By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 13, 2009 - Less than halfway into a four-month deployment to bring medical care and humanitarian assistance to the people of the Caribbean and Central and South America, personnel involved in Operation Continuing Promise 2009 already have treated more than 25,000 patients from three countries, the officer in charge said. "Our primary mission is to go out and train and gain valuable experience, going out and doing humanitarian, civic-assistance missions," Navy Capt. Robert Lineberry, mission commander for Continuing Promise 2009, said during a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable May 11.
"We constantly talk about the numbers, but it's not about the numbers," he said. "It's really about providing accessible and quality health care to the folks that are really in need."
Continuing Promise is an annual humanitarian and civic assistance operation supported by U.S. and international military medical personnel, U.S. government agencies, regional health ministries, nongovernmental organizations and U.S. academic institutions. It is coordinated by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and the U.S. 4th Fleet. In addition to providing medical care, and promoting goodwill and partnerships, the mission provides valuable emergency training for the personnel involved.
The operation is being run from the USNS Comfort, one of two Military Sealift Command hospital ships capable of rapid response during emergencies. The ship provided support in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and in the Gulf Coast region in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
Continuing Promise began when the Comfort departed Norfolk, Va., on April 1, with visits planned to Antigua, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Panama. Each visit is scheduled to last 10 to 12 days.
The medical, dental and veterinary crew of the Comfort includes about 650 medical professionals from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and U.S. Public Health Service, nongovernmental organizations, and other international partners. Canada, Chile, El Salvador, France, the Netherlands and Nicaragua will also provide medical professionals for the mission at some point during the deployment to participate in the training.
"We will rotate through quite a few Navy Reserve [personnel, and] quite a few humanitarian organizations, and probably when it's all said and done after the four months, we'll probably have trained up over 1,400 individuals," Lineberry said.
The crew for Continuing Promise also includes a construction battalion of Seabees tasked with rebuilding and restoring hospitals and other buildings, Lineberry added.
The Seabees already have fully restored a condemned hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and are currently working on a mental hospital in Antigua and Barbuda, he said.
"The Seabees are very rounded. They can do anything you can ask them to do," Lineberry said.
This is the fourth humanitarian-focused U.S. naval deployment to the region in the past three years designed to promote partnerships and goodwill. Building on lessons learned from the past mission, the Comfort is making fewer stops, but for longer durations during Continuing Promise 2009.
"Our goal is to just to go out and just do good things, and we're doing that," Lineberry said.
(Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby serves in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Armed Forces Day Calls for Recognition and Awareness of Unique Benefits Provided to Military Personnel
May 13, 2009 – Albany, NY – This Saturday, people across the nation will celebrate Armed Forces Day, which honors the men and women in uniform who serve in all branches of the United States Armed Forces. Armed Forces Day has been held annually on the third Saturday of May since the 1950s.
One of the ways the nation pays tribute to military personnel is through the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The Act, which was revised in 2003, is meant to provide peace of mind for soldiers on active duty regarding their affairs back home.
The SCRA allows for the temporary suspension of certain financial obligations and judicial or administrative proceedings during active duty military service. Some of the areas which servicemembers receive protection under the SCRA are:
Reduced interest rates on mortgage payments and credit card debt.
Protection from eviction for the servicemember and his or her dependents if the rent is less than $1200.
Termination of an automobile lease that was entered into before being called to active duty.
Termination of a residential lease that was entered into before being called to active duty.
“While it’s important to honor our military through celebrations like parades and air shows on this day, true recognition for what our serving men and women do for the country is shown through laws like the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act,” said Mathew B. Tully, Esq. Tully is the founding partner of the law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC and serves as a major in the New York Army National Guard. “Many of these soldiers simply drop their lives to answer the call to duty. Their affairs should be protected accordingly.”
Servicemembers involved in civil litigation can also request for the postponement of any judicial proceedings or civil court cases while on active duty. This includes matters ranging from contract disputes to real estate and property issues. “Civil court proceedings can involve some complex issues that are difficult to navigate,” said Tully. “I highly recommend that servicemembers who wish to delay their court proceedings contact a civilian attorney or their unit’s military legal assistance center to ensure their situation is taken care of properly.”
Tully is available for comment on the importance of honoring servicemembers on Armed Forces Day and the unique benefits and protections extended to them under the SCRA. For more information or to speak with Tully, please contact Caitlin Merrill at 518-755-2789 or via email at cmerrill@tullylegal.com.
One of the ways the nation pays tribute to military personnel is through the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The Act, which was revised in 2003, is meant to provide peace of mind for soldiers on active duty regarding their affairs back home.
The SCRA allows for the temporary suspension of certain financial obligations and judicial or administrative proceedings during active duty military service. Some of the areas which servicemembers receive protection under the SCRA are:
Reduced interest rates on mortgage payments and credit card debt.
Protection from eviction for the servicemember and his or her dependents if the rent is less than $1200.
Termination of an automobile lease that was entered into before being called to active duty.
Termination of a residential lease that was entered into before being called to active duty.
“While it’s important to honor our military through celebrations like parades and air shows on this day, true recognition for what our serving men and women do for the country is shown through laws like the Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act,” said Mathew B. Tully, Esq. Tully is the founding partner of the law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC and serves as a major in the New York Army National Guard. “Many of these soldiers simply drop their lives to answer the call to duty. Their affairs should be protected accordingly.”
Servicemembers involved in civil litigation can also request for the postponement of any judicial proceedings or civil court cases while on active duty. This includes matters ranging from contract disputes to real estate and property issues. “Civil court proceedings can involve some complex issues that are difficult to navigate,” said Tully. “I highly recommend that servicemembers who wish to delay their court proceedings contact a civilian attorney or their unit’s military legal assistance center to ensure their situation is taken care of properly.”
Tully is available for comment on the importance of honoring servicemembers on Armed Forces Day and the unique benefits and protections extended to them under the SCRA. For more information or to speak with Tully, please contact Caitlin Merrill at 518-755-2789 or via email at cmerrill@tullylegal.com.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Former Army Officer Signs Book Contract
Author and Security consultant, Jeffrey W. Bennett has recently signed a publishing contract with CRC Press. Managing the Security of Classified Information and Contracts is due to be published in August 2009. Landing a contract proved hard work, but he sold the idea with persistence and passion. “I’ve been in the security field for over 20 including my Army and corporate experience,” says Jeffrey W. Bennett. “I realized that there weren’t any commercially published books available to those protecting our nation’s secrets.
Though Federal regulations instruct defense contractors how to work on government contracts, no books have been made available at book stores, libraries or universities. That’s all about to change. “I’ve published a few books already. I wrote my last book to help security specialist study for the Industrial Security Professional Examination. I saw a need, but the market was too small for the editors, so I founded Red Bike Publishing and published it myself. Now it’s on Amazon.com.” That didn’t stop Bennett. He had a dream of getting a contract with a royalty publisher.
“I found the publishers in a market guide and contacted the senior editor about my idea. He left a message explaining the idea was too narrow. However, they left a phone number and that was all I needed.” Over the next year, Bennett continued to contact the publisher about ideas. Finally the publisher agreed to meet him during a Security seminar in Las Vegas. “We had breakfast together and I pitched the winning idea, a book about landing and working on classified contracts. He said it sounded great and asked me to put it in writing and submit it formally.”
Not only did Jeffrey W. Bennett present and idea, but he strengthened his position. “I wrote three sample chapters, a table of contents and a layout of the remaining chapters. I also turned in a market study of the more than 100,000 federal and contractor employees.” Bennett’s market study included the more than 400 defense contractor companies and major military commands in and around Huntsville.. “This book idea will not only help Security specialists, but will also educate college students about a career in Security.” Bennett also anticipates a need from industry as increasing numbers of defense contractors are taking on classified work.
Jeffrey W. Bennett encourages those who are thinking of writing professionally to treat their writing as a business. “Demonstrate a need, conduct a market analysis, get critical feedback, network with other professionals and promote your product. Publishing companies expect professionalism.” Sure enough, though seven months from production, Bennett is already getting the word out to libraries, professional groups and during his presentations.
What’s next? Bennett is already pitching a series of yet untouched Security topics. He is also formulating an espionage thriller. “I’ve done all the background research, to all I need to do is finish the story.”
About Jeffrey W. Bennett
Captain Jeffrey W. Bennett, USA (ret.) is a “former Army officer who has been stationed around the world and has met many peoples of various customs, celebrity and influence. He speaks three languages and holds a Masters Degree in Acquisitions and Procurement Management from Webster University and is an MBA candidate with Columbia College. His experiences have involved adventure training, recruiting, world travel, diving, and flying. He has spoken on many motivational topics to major civic organizations, church groups, college and high school campuses.”
Though Federal regulations instruct defense contractors how to work on government contracts, no books have been made available at book stores, libraries or universities. That’s all about to change. “I’ve published a few books already. I wrote my last book to help security specialist study for the Industrial Security Professional Examination. I saw a need, but the market was too small for the editors, so I founded Red Bike Publishing and published it myself. Now it’s on Amazon.com.” That didn’t stop Bennett. He had a dream of getting a contract with a royalty publisher.
“I found the publishers in a market guide and contacted the senior editor about my idea. He left a message explaining the idea was too narrow. However, they left a phone number and that was all I needed.” Over the next year, Bennett continued to contact the publisher about ideas. Finally the publisher agreed to meet him during a Security seminar in Las Vegas. “We had breakfast together and I pitched the winning idea, a book about landing and working on classified contracts. He said it sounded great and asked me to put it in writing and submit it formally.”
Not only did Jeffrey W. Bennett present and idea, but he strengthened his position. “I wrote three sample chapters, a table of contents and a layout of the remaining chapters. I also turned in a market study of the more than 100,000 federal and contractor employees.” Bennett’s market study included the more than 400 defense contractor companies and major military commands in and around Huntsville.. “This book idea will not only help Security specialists, but will also educate college students about a career in Security.” Bennett also anticipates a need from industry as increasing numbers of defense contractors are taking on classified work.
Jeffrey W. Bennett encourages those who are thinking of writing professionally to treat their writing as a business. “Demonstrate a need, conduct a market analysis, get critical feedback, network with other professionals and promote your product. Publishing companies expect professionalism.” Sure enough, though seven months from production, Bennett is already getting the word out to libraries, professional groups and during his presentations.
What’s next? Bennett is already pitching a series of yet untouched Security topics. He is also formulating an espionage thriller. “I’ve done all the background research, to all I need to do is finish the story.”
About Jeffrey W. Bennett
Captain Jeffrey W. Bennett, USA (ret.) is a “former Army officer who has been stationed around the world and has met many peoples of various customs, celebrity and influence. He speaks three languages and holds a Masters Degree in Acquisitions and Procurement Management from Webster University and is an MBA candidate with Columbia College. His experiences have involved adventure training, recruiting, world travel, diving, and flying. He has spoken on many motivational topics to major civic organizations, church groups, college and high school campuses.”
New York Air Guard Conducts 100th Shuttle Mission
By Air Force Master Sgt. Corine LombardoSpecial to American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - Eight pararescuemen aboard "King 2," an HC-130 Hercules from the New York Air National Guard's 106th Rescue Wing, breathed a collective sigh of relief as the space shuttle Atlantis, traveling more than 3,000 miles an hour, reached orbit yesterday for NASA's final visit to refurbish and restore the Hubble Space Telescope. It was the 100th time airmen from the Long Island-based rescue wing have watched a space shuttle climb into orbit as they stood by to rescue the crew in case something went wrong.
The New York Air National Guardsmen have had this mission since December 1988, when NASA conducted the first shuttle missions after the 1986 Challenger disaster.
"Every member of the 106th Rescue Wing is proud of this mission," Air Force Col. Michael Canders, the 106th's commander, said. "Our unit has played a critical role in the exploration of space for the last 20 years, and we look forward to continuing to support this effort."
The highly trained rescue crew eagerly awaited Atlantis' lift-off here, where they remained alert and prepared to retrieve shuttle astronauts if the shuttle failed to reach orbit. If that had happened, the seven-member Atlantis crew would have used an escape hatch to bail out into the Atlantic.
While "King 2" stood ready at Patrick Air Force Base, a short distance from Kennedy Space Center, a second HC-130, "King 1," orbited the eastern seacoast, prepared to rush to the projected impact area or splash point, if necessary.
Air Guardsmen from the unit, based at Gabreski Field Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., routinely practice this contingency procedure, known as Mode 8 Egress, which is, essentially, a parachute descent to safety.
If an ejection had taken place, the shuttle crew would have been spread out roughly a mile apart, given the speed of the shuttle as the astronauts bailed out. Once the astronauts were located, the pararescuemen would deploy in two teams via parachute, along with a Zodiac inflatable boat, to retrieve the astronauts, Canders said.
"I am always grateful for the outstanding job the 106th Rescue Wing does for NASA's shuttle launches," Mike Leinbach, the NASA launch director, said. "They are a critical part of our overall launch contingency planning, and I am absolutely certain that if called on, they would perform their job in a flawless manner."
Knowing the pararescuemen are close by is important, said Air Force Col. Lee Archambault, who commanded a shuttle mission in March and flew on another in 2007.
"Because of the amount and level of egress training and rescue procedures we receive, we know we are well taken care of should we need to get out of the vehicle if the worst of the worst happens," Archambault said. "We very much appreciate the support of the 106th Rescue Wing and all the rescue personnel on station throughout the world. Without [their] support, we couldn't do what we do."
After the Challenger disaster, the shuttle was redesigned to include an escape hatch, which allows crewmembers to leave the spacecraft in an emergency. Rescue crews were then needed to locate those downed crewmembers and pluck them from the waters off Cape Canaveral. The 106th Rescue Wing volunteered for the mission, developed and validated the astronaut search and rescue procedures, and has been there for nearly every shuttle mission since, Air Force Col. Robert Landsiedel, the wing's vice commander, said.
"Although we're ready, we're relieved we don't have to rescue the astronauts," said Lt. Col. Jim Kelley, 106th navigator and King 2 mission commander, responsible for controlling the rescue package and helicopter refueling plan for this mission. "It's a mission you train for and hope you never have to execute."
(Air Force Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo serves with the New York National Guard.)
Face of Defense: Tattoos Tell Story of Soldier's Loyalties, Losses, Dreams
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - The 22-year-old soldier, dressed down in a black T-shirt and jeans on a flight to his new unit at Fort Carson, Colo., is the face of the 21,000 additional troops flowing into Afghanistan as part of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy. But it's his muscular arms, heavily adorned with tattoos as they cradle a portable video game system on his lap, that tell the true story of where he's been, what he's done and what he dreams for the future.
Army Cpl. "KC" – who asked to be referred to only by his initials to avoid making waves at his gaining unit – has seen a lot since heading off to Army basic training exactly one month after his high school graduation in Sacramento, Calif.
He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, a tough-minded but "pretty cool" Marine who died just four months before KC raised his right hand and swore to defend the United States and its interests. His dad, too, is a Vietnam veteran who passed on his tradition of service to his only son.
A combat medic, KC has put his skills to the test in some pretty tough neighborhoods. He was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in Fallujah, Iraq, in late 2004. He deployed again -- on Aug. 29, 2007, his 20th birthday – with the 1st Infantry Division to Baghdad, just ahead of the troop surge ordered to quell violence there.
KC is matter-of-fact about his skills and slow to admit he knows he's enabled wounded troops to return home to their families. "Some people are trained to shoot mortar rounds. Some people are trained to clear houses," he said. "They just trained me to save lives, so I save lives."
When things get "hot," KC said, his training kicks in before he even knows it's happened. "It's total muscle memory," he said. "You just have to know what to do, and you do it. You stop the bleeding, clear the airway, then go on from there. ... You do the best that you can."
When he was assigned for a year at Walter Reed Army Medical Center's oncology ward – a stabilization tour because he'd spent so much of his Army time deployed – KC got a touching personal reminder of the impact of what he does.
He recognized the name of a patient he'd "worked on" in Baghdad after an enemy attack cost him an eye. The two reunited, with KC filling in many of the soldier's unanswered questions as he forged a new friendship with him and his family.
As the time for a new assignment approached, KC turned down a slot with the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division, knowing many of the division's soldiers were deployed to northern Iraq and that he'd likely end up joining them. Instead, he opted for the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson.
The day before KC left for his new assignment, he got word that he'd be deploying to Afghanistan exactly one month after arriving at his new post. KC is nonchalant about the change of plans.
"I don't think it's right for anybody in the military to be completely blindsided when they're told they are going to deploy," he said, shrugging his soldiers.
KC knows he's bound for Kandahar in the increasingly violent Regional Command South area, part of the increased U.S. troop presence President Barack Obama ordered to turn the situation there around. He's seen what more troops can mean, and he speaks with certainty that they'll have the same impact in Afghanistan. "I think we will definitely make a difference," he said.
As KC shared his story, the tattoos on his arms filled in some of the gaps.
There are the two stars, one on the back of each arm. KC got them in St. Louis during his rest-and-recuperation leave from Iraq to honor his Northern California roots and the mother back in Sacramento he says he wants to make proud.
On the front of his right arm, a 1st Infantry Division crest commemorates the buddies he served with during 15 months in Baghdad.
But it's KC's left arm, where a $400, custom-designed tattoo that stretches from his clavicle to just above his elbow tells stories of loss most civilians his age would never understand. A Gothic-looking character KC said represents him looks down on seven faces, all connected by curlicues called "cancer" in tattoo parlance. "It's a thread that holds everything together," he said.
"They all represent different friends I've lost," KC said of the ghoulish faces. Not all the faces were combat losses, and not all were actually friends, but they all made deep enough an impression on KC for him to carry their memories on his arms for the rest of his days.
One represents his grandfather, who influenced his decision to enlist. Another is a sailor he didn't know, but whose combat death struck KC deeply. A third face represents Army Staff Sgt. Mike Ruoff, his friend's platoon sergeant, who was killed in Ramadi, Iraq. Another face depicts his friend Cpl. Milton Gist, a cook also killed in Ramadi.
A "kind of mysterious" face adorning KC's arm represents a sergeant major's gunner killed when an armor-piercing projectile hit his vehicle in western Iraq. KC didn't know him and didn't "work on him," but got the task of retrieving the soldier's weapons and personal gear from the crippled truck.
There's also an image of KC's friend, Sgt. Evan Cole. KC was deployed to Baghdad when he got work that Cole had been killed in Ramadi. Then, out of the clear blue, he heard from Cole on his Facebook page.
"It was kind of like hearing from a ghost," KC said. When he told Cole what he'd heard about his fate, Cole casually threw back, "I don't think I'm dead."
KC hadn't yet gotten his tattoo, but already had included Cole in the design, and he decided not to change it. "I told him, you're on my arm as being dead, dude," he told his friend.
The final face on KC's arm, a guy "with sad eyes," wasn't a soldier and wasn't killed in the war. It represents a friend back home, Josh, who took his own life at age 15 by jumping in front of a train while KC was in Iraq.
As he prepares to deploy to Afghanistan, KC said, he doesn't want to add more faces to his tattoo.
Looking to the future, he prefers to focus on the message tattooed on his lower right forearm, "Live the Dream."
"Everybody, when they are growing up, has a dream of what they want to be when they grow up," he said.
Asked what that means to him, KC paused to reflect. "I want to be somebody who's respectful," he said.
"Maybe wealthy," he added with a smile, quickly retracting the idea. "No," he said, "I want to be one of those people who is happy with what they have."
Then, as if suddenly remembering that it was Mother's Day as he was heading to his new unit at Fort Carson, he added, "And I want to make my mom happy."
Proposed Recruiting Cuts 'Reasonable,' Pentagon Official Says
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - Despite an $800 million cut in funding for military recruiting and retention in the proposed fiscal 2010 defense budget, a senior Defense Department official expressed confidence in the department's ability to continue to attract and retain quality troops. The funding cuts were submitted to Congress last week as part of President Barack Obama's 2010 budget, which included $17 billion in cuts across federal departments, half of which came from defense programs. The 2010 military recruiting and retention budget is proposed at $6.2 billion.
The cuts come on the heels of record recruiting years, and spending, for the armed services. Yesterday, all 10 active-duty and reserve military components reported meeting or exceeding recruiting goals for April.
All services met or exceeded recruiting goals for 2008, one of the department's strongest recruiting years since 2004. The department more than doubled funding for recruiting and retention, from $3.4 billion to $7.7 billion, between 2004 and 2008.
And all services are on schedule to meet their goals again this year, even as the Army and Marine Corps are growing their ranks. The Army last year exceeded its recruiting goal by nearly 1 percent.
Curtis Gilroy, the department's director of accessions policy, called the cuts for 2010 "reasonable," and said he doesn't predict they will be detrimental to either the quality or quantity of those entering the military.
The economic downturn and rising unemployment have made military recruiting less challenging, he said. It has also allowed the military to be more selective in those it allows within its ranks.
Current data shows that so far in fiscal 2009, 96 percent of new military recruits have a high school diploma, and 71 percent score in the upper half on the armed services qualification test, Gilroy said yesterday. Those figures are up from fiscal 2008, when the department reported 92 percent of its recruits entered with a high school diploma and 69 percent scored in the upper half on the qualification test.
The 2010 cuts likely will be felt in bonuses, advertising and production recruiters, Gilroy said.
For example, re-enlistment bonuses in the active-duty Army likely will drop to $444 million in 2010, down from $626 million requested for fiscal 2009, Army officials said last week. Enlistment bonuses will be capped at $450 million, down from $549 million. The Army this year already has reduced the amount it was doling out in recruiting and retention bonuses.
But Gilroy warned that despite the current recruiting conditions, the services must be careful in their cuts.
"We know the recruiting environment can be very volatile. Things can change rather quickly," he said. "The danger is that we make the wrong choice."
For example, in the post-Cold War drawdown, the number of recruits needed by the military dropped by about a third. But despite the smaller requirement, military recruiting became significantly more difficult and expensive in the late 1990s, according to a Defense Department-contracted study by Rand Corporation's National Defense Research Institute.
The Army and Navy subsequently failed to meet their recruiting objectives in fiscal 1998, and the Army and Air Force failed to meet their requirements in fiscal 1999, according to the study.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2000 authorized large increases in military pay, bonuses, educational benefits, recruiting resources, and a restoration of retirement benefits, which helped to improve recruiting and retention in fiscal 2000 and 2001, according to the study.
"When things turned around and recruiting became more challenging, we found it very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to ramp back up again when we needed to," Gilroy said.
Services can correct cuts in bonuses and advertising relatively quickly, but putting more recruiters on the streets is not as easy, he said.
The military needs 180,000 new recruits each year for its active-duty force, and another 140,000 for the reserve components.
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - Despite an $800 million cut in funding for military recruiting and retention in the proposed fiscal 2010 defense budget, a senior Defense Department official expressed confidence in the department's ability to continue to attract and retain quality troops. The funding cuts were submitted to Congress last week as part of President Barack Obama's 2010 budget, which included $17 billion in cuts across federal departments, half of which came from defense programs. The 2010 military recruiting and retention budget is proposed at $6.2 billion.
The cuts come on the heels of record recruiting years, and spending, for the armed services. Yesterday, all 10 active-duty and reserve military components reported meeting or exceeding recruiting goals for April.
All services met or exceeded recruiting goals for 2008, one of the department's strongest recruiting years since 2004. The department more than doubled funding for recruiting and retention, from $3.4 billion to $7.7 billion, between 2004 and 2008.
And all services are on schedule to meet their goals again this year, even as the Army and Marine Corps are growing their ranks. The Army last year exceeded its recruiting goal by nearly 1 percent.
Curtis Gilroy, the department's director of accessions policy, called the cuts for 2010 "reasonable," and said he doesn't predict they will be detrimental to either the quality or quantity of those entering the military.
The economic downturn and rising unemployment have made military recruiting less challenging, he said. It has also allowed the military to be more selective in those it allows within its ranks.
Current data shows that so far in fiscal 2009, 96 percent of new military recruits have a high school diploma, and 71 percent score in the upper half on the armed services qualification test, Gilroy said yesterday. Those figures are up from fiscal 2008, when the department reported 92 percent of its recruits entered with a high school diploma and 69 percent scored in the upper half on the qualification test.
The 2010 cuts likely will be felt in bonuses, advertising and production recruiters, Gilroy said.
For example, re-enlistment bonuses in the active-duty Army likely will drop to $444 million in 2010, down from $626 million requested for fiscal 2009, Army officials said last week. Enlistment bonuses will be capped at $450 million, down from $549 million. The Army this year already has reduced the amount it was doling out in recruiting and retention bonuses.
But Gilroy warned that despite the current recruiting conditions, the services must be careful in their cuts.
"We know the recruiting environment can be very volatile. Things can change rather quickly," he said. "The danger is that we make the wrong choice."
For example, in the post-Cold War drawdown, the number of recruits needed by the military dropped by about a third. But despite the smaller requirement, military recruiting became significantly more difficult and expensive in the late 1990s, according to a Defense Department-contracted study by Rand Corporation's National Defense Research Institute.
The Army and Navy subsequently failed to meet their recruiting objectives in fiscal 1998, and the Army and Air Force failed to meet their requirements in fiscal 1999, according to the study.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2000 authorized large increases in military pay, bonuses, educational benefits, recruiting resources, and a restoration of retirement benefits, which helped to improve recruiting and retention in fiscal 2000 and 2001, according to the study.
"When things turned around and recruiting became more challenging, we found it very expensive, time-consuming and difficult to ramp back up again when we needed to," Gilroy said.
Services can correct cuts in bonuses and advertising relatively quickly, but putting more recruiters on the streets is not as easy, he said.
The military needs 180,000 new recruits each year for its active-duty force, and another 140,000 for the reserve components.
Officials Urge Reservists to Take Civilian Bosses to Soldier Show
By Army Maj. Elaine M. Gullotta
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - A long tradition of "entertainment for the soldier, by the soldier" is getting a new lift -- not a facelift, but a "boss lift." National Guard and Reserve servicemembers historically invite their civilian employers to spend time at their military duty location to familiarize them with their employees' military duties. A typical "boss lift" includes a ride in a military vehicle or aircraft, a visit to a shooting range, or maybe even a visit to a military museum.
But reserve-component servicemembers will have something different to show their employers during the 2009 U.S. Army Soldier Show's national tour, as members of the Guard and Reserve are being encouraged to attend the show and bring their civilian employers through the outreach of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
A Defense Department organization, ESGR encourages military members to look for and create "win-win situations" with their employers. Doing so can make things a lot easier for the reserve-component members when they need their employers' understanding due to a mobilization.
"Guard and Reserve members should consider their employers as strategic partners who support their efforts to serve our nation," said Navy Capt. Ted Fessel, director of national operations and plans for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. "The show is exciting and patriotic, and is a great way to educate employers about the military culture."
The Army Soldier Show was established during World War I by Sgt. Israel Berlin, soon to become better known as composer Irving Berlin. He conceived and directed the first Army Show - "Yip, Yip, Yaphank" – on Broadway in 1918.
Berlin went on to re-invent, write, direct and produce a Broadway version of the Soldier Show during World War II, under the title, "This is the Army." The 1943 film version of this production featured Ronald Reagan, Joe Lewis and Gene Kelly.
The Soldier Show is a high-energy musical revue with a cast composed entirely of Army personnel from the active duty, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. The cast is under the direction of a team of entertainment professionals, many with years of experience on Broadway.
The show tours the United States from May 1 through mid-November. All shows are free and open to the public.
(Army Maj. Elaine M. Gullotta serves with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - A long tradition of "entertainment for the soldier, by the soldier" is getting a new lift -- not a facelift, but a "boss lift." National Guard and Reserve servicemembers historically invite their civilian employers to spend time at their military duty location to familiarize them with their employees' military duties. A typical "boss lift" includes a ride in a military vehicle or aircraft, a visit to a shooting range, or maybe even a visit to a military museum.
But reserve-component servicemembers will have something different to show their employers during the 2009 U.S. Army Soldier Show's national tour, as members of the Guard and Reserve are being encouraged to attend the show and bring their civilian employers through the outreach of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
A Defense Department organization, ESGR encourages military members to look for and create "win-win situations" with their employers. Doing so can make things a lot easier for the reserve-component members when they need their employers' understanding due to a mobilization.
"Guard and Reserve members should consider their employers as strategic partners who support their efforts to serve our nation," said Navy Capt. Ted Fessel, director of national operations and plans for the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. "The show is exciting and patriotic, and is a great way to educate employers about the military culture."
The Army Soldier Show was established during World War I by Sgt. Israel Berlin, soon to become better known as composer Irving Berlin. He conceived and directed the first Army Show - "Yip, Yip, Yaphank" – on Broadway in 1918.
Berlin went on to re-invent, write, direct and produce a Broadway version of the Soldier Show during World War II, under the title, "This is the Army." The 1943 film version of this production featured Ronald Reagan, Joe Lewis and Gene Kelly.
The Soldier Show is a high-energy musical revue with a cast composed entirely of Army personnel from the active duty, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. The cast is under the direction of a team of entertainment professionals, many with years of experience on Broadway.
The show tours the United States from May 1 through mid-November. All shows are free and open to the public.
(Army Maj. Elaine M. Gullotta serves with Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.)
Military Needs New Strategy for Present, Future Threats, General Says
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - The U.S. military requires a new, grand strategy to address today's complex security threats as well as tomorrow's challenges, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. "We have a real need for a grand strategy; any analysis shows that we have that need," Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, told attendees at the annual Joint Warfighting Conference held here today through May 14.
Based in Norfolk, Va., Joint Forces Command is one of the 10 unified combatant commands, and it is the primary U.S. military force provider. Mattis wears a second hat as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation.
The U.S. military's previous grand strategy was based on containment of the Soviet Union, Mattis said, noting that threat ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
However, today's national security environment is much more complex than that of 20 years ago, Mattis said. The emergence of global terrorism, the likelihood that weaker or failed states will rely on a mix of conventional and unconventional forces, known as hybrid warfare, to battle U.S. forces, and the possibility that a near-peer competitor may one day challenge U.S. national security interests, he said, are driving efforts to develop a new, balanced and comprehensive strategy that addresses all of those scenarios.
"Our predicaments today are complex, but I do not believe they are more complex than many that civilizations have faced in the past," Mattis said.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are addressing how the military will confront terrorist threats that exist in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mattis said, through a multi-faceted strategy that employs military, political, diplomatic, economic development and other components.
Joint Forces Command is working with senior civilian and military leaders and allies, Mattis said, to develop an overarching, grand strategy that addresses current threats, such as terrorism, as well as future threats. Mattis said his organization is revising its Joint Operating Environment report, known as the JOE, which predicts potential threats to U.S. national security in the years ahead.
The current JOE report, Mattis said, predicts a future of persistent conflict and hybrid enemy threats, global instability, increasing access to weapons of mass destruction, the rise of regional state and nonstate actors, and the unpredictability of security threats.
Input from the JOE influences the Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated report prepared every four years that also seeks to predict future threats while balancing military capabilities to confront them, he said.
The companion piece to the JOE, known as the Capstone concept for joint operations, Mattis said, represents Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's vision for how the joint force will operate in the future, and it provides proposed solutions to envisioned security threats presented in the JOE. The Capstone also is used to guide U.S. military force experimentation and development efforts, he added.
The JOE outlines the possible problems or threats confronting U.S. joint military forces in the future, Mattis explained, while the Capstone concept presents proposed solutions.
In about two weeks, Mattis said, U.S. war gamers will begin experimenting with the Capstone concept's solutions "to see if we got it right."
The upcoming experiments, the general said, will feature scenarios that pit U.S. joint forces against three types of enemies: a globally-networked terrorist threat, a peer competitor, and a failed or failing state.
The JOE report, the Capstone concept and the war games are used to help answer questions that are important to U.S. national security, Mattis said.
"That is," he said, "how to maintain our conventional and nuclear superiority -- behind which the international community derives great benefit -- while we build a joint force that can equally checkmate and defeat irregular threats."
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - The U.S. military requires a new, grand strategy to address today's complex security threats as well as tomorrow's challenges, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. "We have a real need for a grand strategy; any analysis shows that we have that need," Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, told attendees at the annual Joint Warfighting Conference held here today through May 14.
Based in Norfolk, Va., Joint Forces Command is one of the 10 unified combatant commands, and it is the primary U.S. military force provider. Mattis wears a second hat as NATO's supreme allied commander for transformation.
The U.S. military's previous grand strategy was based on containment of the Soviet Union, Mattis said, noting that threat ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
However, today's national security environment is much more complex than that of 20 years ago, Mattis said. The emergence of global terrorism, the likelihood that weaker or failed states will rely on a mix of conventional and unconventional forces, known as hybrid warfare, to battle U.S. forces, and the possibility that a near-peer competitor may one day challenge U.S. national security interests, he said, are driving efforts to develop a new, balanced and comprehensive strategy that addresses all of those scenarios.
"Our predicaments today are complex, but I do not believe they are more complex than many that civilizations have faced in the past," Mattis said.
President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are addressing how the military will confront terrorist threats that exist in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Mattis said, through a multi-faceted strategy that employs military, political, diplomatic, economic development and other components.
Joint Forces Command is working with senior civilian and military leaders and allies, Mattis said, to develop an overarching, grand strategy that addresses current threats, such as terrorism, as well as future threats. Mattis said his organization is revising its Joint Operating Environment report, known as the JOE, which predicts potential threats to U.S. national security in the years ahead.
The current JOE report, Mattis said, predicts a future of persistent conflict and hybrid enemy threats, global instability, increasing access to weapons of mass destruction, the rise of regional state and nonstate actors, and the unpredictability of security threats.
Input from the JOE influences the Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated report prepared every four years that also seeks to predict future threats while balancing military capabilities to confront them, he said.
The companion piece to the JOE, known as the Capstone concept for joint operations, Mattis said, represents Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's vision for how the joint force will operate in the future, and it provides proposed solutions to envisioned security threats presented in the JOE. The Capstone also is used to guide U.S. military force experimentation and development efforts, he added.
The JOE outlines the possible problems or threats confronting U.S. joint military forces in the future, Mattis explained, while the Capstone concept presents proposed solutions.
In about two weeks, Mattis said, U.S. war gamers will begin experimenting with the Capstone concept's solutions "to see if we got it right."
The upcoming experiments, the general said, will feature scenarios that pit U.S. joint forces against three types of enemies: a globally-networked terrorist threat, a peer competitor, and a failed or failing state.
The JOE report, the Capstone concept and the war games are used to help answer questions that are important to U.S. national security, Mattis said.
"That is," he said, "how to maintain our conventional and nuclear superiority -- behind which the international community derives great benefit -- while we build a joint force that can equally checkmate and defeat irregular threats."
Sustained Focus Would Make U.S.-Africa Partnerships 'More Reliable'
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - The United States can be a more reliable partner with African nations if U.S. Africa Command devotes constant attention to the continent, a top Africom official said today. "Up until now, we were episodic in our military and civilian engagements on the continent. We were not there in a constant form," Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, AfriCom's deputy to the commander for civil-military activities, told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.
"If we concentrate on Africa 24/7," she continued, "we hope that we will be able to garner enough resources to be able to be a more reliable partner with the African nations."
Invoking the "mantra" of Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the commander of Africom, Yates said the partnership requires sustained security engagement. The four main goals of the newest U.S. combatant command, she said, are reducing conflict, improving security, defeating violent extremism and supporting crisis response.
In congressional testimony in March, Ward outlined the conditions for U.S. involvement on the continent, saying America will intervene in conflicts only after warring countries have shown a political will to reconcile.
"The actions that we take come on the heels of a policy decision having been taken by the nations themselves," Ward told the House Armed Services Committee on March 18.
Africom stood up on Oct. 1, 2007, and its headquarters is in Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. military activity in Africa, with the exception of Egypt, which falls under U.S. Central Command. It became an independent unified command Oct. 1, 2008.
What sets Africom apart from other combatant commands is its integrated staff structure, which brings together the U.S. military with the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other U.S. government agencies involved in Africa.
Asked today about criticism that Africom is emblematic of an increasing militarization of U.S. foreign policy, Yates demurred, noting that Africom's "whole of government" approach could serve as a model.
"Having lived and worked this for the last two years, I would say this is the exact opposite [of militarization]," she said.
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - The United States can be a more reliable partner with African nations if U.S. Africa Command devotes constant attention to the continent, a top Africom official said today. "Up until now, we were episodic in our military and civilian engagements on the continent. We were not there in a constant form," Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates, AfriCom's deputy to the commander for civil-military activities, told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.
"If we concentrate on Africa 24/7," she continued, "we hope that we will be able to garner enough resources to be able to be a more reliable partner with the African nations."
Invoking the "mantra" of Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, the commander of Africom, Yates said the partnership requires sustained security engagement. The four main goals of the newest U.S. combatant command, she said, are reducing conflict, improving security, defeating violent extremism and supporting crisis response.
In congressional testimony in March, Ward outlined the conditions for U.S. involvement on the continent, saying America will intervene in conflicts only after warring countries have shown a political will to reconcile.
"The actions that we take come on the heels of a policy decision having been taken by the nations themselves," Ward told the House Armed Services Committee on March 18.
Africom stood up on Oct. 1, 2007, and its headquarters is in Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. military activity in Africa, with the exception of Egypt, which falls under U.S. Central Command. It became an independent unified command Oct. 1, 2008.
What sets Africom apart from other combatant commands is its integrated staff structure, which brings together the U.S. military with the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other U.S. government agencies involved in Africa.
Asked today about criticism that Africom is emblematic of an increasing militarization of U.S. foreign policy, Yates demurred, noting that Africom's "whole of government" approach could serve as a model.
"Having lived and worked this for the last two years, I would say this is the exact opposite [of militarization]," she said.
Obama Nominates Stavridis to Head NATO, U.S. European Commands
American Forces Press Service
May 12, 2009 - President Barack Obama today nominated Navy Adm. James Stavridis to serve as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and as commander U.S. European Command, Pentagon officials said. The dual command is responsible for the overall charge of NATO military operations, which includes identifying and requesting forces from NATO countries for wartime needs and peacetime joint training exercises. The alliance includes 42 member countries and 22 partner countries.
The appointment has no set length; the position previously has been held for as little as one year and for as long as eight. Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe has its headquarters at Casteau, north of Mons, Belgium.
Pending U.S. Senate confirmation, Stavridis will succeed Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, who assumed the commands in December 2006. NATO's Defense Planning Committee already has agreed to Obama's request to relieve Craddock and appoint Stavridis, according to a statement released by NATO today.
Stavridis currently commands U.S. Southern Command which overseas U.S. military operations in more than 30 Central and South American countries from headquarters in Miami. He took command there in October 2006 from Craddock as well. Stavridis's replacement has yet to be identified.
Pentagon officials said the switch may take place as early as this summer, and that Craddock is likely to retire after nearly 40 years of military service.
May 12, 2009 - President Barack Obama today nominated Navy Adm. James Stavridis to serve as NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and as commander U.S. European Command, Pentagon officials said. The dual command is responsible for the overall charge of NATO military operations, which includes identifying and requesting forces from NATO countries for wartime needs and peacetime joint training exercises. The alliance includes 42 member countries and 22 partner countries.
The appointment has no set length; the position previously has been held for as little as one year and for as long as eight. Supreme Headquarters Allied Power Europe has its headquarters at Casteau, north of Mons, Belgium.
Pending U.S. Senate confirmation, Stavridis will succeed Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, who assumed the commands in December 2006. NATO's Defense Planning Committee already has agreed to Obama's request to relieve Craddock and appoint Stavridis, according to a statement released by NATO today.
Stavridis currently commands U.S. Southern Command which overseas U.S. military operations in more than 30 Central and South American countries from headquarters in Miami. He took command there in October 2006 from Craddock as well. Stavridis's replacement has yet to be identified.
Pentagon officials said the switch may take place as early as this summer, and that Craddock is likely to retire after nearly 40 years of military service.
MILITARY CONTRACTS May 12, 2009
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Lockheed Martin Corp., of Liverpool, N.Y. for $24,850,000. This contract will provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of Three Dimensional Long Range Radar Program. At this time, $9,857,500 has been obligated. 850 ESG, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8722-09-C-0003).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Sensis Corp., of East Syracuse N.Y. for $21,932,585. This contract will provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of Three Dimensional Long Range Radar Program. At this time, $9,857,500 has been obligated. 850 ESG, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8722-09-C-0001).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for $14,760,570. This action will provide rebaseline of the Joint Interface Control Officer Support System Program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 653 ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8725-04-C-0007, P00068).
The Air Force is modifying a contract letter with University of Hawaii of Honolulu, Hawaii for $7,350,000. This action will provide the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System a multi-year program to develop and deploy a telescope data management system. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. Det 8 AFRL/RDKB, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico is the contracting activity (FA9451-06-2-0338,PP00006).
NAVY
Communications & Power Industries, Microwave Power Products Division, Palo Alto, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $12,230,200 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the qualification and production of MK-74 TARTAR-D system traveling wave tubes (TWT) and solenoids. The MK-74 TARTAR-D TWT is a component of the MK-74 Guided Missile Fire Control System (GMFCS). The GMFCS MK-74 functions as part of the missile weapons system to support the anti-air and anti-surface warfare missions of ships. The purpose of this contract is to certify and manufacture a TWT that meets the form, fit and function of the current TWT; which will be manufactured with components that are technologically current and available. This contract involves purchases for the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Palo Alto, Calif., and is expected to be completed by May 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-09-D-GR11).
General Electric Engine Services, Cincinnati, Ohio, is being awarded an $11,361,435 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to overhaul up to 97 T700 GE-401/401C turbo shaft engines, cold section modules and power turbine modules for the SH-60 helicopter. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in May 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $2,240,345 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with six offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-09-D-0008).
Evergreen Helicopters, Inc., McMinnville, Ore., is being awarded a $7,607,213 fixed-price contract for ship-based and/or shore-based vertical replenishment services in support of Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $74,128,527. Work will be performed in the Atlantic Ocean, and the base period is expected to be completed within 365 days. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command headquarters, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-1000).
Raytheon, Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., is being awarded a $6,456,012 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, with delivery incentives, for one AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability ordnance alteration kit, including radio frequency monitor coherent combiner, technical manual changes and installation/checkout spares. The AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability modifications are part of the Aegis modernization program along with the multi-mission capability enhancement, a commercial-off-the-shelf based multi-mission signal processor which is being developed in parallel with this procurement. The multi-mission signal processor in conjunction with these transmitter modifications will provide the AN/SPY-1D radar system with near AN/SPY-1D(V) radar performance augmented with full AEGIS ballistic missile defense signal processor capabilities. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., (67.5 percent); Sudbury, Mass., (20.5 percent); and Andover, Mass., (12 percent), and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-06-G-5109).
ARGONST, Inc., Smithfield, Pa., is being awarded a $6,247,375 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6201) to provide additional technical and engineering to complete the engineering development model design through critical design review for the open architecture electronics console, flexible towed body, the upgraded deck handling equipment, and the upgraded modular winch. Work will be performed in Smithfield, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.
ARMY
BAE Systems Analytical Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on May 8, 2009, a $10,000,000 Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee, IDIQ, Task Order, level of effort contract. This effort is to support the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command's, Deputy Chief of Staff, G2 (DCS, G-2), in strategic, operational, and tactical program analysis support to CENTCOM. Work is to be performed in CENTCOM AOR with an estimated completion date of Jul. 24, 2009. Sole Source bids were solicited. Space & Missile Defense Command / ARSTRAT, Director of Contracting, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., was the contracting activity (W91260-06-D-0005).
NextiraOne Federal, LLC., Herndon, Va., was awarded on May 8, 2009, a $ 9,798,298 firm-fixed-price contract to furnish, install, secure, test, document and cutover a turnkey solution to upgrade the existing infrastructure and facilities at White Sand Missile Range, N.M. Work is to be performed in White Sand Missile Range, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 7, 2010. Ten bids were solicited with two bids received. Army Contracting Agency, Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), NCRCC, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-06-D-0027).
JLG IND. INC, McConnellsburg, Pa., was awarded on May 08, 2009, a $ 5,876,078 firm-fixed=price contract for rough terrain forklifts; 5500 lb capacity diesel. Work is to be performed in Maasmechelen, Belgium with an estimated completion date of May 6, 2010. Four bids were solicited with seven bids received. U.S.A. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-D-G009).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Eagle Aviation, Inc., Kalispell, Mont.*, is being awarded a maximum $8,434,631 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in Minnesota and Virginia. Using services federal civilian agencies. There were 48 responses to the original proposal. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4510).
Story Distributing Co., Bozeman, Mont.**, is being awarded a maximum $6,367,398 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Yellowstone National Park. Using services are federal civilian agencies. There were 48 responses to the original proposal. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4515).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Lockheed Martin Corp., of Liverpool, N.Y. for $24,850,000. This contract will provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of Three Dimensional Long Range Radar Program. At this time, $9,857,500 has been obligated. 850 ESG, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8722-09-C-0003).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Sensis Corp., of East Syracuse N.Y. for $21,932,585. This contract will provide radar engineering and design support to the government during the technology development phase of Three Dimensional Long Range Radar Program. At this time, $9,857,500 has been obligated. 850 ESG, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8722-09-C-0001).
The Air Force is modifying a cost plus award fee contract with Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., for $14,760,570. This action will provide rebaseline of the Joint Interface Control Officer Support System Program. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 653 ELSG/PK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity (FA8725-04-C-0007, P00068).
The Air Force is modifying a contract letter with University of Hawaii of Honolulu, Hawaii for $7,350,000. This action will provide the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System a multi-year program to develop and deploy a telescope data management system. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. Det 8 AFRL/RDKB, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico is the contracting activity (FA9451-06-2-0338,PP00006).
NAVY
Communications & Power Industries, Microwave Power Products Division, Palo Alto, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $12,230,200 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the qualification and production of MK-74 TARTAR-D system traveling wave tubes (TWT) and solenoids. The MK-74 TARTAR-D TWT is a component of the MK-74 Guided Missile Fire Control System (GMFCS). The GMFCS MK-74 functions as part of the missile weapons system to support the anti-air and anti-surface warfare missions of ships. The purpose of this contract is to certify and manufacture a TWT that meets the form, fit and function of the current TWT; which will be manufactured with components that are technologically current and available. This contract involves purchases for the government of Taiwan under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Palo Alto, Calif., and is expected to be completed by May 2014. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Federal Business Opportunities, with two offers received. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity (N00164-09-D-GR11).
General Electric Engine Services, Cincinnati, Ohio, is being awarded an $11,361,435 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to overhaul up to 97 T700 GE-401/401C turbo shaft engines, cold section modules and power turbine modules for the SH-60 helicopter. Work will be performed in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in May 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $2,240,345 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals, with six offers received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00421-09-D-0008).
Evergreen Helicopters, Inc., McMinnville, Ore., is being awarded a $7,607,213 fixed-price contract for ship-based and/or shore-based vertical replenishment services in support of Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $74,128,527. Work will be performed in the Atlantic Ocean, and the base period is expected to be completed within 365 days. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with two offers received. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command headquarters, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-09-C-1000).
Raytheon, Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., is being awarded a $6,456,012 cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order, with delivery incentives, for one AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability ordnance alteration kit, including radio frequency monitor coherent combiner, technical manual changes and installation/checkout spares. The AN/SPY-1 radar transmitter multi-mission capability modifications are part of the Aegis modernization program along with the multi-mission capability enhancement, a commercial-off-the-shelf based multi-mission signal processor which is being developed in parallel with this procurement. The multi-mission signal processor in conjunction with these transmitter modifications will provide the AN/SPY-1D radar system with near AN/SPY-1D(V) radar performance augmented with full AEGIS ballistic missile defense signal processor capabilities. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., (67.5 percent); Sudbury, Mass., (20.5 percent); and Andover, Mass., (12 percent), and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-06-G-5109).
ARGONST, Inc., Smithfield, Pa., is being awarded a $6,247,375 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-6201) to provide additional technical and engineering to complete the engineering development model design through critical design review for the open architecture electronics console, flexible towed body, the upgraded deck handling equipment, and the upgraded modular winch. Work will be performed in Smithfield, Pa., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2012. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.
ARMY
BAE Systems Analytical Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on May 8, 2009, a $10,000,000 Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee, IDIQ, Task Order, level of effort contract. This effort is to support the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command's, Deputy Chief of Staff, G2 (DCS, G-2), in strategic, operational, and tactical program analysis support to CENTCOM. Work is to be performed in CENTCOM AOR with an estimated completion date of Jul. 24, 2009. Sole Source bids were solicited. Space & Missile Defense Command / ARSTRAT, Director of Contracting, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., was the contracting activity (W91260-06-D-0005).
NextiraOne Federal, LLC., Herndon, Va., was awarded on May 8, 2009, a $ 9,798,298 firm-fixed-price contract to furnish, install, secure, test, document and cutover a turnkey solution to upgrade the existing infrastructure and facilities at White Sand Missile Range, N.M. Work is to be performed in White Sand Missile Range, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 7, 2010. Ten bids were solicited with two bids received. Army Contracting Agency, Information Technology, E-Commerce and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4), NCRCC, Alexandria, Va., is the contracting activity (W91QUZ-06-D-0027).
JLG IND. INC, McConnellsburg, Pa., was awarded on May 08, 2009, a $ 5,876,078 firm-fixed=price contract for rough terrain forklifts; 5500 lb capacity diesel. Work is to be performed in Maasmechelen, Belgium with an estimated completion date of May 6, 2010. Four bids were solicited with seven bids received. U.S.A. TACOM, AMSCC-TAC-ADBA, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-06-D-G009).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Eagle Aviation, Inc., Kalispell, Mont.*, is being awarded a maximum $8,434,631 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in Minnesota and Virginia. Using services federal civilian agencies. There were 48 responses to the original proposal. The date of performance completion is June 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4510).
Story Distributing Co., Bozeman, Mont.**, is being awarded a maximum $6,367,398 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other location of performance is Yellowstone National Park. Using services are federal civilian agencies. There were 48 responses to the original proposal. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4515).
Monday, May 11, 2009
MILITARY CONTRACTS May 11, 2009
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Raytheon Co., of Tucson, Ariz., for $521,236,837. This contract action is for the 105 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air, Missile Air Intercept Missile All-Up-Round missiles, 11 AIM-120 D air vehicles instrumented, two AIM-120D Integrated test vehicles, 72 AIM-120D captive air training missiles, 495 AIM-120C7 FMS All up rounds, warranty for 72 CATMS, 106 non-developmental itemaAirborne instrumentation units, test equipment, radome Phase 1A activities, obsolescence to quad target detection device parts replacement, USN AIM 120 D test asset, USN AIM 120D guidance section and development infrastructure support equipment 7 upgrades. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 695ARSS, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activitY (FA8675-09-C-0052).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed price contract to ATK launch systems of Corinne, Utah for $22,383,109. This action will provide one stage III motor case for hydro-testing, one stage III for motor for static testing, one stage III inert motor simulator, one stage III flight test motors. At this time, $3.5 million has been obligated. 526 ICBMSG/PKA, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity (FA8219-09-C-0003).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Alion Science and Technology Corp., of Chicago, Ill., for an estimated $14,405,769. This action will provide modeling and simulation strategic outreach and special research and development to the director of Defense Research and Engineering and the Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office to promote achievement of the Department of Defense modeling and simulation vision and goals. At this time, $1,000,000 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (N61339-03-D-0300).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Wyle Laboratories, Inc., of Huntsville, Ala., for $5,850,143. This contract action is for the Reliability Information Analysis Center will research, test, develop, and deliver engineering configuration change reports, report feasibility studies, process flow improvement reports, and foreign disclosure and technology transfer reports. At this time, $250,000 has been obligated. 55 Cons/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (HC1047-05-D-4005).
NAVY
Campbell Ewald Co., Warren, Mich., is being awarded a $146,209,282 indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00189-09-D-Z040) for advertising and marketing services in support of Navy recruiting for the Navy Recruiting Command, Millington, Tenn. This contract contains four additional one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the total value of the contract to $806,524,158. Work will be performed in Warren, Mich., (99 percent) and Millington, Tenn., (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $20 million will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with four offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pa., office is the contracting activity (N00189-09-D-Z040).
United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded an advance acquisition contract with an estimated value of $113,096,750 for long lead components, parts and materials associated with the Lot 4 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of 13 F135 Conventional Take Off and Landing propulsion systems for the Air Force, (12) and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, (1); 15 Short Take-off and Vertical Landing, propulsion systems for the Marine Corps, (14) and United Kingdom Royal Navy, (1); and 4 Carrier Variant propulsion systems for the Navy. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy, ($11,479,000; 10.1 percent); the Air Force, ($34,437,000; 30.4 percent); the Marine Corps, ($60,211,000; 53.3 percent); and the governments of the Netherlands, ($2,869,750; 2.6 percent); and the United Kingdom, ($4,100,000; 3.6 percent). Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn., (70 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom, (19 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind., (11 percent), and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. 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-0015).
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., a sector of Northrop Grumman Corp., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $77,266,923 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2116) for procurement of additional long lead time materials in support of the construction preparation efforts for the second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford Class (CVN 79). Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
TEC, Inc. Joint Venture, Charlottesville, Va., is being awarded a $27,837,445 modification to exercise option 0003 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architect-engineer services for environmental planning. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $37,162,555. The contract also contains one additional one-year option period which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $65,000,000. Work will be performed predominantly in Guam, (95 percent), and in Hawaii, Saipan, and various locations in areas under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed May 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (contract number N62742-06-D-1870).
General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., is being awarded a $20,801,847 modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-02-C-2052) to incorporate engineering changes that will extend the family of systems solution set through the development of a baseline configuration change of the model F to a model G that migrates current command and control, tactical data systems and applications to services utilizing a service oriented infrastructureS. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
American Bridge, Richmond, Va., is being awarded $6,394,500 for firm-fixed-price task order #0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-07-D-7021) for Pier 3 fire protection and lighting system repairs at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The work to be performed provides for repair to the fire protection system at Pier R3 with renovation work along the existing Naval Weapons Station Yorktown explosives loading pier. Work will be performed in Yorktown, Va., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wis., is being awarded a $6,340,820 modification under a firm-fixed-price contract for transportation services of the final shipment of 41 improved Navy literage system modules. These services will commence with 34 modules in Marinette, Wis., going to Jacksonville, Fla., six modules in Charleston, S.C., going to Jacksonville, Fla., and one module in Marinette, Wis., to Little Creek, Va., and will be completed by Oct. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total contract value after execution of this modification will be $405,607,119. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00025-03-C-0002).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Panhandle Cooperative Association, Scottsbluff, Neb.*, is being awarded a minimum $5,652,600 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. Using service is Air Force. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 48 responses to the original proposed solicitation. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4518).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $84,611,624 firm fixed price, sole source contract for parts. Other location of performance is in Texas. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is May 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-D-004H-THA2).
The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to Raytheon Co., of Tucson, Ariz., for $521,236,837. This contract action is for the 105 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air, Missile Air Intercept Missile All-Up-Round missiles, 11 AIM-120 D air vehicles instrumented, two AIM-120D Integrated test vehicles, 72 AIM-120D captive air training missiles, 495 AIM-120C7 FMS All up rounds, warranty for 72 CATMS, 106 non-developmental itemaAirborne instrumentation units, test equipment, radome Phase 1A activities, obsolescence to quad target detection device parts replacement, USN AIM 120 D test asset, USN AIM 120D guidance section and development infrastructure support equipment 7 upgrades. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 695ARSS, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., is the contracting activitY (FA8675-09-C-0052).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed price contract to ATK launch systems of Corinne, Utah for $22,383,109. This action will provide one stage III motor case for hydro-testing, one stage III for motor for static testing, one stage III inert motor simulator, one stage III flight test motors. At this time, $3.5 million has been obligated. 526 ICBMSG/PKA, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity (FA8219-09-C-0003).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Alion Science and Technology Corp., of Chicago, Ill., for an estimated $14,405,769. This action will provide modeling and simulation strategic outreach and special research and development to the director of Defense Research and Engineering and the Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office to promote achievement of the Department of Defense modeling and simulation vision and goals. At this time, $1,000,000 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (N61339-03-D-0300).
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Wyle Laboratories, Inc., of Huntsville, Ala., for $5,850,143. This contract action is for the Reliability Information Analysis Center will research, test, develop, and deliver engineering configuration change reports, report feasibility studies, process flow improvement reports, and foreign disclosure and technology transfer reports. At this time, $250,000 has been obligated. 55 Cons/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (HC1047-05-D-4005).
NAVY
Campbell Ewald Co., Warren, Mich., is being awarded a $146,209,282 indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00189-09-D-Z040) for advertising and marketing services in support of Navy recruiting for the Navy Recruiting Command, Millington, Tenn. This contract contains four additional one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the total value of the contract to $806,524,158. Work will be performed in Warren, Mich., (99 percent) and Millington, Tenn., (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed by May 2010. Contract funds in the amount of $20 million will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with four offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Contracting Department Philadelphia, Pa., office is the contracting activity (N00189-09-D-Z040).
United Technologies Corp., Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, East Hartford, Conn., is being awarded an advance acquisition contract with an estimated value of $113,096,750 for long lead components, parts and materials associated with the Lot 4 Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of 13 F135 Conventional Take Off and Landing propulsion systems for the Air Force, (12) and the Royal Netherlands Air Force, (1); 15 Short Take-off and Vertical Landing, propulsion systems for the Marine Corps, (14) and United Kingdom Royal Navy, (1); and 4 Carrier Variant propulsion systems for the Navy. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy, ($11,479,000; 10.1 percent); the Air Force, ($34,437,000; 30.4 percent); the Marine Corps, ($60,211,000; 53.3 percent); and the governments of the Netherlands, ($2,869,750; 2.6 percent); and the United Kingdom, ($4,100,000; 3.6 percent). Work will be performed in East Hartford, Conn., (70 percent); Bristol, United Kingdom, (19 percent); and Indianapolis, Ind., (11 percent), and is expected to be completed in Feb. 2010. 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-0015).
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Inc., a sector of Northrop Grumman Corp., Newport News, Va., is being awarded a $77,266,923 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-09-C-2116) for procurement of additional long lead time materials in support of the construction preparation efforts for the second aircraft carrier of the Gerald R. Ford Class (CVN 79). Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.
TEC, Inc. Joint Venture, Charlottesville, Va., is being awarded a $27,837,445 modification to exercise option 0003 under previously awarded firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architect-engineer services for environmental planning. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $37,162,555. The contract also contains one additional one-year option period which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $65,000,000. Work will be performed predominantly in Guam, (95 percent), and in Hawaii, Saipan, and various locations in areas under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, (5 percent). Work is expected to be completed May 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity (contract number N62742-06-D-1870).
General Dynamics C4 Systems, Scottsdale, Ariz., is being awarded a $20,801,847 modification to previously awarded contract (M67854-02-C-2052) to incorporate engineering changes that will extend the family of systems solution set through the development of a baseline configuration change of the model F to a model G that migrates current command and control, tactical data systems and applications to services utilizing a service oriented infrastructureS. Work will be performed in Scottsdale, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
American Bridge, Richmond, Va., is being awarded $6,394,500 for firm-fixed-price task order #0003 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40085-07-D-7021) for Pier 3 fire protection and lighting system repairs at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The work to be performed provides for repair to the fire protection system at Pier R3 with renovation work along the existing Naval Weapons Station Yorktown explosives loading pier. Work will be performed in Yorktown, Va., and is expected to be completed by Jul. 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Three proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity.
Marinette Marine Corp., Marinette, Wis., is being awarded a $6,340,820 modification under a firm-fixed-price contract for transportation services of the final shipment of 41 improved Navy literage system modules. These services will commence with 34 modules in Marinette, Wis., going to Jacksonville, Fla., six modules in Charleston, S.C., going to Jacksonville, Fla., and one module in Marinette, Wis., to Little Creek, Va., and will be completed by Oct. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total contract value after execution of this modification will be $405,607,119. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00025-03-C-0002).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Panhandle Cooperative Association, Scottsbluff, Neb.*, is being awarded a minimum $5,652,600 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for fuel. Other locations of performance are in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado. Using service is Air Force. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were 48 responses to the original proposed solicitation. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2012. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-4518).
McDonnell Douglas Corp., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded a maximum $84,611,624 firm fixed price, sole source contract for parts. Other location of performance is in Texas. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is May 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (N00383-06-D-004H-THA2).
Guard Members Respond to Flooding in Three States
By Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum
American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - Adverse weather is affecting Kentucky, West Virginia and Alaska, and the National Guard is helping with relief efforts there. Flooding prompted West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III to declare a state of emergency for more than six, southern counties. Guardmembers of the 111th Engineering Brigade are helping in two of those counties – Mingo and Wyoming – where a steady rainfall combined with a recent thunderstorm has caused mudslides and flooded homes and roads. The mudslides plugged tributary runoffs, causing a fast rise in the water level. The conditions stranded many rural residents in their homes.
"This was fast-water flooding as opposed to the slow rise of a river or creek," said Lt. Col. Michael Cadle, a spokesman for the West Virginia National Guard.
Guardmembers from the 111th Engineering Brigade are clearing roadways, sending patrols to examine access issues, and bringing provisions to residents isolated by the storm. The Guard has undertaken four Medevac helicopter flights to stranded residents in need. However, Cadle said, access is the first priority.
"We're primarily trying to restore access to the affected areas," he said. "Once access is restored, we'll get into more debris clearing and transportation issues."
Residents are grateful for the Guard assistance.
"It looks like a war zone," said Vivian Livingood, mayor of Gilbert, W.V. "Thank God the National Guard is here."
Meanwhile, more than 100 Kentucky Guardmembers are helping more than 10,000 residents left without power in the eastern part of that state after recent tornadoes and flooding. Soldiers from the 617th Military Police Company and the 201st Engineer Battalion are providing law enforcement, food and shelter assistance, and wellness checks in seven counties.
"The focus yesterday was passing out bottled water, doing welfare checks and conducting transportation for civilians," said 1st Lt. Steven Martin, a spokesman for the Kentucky Guard.
The Alaska Guard also is responding to the flooding of the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska, where Gov. Sarah Palin declared a state of emergency May 6. Guard personnel are being dispatched for at least 14 days with trucks carrying clean, potable water for residents in need.
(Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum serves at the National Guard Bureau).
American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - Adverse weather is affecting Kentucky, West Virginia and Alaska, and the National Guard is helping with relief efforts there. Flooding prompted West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin III to declare a state of emergency for more than six, southern counties. Guardmembers of the 111th Engineering Brigade are helping in two of those counties – Mingo and Wyoming – where a steady rainfall combined with a recent thunderstorm has caused mudslides and flooded homes and roads. The mudslides plugged tributary runoffs, causing a fast rise in the water level. The conditions stranded many rural residents in their homes.
"This was fast-water flooding as opposed to the slow rise of a river or creek," said Lt. Col. Michael Cadle, a spokesman for the West Virginia National Guard.
Guardmembers from the 111th Engineering Brigade are clearing roadways, sending patrols to examine access issues, and bringing provisions to residents isolated by the storm. The Guard has undertaken four Medevac helicopter flights to stranded residents in need. However, Cadle said, access is the first priority.
"We're primarily trying to restore access to the affected areas," he said. "Once access is restored, we'll get into more debris clearing and transportation issues."
Residents are grateful for the Guard assistance.
"It looks like a war zone," said Vivian Livingood, mayor of Gilbert, W.V. "Thank God the National Guard is here."
Meanwhile, more than 100 Kentucky Guardmembers are helping more than 10,000 residents left without power in the eastern part of that state after recent tornadoes and flooding. Soldiers from the 617th Military Police Company and the 201st Engineer Battalion are providing law enforcement, food and shelter assistance, and wellness checks in seven counties.
"The focus yesterday was passing out bottled water, doing welfare checks and conducting transportation for civilians," said 1st Lt. Steven Martin, a spokesman for the Kentucky Guard.
The Alaska Guard also is responding to the flooding of the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska, where Gov. Sarah Palin declared a state of emergency May 6. Guard personnel are being dispatched for at least 14 days with trucks carrying clean, potable water for residents in need.
(Army Staff Sgt. S. Patrick McCollum serves at the National Guard Bureau).
Gates Expresses 'Horror,' Regret Over Camp Liberty Shooting
American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today expressed shock and regret over the shooting death of five Americans in Iraq, allegedly by a U.S. soldier. "I would like to express my horror and deep regret over today's shooting incident at Camp Liberty in Iraq," Gates said at a Pentagon news briefing. "I offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of those who were killed.
"We are still in the process of gathering information on exactly what happened, but if the preliminary reports are confirmed, such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause for great and urgent concern, and I can assure you that it will get this department's highest-priority attention."
An American soldier suspected in involvement in the shooting at the U.S. base in Baghdad is in U.S. custody, defense officials said earlier in the day. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time on Camp Liberty, officials said.
May 11, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today expressed shock and regret over the shooting death of five Americans in Iraq, allegedly by a U.S. soldier. "I would like to express my horror and deep regret over today's shooting incident at Camp Liberty in Iraq," Gates said at a Pentagon news briefing. "I offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of those who were killed.
"We are still in the process of gathering information on exactly what happened, but if the preliminary reports are confirmed, such a tragic loss of life at the hands of our own forces is a cause for great and urgent concern, and I can assure you that it will get this department's highest-priority attention."
An American soldier suspected in involvement in the shooting at the U.S. base in Baghdad is in U.S. custody, defense officials said earlier in the day. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. local time on Camp Liberty, officials said.
Active-Duty, Reserve Components' Recruiting, Retention Numbers Strong
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - All 10 active-duty and reserve military components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in April, Defense Department officials announced today. For the second consecutive month, the Marine Corps added the highest percentage of active-duty members. The Corps' goal was to add 1,018 new Marines. It exceeded that number by 43 percent, adding 1,666 new Marines.
The Army National Guard led the reserve components when it exceeded its recruiting goal of 4,029 new Guardsmen by 11 percent, adding 4,474 soldiers.
"The economic downturn, rising unemployment, and the scarcity of civilian jobs has made military recruiting less challenging than it has been over the last several years," said Curtis Gilroy, director of Accession Policy.
"More young people are considering the military today," he said. "But the services still need about 180,000 young men and women each year for the active duty force and another 140,000 to fill the ranks of the Reserve components -- regardless of the state of the economy or what the unemployment rate is, and our recruiters continue to do a magnificent job."
Here is the breakdown of the other components:
-- Active-duty Army: 3,995 accessions with a goal of 3,900, for 102 percent;
-- Active-duty Navy: 2,719 accessions with a goal of 2,719, for 100 percent;
-- Active-duty Air Force: 2,162 accessions with a goal of 2,157, for 100 percent;
-- Army Reserve: 3,425 accessions with a goal of 3,333, for 103 percent;
-- Navy Reserve: 611 accessions with a goal of 611, for 100 percent;
-- Marine Corps Reserve: 422 accessions with a goal of 422, for 100 percent;
-- Air National Guard: 870 accessions with a goal of 860, for 101 percent; and
-- Air Force Reserve: 786 accessions with a goal of 783, for 100 percent.
American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - All 10 active-duty and reserve military components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in April, Defense Department officials announced today. For the second consecutive month, the Marine Corps added the highest percentage of active-duty members. The Corps' goal was to add 1,018 new Marines. It exceeded that number by 43 percent, adding 1,666 new Marines.
The Army National Guard led the reserve components when it exceeded its recruiting goal of 4,029 new Guardsmen by 11 percent, adding 4,474 soldiers.
"The economic downturn, rising unemployment, and the scarcity of civilian jobs has made military recruiting less challenging than it has been over the last several years," said Curtis Gilroy, director of Accession Policy.
"More young people are considering the military today," he said. "But the services still need about 180,000 young men and women each year for the active duty force and another 140,000 to fill the ranks of the Reserve components -- regardless of the state of the economy or what the unemployment rate is, and our recruiters continue to do a magnificent job."
Here is the breakdown of the other components:
-- Active-duty Army: 3,995 accessions with a goal of 3,900, for 102 percent;
-- Active-duty Navy: 2,719 accessions with a goal of 2,719, for 100 percent;
-- Active-duty Air Force: 2,162 accessions with a goal of 2,157, for 100 percent;
-- Army Reserve: 3,425 accessions with a goal of 3,333, for 103 percent;
-- Navy Reserve: 611 accessions with a goal of 611, for 100 percent;
-- Marine Corps Reserve: 422 accessions with a goal of 422, for 100 percent;
-- Air National Guard: 870 accessions with a goal of 860, for 101 percent; and
-- Air Force Reserve: 786 accessions with a goal of 783, for 100 percent.
Columbia Will Participate Broadly in Generous Tuition Aid Program for Returning Veterans
May 7, 2009 — Beginning this summer, all of Columbia University’s graduate and professional schools as well as its undergraduate School of General Studies will participate in a new federal initiative in which educational institutions provide eligible student-veterans with a tuition waiver or grant matched by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
The initiative, known as the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, will serve to make participating private institutions like Columbia more accessible to student-veterans and has the potential to be as significant and influential as the original GI Bill of 1944. These enhanced benefits were authorized under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
“Columbia’s participation demonstrates its long-standing appreciation of the military service activities of its students and alumni,” said Elizabeth Hicks, associate vice president of student and administrative services. “The experience and talent brought to campus by student-veterans vastly enhances academic discourse in our classrooms.”
More than 100 student-veterans currently study at Columbia. While the program’s administrative procedures will not be finalized for several more weeks, Columbia’s participating schools have submitted initial agreements to participate at varying levels. Specific information about participation levels, eligibility and admissions will be made available after June 15.
At Columbia’s School of General Studies, for example, when the Yellow Ribbon Program award is combined with benefits of the Post-9/11 Assistance Act, the entire cost of education for eligible enrolled students would be covered. The scope of benefits provided by the program makes a Columbia education accessible to eligible veterans regardless of socioeconomic status.
The School of General Studies was founded in 1947 in large part to meet the needs of thousands of military personnel returning from World War II. In recent decades, the school has evolved into a unique undergraduate option for a wide diversity of non-traditional and mid-career students seeking an Ivy League education.
“Schools across the university are expecting an increase in the number of student-veterans who will be utilizing the new benefits package,” said Laurie Schaffler, executive director of student financial services. “The extensive participation is due in large part to the energy generated by the existing student-veteran population.
“Many schools and departments are working diligently to compile the services and expertise necessary to receive the expected increase in veteran enrollment. Members of the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University student group have been instrumental in providing information to us so we can provide the best accommodations possible.”
About Columbia University
A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations and community partnerships help define the university’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
The initiative, known as the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, will serve to make participating private institutions like Columbia more accessible to student-veterans and has the potential to be as significant and influential as the original GI Bill of 1944. These enhanced benefits were authorized under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
“Columbia’s participation demonstrates its long-standing appreciation of the military service activities of its students and alumni,” said Elizabeth Hicks, associate vice president of student and administrative services. “The experience and talent brought to campus by student-veterans vastly enhances academic discourse in our classrooms.”
More than 100 student-veterans currently study at Columbia. While the program’s administrative procedures will not be finalized for several more weeks, Columbia’s participating schools have submitted initial agreements to participate at varying levels. Specific information about participation levels, eligibility and admissions will be made available after June 15.
At Columbia’s School of General Studies, for example, when the Yellow Ribbon Program award is combined with benefits of the Post-9/11 Assistance Act, the entire cost of education for eligible enrolled students would be covered. The scope of benefits provided by the program makes a Columbia education accessible to eligible veterans regardless of socioeconomic status.
The School of General Studies was founded in 1947 in large part to meet the needs of thousands of military personnel returning from World War II. In recent decades, the school has evolved into a unique undergraduate option for a wide diversity of non-traditional and mid-career students seeking an Ivy League education.
“Schools across the university are expecting an increase in the number of student-veterans who will be utilizing the new benefits package,” said Laurie Schaffler, executive director of student financial services. “The extensive participation is due in large part to the energy generated by the existing student-veteran population.
“Many schools and departments are working diligently to compile the services and expertise necessary to receive the expected increase in veteran enrollment. Members of the U.S. Military Veterans of Columbia University student group have been instrumental in providing information to us so we can provide the best accommodations possible.”
About Columbia University
A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations and community partnerships help define the university’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
U.S. Forces in Iraq Pay Tribute to Bataan Death March Victims
By Army Spc. Stephanie CassinosSpecial to American Forces Press Service
May 11, 2009 - Eighty-six soldiers and civilians stationed here "joined" efforts with Minnesota National Guard soldiers in Minnesota to participate in the 12th Annual Bataan Memorial March yesterday. The event honors veterans who were victims of the Bataan Death March, a war crime in which 78,000 servicemembers were forced to march more than 55 miles from the Bataan Peninsula to be held as prisoners of war at Camp O'Donnell following the surrender of Allied Forces in the Philippines in 1942.
Along the harsh journey, troops were beaten at random, denied food and water for days at a time and executed if they became weak and fell out of the march. As a result of the cruel treatment by the Japanese, who had not counted on transporting such a large number of POWs, nearly 20,000 servicemembers died.
Organizers of the memorial event, the Minnesota National Guard's 1st Battalion, 194th Armor Regiment from Brainerd, Minn., hold a deep connection to the veterans of the Bataan Death March. In 1941, soldiers from the Brainerd Guard's 194th Tank Battalion deployed to the Philippines and were attacked on the Bataan Peninsula by the Japanese. Those heroes fought for five months in sustained combat and experienced first-hand the atrocities of the Bataan Death March. Those who survived suffered in POW camps for three years after.
Soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division and 10th Mountain Division stationed here showed their respect to fallen heroes and surviving veterans of the Death March by competing in 10- and 20-mile marches in both light and heavy divisions.
Maj. Thomas Sutton, with the 10th Mountain Division, was the first to complete the 20-mile light division march.
"This was a great opportunity," Sutton said. "I just wanted to finish. But I went slow and kept a steady pace, and everything worked out."
(Army Spc. Stephanie Cassinos serves with Multinational Division South.)
Friday, May 08, 2009
Military Office Director Resigns in Wake of New York Fly-by
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2009 - The director of the White House Military Office has submitted his resignation in the wake of an April 27 aerial photo shoot with a presidential aircraft over New York City. Louis Caldera, who served as secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration, resigned his office effective May 22.
"I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible to effectively lead the White House Military Office," Caldera wrote in his letter of resignation.
President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The president has asked his deputy chief of staff, Jim Messina, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," Gibbs said in a written release.
On April 27, a 747-200 aircraft that often carries the president flew over lower New York. An F-16 fighter followed and took photos of the aircraft with iconic structures such as the Statue of Liberty in the background. The aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet, and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
The flyover caused much consternation on the ground, with many people in Lower Manhattan and across the river in New Jersey evacuating their buildings.
A review of the incident by the White House counsel's office found "structural and organizational ambiguities" within the White House Military Office and urged a comprehensive study of the organization.
Related article:
Air Force One Flight Causes New York City Confusion http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54097
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2009 - The director of the White House Military Office has submitted his resignation in the wake of an April 27 aerial photo shoot with a presidential aircraft over New York City. Louis Caldera, who served as secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration, resigned his office effective May 22.
"I have concluded that the controversy surrounding the Presidential Airlift Group's aerial photo shoot over New York City has made it impossible to effectively lead the White House Military Office," Caldera wrote in his letter of resignation.
President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.
"The president has asked his deputy chief of staff, Jim Messina, and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates or his designee to jointly review the organizational structure of the White House Military Office and the reporting relationship of its components to the White House and the Air Force, and to make recommendations to him to ensure that such an incident never occurs again," Gibbs said in a written release.
On April 27, a 747-200 aircraft that often carries the president flew over lower New York. An F-16 fighter followed and took photos of the aircraft with iconic structures such as the Statue of Liberty in the background. The aircraft flew as low as 1,000 feet, and many New Yorkers believed they were seeing a repeat of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
The flyover caused much consternation on the ground, with many people in Lower Manhattan and across the river in New Jersey evacuating their buildings.
A review of the incident by the White House counsel's office found "structural and organizational ambiguities" within the White House Military Office and urged a comprehensive study of the organization.
Related article:
Air Force One Flight Causes New York City Confusion http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54097
MILITARY CONTRACTS May 8, 2009
ARMY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $32,363,199 firm-fixed-price contract for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Full Rate Production (FRP) II – optional exercise; 44 United Arab Emirates DPICM rocket pods and 44 unitary rocket pods. Work is to be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, (20.8 precent), East Camden, Ariz., (76.8 precent), and Orlando, Fla., (2.4 precent) with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-08-C-0021).
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Productions, Inc., Burlington, Vt., was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $24,198,500 four-year- firm-fixed-price Indefinite Quantity, Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract. This contract is for the procurement of 2,193 each M2 machine guns with a potential contract maximum quantity of $39,452. Work is to be performed in Saco, Maine, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2012. Six bid was solicited with six bid received. TACOM LCMC (RI), AMSTA-LC-WSCA, Rock Island, Ill is the contracting activity (W52H09-09-D-0175).
SSA Cooper, LLC Savannah, Ga., was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $7,000,000 fixed-price requirement contract to arrange for and provide stevedoring and related services of the 832nd Transportation Battalion in Jacksonville, Fla., funding modification. Work is to be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., with an estimated completions date of May 25, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bids received. Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (W81GYE-06-D-003).
Purcell Construction Corp., Watertown, N.Y., was awarded on May 6, 2009 a $29,640,700 firm-fixed-price construction contract to construct a 5-story barracks/company operations facilities and battalion headquarters. Work is to be performed in Fort Lee, Va., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2011. Eighty (80) bids were solicited with eleven (11) bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-09-C-0046).
Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Co, LLC, Oakbrook, Ill was awarded on May 6, 2009 a $7,329,750 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance dredging on Columbia River with optional dredging at Coos Bay entrance channel. Work is to be performed in Brandon, Ore., (11.8 precent), Arch Cape, Ore., (44.1 precent), and Pacific, Wash., (44.1 precent) with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2009. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with two bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Portland District, Portland, Ore., is the contracting activity (W3127N-09-C-0016).
A. Mortenson, Minneapolis, Minn., was awarded on May 5, 2009 a $21,702,000 firm-fixed-price contraction contract for a digital multi-purpose range complex. Work is to be performed in Fort Riley, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 29, 2010. Bids were solicited on FedBizOpps with twelve (12) bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Kansas City District, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-09-C-4020).
CACI, Inc-Federal, Chantilly, Va., was awarded on May 5, 2009 a $7,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract for acquisition support services for Joint Contracting Command- Iraq / Afghanistan (JCC-I/A). Work is to be performed in Iraq/Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of Apr. 30, 2012. Ten bids were solicited with two bids received. Army Contracting Command- Rock Island Contracting Center, CCRC-FJ, Rock Island, Ill., Is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-F-0005).
Hickory Construction, Inc., Alcoa, Tenn., was awarded on Apr. 30, 2009 a $6,406,919 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of 241st Electronics Training Facility. Work is to be performed in Chattanooga, Tenn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 2, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with nine bids received. National Guard Bureau USPFO for Tennessee, Nashville Tenn., is the contracting activity (W912L7-09-C-0002).
CACI-WGI, Inc. Chantilly, Va., was awarded on Apr. 20, 2009 a $13,772,249 IDIQ time & material task order for operational support services to the Joint Improvised Explosives Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Special Operations Forces Support. Work is to be performed in Iraq/Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of Apr. 20, 2011. Four existing multiple awards IDIQ proposals solicited and four proposals received. U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command, Acquisition Center (RDECOM AC) Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0027).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for an estimated $24,154,462. This contract action will provide technical area task to the Space and Naval Systems Center Atlantic with quality, full service systems engineering to rapidly deploy CRISR capabilities in support of Naval, Joint and National Warfighter forces. At this time, $59,362 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-98-D-4002).
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., of Clearwater, Fla. This action will provide 21 common munitions built-in test reprogramming equipment. At this time, $10,179,541 has been obligated. 647 AESS/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2060, P00017).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Ga., is being awarded a $22,800,000 firm-fixed-price contract for development of a roll-on, roll-off armed targeting capability for installation in the Marine Corps KC-130J. Work will be performed in Palmdale, Calif., and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $15,500,000 will 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-0053).
H. V. Collins *, Providence, R.I., is being awarded an $11,585,635 firm-fixed-price construction contract for design and construction of Maritime Subsurface Sensor OPS Facility, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, Rhode Island. The work to be performed provides for construction of an addition to Building 1176. The functions contained within the facility will be comprised of administrative support, testing labs, operational assembly areas, and indoor and outdoor storage. Work will be performed in Newport and is expected to be completed by Nov. 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 seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7010).
3 Phoenix Inc.*, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $10,054,719 cost-plus-fixed-fee Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III contract to provide engineering services to support software development, procurement of commercial off-the-shelf products, and hardware/software integration required to provide improved technology for U.S. Navy Open Architecture and Network Centric Operations and Warfare systems in support of USS Virginia Class Submarine and other submarine/surface ship systems. This effort is for Phase III of SBIR topic number N04-138 – real-time data fusion and visualization interface for environmental research data. These services will be rendered as needed to support the Navy's initiative to maintain the pace of performance improvement through judicious use of lower power electronics, advanced algorithm design, and innovative applications of open software and hardware. This requirement shall include system engineering, architecture design, software engineering, prototyping, integration, and test activities. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (35 percent); Wake Forest, N.C., (35 percent); and Hanover, Md., (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by May 2010. 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 (N00024-07-C-6274).
General Electric, Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a $7,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-09-G-0009) for the demonstration of new technologies to reduce the specific fuel consumption (SFC) of the F414-GE-400 engine, which powers the F/A-18E/F and E/A-18G aircraft. This effort is in support of the Near Term Energy Efficiency Technology Demonstration and Research Project, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Work will be performed in Lynn, Mass., (91 percent), and Evendale, Ohio, (9 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 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.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
MidAmerican Energy Co., Urbandale, Iowa is being awarded a maximum $16,786,784 firm fixed price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is in Maryland. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 102 proposals solicited with seven responses. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-8019).
Suez Energy Resources NA, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $5,193,782 firm fixed price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is in New Jersey. Using service is federal civilian agencies. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 102 proposals solicited with 7 responses. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-8020).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Texas was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $32,363,199 firm-fixed-price contract for Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) Full Rate Production (FRP) II – optional exercise; 44 United Arab Emirates DPICM rocket pods and 44 unitary rocket pods. Work is to be performed in Grand Prairie, Texas, (20.8 precent), East Camden, Ariz., (76.8 precent), and Orlando, Fla., (2.4 precent) with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-08-C-0021).
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Productions, Inc., Burlington, Vt., was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $24,198,500 four-year- firm-fixed-price Indefinite Quantity, Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ) contract. This contract is for the procurement of 2,193 each M2 machine guns with a potential contract maximum quantity of $39,452. Work is to be performed in Saco, Maine, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 31, 2012. Six bid was solicited with six bid received. TACOM LCMC (RI), AMSTA-LC-WSCA, Rock Island, Ill is the contracting activity (W52H09-09-D-0175).
SSA Cooper, LLC Savannah, Ga., was awarded on May 7, 2009 a $7,000,000 fixed-price requirement contract to arrange for and provide stevedoring and related services of the 832nd Transportation Battalion in Jacksonville, Fla., funding modification. Work is to be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., with an estimated completions date of May 25, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bids received. Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (W81GYE-06-D-003).
Purcell Construction Corp., Watertown, N.Y., was awarded on May 6, 2009 a $29,640,700 firm-fixed-price construction contract to construct a 5-story barracks/company operations facilities and battalion headquarters. Work is to be performed in Fort Lee, Va., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 15, 2011. Eighty (80) bids were solicited with eleven (11) bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Norfolk District, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (W91236-09-C-0046).
Great Lakes Dredging & Dock Co, LLC, Oakbrook, Ill was awarded on May 6, 2009 a $7,329,750 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance dredging on Columbia River with optional dredging at Coos Bay entrance channel. Work is to be performed in Brandon, Ore., (11.8 precent), Arch Cape, Ore., (44.1 precent), and Pacific, Wash., (44.1 precent) with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2009. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with two bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Portland District, Portland, Ore., is the contracting activity (W3127N-09-C-0016).
A. Mortenson, Minneapolis, Minn., was awarded on May 5, 2009 a $21,702,000 firm-fixed-price contraction contract for a digital multi-purpose range complex. Work is to be performed in Fort Riley, Kan., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 29, 2010. Bids were solicited on FedBizOpps with twelve (12) bids received. U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Kansas City District, Mo., is the contracting activity (W912DQ-09-C-4020).
CACI, Inc-Federal, Chantilly, Va., was awarded on May 5, 2009 a $7,600,000 firm-fixed-price contract for acquisition support services for Joint Contracting Command- Iraq / Afghanistan (JCC-I/A). Work is to be performed in Iraq/Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of Apr. 30, 2012. Ten bids were solicited with two bids received. Army Contracting Command- Rock Island Contracting Center, CCRC-FJ, Rock Island, Ill., Is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-F-0005).
Hickory Construction, Inc., Alcoa, Tenn., was awarded on Apr. 30, 2009 a $6,406,919 firm-fixed-price contract for construction of 241st Electronics Training Facility. Work is to be performed in Chattanooga, Tenn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 2, 2010. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with nine bids received. National Guard Bureau USPFO for Tennessee, Nashville Tenn., is the contracting activity (W912L7-09-C-0002).
CACI-WGI, Inc. Chantilly, Va., was awarded on Apr. 20, 2009 a $13,772,249 IDIQ time & material task order for operational support services to the Joint Improvised Explosives Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Special Operations Forces Support. Work is to be performed in Iraq/Afghanistan with an estimated completion date of Apr. 20, 2011. Four existing multiple awards IDIQ proposals solicited and four proposals received. U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command, Acquisition Center (RDECOM AC) Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0027).
AIR FORCE
The Air Force is awarding a cost plus fixed fee contract to Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., for an estimated $24,154,462. This contract action will provide technical area task to the Space and Naval Systems Center Atlantic with quality, full service systems engineering to rapidly deploy CRISR capabilities in support of Naval, Joint and National Warfighter forces. At this time, $59,362 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-98-D-4002).
The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price contract with Alliant Techsystems Inc., of Clearwater, Fla. This action will provide 21 common munitions built-in test reprogramming equipment. At this time, $10,179,541 has been obligated. 647 AESS/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8626-06-C-2060, P00017).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Ga., is being awarded a $22,800,000 firm-fixed-price contract for development of a roll-on, roll-off armed targeting capability for installation in the Marine Corps KC-130J. Work will be performed in Palmdale, Calif., and is expected to be completed in Dec. 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $15,500,000 will 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-0053).
H. V. Collins *, Providence, R.I., is being awarded an $11,585,635 firm-fixed-price construction contract for design and construction of Maritime Subsurface Sensor OPS Facility, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, Rhode Island. The work to be performed provides for construction of an addition to Building 1176. The functions contained within the facility will be comprised of administrative support, testing labs, operational assembly areas, and indoor and outdoor storage. Work will be performed in Newport and is expected to be completed by Nov. 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 seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N40085-09-C-7010).
3 Phoenix Inc.*, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $10,054,719 cost-plus-fixed-fee Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III contract to provide engineering services to support software development, procurement of commercial off-the-shelf products, and hardware/software integration required to provide improved technology for U.S. Navy Open Architecture and Network Centric Operations and Warfare systems in support of USS Virginia Class Submarine and other submarine/surface ship systems. This effort is for Phase III of SBIR topic number N04-138 – real-time data fusion and visualization interface for environmental research data. These services will be rendered as needed to support the Navy's initiative to maintain the pace of performance improvement through judicious use of lower power electronics, advanced algorithm design, and innovative applications of open software and hardware. This requirement shall include system engineering, architecture design, software engineering, prototyping, integration, and test activities. Work will be performed in Fairfax, Va., (35 percent); Wake Forest, N.C., (35 percent); and Hanover, Md., (30 percent), and is expected to be completed by May 2010. 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 (N00024-07-C-6274).
General Electric, Aircraft Engines, Lynn, Mass., is being awarded a $7,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-09-G-0009) for the demonstration of new technologies to reduce the specific fuel consumption (SFC) of the F414-GE-400 engine, which powers the F/A-18E/F and E/A-18G aircraft. This effort is in support of the Near Term Energy Efficiency Technology Demonstration and Research Project, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Work will be performed in Lynn, Mass., (91 percent), and Evendale, Ohio, (9 percent), and is expected to be completed in Dec. 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.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
MidAmerican Energy Co., Urbandale, Iowa is being awarded a maximum $16,786,784 firm fixed price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is in Maryland. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 102 proposals solicited with seven responses. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-8019).
Suez Energy Resources NA, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $5,193,782 firm fixed price contract for electricity. Other location of performance is in New Jersey. Using service is federal civilian agencies. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. There were originally 102 proposals solicited with 7 responses. The date of performance completion is Jun. 30, 2011. The contracting activity is the Defense Energy Support Center, Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-09-D-8020).
President Issues Military Spouse Day Proclamation
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed and issued a proclamation today designating the day as Military Spouse Day. Here is the presidential proclamation:
"Military spouses share the sacrifices of service with our Nation's men and women in uniform. As members of the Armed Forces serve in the United States and across the world, military spouses also serve our Nation.
"When a servicemember goes to war, we know their spouse also shares in that sacrifice. I am inspired by their commitment to family and our Nation, and on Military Spouse Day, we honor these individuals for their contributions.
"Wives and husbands of servicemembers display an uncommon courage and strength as they steadfastly support their spouses during long and arduous deployments. While they endure separations that are filled with worry and anxiety, they face unique stresses. Foremost is the concern about the safety and well-being of deployed loved ones, but there are many other challenges. From managing household finances to comforting children impacted by a military parent's absence, military spouses take on the burdens of maintaining families largely on their own.
"This task is complicated even more as spouses work to maintain careers and a sense of community while moving to new duty stations around the country and the world.
"Despite these hardships, military spouses are an inexhaustible source of strength for our military families and donate their time generously to local communities. Military spouses offer the love and encouragement that help servicemembers endure the challenges of serving our Nation.
"Military spouses support one another as friends and mentors. They serve in family readiness groups to keep fellow spouses informed and to provide mutual support. They contribute as volunteers to improve neighborhoods, military installations, and communities. These contributions strengthen both our Nation's character and its security.
"All Americans should express appreciation for military spouses and let them know they are not alone. To help those who need it, friends, co-workers, and neighbors can offer to help with the burden of daily tasks and thus give military spouses more time for themselves and their families. To assist spouses who are coping with the absence of a loved one, individuals can listen and offer their counsel. Americans can also volunteer through the many organizations that provide assistance to military families.
"Our Nation maintains a sacred trust with every individual who serves. My Administration is committed to showing our Nation's gratitude for them by honoring our obligations to their families.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 8, 2009, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and activities today and in the future.
"IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third."
May 8, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed and issued a proclamation today designating the day as Military Spouse Day. Here is the presidential proclamation:
"Military spouses share the sacrifices of service with our Nation's men and women in uniform. As members of the Armed Forces serve in the United States and across the world, military spouses also serve our Nation.
"When a servicemember goes to war, we know their spouse also shares in that sacrifice. I am inspired by their commitment to family and our Nation, and on Military Spouse Day, we honor these individuals for their contributions.
"Wives and husbands of servicemembers display an uncommon courage and strength as they steadfastly support their spouses during long and arduous deployments. While they endure separations that are filled with worry and anxiety, they face unique stresses. Foremost is the concern about the safety and well-being of deployed loved ones, but there are many other challenges. From managing household finances to comforting children impacted by a military parent's absence, military spouses take on the burdens of maintaining families largely on their own.
"This task is complicated even more as spouses work to maintain careers and a sense of community while moving to new duty stations around the country and the world.
"Despite these hardships, military spouses are an inexhaustible source of strength for our military families and donate their time generously to local communities. Military spouses offer the love and encouragement that help servicemembers endure the challenges of serving our Nation.
"Military spouses support one another as friends and mentors. They serve in family readiness groups to keep fellow spouses informed and to provide mutual support. They contribute as volunteers to improve neighborhoods, military installations, and communities. These contributions strengthen both our Nation's character and its security.
"All Americans should express appreciation for military spouses and let them know they are not alone. To help those who need it, friends, co-workers, and neighbors can offer to help with the burden of daily tasks and thus give military spouses more time for themselves and their families. To assist spouses who are coping with the absence of a loved one, individuals can listen and offer their counsel. Americans can also volunteer through the many organizations that provide assistance to military families.
"Our Nation maintains a sacred trust with every individual who serves. My Administration is committed to showing our Nation's gratitude for them by honoring our obligations to their families.
"NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 8, 2009, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to honor military spouses with appropriate ceremonies and activities today and in the future.
"IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third."
Agent Orange Legislation
Here is some proposed legislation in the House of Representatives that will be of interest to all aircrew who flew into Vietnam but were never stationed there. It changes the definition of Vietnam Service to make eligibility for Agent Orange benefits less difficult to obtain. HR2244, The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009, was introduce by Rep Filner on 5 May 2009. It would clarify the legal presumption of exposure to Agent Orange for veterans who served in the vicinity of Vietnam. Currently, 38 US Code Section 1116, defines a Vietnam veteran as "a veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served in the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975." The Department of Veterans Affairs uses a conservative interpretation to mean "boots on the ground" which excludes most Navy and Air Force personnel who have Agent Orange related issues but who can not prove "boots on the ground." HR 2244 would clarify this section by redefining a Vietnam veteran as one who, during active military, naval or air service (a) served in the Republic of Vietnam (including the inland waterways, ports and harbors of such Republic, the waters offshore of such Republic and the airspace above such Republic) during the period January 9, 1962 - May 7, 1975: (b) served in Johnston Island during the period April 1, 1972 - September 30, 1977: or (c) received the Vietnam Service Medal of the Vietnam Campaign Medal. This is something important about which to contact your representative.
'Little Warriors' Surf Camp to Host 100 Military Children
By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2009 - Surfs up! Military children of wounded or fallen servicemembers will be able to catch their first wave this summer, thanks to Freedom Is Not Free, a California-based troop-support group. The "Little Warriors" Surf Camp will host 100 military children ages 8 to 15 in La Jolla Shores, Calif., Aug. 10-14.
"This is the third year that Freedom Is Not Free has sponsored a surf camp for children of wounded and fallen servicemembers," retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, executive director of Freedom Is Not Free, said. "In the past, this camp was an all-sports camp, combined with enrichment sessions. I thought that a surf camp made a lot more sense. The venue is always available, and I happen to have caught the surfing bug after moving here a number of years ago."
Kopelman said he hopes the surf camp will give the military children an opportunity to learn a new sport and connect with others who have similar experiences.
"There's something very peaceful and life-affirming about being on your board, even when the surf isn't particularly great," Kopelman said. "This camp gets the kids away from home and the reminders of what has made their lives a little less happy – if even for just a day."
The surf camp lasts five days, and each group of 20 campers attends for one day, which includes three and a half hours of instruction. Freedom Is Not Free will provide water and lunch for the campers, and Surf Diva Surfing School will give campers rash guard, ball caps and T-shirts to commemorate their experiences.
"Wahoo's Fish Tacos, a local restaurant, will provide burritos every day for the kids," Kopelman said. "At the end of each day, as an added treat, all campers will get boards."
Sector 9 Skateboards and INT Softboards will give Freedom Is Not Free boards to raffle, and Bessell Surfboards is designing a custom Freedom Is Not Free surfboard.
"I heard about this through a friend," said Tim Bessell, owner of Bessell Surfboards. "I didn't hesitate. Our servicemembers are on the front line for us every day. Their kids are paying a price when they are away or when they don't come home. Their kids are their legacies. This surf camp will be an awesome experience for them."
Kopelman said parents interested in sending their children to surf camp should call or send an e-mail to get more information on applying. The camp is only for children of wounded or fallen servicemembers.
"I've contacted the San Diego Armed Services YMCA to solicit potential campers and the family readiness officer for [the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force] at Camp Pendleton," Kopelman said. "Because the population of military children from which to choose is so large right here in San Diego County, I hadn't thought about paying for an out-of-state camper.
"It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities," he continued. "In fact, that might be something to actually promote as we go forward."
American Forces Press Service
May 8, 2009 - Surfs up! Military children of wounded or fallen servicemembers will be able to catch their first wave this summer, thanks to Freedom Is Not Free, a California-based troop-support group. The "Little Warriors" Surf Camp will host 100 military children ages 8 to 15 in La Jolla Shores, Calif., Aug. 10-14.
"This is the third year that Freedom Is Not Free has sponsored a surf camp for children of wounded and fallen servicemembers," retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Jay Kopelman, executive director of Freedom Is Not Free, said. "In the past, this camp was an all-sports camp, combined with enrichment sessions. I thought that a surf camp made a lot more sense. The venue is always available, and I happen to have caught the surfing bug after moving here a number of years ago."
Kopelman said he hopes the surf camp will give the military children an opportunity to learn a new sport and connect with others who have similar experiences.
"There's something very peaceful and life-affirming about being on your board, even when the surf isn't particularly great," Kopelman said. "This camp gets the kids away from home and the reminders of what has made their lives a little less happy – if even for just a day."
The surf camp lasts five days, and each group of 20 campers attends for one day, which includes three and a half hours of instruction. Freedom Is Not Free will provide water and lunch for the campers, and Surf Diva Surfing School will give campers rash guard, ball caps and T-shirts to commemorate their experiences.
"Wahoo's Fish Tacos, a local restaurant, will provide burritos every day for the kids," Kopelman said. "At the end of each day, as an added treat, all campers will get boards."
Sector 9 Skateboards and INT Softboards will give Freedom Is Not Free boards to raffle, and Bessell Surfboards is designing a custom Freedom Is Not Free surfboard.
"I heard about this through a friend," said Tim Bessell, owner of Bessell Surfboards. "I didn't hesitate. Our servicemembers are on the front line for us every day. Their kids are paying a price when they are away or when they don't come home. Their kids are their legacies. This surf camp will be an awesome experience for them."
Kopelman said parents interested in sending their children to surf camp should call or send an e-mail to get more information on applying. The camp is only for children of wounded or fallen servicemembers.
"I've contacted the San Diego Armed Services YMCA to solicit potential campers and the family readiness officer for [the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force] at Camp Pendleton," Kopelman said. "Because the population of military children from which to choose is so large right here in San Diego County, I hadn't thought about paying for an out-of-state camper.
"It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities," he continued. "In fact, that might be something to actually promote as we go forward."
Former Marine NCO Takes Military Spouse of the Year Honors
By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service
May 7, 2009 - Tanya Queiro, a former Marine Corps noncommissioned officer, was named the 2009 Military Spouse of the Year at a ceremony held here today. Queiro, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant during her 13 years in the Marine Corps, also was recognized as the Marines' top military spouse for 2009.
"Military spouses know that military service is not a job; it is a lifestyle," Queiro said upon accepting her two crystal-glass award trophies.
Living the military lifestyle, Queiro pointed out, provides "endless opportunities" for adventure and learning for many military spouses.
Military spouses, she said, take care of the children and perform other important tasks as part of maintaining the family home front, while their husbands and wives are away on military deployments.
Queiro's husband, Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jose Queiro, is stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They are raising three children: two sons, Jose, 12, and Marcus, 10, and daughter Adrianna, 8. Queiro said she met her future husband while she was in the Marines.
After having spent two tours each in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gunnery Sgt. Queiro said he's thankful for his wife's support while he's away performing special operations missions.
"I could walk out of that door at anytime, head to Afghanistan or Iraq, and know that everything back at home will be alright when I get back," he said. "I don't have to worry about any issues in the rear. I know my wife is handling everything.
"That means a lot. I can concentrate on the mission, and come back home alive," the Marine noncommissioned officer said.
Military spouses support their husbands or wives and serve the communities in which they live, Tanya Queiro said in an earlier interview. She volunteered to participate in the Marines' Lifestyle Insight, Networking, Knowledge, and Skills (LINKS) mentorship program that provides new military spouses with knowledge about Marine Corps' traditions, customs and courtesies and overall military culture.
"All the volunteers are spouses teaching spouses," she said. "So, we hand down best practices; things that have worked for us, and hopefully, things that will work for them in their marriage."
Diane Jones, the spouse of retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones Jr., who now serves as the U.S. National Security Advisor, praised Queiro's "very unique skill set" as a former military member as well as her selfless service to the military and civilian communities.
"Tanya goes out of her way to share this knowledge with other military spouses in an effort to make the difficult aspects of military life just a little easier for them," said Jones, who serves on the MSOY selection committee.
Queiro is "a blend of toughness and compassion," Jones continued, who "brings professionalism and commitment to everything that she does – her family, her friends, her work and volunteerism."
Other military spouses honored as service-branch winners at the ceremony include:
? Army -- Misti Stevens, wife of Army Lt. Col. Wendell Stevens, Fort Campbell, Ky.
? Air Force -- Susan P. Webb, wife of Air National Guard Master Sgt. Ken Webb, Air National Guard Base, Glasford, Ill.
? Coast Guard -- Trish Pruett, wife of Coast Guard Cmdr. Jim Pruett, U.S. Coast Guard District 7, Miami.
? Navy – Christy Kuriatnyk, wife of Navy Lt. Cmdr. Alex Kuriatnyk,
Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Miss.
Jones' husband, U.S. National Security Advisor James L. Jones Jr., a retired Marine four-star general, provided some remarks before the award ceremony.
"The military families are very, very much part of our national security portfolio and they have to be considered and maintained right up there at the forefront of things," the senior White House official said. "And, to all of the military spouses today, since today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day, I want to thank you and express my deepest appreciation for everything you have done and everything you are doing and will continue to do."
The MSOY award and ceremony are sponsored by Military Spouse Magazine and USAA, a financial services firm that serves military members and their families.
The Military Spouse of the Year awards honor people who embody the best characteristics of today's military spouse, said Babette Maxwell, a Navy spouse and the co-founder and executive editor of Military Spouse Magazine. Military spouses, she said, have provided important and distinguished service for the nation since the Revolutionary War.
And, the Military Spouse of the Year awards, Maxwell said, are "about recognizing the challenges and sacrifices that are unique to the military community."
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Defense Department Budget Request Pushes Reform
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2009 - The Pentagon's chief financial officer today described the Defense Department's fiscal 2010 funding request as a "reform budget." Comptroller Robert F. Hale and Navy Vice Adm. P. Stephen Stanley, the Joint Staff's budget expert, unveiled a defense budget request that supports Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' recommendations.
"If approved, I think it will change the way we manage the Department of Defense," Hale said during a Pentagon briefing.
The budget includes $533.8 billion in the base budget and $130 billion to support overseas contingency operations, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The budget, 4 percent more than that for fiscal 2009, is 4.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
The proposed 2010 base budget represents an increase of $20.5 billion over the $513.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2009. The 4 percent increase represents 2.1 percent real growth after adjusting for inflation, Hale said.
The budget is firmly rooted in taking care of the department's most precious resource – its people. "This is the highest priority for our nation," Stanley said. "It's strongly supported by all the service chiefs -- clear recognition that the strength of our nation is based on the ability of our people to go forward and defend our way of life."
The $663.8 billion request proposes a 2.9 percent pay raise for servicemembers and a 2 percent raise for Defense Department civilians. There will be more servicemembers, too. The budget fully funds the increase in Army and Marine end strength and halts decreases in the Navy and Air Force.
The request also takes care of military families. It fully funds the military medical accounts with $47 billion, and provides $11 billion to fund military housing and support programs for single and married servicemembers.
The budget also provides $3.3 billion for care for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and their families. If approved, this money would go toward creating an expedited disability evaluation system, 12 more Wounded Warrior facilities and help for servicemembers with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Gates wants to reshape the force, and this budget begins the process. The aim is to build a military to fight the wars America is most likely to fight – irregular and unconventional. Gates has said the nation needs a balance of forces, and the Defense Department must modernize with this balance in mind.
The proposed budget includes additions to help to build partnership capability and train and equip allies. The budget request seeks to add 2,400 special operations forces who are key to irregular and unconventional war.
Helicopter aviation is a premium in the wars today, and the budget calls for training 150 more crews starting in fiscal 2010. The budget calls for buying littoral combat ships and a joint high-speed vessel that will serve well in irregular warfare.
"And we've stopped the growth of Army brigade combat teams at 45, rather than going to 48," Hale said, "to fully man these units within a given end strength, so that they're ready at a moment's notice to fight."
Modernizing conventional capabilities is also important. The budget ends the F-22 fighter jet program at 187 aircraft. "We believe that is enough of these high-capability aircraft to meet the high-end threats," Hale said. The budget also ends the C-17 airlifter program at 205, which, with the C-5 Galaxy aircraft, provides enough lift for the force, officials said.
The department will beef up cyber-defense capabilities and increase intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. "We'll make a variety of increases; for example, in our unmanned aerial vehicle programs," Hale said.
The comptroller said he hopes the pending Air Force aerial refueling tanker purchase will remain on pace for contract award by spring 2010.
The Army's Future Combat System will be restructured, with its technological spin-offs in network-centric warfare going to all units, but the vehicle portion being terminated, Hale said. "The Army will relook at that program and start it again at some point, with that thought in mind and taking into account the more than $25 billion we've spent buying mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles," he said.
The budget gets away from asking for emergency supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We're asking for $130 billion to fund wartime activities in fiscal year 2010 [in the base budget]," Hale said. Eighty percent of it or so is for operations – added tank miles, paying mobilized reserves and so on.
"This request is where you're going to first see the swing of not only dollars or resources, but [also] combat capability, from the Iraq theater into the Afghan theater," Stanley said. "Actually, you'll see in this request that the money requested here, about $65 billion for Afghanistan, actually exceeds the $61 billion that we're requesting for Iraq."
Supporting troops in the field is the backbone of the budget request. Building an all-terrain vehicle version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle for operations in Afghanistan is part of the $130 billion war-funding portion of the request.
Another $7.5 billion is slotted to train added Afghan soldiers and police. The overseas contingency operations fund also has $1.5 billion for the Commanders' Emergency Response Program, and $700 million for the Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capabilities Fund.
The budget calls for reducing the percentage of contractors working in the department from 39 percent today to 26 percent, Hale said. The budget also funds more manpower positions for contracting officials.
Overall, the budget request breaks out the $136 billion for military personnel, $185 billion for operations and maintenance accounts, $107.4 billion for procurement, $78.6 billion for research and development, $21 billion for military construction and $2 billion for family housing.
The Army would receive $142.1 billion, the Navy $156.4 billion, and the Air Force $144.5 billion.
American Forces Press Service
May 7, 2009 - The Pentagon's chief financial officer today described the Defense Department's fiscal 2010 funding request as a "reform budget." Comptroller Robert F. Hale and Navy Vice Adm. P. Stephen Stanley, the Joint Staff's budget expert, unveiled a defense budget request that supports Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' recommendations.
"If approved, I think it will change the way we manage the Department of Defense," Hale said during a Pentagon briefing.
The budget includes $533.8 billion in the base budget and $130 billion to support overseas contingency operations, primarily in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The budget, 4 percent more than that for fiscal 2009, is 4.3 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.
The proposed 2010 base budget represents an increase of $20.5 billion over the $513.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2009. The 4 percent increase represents 2.1 percent real growth after adjusting for inflation, Hale said.
The budget is firmly rooted in taking care of the department's most precious resource – its people. "This is the highest priority for our nation," Stanley said. "It's strongly supported by all the service chiefs -- clear recognition that the strength of our nation is based on the ability of our people to go forward and defend our way of life."
The $663.8 billion request proposes a 2.9 percent pay raise for servicemembers and a 2 percent raise for Defense Department civilians. There will be more servicemembers, too. The budget fully funds the increase in Army and Marine end strength and halts decreases in the Navy and Air Force.
The request also takes care of military families. It fully funds the military medical accounts with $47 billion, and provides $11 billion to fund military housing and support programs for single and married servicemembers.
The budget also provides $3.3 billion for care for wounded, ill and injured servicemembers and their families. If approved, this money would go toward creating an expedited disability evaluation system, 12 more Wounded Warrior facilities and help for servicemembers with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
Gates wants to reshape the force, and this budget begins the process. The aim is to build a military to fight the wars America is most likely to fight – irregular and unconventional. Gates has said the nation needs a balance of forces, and the Defense Department must modernize with this balance in mind.
The proposed budget includes additions to help to build partnership capability and train and equip allies. The budget request seeks to add 2,400 special operations forces who are key to irregular and unconventional war.
Helicopter aviation is a premium in the wars today, and the budget calls for training 150 more crews starting in fiscal 2010. The budget calls for buying littoral combat ships and a joint high-speed vessel that will serve well in irregular warfare.
"And we've stopped the growth of Army brigade combat teams at 45, rather than going to 48," Hale said, "to fully man these units within a given end strength, so that they're ready at a moment's notice to fight."
Modernizing conventional capabilities is also important. The budget ends the F-22 fighter jet program at 187 aircraft. "We believe that is enough of these high-capability aircraft to meet the high-end threats," Hale said. The budget also ends the C-17 airlifter program at 205, which, with the C-5 Galaxy aircraft, provides enough lift for the force, officials said.
The department will beef up cyber-defense capabilities and increase intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. "We'll make a variety of increases; for example, in our unmanned aerial vehicle programs," Hale said.
The comptroller said he hopes the pending Air Force aerial refueling tanker purchase will remain on pace for contract award by spring 2010.
The Army's Future Combat System will be restructured, with its technological spin-offs in network-centric warfare going to all units, but the vehicle portion being terminated, Hale said. "The Army will relook at that program and start it again at some point, with that thought in mind and taking into account the more than $25 billion we've spent buying mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles," he said.
The budget gets away from asking for emergency supplemental funding for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We're asking for $130 billion to fund wartime activities in fiscal year 2010 [in the base budget]," Hale said. Eighty percent of it or so is for operations – added tank miles, paying mobilized reserves and so on.
"This request is where you're going to first see the swing of not only dollars or resources, but [also] combat capability, from the Iraq theater into the Afghan theater," Stanley said. "Actually, you'll see in this request that the money requested here, about $65 billion for Afghanistan, actually exceeds the $61 billion that we're requesting for Iraq."
Supporting troops in the field is the backbone of the budget request. Building an all-terrain vehicle version of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle for operations in Afghanistan is part of the $130 billion war-funding portion of the request.
Another $7.5 billion is slotted to train added Afghan soldiers and police. The overseas contingency operations fund also has $1.5 billion for the Commanders' Emergency Response Program, and $700 million for the Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capabilities Fund.
The budget calls for reducing the percentage of contractors working in the department from 39 percent today to 26 percent, Hale said. The budget also funds more manpower positions for contracting officials.
Overall, the budget request breaks out the $136 billion for military personnel, $185 billion for operations and maintenance accounts, $107.4 billion for procurement, $78.6 billion for research and development, $21 billion for military construction and $2 billion for family housing.
The Army would receive $142.1 billion, the Navy $156.4 billion, and the Air Force $144.5 billion.
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