bomb. Another son, Jeffrey Graham, an ROTC cadet, took his own life while studying to become an Army physician.
Graham's experience with a loved one's suicide allowed him to help two young men deal with their father's suicide. Marine Maj. John Ruocco, 40, returned from Iraq in 2004. The Marine Cobra pilot took his own life on Feb. 7, 2005. His sons, Joey and Billy, met Graham at a TAPS national convention.
"He took me aside and he explained how my dad was fighting a battle in his mind, and as well, on the ground," Joey Ruocco said. "I have a very deep understanding of suicide, since my mom's a counselor herself. He made me understand even deeper. I'd like to thank him for that, and I'd like to thank him for helping other people understand."
These shared stories, as well as those shared through a TAPS video, provided attendees, many of whom are survivors, with common ground.
"I think it's so important that we find ways to bond together in public and to understand the depth of the grief of these families and what they're going through," said Tom Brokaw, former NBC Nightly News anchor. "I want to pay a special, personal tribute to you who are here tonight -- for reasons that they would rather not be -- for their courage, for their bravery, and for serving as model citizens for the rest of us.
"We gather here as members of the American family, here and abroad, at war and at piece," Brokaw continued in the event's keynote address. "Those of us on the civilian side must make greater efforts every day to say, 'We're here. What can we do?'"
Jack May helped Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway present the TAPS Honor Guard Congressional Award to Virginia U.S. Sen. Jim Webb. May was 2 when his father, Marine Staff Sgt. Donald May, died in Iraq in 2003 when his tank fell off a bridge over the Euphrates River.
Information provided to TAPS by bereavement experts indicates that for each active-duty military loss of life, 10 people, on average, are significantly affected. From operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, that works out to about 49,350 affected survivors, including about 2,220 spouses and 3,454 children, estimates based on research by Scripps-Howard News Service in 2005.
TAPS has provided its services, free of charge, to more than 25,000 surviving family members, casualty assistance officers, chaplains and other who support bereaved families.
American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Those in uniform must always remember their fallen comrades and their families, and those families deserve help in enduring their heartache, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here last night. "All of us know that nobody goes through life alone -- nobody," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told those gathered for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Honor Guard Gala. "[And] nobody should have to go through grief alone. It's really that that TAPS does so well."
Bonnie Carroll started TAPS after her husband, Army Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, an Alaska National Guardsman, was killed in a plane crash in 1992. Seven others died in the same crash. TAPS, a nonprofit organization, provides ongoing peer-based support to anyone who is grieving the death of a loved one who served in the armed forces. It brings together survivors for comfort, healing, and hope through grief seminars for adults and its Good Grief Camps for children.
It's easy to call TAPS the "gold standard," Mullen said.
"I use it as a gold standard in my travels, in my discussions when I speak with people about organizations [that] reach out and help those who serve and help the families who serve and have sacrificed so much," he said. "All of you who are members, or who work for ... and support TAPS, please don't ever underestimate the impact of what you do.
"It's almost beyond what we can describe," he said.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark Graham found words after accepting the TAPS Honor Guard Leadership Award.
"Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is truly for survivors," the commander of Division West and Fort Carson, Colo., said. "TAPS touches every survivor. "[It's] there for everyone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They never take time off."
Graham's son, Army 2nd Lt. Kevin Graham, was killed in Iraq in 2004 after warning his fellow soldiers of a roadside bomb. Another son, Jeffrey Graham, an ROTC cadet, took his own life while studying to become an Army physician.
Graham's experience with a loved one's suicide allowed him to help two young men deal with their father's suicide. Marine Maj. John Ruocco, 40, returned from Iraq in 2004. The Marine Cobra pilot took his own life on Feb. 7, 2005. His sons, Joey and Billy, met Graham at a TAPS national convention.
"He took me aside and he explained how my dad was fighting a battle in his mind, and as well, on the ground," Joey Ruocco said. "I have a very deep understanding of suicide, since my mom's a counselor herself. He made me understand even deeper. I'd like to thank him for that, and I'd like to thank him for helping other people understand."
These shared stories, as well as those shared through a TAPS video, provided attendees, many of whom are survivors, with common ground.
"I think it's so important that we find ways to bond together in public and to understand the depth of the grief of these families and what they're going through," said Tom Brokaw, former NBC Nightly News anchor. "I want to pay a special, personal tribute to you who are here tonight -- for reasons that they would rather not be -- for their courage, for their bravery, and for serving as model citizens for the rest of us.
"We gather here as members of the American family, here and abroad, at war and at piece," Brokaw continued in the event's keynote address. "Those of us on the civilian side must make greater efforts every day to say, 'We're here. What can we do?'"
Jack May helped Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway present the TAPS Honor Guard Congressional Award to Virginia U.S. Sen. Jim Webb. May was 2 when his father, Marine Staff Sgt. Donald May, died in Iraq in 2003 when his tank fell off a bridge over the Euphrates River.
Information provided to TAPS by bereavement experts indicates that for each active-duty military loss of life, 10 people, on average, are significantly affected. From operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, that works out to about 49,350 affected survivors, including about 2,220 spouses and 3,454 children, estimates based on research by Scripps-Howard News Service in 2005.
TAPS has provided its services, free of charge, to more than 25,000 surviving family members, casualty assistance officers, chaplains and other who support bereaved families.
Shriners Support North Dakota Guardsmen During Flood Mission
By Army Spc. Chris EricksonSpecial to American Forces Press Service
April 1, 2009 - Shriners here temporarily have shifted their focus from helping children to helping National Guard members. Members of the international organization that supports a health care system of 22 hospitals providing specialty pediatric care, research and teaching programs are providing refreshments and warm, dry shelter for citizen-soldiers and -airmen activated to help in fighting a massive flood.
The North Dakota National Guard has concentrated its efforts on ensuring the dike system in the Fargo area holds. To ensure leaks are promptly plugged, quick-reaction forces have been set up at 11 staging areas in the community. The El Zagal Shrine and Masonic Temple in northeastern Fargo is one of those places.
George Vettel, a temple member, said the city asked the organization to keep the building open so the National Guard could use it.
"We're here now to make sure that they have whatever they need, whether it's food, coffee or pop, or anything else," Vettel said. The shrine members also are making sure the building is maintained during inclement weather.
Although the Red River in Fargo crested earlier this week, the quick-reaction forces remain vigilant.
"If we get sustained winds of 30 miles per hour, that could erode some of the dikes," said Army Staff Sgt. Charles Todd of the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery, a member of the force based at El Zagal. "Even if the water level goes down, the pressure is still there on temporary dikes."
Between missions, life for the soldiers and airmen is a waiting game, and many of them have found time to help out at the shrine.
"They mopped the floor, put plastic down on the carpet, shoveled snow, cleaned chairs and swept mud off the street and sidewalks," Emily Garten said.
Bill Hovell, chief of staff at the El Zagal Shrine, said the organization has been working closely with the servicemembers since they set up at the shrine, and he is grateful for the work the North Dakota National Guard is doing.
"You look at the officers and higher enlisted, and they're very professional," Hovell said. "Then I saw a young man in uniform who looked barely old enough to shave. I asked him what brought him here. He looked me right in the eye and said, 'I enlisted to serve,'" Hovell said with a smile.
Barten said the community has been an important part of helping out the servicemembers based at El Zagel.
"We've gotten a lot of donations from various places in town - restaurants, other Shriners and area residents," she said. "We've fed close to 80 today for lunch. We're planning for that many for meals, because this is a command and control site."
Army 1st Lt. Loren Soma of the 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company in Bismarck said he and others have helped to build dikes throughout Fargo, including Lindenwood Park and Oak Grove Lutheran School, and have placed barriers on the eastern edge of the city.
Soma agreed that the response from area residents had been outstanding. "It's nice to have the support of the community," he said. "We've been working hard all week, and it's nice to have a break. We're actually getting babied here."
Blizzard conditions have not affected the morale of the soldiers and airmen at El Zagal, and during some down time, a group of soldiers decided to build a snowman, which Hovell thought brought some levity to an otherwise serious situation.
The waiting game has not taken away from the Guard members' professional attitude. "We are still on full guard," Todd said.
Hovell expressed his gratitude for the National Guard. "As Shriners, we couldn't have better guests," he said. "We're honored."
(Army Spc. Chris Erickson serves with the North Dakota National Guard.)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
U.S., Georgia to Continue Strategic Partnership
By Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - The United States and Georgia will continue to work on a strategic partnership over the coming years, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright is visiting the former Soviet republic to meet with senior military and civilian officials, traveling to both Tbilisi and Gori.
During his visit to Gori, Cartwright toured an old tank battalion base and a field artillery base. At both locations, he was able to see first-hand destroyed buildings and military equipment from the Russia-Georgia war in August over the disputed South Ossetia province. Cartwright said seeing the damage up close was sobering.
"The tour of this base and seeing the destruction first-hand has been very informative, a stark reminder of the harsh realities of war," the vice chairman said. "I can see from the soldiers I have met that the Georgian military is very committed to protecting the sovereignty and integrity of their nation."
After touring the damaged area, Cartwright laid a wreath along with Georgian Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Devi Tchonkotadze to honor the country's fallen servicemembers.
"It is a privilege to lay the wreath in honor of Georgian soldiers killed in the recent fighting," Cartwright said. "These men made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their life for their country and families. My thoughts are with their families and their loved ones."
Tchonkotadze said it was important for Cartwright to see "the results of Russian aggression." He said the visit overall was very important, as the Georgians continue the joint cooperation, the transformation of their military into NATO standards, and working on strengthening the warfare capacity of the army.
Cartwright said the joint cooperation will continue for years to come. "We look forward to continuing the strategic partnership in the months and years ahead," the vice chairman said.
Cartwright also met with Georgian Defense Minister David Sikharulidze and Georgian National Security Council Secretary Eka Tkshelashvili. During his meeting with Sikharulidze, Cartwright said the United States is committed to helping the nearly 29,000-strong Georgian military move forward in its modernization.
The vice chairman also had what he called a "productive and candid" meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. The general said the meetings throughout the day show Georgia is committed to a strong military and a strong partnership with the United States.
"It is clear from talking to the president and from my earlier meetings that Georgia is committed to peaceful relations with its neighbors and to working toward full NATO membership," Cartwright said. "The United States remains committed to the U.S.-Georgia charter on strategic partnership and to provide training and other assistance to the Georgian military in support of their reform efforts and continued independence."
The general said his visit was partly a fact-finding mission to view assessments that have been done regarding U.S. and Georgian military relations.
"My trip today allows me the opportunity to see the results of these assessments, talk to the people on the ground, and understand now where the priorities should be put," the general said. "I will go back to the United States and work very hard to take the assessments and the needs, put them together with the resources and try to move forward on this strategic partnership."
Cartwright said he foresees the strategic partnership including more training and equipment.
"The training will be focused on the defense of Georgia, on its self and internal defense," he said. "We will work hard to get both the skill levels that are necessary to do that and work as partners on the equipment necessary. These assessments have helped us understand what the priority should be on that equipment, both in what the Georgians have been able to put together on their own here from indigenous equipment, what equipment needs to be upgraded and then what new types of equipment that are necessary for their homeland defense."
(Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump serves in the Joint Chiefs of Staff public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - The United States and Georgia will continue to work on a strategic partnership over the coming years, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright is visiting the former Soviet republic to meet with senior military and civilian officials, traveling to both Tbilisi and Gori.
During his visit to Gori, Cartwright toured an old tank battalion base and a field artillery base. At both locations, he was able to see first-hand destroyed buildings and military equipment from the Russia-Georgia war in August over the disputed South Ossetia province. Cartwright said seeing the damage up close was sobering.
"The tour of this base and seeing the destruction first-hand has been very informative, a stark reminder of the harsh realities of war," the vice chairman said. "I can see from the soldiers I have met that the Georgian military is very committed to protecting the sovereignty and integrity of their nation."
After touring the damaged area, Cartwright laid a wreath along with Georgian Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Devi Tchonkotadze to honor the country's fallen servicemembers.
"It is a privilege to lay the wreath in honor of Georgian soldiers killed in the recent fighting," Cartwright said. "These men made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their life for their country and families. My thoughts are with their families and their loved ones."
Tchonkotadze said it was important for Cartwright to see "the results of Russian aggression." He said the visit overall was very important, as the Georgians continue the joint cooperation, the transformation of their military into NATO standards, and working on strengthening the warfare capacity of the army.
Cartwright said the joint cooperation will continue for years to come. "We look forward to continuing the strategic partnership in the months and years ahead," the vice chairman said.
Cartwright also met with Georgian Defense Minister David Sikharulidze and Georgian National Security Council Secretary Eka Tkshelashvili. During his meeting with Sikharulidze, Cartwright said the United States is committed to helping the nearly 29,000-strong Georgian military move forward in its modernization.
The vice chairman also had what he called a "productive and candid" meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. The general said the meetings throughout the day show Georgia is committed to a strong military and a strong partnership with the United States.
"It is clear from talking to the president and from my earlier meetings that Georgia is committed to peaceful relations with its neighbors and to working toward full NATO membership," Cartwright said. "The United States remains committed to the U.S.-Georgia charter on strategic partnership and to provide training and other assistance to the Georgian military in support of their reform efforts and continued independence."
The general said his visit was partly a fact-finding mission to view assessments that have been done regarding U.S. and Georgian military relations.
"My trip today allows me the opportunity to see the results of these assessments, talk to the people on the ground, and understand now where the priorities should be put," the general said. "I will go back to the United States and work very hard to take the assessments and the needs, put them together with the resources and try to move forward on this strategic partnership."
Cartwright said he foresees the strategic partnership including more training and equipment.
"The training will be focused on the defense of Georgia, on its self and internal defense," he said. "We will work hard to get both the skill levels that are necessary to do that and work as partners on the equipment necessary. These assessments have helped us understand what the priority should be on that equipment, both in what the Georgians have been able to put together on their own here from indigenous equipment, what equipment needs to be upgraded and then what new types of equipment that are necessary for their homeland defense."
(Air Force Master Sgt. Adam M. Stump serves in the Joint Chiefs of Staff public affairs office.)
Petraeus Emphasizes Shared Goals at Defense Chiefs Conference
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - A meeting of chiefs of defense here re-emphasizes the shared commitments of Central Asia and the United States to security and stability in the region, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the defense chiefs from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan that the meeting will help all involved better address their common interests.
Combating extremism and the spread of extremism from Afghanistan and Pakistan is at the top of the list of priorities, the general said. "[This means] that all of us have to help our partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Further, he said, the chiefs all have a shared interest in countering the illegal narcotics industry. Opium and heroin production is the main money-maker in many parts of Afghanistan, and drug lords have caused a tremendous problem throughout Central Asia.
All concerned also need secure borders, and they also must protect their countries' infrastructure and respond to humanitarian crises, Petraeus said.
"Our effort to deepen our understanding of the challenges that each of us face will improve our ability to think and to address these challenges together," the general said.
Petraeus addressed the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy that President Barack Obama announced last week. The regional approach to the problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan has enormous bearing on countering extremism, he said.
"All of us are concerned about the potential outflow of extremism from Afghanistan and Pakistan," Petraeus said. The nations of the region understand the problem in ways the United States doesn't, Petraeus said, so the dialogue among the countries is important to exchange strategies. "We all have to work together to achieve better control of the border areas," he said.
Counter-proliferation issues in the region cannot be ignored, Petraeus said. While Iran's nuclear ambitions obviously are the greatest challenge, he said, Pakistan is a nuclear power that has proliferated weapons technology in the past.
"We should be open and honest about that," the general said. "My view is that they are very well controlled, and there are exceptional safeguards. But we have to be concerned, because were extremists to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, it would obviously be potentially catastrophic."
At the heart of the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy is sustained, substantial commitment, Petraeus said, but he noted a trust issue among the nations of Central Asia and the United States. Relations among the countries have undergone ups and downs, he said. "We have completely forgotten these countries at times," the general acknowledged.
The United States cut off military aid to Pakistan for years, Petraeus said. But the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy requires a substantial economic commitment to the nations, he noted, and he praised the current bill before Congress that commits $1.5 billion over five years to infrastructure in Pakistan.
"It also is a sustained commitment – one that is going to endure -- that has years attached to it, not months or a year," he said.
And all this must be coordinated not only between the coalition and local forces, but also across international lines, Petraeus said. The requirements on either side of the Durand Line separating Afghanistan and Pakistan are different and must be addressed, he added.
In Pakistan, established governmental agencies simply need aid, Petraeus said, and U.S. and international officials can work through governmental and nongovernmental organizations to channel aid to the region. Afghanistan, he said, has few governmental agencies.
"We are building, not just re-building, and the institutions are still very much works in progress," he said.
A comprehensive approach is necessary, Petraeus said. "It's not enough to just secure the village, or get rid of the miscreants," he told the defense chiefs. Troops and civilian workers also must take care of refugees, fund rebuilding, or create jobs for those who lose opium crops, he said.
The strategy recognizes that progress in the region will come along many lines of operations, not just security. These include governance, economics, informational, the rule of law and so on, Petraeus said.
"Particularly in Afghanistan, ... we have to provide an effort that will build capacity and capability so that the government can serve the people and be seen as legitimate in their eyes," he explained.
The general praised Pakistani officials for recognizing the challenges in the country's federally administered tribal areas and developing a counterinsurgency plan that involves its entire government. This is important, he said, because since its founding, Pakistan has focused on countering India in a conventional war. In western Pakistan today, he said, the fight is a counterinsurgency.
"These are not precise," Petraeus said. "These are large security-to-the-people operations, and forces must be trained, equipped and educated for these kinds of operations."
Al-Qaida operates in limited numbers in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but larger numbers of the terror group are in safe havens they have established in western Pakistan, Petraeus said. The group is a danger well beyond the region, he added, noting that it was from Afghanistan that al-Qaida planed the 9/11 attacks and attacks in Madrid, London, Bali and elsewhere.
"That has to have prominence, and there has to be a focus on them because of the threat that network poses to the region and the world," he said.
American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - A meeting of chiefs of defense here re-emphasizes the shared commitments of Central Asia and the United States to security and stability in the region, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told the defense chiefs from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan that the meeting will help all involved better address their common interests.
Combating extremism and the spread of extremism from Afghanistan and Pakistan is at the top of the list of priorities, the general said. "[This means] that all of us have to help our partners in Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.
Further, he said, the chiefs all have a shared interest in countering the illegal narcotics industry. Opium and heroin production is the main money-maker in many parts of Afghanistan, and drug lords have caused a tremendous problem throughout Central Asia.
All concerned also need secure borders, and they also must protect their countries' infrastructure and respond to humanitarian crises, Petraeus said.
"Our effort to deepen our understanding of the challenges that each of us face will improve our ability to think and to address these challenges together," the general said.
Petraeus addressed the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy that President Barack Obama announced last week. The regional approach to the problems of Afghanistan and Pakistan has enormous bearing on countering extremism, he said.
"All of us are concerned about the potential outflow of extremism from Afghanistan and Pakistan," Petraeus said. The nations of the region understand the problem in ways the United States doesn't, Petraeus said, so the dialogue among the countries is important to exchange strategies. "We all have to work together to achieve better control of the border areas," he said.
Counter-proliferation issues in the region cannot be ignored, Petraeus said. While Iran's nuclear ambitions obviously are the greatest challenge, he said, Pakistan is a nuclear power that has proliferated weapons technology in the past.
"We should be open and honest about that," the general said. "My view is that they are very well controlled, and there are exceptional safeguards. But we have to be concerned, because were extremists to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction, it would obviously be potentially catastrophic."
At the heart of the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy is sustained, substantial commitment, Petraeus said, but he noted a trust issue among the nations of Central Asia and the United States. Relations among the countries have undergone ups and downs, he said. "We have completely forgotten these countries at times," the general acknowledged.
The United States cut off military aid to Pakistan for years, Petraeus said. But the Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy requires a substantial economic commitment to the nations, he noted, and he praised the current bill before Congress that commits $1.5 billion over five years to infrastructure in Pakistan.
"It also is a sustained commitment – one that is going to endure -- that has years attached to it, not months or a year," he said.
And all this must be coordinated not only between the coalition and local forces, but also across international lines, Petraeus said. The requirements on either side of the Durand Line separating Afghanistan and Pakistan are different and must be addressed, he added.
In Pakistan, established governmental agencies simply need aid, Petraeus said, and U.S. and international officials can work through governmental and nongovernmental organizations to channel aid to the region. Afghanistan, he said, has few governmental agencies.
"We are building, not just re-building, and the institutions are still very much works in progress," he said.
A comprehensive approach is necessary, Petraeus said. "It's not enough to just secure the village, or get rid of the miscreants," he told the defense chiefs. Troops and civilian workers also must take care of refugees, fund rebuilding, or create jobs for those who lose opium crops, he said.
The strategy recognizes that progress in the region will come along many lines of operations, not just security. These include governance, economics, informational, the rule of law and so on, Petraeus said.
"Particularly in Afghanistan, ... we have to provide an effort that will build capacity and capability so that the government can serve the people and be seen as legitimate in their eyes," he explained.
The general praised Pakistani officials for recognizing the challenges in the country's federally administered tribal areas and developing a counterinsurgency plan that involves its entire government. This is important, he said, because since its founding, Pakistan has focused on countering India in a conventional war. In western Pakistan today, he said, the fight is a counterinsurgency.
"These are not precise," Petraeus said. "These are large security-to-the-people operations, and forces must be trained, equipped and educated for these kinds of operations."
Al-Qaida operates in limited numbers in southern and eastern Afghanistan, but larger numbers of the terror group are in safe havens they have established in western Pakistan, Petraeus said. The group is a danger well beyond the region, he added, noting that it was from Afghanistan that al-Qaida planed the 9/11 attacks and attacks in Madrid, London, Bali and elsewhere.
"That has to have prominence, and there has to be a focus on them because of the threat that network poses to the region and the world," he said.
Value Engineering Achievement Award Winners Announced
The Department of Defense has announced the winners of the fiscal 2008 Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Awards. A ceremony will be held in June to recognize the recipients' outstanding achievements through the application of value engineering. A list of winners can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Value Engineering Awards.pdf
Value engineering is a systematic process of function analysis to identify actions that reduce cost, increase quality, and improve mission capabilities across the entire spectrum of DoD systems, processes, and organizations. The Department of Defense Value Engineering Program continues to be an incentive for government and our industry partners to improve the joint value proposition by promoting innovation and creativity. Innovative value engineering proposals seek best value solutions as part of a successful business relationship.
During fiscal 2008, 1,254 in-house value engineering proposals and 60 contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals were accepted with projected savings/cost avoidance in excess of $1.5 billion. The Value Engineering Awards Program is an acknowledgment of exemplary achievements and encourages additional projects to improve in-house and contractor productivity. Award winners from each DoD component are eligible for selection in the following five categories: program/project, individual, team, organization and contractor. Additional "special" awards are given to recognize innovative applications or approaches that expand the traditional scope of value engineering use.
Value engineering is a systematic process of function analysis to identify actions that reduce cost, increase quality, and improve mission capabilities across the entire spectrum of DoD systems, processes, and organizations. The Department of Defense Value Engineering Program continues to be an incentive for government and our industry partners to improve the joint value proposition by promoting innovation and creativity. Innovative value engineering proposals seek best value solutions as part of a successful business relationship.
During fiscal 2008, 1,254 in-house value engineering proposals and 60 contractor-initiated value engineering change proposals were accepted with projected savings/cost avoidance in excess of $1.5 billion. The Value Engineering Awards Program is an acknowledgment of exemplary achievements and encourages additional projects to improve in-house and contractor productivity. Award winners from each DoD component are eligible for selection in the following five categories: program/project, individual, team, organization and contractor. Additional "special" awards are given to recognize innovative applications or approaches that expand the traditional scope of value engineering use.
MILITARY CONTRACTS March 31, 2009
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Malvern, Pa. is being awarded a maximum $267,000,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for radiology systems, subsystems and components. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. The proposal was originally solicited on FedBizOps with 27 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM2D1-09-D-8314).
General Electric Company, Lynn, Mass. is being awarded a maximum $12,800,493 firm fixed price, sole source contract for engine exhaust frame units. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. This award will be as an undefinitized contractual action against a basic ordering agreement. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is August 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR-ZCC), Philadelphia, Pa. (FA8122-09-G-0001 THA4).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $207,297,746 firm fixed price contract for the procurement of 207 FY2009 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round (AUR) missiles. The Tomahawk Block IV missile is capable of launch from surface ships equipped with the Vertical Launch System (VLS), submarines equipped with the Capsule Launch System (CLS), and submarines equipped with the Torpedo Tube Launch (TTL) System. This contract provides for 153 VLS missiles, 42 CLS missiles, and 12 Composite CLS capsules. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz. (32 percent); Walled Lake, Mich. (9 percent); Camden, Ark. (8 percent); Anniston, Ala. (5 percent); Glenrothes, Scotland (5 percent); Huntsville, Ala. (4 percent); Ft. Wayne, Ind. (4 percent); Minneapolis, Minn. (4 percent); Ontario, Calif. (3 percent); Spanish Fork, Utah (3 percent); Westminster, Colo. (2 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (2 percent); Middletown, Conn. (2 percent); Largo, Fla. (2 percent); Vergennes, Vt. (2 percent); Farmington, N.M. (.2 percent), and various INCONUS and OCONUS locations (12.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0007).
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $63,575,679 modification P00027 under previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract (N00030-07-C-0100) for the Trident II (D5) Life Extension (LE) SPALT Production. The work will be performed in Calif. (46.20 percent); Mass. (18.57 percent); Minn. (15.01 percent); N.M. (6.25 percent); Ga. (6.11 percent); Fla. (5.29 percent); Pa. (.77 percent); S.C. (.53 percent) and other (1.40 percent), and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting agency.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $61,617,000 not-to-exceed order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-07-G-0008) for Ice Protection System upgrades for 49 Marine Corps MV-22 and 8 Air Force CV-22 aircraft under the production and deployment phases of the V-22 Program. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas (99 percent) and New River, N.C. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $18,948,386 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $39,998,237 not-to-exceed contract for Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 1B research and development, and production requirements. The SEWIP Block 1 provides enhanced Electronic Warfare capabilities to existing ship combat systems to improve Anti-Ship Missile Defense, counter-targeting and counter-surveillance capabilities, and improved battlefield situational awareness. This contract includes the continued design and development of SEWIP Block 1B3 with a specialized HGHS subsystem, and full rate production of SEWIP Block 1B2 units. Integration of a specialized HGHS subsystem into the SEWIP Block 1B3 upgrade will enhance detection capabilities for emergent threats. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va. (60 percent) and Syracuse, N.Y. (40 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-5396).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded a $33,338,448 modification to a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract (N00019-07-D-0004) to exercise an option for the VH-3D/VH-60N Executive Helicopter Special Progressive Aircraft Rework. Efforts to be provided include security manpower, security maintenance support, VH-3D project engineering support, VH-60N project engineering support, VH integrated logistic support, VH on-site training, technical manuals, technical manuals contractor support, technical manuals travel, and program support. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $33,348,448 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
TJ Drafting and Design, Inc., Christmas Fla., is being awarded an estimated $20,979,174 firm fixed price contract to advance the training capability, operational readiness, and tactical proficiency of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC's), Joint Forward Observers (JFO's), and Forward Air Controllers (FAC's). The personnel shall use training scenarios that require the placement of tactical ordnance on selected targets using Joint Close Air Support (JCAS) procedures and observed fire procedures for Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS), artillery and mortar fire to perform destruction, neutralization, suppression, illumination/coordinated illumination, interdiction, and harassment fire missions. Work will be performed at multiple Marine Corp bases worldwide, and work is expected to be completed August 31, 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $12,300.000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with four offers received. The Marine Corps System Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-C-8031).
W.F. MaGann Corporation, Portsmouth, Va., is being award a $15,299,406 firm fixed price contract for repairs to W306 and W305 Bulkheads at Naval Station Norfolk. The work to be performed provides for bulkhead repair consisting of the provision of sheet pile installation, seawall repairs by concrete replacement and/or shotcrete, cleat replacement; and demolition of the existing timber fender system. The option includes demolition of existing seawall. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by April 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five bids received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-5058).
RBC, Inc.*, Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $13,339,000 modification to a previously awarded cost plus fix fee contract (N00421-09-C-0034) to exercise an option for program management and technical services for the U.S. Navy and the Government of Taiwan, Norway, South Korea and Portugal in support of the P-8A and the P-3 Aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($7,344,248; 79.4 percent); and the Governments of Taiwan ($1,518,417; 16.4 percent); Norway ($171,100; 1.8 percent); South Korea ($135,000; 1.5 percent); and Portugal ($83,500; .9 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
The Haskell Company, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $12,492,000 firm fixed price contract for sewage treatment plant upgrades at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head. The work to be performed provides for design/build upgrades of the existing sewage treatment facility to comply with Maryland Department of the Environment water quality standards for nitrogen and phosphorus levels and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration memorandum of understanding between the United States Department of Defense and the State of Maryland, which seeks to remove the Bay from the Section 303(d) Clean Water Act list of impaired waters by January 1, 2011. Combined renovation and new construction to the sewage treatment plant includes a post equalization tank, a chemical feed system for phosphorus removal, a supplemental carbon feed system, a biological nutrient removal system, a control/laboratory building and a denitrifying sand filtration system. Work will be performed in Indian Head, Md., and is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Wash., D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-09-C-0159).
Wilson Okamoto Corporation, Ltd., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a maximum amount $7,500,000 firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity architect-engineering contract for preparation of plans and specifications for structural projects in the NAVFAC Hawaii area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for preparation of plans, specifications, cost estimates, bidding information including preparation of design-build request for proposal contract documents, functional analysis and concept development, economic analysis, DD1391 project documentation, and investigations of various structural engineering and other types of projects. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Hawaii AOR, and is expected to be completed by March 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62478-09-D-5003).
Harris Corp., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,426,550 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00019-05-C-0044) to for the procurement of 95 Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC) Digital Map Computers (DMC) for the U.S. Navy; 83 TAMMAC Digital Video Map Computers (DVMC) for the U.S. Navy (68) and the Royal Australian Air Force (15); and 132 Extension Housings for U.S. Navy (120) and the Royal Australian Air Force (12). These computers are used in F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-18G, AV-8B, UH-1Y/AH-1Z aircraft. Work will be performed in Malabar, Fla. (80 percent) and Palm Bay, Fla. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($6,657,908; 89.65 percent) and the Government of Australia ($768,642; 10.35 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Virtexco Corporation, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded firm fixed price Task Order 0002 at $5,951,000 under a multiple award construction contract for the construction of Naval Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit 2 Replacement Facility at Naval Station Norfolk. The one-story building will house operations, administration, laboratories and support functions. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-D-5033).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a requirements contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Owego, New York for $40,623,549. This action provides for remanufactured B-2 Defense Management System. At this time, no money has been obligated. 448 SCMG/PKBF, Tinker Air Force Base is the contracting activity. (FA8119-09-D-0007)
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to the Scitor Corporation of El Segundo, California for $18,000,000. This contract will provide advisory and assistance services to the Space Base Infrared Systems Wing for a period of nine months starting April 1, 2009. At this time, $5,553,000 has been obligated. SMC, El Segundo, California is the contracting activity. (FA8810-09-C-002)
The Air Force is modifying an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with Lockheed Martin Corporation of Marietta, Georgia for $13,271,411. This contract action is for the C-5 Reliability Enhancements and Re-engining Program System Development and Demonstration, Contract Change Proposal. At his time, the entire amount has been obligated. ASC/716/AESG, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (F33657-02-C-2000, P00175)
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Science Applications International Corporation of San Diego, California for a maximum $12,000,000. This contract action develop methodologies, tools, and techniques for producing adaptive, distributed sensing architecture cures in support of the AFRL/RY Multi-Layered Sensing vision. At this time, $100,000 has been obligated. AFRL/PKSE, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8650-09-D-1509)
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop-Grumman Space and Mission of Clearfield, Utah for $10,374,341. This contract action provides support for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Minuteman III Weapons System. At this time, $8,601,910 has been obligated. OO-ALC/526th ACMBSG/PKE, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (F42610-98-C-001).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Cubic Defense Application, Inc., of San Diego, California for $9,451,735. This contract action will provide the Saudi Arabia Kingdom Training Systems Contractor Logistical Support Program with Operations and Maintenance Capability at several locations in Saudi Arabia. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 675 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida is the contracting activity. (FA8678-09-D-0123)
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Camber Corporation of Huntsville, Alabama for $7,278,049. This action will provide AETC the Air Force Chief of Staff tasked redesign of the current Navigation/Electronic Warfare Officer training pipeline in order to produce aviator's skills in advance navigation systems, electronic warfare, weapons deployment, and able to operate the complex systems critical to the Air Force mission. 663 AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8617-09-C-6162).
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Malvern, Pa. is being awarded a maximum $267,000,000 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for radiology systems, subsystems and components. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. The proposal was originally solicited on FedBizOps with 27 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM2D1-09-D-8314).
General Electric Company, Lynn, Mass. is being awarded a maximum $12,800,493 firm fixed price, sole source contract for engine exhaust frame units. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. This award will be as an undefinitized contractual action against a basic ordering agreement. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is August 30, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR-ZCC), Philadelphia, Pa. (FA8122-09-G-0001 THA4).
NAVY
Raytheon Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $207,297,746 firm fixed price contract for the procurement of 207 FY2009 Tomahawk Block IV All-Up-Round (AUR) missiles. The Tomahawk Block IV missile is capable of launch from surface ships equipped with the Vertical Launch System (VLS), submarines equipped with the Capsule Launch System (CLS), and submarines equipped with the Torpedo Tube Launch (TTL) System. This contract provides for 153 VLS missiles, 42 CLS missiles, and 12 Composite CLS capsules. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz. (32 percent); Walled Lake, Mich. (9 percent); Camden, Ark. (8 percent); Anniston, Ala. (5 percent); Glenrothes, Scotland (5 percent); Huntsville, Ala. (4 percent); Ft. Wayne, Ind. (4 percent); Minneapolis, Minn. (4 percent); Ontario, Calif. (3 percent); Spanish Fork, Utah (3 percent); Westminster, Colo. (2 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (2 percent); Middletown, Conn. (2 percent); Largo, Fla. (2 percent); Vergennes, Vt. (2 percent); Farmington, N.M. (.2 percent), and various INCONUS and OCONUS locations (12.8 percent), and is expected to be completed in July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0007).
The Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $63,575,679 modification P00027 under previously awarded cost plus incentive fee contract (N00030-07-C-0100) for the Trident II (D5) Life Extension (LE) SPALT Production. The work will be performed in Calif. (46.20 percent); Mass. (18.57 percent); Minn. (15.01 percent); N.M. (6.25 percent); Ga. (6.11 percent); Fla. (5.29 percent); Pa. (.77 percent); S.C. (.53 percent) and other (1.40 percent), and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting agency.
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $61,617,000 not-to-exceed order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-07-G-0008) for Ice Protection System upgrades for 49 Marine Corps MV-22 and 8 Air Force CV-22 aircraft under the production and deployment phases of the V-22 Program. Work will be performed in Ft. Worth, Texas (99 percent) and New River, N.C. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $18,948,386 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $39,998,237 not-to-exceed contract for Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 1B research and development, and production requirements. The SEWIP Block 1 provides enhanced Electronic Warfare capabilities to existing ship combat systems to improve Anti-Ship Missile Defense, counter-targeting and counter-surveillance capabilities, and improved battlefield situational awareness. This contract includes the continued design and development of SEWIP Block 1B3 with a specialized HGHS subsystem, and full rate production of SEWIP Block 1B2 units. Integration of a specialized HGHS subsystem into the SEWIP Block 1B3 upgrade will enhance detection capabilities for emergent threats. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va. (60 percent) and Syracuse, N.Y. (40 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-5396).
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, Conn., is being awarded a $33,338,448 modification to a previously awarded indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract (N00019-07-D-0004) to exercise an option for the VH-3D/VH-60N Executive Helicopter Special Progressive Aircraft Rework. Efforts to be provided include security manpower, security maintenance support, VH-3D project engineering support, VH-60N project engineering support, VH integrated logistic support, VH on-site training, technical manuals, technical manuals contractor support, technical manuals travel, and program support. Work will be performed in Stratford, Conn., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $33,348,448 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
TJ Drafting and Design, Inc., Christmas Fla., is being awarded an estimated $20,979,174 firm fixed price contract to advance the training capability, operational readiness, and tactical proficiency of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC's), Joint Forward Observers (JFO's), and Forward Air Controllers (FAC's). The personnel shall use training scenarios that require the placement of tactical ordnance on selected targets using Joint Close Air Support (JCAS) procedures and observed fire procedures for Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS), artillery and mortar fire to perform destruction, neutralization, suppression, illumination/coordinated illumination, interdiction, and harassment fire missions. Work will be performed at multiple Marine Corp bases worldwide, and work is expected to be completed August 31, 2011. Contract funds in the amount of $12,300.000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with four offers received. The Marine Corps System Command, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting activity (M67854-09-C-8031).
W.F. MaGann Corporation, Portsmouth, Va., is being award a $15,299,406 firm fixed price contract for repairs to W306 and W305 Bulkheads at Naval Station Norfolk. The work to be performed provides for bulkhead repair consisting of the provision of sheet pile installation, seawall repairs by concrete replacement and/or shotcrete, cleat replacement; and demolition of the existing timber fender system. The option includes demolition of existing seawall. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by April 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website with five bids received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-5058).
RBC, Inc.*, Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $13,339,000 modification to a previously awarded cost plus fix fee contract (N00421-09-C-0034) to exercise an option for program management and technical services for the U.S. Navy and the Government of Taiwan, Norway, South Korea and Portugal in support of the P-8A and the P-3 Aircraft. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in September 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($7,344,248; 79.4 percent); and the Governments of Taiwan ($1,518,417; 16.4 percent); Norway ($171,100; 1.8 percent); South Korea ($135,000; 1.5 percent); and Portugal ($83,500; .9 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. is the contracting activity.
The Haskell Company, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $12,492,000 firm fixed price contract for sewage treatment plant upgrades at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head. The work to be performed provides for design/build upgrades of the existing sewage treatment facility to comply with Maryland Department of the Environment water quality standards for nitrogen and phosphorus levels and the Chesapeake Bay Restoration memorandum of understanding between the United States Department of Defense and the State of Maryland, which seeks to remove the Bay from the Section 303(d) Clean Water Act list of impaired waters by January 1, 2011. Combined renovation and new construction to the sewage treatment plant includes a post equalization tank, a chemical feed system for phosphorus removal, a supplemental carbon feed system, a biological nutrient removal system, a control/laboratory building and a denitrifying sand filtration system. Work will be performed in Indian Head, Md., and is expected to be completed by October 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, Wash., D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-09-C-0159).
Wilson Okamoto Corporation, Ltd., Honolulu, Hawaii, is being awarded a maximum amount $7,500,000 firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity architect-engineering contract for preparation of plans and specifications for structural projects in the NAVFAC Hawaii area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed provides for preparation of plans, specifications, cost estimates, bidding information including preparation of design-build request for proposal contract documents, functional analysis and concept development, economic analysis, DD1391 project documentation, and investigations of various structural engineering and other types of projects. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps facilities and other government facilities within the NAVFAC Hawaii AOR, and is expected to be completed by March 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with six proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (N62478-09-D-5003).
Harris Corp., Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,426,550 modification to a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00019-05-C-0044) to for the procurement of 95 Tactical Aircraft Moving Map Capability (TAMMAC) Digital Map Computers (DMC) for the U.S. Navy; 83 TAMMAC Digital Video Map Computers (DVMC) for the U.S. Navy (68) and the Royal Australian Air Force (15); and 132 Extension Housings for U.S. Navy (120) and the Royal Australian Air Force (12). These computers are used in F/A-18C/D/E/F, EA-18G, AV-8B, UH-1Y/AH-1Z aircraft. Work will be performed in Malabar, Fla. (80 percent) and Palm Bay, Fla. (20 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy ($6,657,908; 89.65 percent) and the Government of Australia ($768,642; 10.35 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Virtexco Corporation, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded firm fixed price Task Order 0002 at $5,951,000 under a multiple award construction contract for the construction of Naval Environmental Preventive Medicine Unit 2 Replacement Facility at Naval Station Norfolk. The one-story building will house operations, administration, laboratories and support functions. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by August 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-D-5033).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a requirements contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Owego, New York for $40,623,549. This action provides for remanufactured B-2 Defense Management System. At this time, no money has been obligated. 448 SCMG/PKBF, Tinker Air Force Base is the contracting activity. (FA8119-09-D-0007)
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to the Scitor Corporation of El Segundo, California for $18,000,000. This contract will provide advisory and assistance services to the Space Base Infrared Systems Wing for a period of nine months starting April 1, 2009. At this time, $5,553,000 has been obligated. SMC, El Segundo, California is the contracting activity. (FA8810-09-C-002)
The Air Force is modifying an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with Lockheed Martin Corporation of Marietta, Georgia for $13,271,411. This contract action is for the C-5 Reliability Enhancements and Re-engining Program System Development and Demonstration, Contract Change Proposal. At his time, the entire amount has been obligated. ASC/716/AESG, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (F33657-02-C-2000, P00175)
The Air Force is awarding an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Science Applications International Corporation of San Diego, California for a maximum $12,000,000. This contract action develop methodologies, tools, and techniques for producing adaptive, distributed sensing architecture cures in support of the AFRL/RY Multi-Layered Sensing vision. At this time, $100,000 has been obligated. AFRL/PKSE, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8650-09-D-1509)
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop-Grumman Space and Mission of Clearfield, Utah for $10,374,341. This contract action provides support for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Minuteman III Weapons System. At this time, $8,601,910 has been obligated. OO-ALC/526th ACMBSG/PKE, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (F42610-98-C-001).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract to Cubic Defense Application, Inc., of San Diego, California for $9,451,735. This contract action will provide the Saudi Arabia Kingdom Training Systems Contractor Logistical Support Program with Operations and Maintenance Capability at several locations in Saudi Arabia. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 675 ARSS/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida is the contracting activity. (FA8678-09-D-0123)
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Camber Corporation of Huntsville, Alabama for $7,278,049. This action will provide AETC the Air Force Chief of Staff tasked redesign of the current Navigation/Electronic Warfare Officer training pipeline in order to produce aviator's skills in advance navigation systems, electronic warfare, weapons deployment, and able to operate the complex systems critical to the Air Force mission. 663 AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity. (FA8617-09-C-6162).
Language Emerges as Element of National Security
By Tim Kilbride
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - Language and culture are "almost inextricably intertwined," and military personnel must be knowledgeable in both to be fully effective when operating overseas, the director of a military language school said. Army Col. Sue Ann Sandusky, commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, told bloggers and online journalists during a March 30 "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable that the DLI directly supports military commanders by instructing servicemembers in the foreign languages that regional combatant commands identify as mission-essential.
"We are the primary deliverer of military culturally-based language training," Sandusky said of the Monterey, Calif., school.
The school was established in secret just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. Since then, it has been perceived as a resource specific to the intelligence and translation military career fields, but in fact it also serves the needs of the "general-purpose forces," Sandusky said.
Educating the general service has been a major growth area for DLI since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, she noted.
DLI teaches 24 foreign languages in Monterey, Sandusky said. Instruction in additional languages is available elsewhere through contracted programs.
A separate school, the Defense Language Institute English Language Center in San Antonio, teaches English mostly to foreign officers who come to train in U.S. schools. The Air Force administers that program.
"We're driven by the requirements of the services," Sandusky said. "They come up with their requirements based on the assessments of the different areas of operation, ... coming up with what you might call a strategic language list, and then passing specific requirements for training down to DLI."
For mission success, learning about the cultures they will be operating in is as important to servicemembers as learning the languages, Sandusky said.
"Culture is both implicit and explicit in our curriculum," Sandusky explained. "[It is] explicit in the sense that we have area studies and culture courses ... delivered in the target language, so they're learning about the history, politics, geography, culture, ceremonies, art [and] literature in the target language in the course. ... And the implicit part is our instructors come from the cultures where the language is used."
Having native speakers from the target countries work as instructors means they bring into the classroom "culture at many different levels, from the behavioral dos and don'ts to food, film, music, art, artifacts, up to the more abstract sort of frames of reference: definitions of culture, the understanding of beauty and evil and authority and obligation - all of those deep-culture concepts that are arising from the same sort of impulses that the language itself arises from," Sandusky said.
"We see language and culture as very intertwined -- almost inextricably intertwined -- and we handle them together right from Day 1," Sandusky said.
At any one time, about 3,000 students are served by about 1,700 civilian faculty and staff, Sandusky said. In addition to language instructors, staff members are involved in test, curriculum and faculty development, among other supporting functions. Ninety-eight percent of the instructors are native speakers of the languages they teach.
Students are instructed and tested in three major areas: reading, listening and speaking. Writing is also taught, but not tested. Listening and reading proficiency are graded with the Defense Language Proficiency Test, and speaking is tested with the Oral Proficiency Interview.
As a measure of effectiveness, Sandusky explained, graduates of a six-month Spanish course at DLI will typically speak better than a graduating Spanish major at a four-year university. An 18-month Arabic course at DLI equates to roughly 10.5 full-load semester hours of language and area studies at a university.
While students attending the school for immersion courses achieve the best results, DLI also works with the military services and commands to offer introductory familiarization and training in a variety of capacities, Sandusky said.
"We've got what we call 'language survival kits,' which are kind of what you would need if you are going in on a humanitarian mission - just a very basic familiarization: Stop. Don't shoot. Take me to your leader. Where does it hurt? Is this water clean? All kinds of very basic survival-oriented phrases," Sandusky explained. "It's not a language-learning course at all, but they certainly would serve you well if you were going into an unfamiliar setting."
Pre-deployment training for large units is done through mobile training teams, Sandusky said. About 80,000 servicemembers have been trained in practical, military-oriented words and phrases using language survival kits, as well as other DLI programs and materials.
Sandusky noted that DLI has the capacity to embed instructors with deployed units.
DLI makes available a variety of other language and culture tools to servicemembers and members of the public wishing to maintain or enhance their foreign language skills, Sandusky said.
Among the materials available on the DLI Web site, the Global Language Online Support System offers prepackaged lessons at various proficiency levels for autonomous students. These are available at http://gloss.lingnet.org/.
DLI offers "Countries in Perspective" and "Field Support" multimedia downloads that give overviews of language and culture, broken down by country and language, Sandusky said. These are available at http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/index.aspx.
Also, the Army offers online language training via the commercial Rosetta Stone program for any soldier wishing to take part, Sandusky said.
While the DLI serves the specific mission of preparing servicemembers for overseas operations, it also is part of a wider U.S. government initiative to encourage and enable foreign language education for Americans.
The National Security Language Initiative, begun in 2006 under President George W. Bush, has three main goals:
-- Expand the number of Americans mastering critical-need languages and start teaching them at a younger age;
-- Increase the number of advanced-level speakers of foreign languages, with an emphasis on critical-need languages; and
-- Increase the number of foreign language teachers and necessary resources.
In addition to the Defense Department, the State and Education departments and the National Intelligence Directorate were directed to participate in the program.
For its part, DLI maintains collaborative relationships with colleges and universities, participates in conferences, and shares materials with some of the flagship programs that are part of the National Security Education Initiative, Sandusky said.
"About 85 percent of our students are right out of basic training," she said. "They come to us ... with all the strengths and weaknesses that the 'millennial' generation brings to the table, and they're mostly strengths. But one thing that we see is that they've not always had opportunities to be exposed to foreign language learning in the public schools."
The National Security Language Initiative is "aimed at trying to encourage public schools across the country to invest in greater amounts of foreign language education from an early age," she said.
(Tim Kilbride works in the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 31, 2009 - Language and culture are "almost inextricably intertwined," and military personnel must be knowledgeable in both to be fully effective when operating overseas, the director of a military language school said. Army Col. Sue Ann Sandusky, commandant of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, told bloggers and online journalists during a March 30 "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable that the DLI directly supports military commanders by instructing servicemembers in the foreign languages that regional combatant commands identify as mission-essential.
"We are the primary deliverer of military culturally-based language training," Sandusky said of the Monterey, Calif., school.
The school was established in secret just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. Since then, it has been perceived as a resource specific to the intelligence and translation military career fields, but in fact it also serves the needs of the "general-purpose forces," Sandusky said.
Educating the general service has been a major growth area for DLI since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, she noted.
DLI teaches 24 foreign languages in Monterey, Sandusky said. Instruction in additional languages is available elsewhere through contracted programs.
A separate school, the Defense Language Institute English Language Center in San Antonio, teaches English mostly to foreign officers who come to train in U.S. schools. The Air Force administers that program.
"We're driven by the requirements of the services," Sandusky said. "They come up with their requirements based on the assessments of the different areas of operation, ... coming up with what you might call a strategic language list, and then passing specific requirements for training down to DLI."
For mission success, learning about the cultures they will be operating in is as important to servicemembers as learning the languages, Sandusky said.
"Culture is both implicit and explicit in our curriculum," Sandusky explained. "[It is] explicit in the sense that we have area studies and culture courses ... delivered in the target language, so they're learning about the history, politics, geography, culture, ceremonies, art [and] literature in the target language in the course. ... And the implicit part is our instructors come from the cultures where the language is used."
Having native speakers from the target countries work as instructors means they bring into the classroom "culture at many different levels, from the behavioral dos and don'ts to food, film, music, art, artifacts, up to the more abstract sort of frames of reference: definitions of culture, the understanding of beauty and evil and authority and obligation - all of those deep-culture concepts that are arising from the same sort of impulses that the language itself arises from," Sandusky said.
"We see language and culture as very intertwined -- almost inextricably intertwined -- and we handle them together right from Day 1," Sandusky said.
At any one time, about 3,000 students are served by about 1,700 civilian faculty and staff, Sandusky said. In addition to language instructors, staff members are involved in test, curriculum and faculty development, among other supporting functions. Ninety-eight percent of the instructors are native speakers of the languages they teach.
Students are instructed and tested in three major areas: reading, listening and speaking. Writing is also taught, but not tested. Listening and reading proficiency are graded with the Defense Language Proficiency Test, and speaking is tested with the Oral Proficiency Interview.
As a measure of effectiveness, Sandusky explained, graduates of a six-month Spanish course at DLI will typically speak better than a graduating Spanish major at a four-year university. An 18-month Arabic course at DLI equates to roughly 10.5 full-load semester hours of language and area studies at a university.
While students attending the school for immersion courses achieve the best results, DLI also works with the military services and commands to offer introductory familiarization and training in a variety of capacities, Sandusky said.
"We've got what we call 'language survival kits,' which are kind of what you would need if you are going in on a humanitarian mission - just a very basic familiarization: Stop. Don't shoot. Take me to your leader. Where does it hurt? Is this water clean? All kinds of very basic survival-oriented phrases," Sandusky explained. "It's not a language-learning course at all, but they certainly would serve you well if you were going into an unfamiliar setting."
Pre-deployment training for large units is done through mobile training teams, Sandusky said. About 80,000 servicemembers have been trained in practical, military-oriented words and phrases using language survival kits, as well as other DLI programs and materials.
Sandusky noted that DLI has the capacity to embed instructors with deployed units.
DLI makes available a variety of other language and culture tools to servicemembers and members of the public wishing to maintain or enhance their foreign language skills, Sandusky said.
Among the materials available on the DLI Web site, the Global Language Online Support System offers prepackaged lessons at various proficiency levels for autonomous students. These are available at http://gloss.lingnet.org/.
DLI offers "Countries in Perspective" and "Field Support" multimedia downloads that give overviews of language and culture, broken down by country and language, Sandusky said. These are available at http://fieldsupport.lingnet.org/index.aspx.
Also, the Army offers online language training via the commercial Rosetta Stone program for any soldier wishing to take part, Sandusky said.
While the DLI serves the specific mission of preparing servicemembers for overseas operations, it also is part of a wider U.S. government initiative to encourage and enable foreign language education for Americans.
The National Security Language Initiative, begun in 2006 under President George W. Bush, has three main goals:
-- Expand the number of Americans mastering critical-need languages and start teaching them at a younger age;
-- Increase the number of advanced-level speakers of foreign languages, with an emphasis on critical-need languages; and
-- Increase the number of foreign language teachers and necessary resources.
In addition to the Defense Department, the State and Education departments and the National Intelligence Directorate were directed to participate in the program.
For its part, DLI maintains collaborative relationships with colleges and universities, participates in conferences, and shares materials with some of the flagship programs that are part of the National Security Education Initiative, Sandusky said.
"About 85 percent of our students are right out of basic training," she said. "They come to us ... with all the strengths and weaknesses that the 'millennial' generation brings to the table, and they're mostly strengths. But one thing that we see is that they've not always had opportunities to be exposed to foreign language learning in the public schools."
The National Security Language Initiative is "aimed at trying to encourage public schools across the country to invest in greater amounts of foreign language education from an early age," she said.
(Tim Kilbride works in the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Face of Defense: Captain Mentors Teens in Senate Youth Program
By Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - Students participating in the U.S. Senate Youth Program recently toured government buildings including the Pentagon, met their elected representatives and learned about the foundations of democracy. They also became personally acquainted with a citizen-airman who defends this democratic process.
Air Force Capt. Ladonna Singleton, a communications officer with the 254th Combat Communications Group in Garland, Texas, was the only Air National Guard member to mentor students in the weeklong program that brings young people to the nation's capital from across the country to learn more about the political process.
"We have to make sure we have them all 100 percent accounted for from the time we get up for breakfast at 7:30 to the time we go to bed," Singleton said during the event. "We have to stay in service-dress uniform until 11 at night."
Singleton escorted the students as they talked with high-level officials, including senators, Supreme Court justices, and even President Barack Obama. Though the students already knew a lot about the political process, Singleton said, many were unfamiliar with the military.
"Some of the students had no idea what the Air Force did or the Army or the Marines or the Coast Guard or any of the other services until they met up with us," she said. "They now have a face, and now they're like, 'Maybe I can consider this.'"
Singleton said the students were very curious about her job in the military. Among other things, she took these opportunities to talk to them about the Guard and its role in hurricane relief, she said.
Singleton took a little more time with Evan McCartney, a student from Missouri, who expects to go to the Air Force Academy.
"I want to be a pilot," McCartney said, expressing a particular interest in jets. Although that is still his plan, McCartney said, Singleton introduced him more to the day-to-day workings of the Air Force, and the growth fields of unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence, and Singleton's favorite: communications.
"She's just brought an awareness of the internal side of the Air Force," McCartney said. "I've always kind of known about the UAVs, but she's shown me how it is growing."
For her part, Singleton admitted that even as a mentor, participating in the Youth Program taught her something as well.
"I got a chance to get some deeper insight," Singleton said. "Definitely more detail about the Senate than I ever knew."
(Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - Students participating in the U.S. Senate Youth Program recently toured government buildings including the Pentagon, met their elected representatives and learned about the foundations of democracy. They also became personally acquainted with a citizen-airman who defends this democratic process.
Air Force Capt. Ladonna Singleton, a communications officer with the 254th Combat Communications Group in Garland, Texas, was the only Air National Guard member to mentor students in the weeklong program that brings young people to the nation's capital from across the country to learn more about the political process.
"We have to make sure we have them all 100 percent accounted for from the time we get up for breakfast at 7:30 to the time we go to bed," Singleton said during the event. "We have to stay in service-dress uniform until 11 at night."
Singleton escorted the students as they talked with high-level officials, including senators, Supreme Court justices, and even President Barack Obama. Though the students already knew a lot about the political process, Singleton said, many were unfamiliar with the military.
"Some of the students had no idea what the Air Force did or the Army or the Marines or the Coast Guard or any of the other services until they met up with us," she said. "They now have a face, and now they're like, 'Maybe I can consider this.'"
Singleton said the students were very curious about her job in the military. Among other things, she took these opportunities to talk to them about the Guard and its role in hurricane relief, she said.
Singleton took a little more time with Evan McCartney, a student from Missouri, who expects to go to the Air Force Academy.
"I want to be a pilot," McCartney said, expressing a particular interest in jets. Although that is still his plan, McCartney said, Singleton introduced him more to the day-to-day workings of the Air Force, and the growth fields of unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence, and Singleton's favorite: communications.
"She's just brought an awareness of the internal side of the Air Force," McCartney said. "I've always kind of known about the UAVs, but she's shown me how it is growing."
For her part, Singleton admitted that even as a mentor, participating in the Youth Program taught her something as well.
"I got a chance to get some deeper insight," Singleton said. "Definitely more detail about the Senate than I ever knew."
(Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
Chairman Recognizes Civil Servants for Defense Contributions
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today recognized eight civil servants for their positive impact on national security and their efforts in support of the Joint Staff throughout the past year. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen presented them with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in a ceremony at the Pentagon.
"For the eight of you ... this is really in recognition of the special relationships, special efforts on your part, to really make a difference in what has been and what continue to be the most challenging of times," Mullen said.
The recipients are:
-- John Young, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Under Young's leadership, major defense acquisition programs delivered vital capabilities to warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mullen said. Most notably, Young's efforts led to the eventual fielding of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles that are responsible for saving the lives of countless troops who've encountered roadside bombs in the war on terror. Young also led a work force of more than 126,000 acquisition personnel.
-- Tina Jonas, former Defense Department comptroller and chief financial officer. Jonas managed, developed and executed an annual defense budget of more than $665 billion for fiscal 2009, Mullen said. Her expertise and direction allowed for rapid funding and fielding of the MRAP protective vehicles to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, she directed more the 50,000 financial professionals, oversaw the Defense Department's financial policy, financial management system and business modernization.
-- Thomas Hall, assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs. Hall managed changes in equipment procurement, funding, benefits and entitlements and roles and missions within the National Guard and Reserve forces. He oversaw $30 billion in National Guard equipment funding, as well as a concurrent increase of more than $20 billion for the reserves. Hall helped to give reserve-component troops, their families and employers greater flexibility by reducing barriers to serve, with enriched family care programs and the expansion of Tricare military health plan service. Mullen said that Hall "is singlehandedly responsible for shaping a force that is the most combat experienced and ready since World War II."
-- Mary Beth Long, former assistant defense secretary for international security affairs. Long was instrumental in the conclusion of the negotiations for the U.S.-Iraq status-of-forces agreement. She also was highly involved in the efforts to pursue missile defense agreements with the Czech Republic and Poland, which resulted with enhanced security agreements for the United States and Europe, Mullen said. She was responsible for shaping improved relations with Middle Eastern allies, as well as the U.S. response for the Russian invasion of Georgia. She also helped develop approaches for reducing the Taliban's use of narcotics as a revenue source in Afghanistan.
-- John Grimes, assistant defense secretary for networks and information. Grimes led efforts to improve the defense of national security systems and vital cyber infrastructure. He also supported information sharing demands and trust between individuals and organizations, which resulted in an increased and secure capability to fight terrorism, help in the wake of natural disasters and assist in maintaining national security, Mullen said.
-- Patricia Bradshaw, deputy defense undersecretary for civilian personnel policy. Bradshaw is responsible for developing the concept of an expeditionary civilian workforce. The Defense Department's civilian work force is more agile and responsive to the operational needs of combatant commands, Mullen said. She created policies to increase medical support for deployed civilians as well as those recovering from deployment injuries. She's also responsible for ensuring combatant commanders were staffed with quality senior executives for global joint interagency needs.
-- Cheryl Roby, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration. Roby helped to deliver network-centric capabilities and products to warfighters designed to defend against and defeat the ever-changing cyber threat, Mullen said. She also helped to develop program and budget reviews that led to success in antiterrorism and defense of national security systems.
-- Michael Coulter, former principal deputy and now acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Coulter helped to improve relations between the United States and nations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in which he fostered significant improvements security cooperation, foreign military sales and military education and training programs, Mullen said. Coulter's role in U.S.-Denmark defense talks improved the Danish commitment to NATO, and his representation for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the U.S-Ukraine Bilateral Defense Consultations led to significant Ukraine defense reforms, Mullen added.
Mullen also lauded the recipients' families for their support, calling their contributions "absolutely critical."
"These are very demanding times and very demanding jobs, and we couldn't do them without tremendous family support," he said. "The hours are long; the travels are tough. And those who support us are absolutely critical."
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today recognized eight civil servants for their positive impact on national security and their efforts in support of the Joint Staff throughout the past year. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen presented them with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Distinguished Civilian Service Award in a ceremony at the Pentagon.
"For the eight of you ... this is really in recognition of the special relationships, special efforts on your part, to really make a difference in what has been and what continue to be the most challenging of times," Mullen said.
The recipients are:
-- John Young, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. Under Young's leadership, major defense acquisition programs delivered vital capabilities to warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mullen said. Most notably, Young's efforts led to the eventual fielding of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles that are responsible for saving the lives of countless troops who've encountered roadside bombs in the war on terror. Young also led a work force of more than 126,000 acquisition personnel.
-- Tina Jonas, former Defense Department comptroller and chief financial officer. Jonas managed, developed and executed an annual defense budget of more than $665 billion for fiscal 2009, Mullen said. Her expertise and direction allowed for rapid funding and fielding of the MRAP protective vehicles to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, she directed more the 50,000 financial professionals, oversaw the Defense Department's financial policy, financial management system and business modernization.
-- Thomas Hall, assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs. Hall managed changes in equipment procurement, funding, benefits and entitlements and roles and missions within the National Guard and Reserve forces. He oversaw $30 billion in National Guard equipment funding, as well as a concurrent increase of more than $20 billion for the reserves. Hall helped to give reserve-component troops, their families and employers greater flexibility by reducing barriers to serve, with enriched family care programs and the expansion of Tricare military health plan service. Mullen said that Hall "is singlehandedly responsible for shaping a force that is the most combat experienced and ready since World War II."
-- Mary Beth Long, former assistant defense secretary for international security affairs. Long was instrumental in the conclusion of the negotiations for the U.S.-Iraq status-of-forces agreement. She also was highly involved in the efforts to pursue missile defense agreements with the Czech Republic and Poland, which resulted with enhanced security agreements for the United States and Europe, Mullen said. She was responsible for shaping improved relations with Middle Eastern allies, as well as the U.S. response for the Russian invasion of Georgia. She also helped develop approaches for reducing the Taliban's use of narcotics as a revenue source in Afghanistan.
-- John Grimes, assistant defense secretary for networks and information. Grimes led efforts to improve the defense of national security systems and vital cyber infrastructure. He also supported information sharing demands and trust between individuals and organizations, which resulted in an increased and secure capability to fight terrorism, help in the wake of natural disasters and assist in maintaining national security, Mullen said.
-- Patricia Bradshaw, deputy defense undersecretary for civilian personnel policy. Bradshaw is responsible for developing the concept of an expeditionary civilian workforce. The Defense Department's civilian work force is more agile and responsive to the operational needs of combatant commands, Mullen said. She created policies to increase medical support for deployed civilians as well as those recovering from deployment injuries. She's also responsible for ensuring combatant commanders were staffed with quality senior executives for global joint interagency needs.
-- Cheryl Roby, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration. Roby helped to deliver network-centric capabilities and products to warfighters designed to defend against and defeat the ever-changing cyber threat, Mullen said. She also helped to develop program and budget reviews that led to success in antiterrorism and defense of national security systems.
-- Michael Coulter, former principal deputy and now acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. Coulter helped to improve relations between the United States and nations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in which he fostered significant improvements security cooperation, foreign military sales and military education and training programs, Mullen said. Coulter's role in U.S.-Denmark defense talks improved the Danish commitment to NATO, and his representation for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates at the U.S-Ukraine Bilateral Defense Consultations led to significant Ukraine defense reforms, Mullen added.
Mullen also lauded the recipients' families for their support, calling their contributions "absolutely critical."
"These are very demanding times and very demanding jobs, and we couldn't do them without tremendous family support," he said. "The hours are long; the travels are tough. And those who support us are absolutely critical."
Six States Send Troops to Flood Duty in North Dakota
By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. SmithAmerican Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - Governors in six upper Midwestern states have sent more than 2,400 National Guard members and some much-needed equipment to help fight flooding for a second week in North Dakota. North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven said on March 28 that his state was continuing to fight rising waters in Fargo and at other locations with the help of Guard members from Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Wisconsin, Missouri and South Dakota.
"We are mustering all of our state agencies and working with federal and local officials to meet this unprecedented event, as well as other flooding around the state," Hoeven said. "Historic levels on the Red River are testing our resources, but not our resolve to do everything in our power to meet the challenge and protect this community."
The National Weather Service said today that strong spring storms will continue bringing freezing rain, heavy snow and blizzard conditions to western and central North Dakota today and tonight.
National Guard Bureau officials reported a wide array of equipment was being used to assist state responders, including more than two dozen helicopters, generators and high-water vehicles, among other equipment.
Three of those helicopters and 17 soldiers are from the 832nd Medical Company; the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation; and Detachment 1, Company B, 248th Aviation Support Battalion, all of the Wisconsin National Guard.
Once in North Dakota, the soldiers expect to conduct search-and-rescue operations and provide air transportation, according to a news release from state officials. They also have the ability to provide medical evacuation if needed.
A news release from the Missouri National Guard said two C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft with 14 airmen from the 139th Airlift Wing in St. Joseph, Mo., and a helicopter maintenance team with 20 soldiers from the 1107th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group in Springfield, Mo., headed to Grand Forks on March 28.
Grand Forks also was the staging area for two UH-60 Black Hawks and two CH-47 Chinook helicopters and about 26 soldiers from the 248th Aviation Support Battalion and 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion of the Iowa Army National Guard.
Guardmembers also will conduct sandbagging and snow-removal operations, work at traffic control checkpoints, help in evacuations and assist local law enforcement in dike and shelter security.
More than 340 South Dakota Guard members have been sent to North Dakota on state active duty to assist with the response efforts, Army Maj. Brendan Murphy, of the South Dakota National Guard, said.
"We are performing our mission, helping prevent property damage and threats to life and limb of the citizens," said Army Sgt. Theanne Tangen, a member of the 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment from Sioux Falls, S.D.
The South Dakota Guard has provided personnel and resources to key flood-fighting areas. They're filling, storing and distributing sandbags, patrolling dikes, breaking ice jams, providing security and operating traffic control points, and helping or rescuing stranded citizens threatened by flood waters.
"It's a shock to see the amounts of water they have to deal with, especially when you see street signs and stop lights within a few feet of being completely submerged," Army Sgt. 1st Class Chris Schimke said. "It feels great to be here and help out our neighbors in need."
These soldiers, along with leadership from the 153rd Engineer Battalion, conducted a reconnaissance mission over the weekend to become familiar with the dikes they are assigned to patrol during their 12-hour shift to report leaks or breaches to the North Dakota joint operations center.
Five 5-ton dump trucks from the 842nd Engineer Company with more than 10 personnel also deployed to Fargo, Murphy said.
(Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith serves with the National Guard Bureau.)
U.S. Northern Command Assists With North Dakota Flooding
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - U.S. Northern Command continues to coordinate additional and ongoing Department of Defense support to Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local authorities in North Dakota and Minnesota supporting disaster operations in response to flooding in North Dakota. Northcom officials mobilized defense coordinating officers and defense coordinating elements to the FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center in Bismarck, N.D., serving FEMA regions 5 and 8. The DCO acts as the liaison between FEMA and Northcom, relaying capabilities available to FEMA and coordinating movement of active-duty personnel and equipment to assist should the need arise. The DCE acts as administrative support to the DCO.
Northcom officials also deployed five CH-47 Chinook helicopters and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., for a variety of missions in support of FEMA. Potential missions include search and rescue, supply transportation, and movement of evacuees or other response personnel.
The command also deployed three search-and-rescue planners from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., and two more from Air Forces Northern at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to assist in SAR planning at the Joint Personnel Recovery Center at Tyndall. The three planners from Northcom's Standing Joint Force Headquarters North division will assist in the efforts being conducted at the JRPC, which focuses specifically on large-scale search-and-rescue operations in the event of a hurricane or natural disaster.
When a disaster occurs, the JPRC activates and coordinates the SAR actions of all rescue aircraft in the disaster area to improve the efficiency of rescue operations and reduce the potential for accidents.
In coordination with Air Forces Northern, Northcom also is sending an aviation planner to the North Dakota Emergency Operations Center to prepare for potential SAR missions in the affected areas.
FEMA requested, and Northcom is supporting, use of Grand Forks Air Force Base as a national logistics staging area. The NLSA will consist of five to 10 acres of space, including 1,000 square feet of office space, necessary to support forward distribution of supplies and equipment to affected areas in North Dakota. The airfield at the base also is being used to forward stage active-duty helicopters.
In addition, Northcom officials mobilized a defense coordinating officer and defense coordinating element to FEMA Region 8's Regional Response Coordination Center in Bismarck, N.DU.S. Northern Command, established in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.
(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)
March 30, 2009 - U.S. Northern Command continues to coordinate additional and ongoing Department of Defense support to Federal Emergency Management Agency, state and local authorities in North Dakota and Minnesota supporting disaster operations in response to flooding in North Dakota. Northcom officials mobilized defense coordinating officers and defense coordinating elements to the FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center in Bismarck, N.D., serving FEMA regions 5 and 8. The DCO acts as the liaison between FEMA and Northcom, relaying capabilities available to FEMA and coordinating movement of active-duty personnel and equipment to assist should the need arise. The DCE acts as administrative support to the DCO.
Northcom officials also deployed five CH-47 Chinook helicopters and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D., for a variety of missions in support of FEMA. Potential missions include search and rescue, supply transportation, and movement of evacuees or other response personnel.
The command also deployed three search-and-rescue planners from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo., and two more from Air Forces Northern at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., to assist in SAR planning at the Joint Personnel Recovery Center at Tyndall. The three planners from Northcom's Standing Joint Force Headquarters North division will assist in the efforts being conducted at the JRPC, which focuses specifically on large-scale search-and-rescue operations in the event of a hurricane or natural disaster.
When a disaster occurs, the JPRC activates and coordinates the SAR actions of all rescue aircraft in the disaster area to improve the efficiency of rescue operations and reduce the potential for accidents.
In coordination with Air Forces Northern, Northcom also is sending an aviation planner to the North Dakota Emergency Operations Center to prepare for potential SAR missions in the affected areas.
FEMA requested, and Northcom is supporting, use of Grand Forks Air Force Base as a national logistics staging area. The NLSA will consist of five to 10 acres of space, including 1,000 square feet of office space, necessary to support forward distribution of supplies and equipment to affected areas in North Dakota. The airfield at the base also is being used to forward stage active-duty helicopters.
In addition, Northcom officials mobilized a defense coordinating officer and defense coordinating element to FEMA Region 8's Regional Response Coordination Center in Bismarck, N.DU.S. Northern Command, established in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is responsible for homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.
(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)
Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program Reaches Milestone
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - The advisory board of a new program mandated by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act held its inaugural meeting here today. The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program fulfills the requirement of establishing a national combat veteran reintegration program. The program's goal is to prepare servicemembers and their families for mobilization, sustain families during mobilization, and reintegrate soldiers with their families, communities, and employers upon redeployment.
"[Post-traumatic stress disorder], the specter of suicides and all sorts of things have told us that it's critical to make sure that our troops and their families are readjusting properly," said Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. "We recognized that when ... active Guard and Reserve [servicemembers] go off to conflict and come back, and then demobilize or go back to their home base, it's really necessary that they get back together with their families and have a chance at a 30-, and a 60-, and a 90-day point to talk about their experiences, to see if everything's going OK."
The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness serves as the program's executive agent and established the Office for Reintegration Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
To provide servicemembers and their families with a wide range of options as close to home as possible, Defense Department officials are working to unify efforts among the services, the reserve components, other federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
The advisory board includes representatives of small-business associations, veterans associations, the services, and the Guard and reserves, Hall said.
"I think we have the right people highlighting and working the problem," he said. "It was an important first meeting, and we look forward to the future."
Reintegration program capabilities have been under way since last year, with services provided through the Joint Family Support Assistance Program and currently being tested in 15 states. Defense Department officials plan to expand the program beyond the pilot phase to all U.S. states and territories.
American Forces Press Service
March 30, 2009 - The advisory board of a new program mandated by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act held its inaugural meeting here today. The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program fulfills the requirement of establishing a national combat veteran reintegration program. The program's goal is to prepare servicemembers and their families for mobilization, sustain families during mobilization, and reintegrate soldiers with their families, communities, and employers upon redeployment.
"[Post-traumatic stress disorder], the specter of suicides and all sorts of things have told us that it's critical to make sure that our troops and their families are readjusting properly," said Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. "We recognized that when ... active Guard and Reserve [servicemembers] go off to conflict and come back, and then demobilize or go back to their home base, it's really necessary that they get back together with their families and have a chance at a 30-, and a 60-, and a 90-day point to talk about their experiences, to see if everything's going OK."
The undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness serves as the program's executive agent and established the Office for Reintegration Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.
To provide servicemembers and their families with a wide range of options as close to home as possible, Defense Department officials are working to unify efforts among the services, the reserve components, other federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
The advisory board includes representatives of small-business associations, veterans associations, the services, and the Guard and reserves, Hall said.
"I think we have the right people highlighting and working the problem," he said. "It was an important first meeting, and we look forward to the future."
Reintegration program capabilities have been under way since last year, with services provided through the Joint Family Support Assistance Program and currently being tested in 15 states. Defense Department officials plan to expand the program beyond the pilot phase to all U.S. states and territories.
MILITARY CONTRACTS March 30, 2009
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Philips Medical Systems, Andover, Mass. is being awarded a maximum $77,172,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables, spare/repair parts and training. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 17 proposals solicited with 9 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 29, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM2D1-09-D-8349).
Cardinal Health, Inc., Dublin, Ohio is being awarded a maximum $11,201,989 firm fixed price, sole source, prime vendor, indefinite quantity contract for pharmaceutical items. Other locations of performance are New Jersey, California, Washington, Florida, Mssachusetts, Texas and Mississippi. Using service is Department of Defense. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM200-04-D-7020).
Pepsico, Inc., Purchase, N.Y. is being awarded a maximum $6,040,896 firm fixed price contract for bag-in-box beverage support. Other locations of performance vary throughout the United States. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 3 responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-1101).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $21,336,422 cost plus fixed fee contract for United Kingdom Technical Services in support of the TRIDENT Strategic Weapons System. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (75 percent); Cocoa Beach, Fla. (10 percent); Hudson, N.H. (2 percent); St. Mary's Ga. (1 percent); Groton, Conn. (1 percent); Bremerton, Wash. (.5 percent); other US locations (.5 percent); and other UK and Italian locations (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (N00030-09-C-0018).
Progeny Systems Corporation*, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $16,085,620 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-6256) for Phase III engineering services, which includes disciplines required to analyze, design, fabricate, and integrate hardware and/or software solutions for commercial-off-the-shelf electronics based subsystems that collectively provide C3I functionality to submarines, surface ships, surveillance and air platforms. The engineering services are in support of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic No.N96-278 "Technology Infusion Methodology". The Phase III SBIR effort addresses systems and subsystems ranging from simple single processors to highly complex multi-processor network architectures. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.
Harper Construction Company, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $14,203,660 for firm fixed price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8611) for design, repair and renovation of the Helicopter Hangar (HSL), Building 1474, at Naval Base Coronado. Hangar 1474, a two-story, steel-framed structure is used for aircraft maintenance and administrative support for three aviation helicopter squadrons: HSM-41, HSL-43, and HSL-45. Renovation will provide repairs and upgrades to severely deteriorated utility and infrastructure systems. Work will include interior finish upgrades, replacement of roof membrane system, repair of existing 400 Hertz power systems and Flight Line Electrical Distribution System (FLEDS) mounds, exterior wash/drainage stations, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) mechanical systems renovation and upgrade, repair of hangar bay doors, new trench drain systems and low-level Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) fire protection system in the hangar bays, expansion of existing shower/locker areas, hazardous materials removal, and related plumbing, electrical, telecommunication, and fire sprinkler system upgrades. Work will be performed in Coronado, Calif., and is expected to be completed by April 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Raytheon Company, Goleta, Calif., for $7,317,766. This action will exercise and fund the Low Rate Production option of this upgrade development contract. At this time, $7,317,766 has been obligated. 542 CBSG/PKS is the contracting activity. (F09603-01-C-0330-P00121).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Harris Technical Services Corporation, Colorado Springs, Colo., for $6,270,436. This action will provide Mission Communications Operations and Maintenance to Air Force Space Command's 50th Space Wing. At this time, $6,270,436 has been obligated. 50 CONS/LGCZW, Schriever AFB is the contracting activity. (FA2550-02-C-0007-P00098).
Philips Medical Systems, Andover, Mass. is being awarded a maximum $77,172,660 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables, spare/repair parts and training. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 17 proposals solicited with 9 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 29, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM2D1-09-D-8349).
Cardinal Health, Inc., Dublin, Ohio is being awarded a maximum $11,201,989 firm fixed price, sole source, prime vendor, indefinite quantity contract for pharmaceutical items. Other locations of performance are New Jersey, California, Washington, Florida, Mssachusetts, Texas and Mississippi. Using service is Department of Defense. There was originally 1 proposal solicited with 1 response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM200-04-D-7020).
Pepsico, Inc., Purchase, N.Y. is being awarded a maximum $6,040,896 firm fixed price contract for bag-in-box beverage support. Other locations of performance vary throughout the United States. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The proposal was originally Web solicited with 3 responses. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is March 31, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa. (SPM300-08-D-1101).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Space and Strategic Missiles, Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $21,336,422 cost plus fixed fee contract for United Kingdom Technical Services in support of the TRIDENT Strategic Weapons System. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (75 percent); Cocoa Beach, Fla. (10 percent); Hudson, N.H. (2 percent); St. Mary's Ga. (1 percent); Groton, Conn. (1 percent); Bremerton, Wash. (.5 percent); other US locations (.5 percent); and other UK and Italian locations (10 percent), and work is expected to be completed March 31, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Arlington, Va., is the contracting activity (N00030-09-C-0018).
Progeny Systems Corporation*, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $16,085,620 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-06-C-6256) for Phase III engineering services, which includes disciplines required to analyze, design, fabricate, and integrate hardware and/or software solutions for commercial-off-the-shelf electronics based subsystems that collectively provide C3I functionality to submarines, surface ships, surveillance and air platforms. The engineering services are in support of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic No.N96-278 "Technology Infusion Methodology". The Phase III SBIR effort addresses systems and subsystems ranging from simple single processors to highly complex multi-processor network architectures. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., and is expected to be completed by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.
Harper Construction Company, Inc., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded $14,203,660 for firm fixed price task order #0002 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-08-D-8611) for design, repair and renovation of the Helicopter Hangar (HSL), Building 1474, at Naval Base Coronado. Hangar 1474, a two-story, steel-framed structure is used for aircraft maintenance and administrative support for three aviation helicopter squadrons: HSM-41, HSL-43, and HSL-45. Renovation will provide repairs and upgrades to severely deteriorated utility and infrastructure systems. Work will include interior finish upgrades, replacement of roof membrane system, repair of existing 400 Hertz power systems and Flight Line Electrical Distribution System (FLEDS) mounds, exterior wash/drainage stations, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) mechanical systems renovation and upgrade, repair of hangar bay doors, new trench drain systems and low-level Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) fire protection system in the hangar bays, expansion of existing shower/locker areas, hazardous materials removal, and related plumbing, electrical, telecommunication, and fire sprinkler system upgrades. Work will be performed in Coronado, Calif., and is expected to be completed by April 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Six proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Raytheon Company, Goleta, Calif., for $7,317,766. This action will exercise and fund the Low Rate Production option of this upgrade development contract. At this time, $7,317,766 has been obligated. 542 CBSG/PKS is the contracting activity. (F09603-01-C-0330-P00121).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Harris Technical Services Corporation, Colorado Springs, Colo., for $6,270,436. This action will provide Mission Communications Operations and Maintenance to Air Force Space Command's 50th Space Wing. At this time, $6,270,436 has been obligated. 50 CONS/LGCZW, Schriever AFB is the contracting activity. (FA2550-02-C-0007-P00098).
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