By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - U.S. Pacific Command continues to help in coordinating humanitarian relief operations in American Samoa, Indonesia and the Philippines, the command's top officer said today. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating said Pacom officials are keeping a watchful eye on Typhoon Parma, now approaching the northern Philippines, and Typhoon Melor, which is threatening Guam, Tinian and Saipan.
The command has sent five C-17 Globemaster III transport jets to American Samoa, which was hit by an earthquake-triggered tsunami Sept. 29. Officials said more than 160 people died in the disaster, and that thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. The C-17s, from the Hawaii Air National Guard and the Air Force, deployed from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The planes carried search-and-rescue teams, mortuary affairs specialists and vehicles. "The aircraft carried a lot of equipment and some food supplies," Keating told Pentagon reporters via telephone from his office in Hawaii.
Pacom is standing by to fly two or three more C-17 missions filled with Red Cross personnel and supplies to the island. In addition, the USS Ingraham, a Navy frigate, is in the waters off American Samoa. The ship has two helicopters that will help with damage assessment and search and rescue efforts. In all operations in American Samoa, the command is acting in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the admiral said.
Tropical Storm Ketsana struck the Philippines on Sept. 25, killing more than 250 people in Manila, the capital city, Philippine officials reported. Thousands are homeless. "About 20 personnel with the Joint Special Operations Task Force went up to Manila to help the armed forces of the Philippines in any way they could," Keating said.
But even as Manila residents assess the damage and bury their dead, Typhoon Parma is bearing down on the country's northern islands. The storm is expected to miss Manila, Keating said, but it still could cause tremendous damage. Forecasters are saying the storm – still off the coast – could intensify and become a super typhoon.
"We have moved two amphibious ships – the USS Harpers Ferry and the USS Tortuga – off the coast of the Philippines," Keating said. The ships have a Marine complement aboard and will stand by to provide whatever aid the Philippine government requests.
In Indonesia, an Air Force C-130 Hercules transport has delivered supplies to the area around Padang. U.S. special operations forces -- who were on their way to the country for an exercise when the earthquake hit Sept. 30 -- were able to set up communications with Pacom headquarters and help Indonesian and American officials assess the damage.
Thousands of people are reported to be trapped in pancaked buildings. The command is sending a Navy rear admiral to the region to help in coordinating U.S. military efforts with the Indonesian armed forces. "The USS Denver, with three heavy-lift helicopters, is on its way to Indonesia," Keating said.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Melor is approaching Guam, Saipan and Tinian in the Marianas Islands. The USS Bonhomme Richard is east of the islands and is prepared to offer assistance to the residents there if needed. Weather reports say Melor will have winds in the 50- to 75-knot range. Navy submarines and Air Force aircraft have left Guam, and islanders are battening down the hatches.
"We're watching it, but it is a normal weather pattern for this time of year, and we're cautiously optimistic there will not be a significant blow," Keating said.
Friday, October 02, 2009
MILITARY CONTRACTS - October 2, 2009
AIR FORCE
United Launch Services of Littleton, Colorado was awarded a $927,720,071 contract to provide the Fiscal Year 2010 Evolved Expendable launch Vehicle Launch Capability effort for the Delta IV and Atlas V families to launch vehicles. At this time, $16,000,000 has been obligated. SMC/LRSW, El Segundo, California is the contracting activity. (FA8816-06-C-0001, FA8816-06-C-0002, P00149)
McDonnell Douglas Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri was awarded a $51,900,000 contract to provide Massive Ordnance Penetrator Integration on B-2 test aircraft. At this time $32,150,000 has been obligated. 708 ARSG/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida is the contracting Activity. (FA8681-09-C-0280,P00002)
General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Arizona was awarded a $17,500,000 contract to provide for the modification of the KG-327 End cryptographic unit design baseline to develop and deliver five production representative development models. At this time, $5,800,000 has been obligated. HQ CPSG/PKA, San Antonio, Texas is the contracting activity. (FA8307-06-C-0010)
Technical Ordnance Incorporated of Maple Plain, Minnesota was awarded a $9,794,350 contract which will provide for BBU-35 cartridges. At this time, no money has been obligated. 784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (FA8213-09-D-0009)
Pacific Scientific of Hollister, California was awarded a $9,794,350 contract which will provide for BBU-35 cartridges. At this time, no money has been obligated. 784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (FA8213-09-D-0010).
ARMY
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $128,124,103 cost-plus-award-fee contract. This contract is for the Distribution Management Center (DMC) support services required by the United States Army Sustainment Command (ASC), DMC within and outside the continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS) in support of Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN). This support will enable the Government to continue establishment of and perform DMC functions at Headquarters ASC and at selected locations CONUS and OCONUS to establish a unity of effort providing a centralized common operating picture. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., (9.41 percent), Fort Campbell, Ky., (3.80 percent), Fort Carson, Colo., (3.32 percent), Fort Drum, N.Y., (4.46 percent), Fort Hood, Texas., (9.57 percent), Fort Lewis, Wash., (5.64 percent), Fort Riley, Kan., (3.76 percent), Fort Stewart, Ga., (4.06 percent), Fort Sill, Okla., (1.74 percent), Fort Bliss, Texas., (3.25 percent), Fort Huachuca, Ariz., (0.73 percent), Fort Benning, Ga., (2.31 percent), Fort Wainright, Ark., (3.78 percent), Fort Richardson, Ark., (3.04 percent), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii., (4.54 percent), Fort McPherson, Ga., (2.51 percent),and HQ, Rock Island Arsenal., (34.08 percent), with an estimated completion date of Mar. 27, 2014. Full and Open bids were solicited with four bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0053).
Fluor Intercontinental, Inc., Greenville, S.C., was awarded on Sept. 25, 2009 a $66,783,359 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Gulf Region District life support services. Work is to be performed in various locations throughout Iraq, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2010. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETSC-CT-U, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-09-C-0057).
Andritz Hydro, Charlotte, N.C., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $63,984,916 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract. This is a contract for the McNary main unit stator winding replacement contract replaces ten stator winding in hydropower generation units #1-4 and 7-12 at McNary Dam in Umatilla, Oregon. Work is to be performed in Umatilla County, Oregon., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Walla Walla, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912EF-09-C-0039).
The Ross Group, Tulsa, Okla., Blackhawk Constructors, San Antonio, Texas, JAMCO Ventures, LLC., San Antonio, Texas., HJD Capitol Electric Inc., San Antonio, Texas., and Dorado Services Inc., Sanford, Fla., were awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $50,000,000 multi-award task order contract for design –build service. The MATOC pool of contracts are for design-build, design-bid-build and construction services to meet the requirements and time constraints for military missions, civil projects, and IIS customers of the Southwestern Division, primary the Fort Worth District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work is to be performed in various cities across the US with estimated completions date s of Sept. 27, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 14 bids received. U.S. Army of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-09-D-0088 (The Ross Group), W9126G-09-D-0089 (Blackhawk Constructors), W9126G-09-A-0090 (JAMCO Ventures), W9126G-09-D-0091( HJD Capitol Electric Inc), And W9126G-09-D-0092 (Dorado Services Inc).
Coakley & Williams Construction, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $42,874,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design/build Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Facility, Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Delaware. Work is to be performed in Dover, Del., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. Ninety bids were solicited with seven bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0063).
M.A. Mortenson Company, Minnesota, Minn., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $14,690,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the design and construction a standard COF for one company with an integrated admin module. The six companies COF includes a 16,120 square feet admin module, a readiness storage building totaling 45,118 square feet, including arms storage building of 9,405 square feet, and covered canopy area of 11,340 square feet. The COF includes a 4,990 square foot admin module, a readiness storage building of 9,405 square feet, and a covered hardstand of 2,328 square feet. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Three bids solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0021).
Russell Construction Inc., Davenport, Iowa., was awarded on Sept. 27, 2009 a $13,034,600 firm-fixed-price contract for the renovation of building 68 for First Army at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. Work is to be performed in Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOpps with 10 bids received. U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0086).
Fluor Intercontinental, Inc., Greenville, S.C., was awarded on Sept. 25, 2009 a $12,307,936 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for operations and maintenance, Victory Base Complex, Baghdad, Iraq. Work is to be performed in Bagdad, Iraq., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 21, 2011. Ten bids were solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETAC-CT-U, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-04-D-0004).
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $11,720,873 cost-plus-award-fee contract. This contract is for the Distribution Management Center (DMC) support services required by the United States Army Sustainment Command (ASC), DMC within and outside the continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS) in support of Army Force Generation. This support will enable the government to continue establishment of and perform DMC functions at Headquarters ASC and at selected locations CONUS and OCONUS to establish a unity of effort providing a centralized common operating picture. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., (8.69 percent), Fort Campbell, Ky., (3.51 percent), Fort Carson, Colo., (3.06 percent), Fort Drum, N.Y., (4.10 percent), Fort Hood, Texas., (8.84 percent), Fort Lewis, Wash., (5.21 percent), Fort Riley, Kan., (3.47 percent), Fort Stewart, Ga., (3.75 percent), Fort Sill, Okla., (1.60 percent), Fort Bliss, Texas., (3.00 percent), Fort Huachuca, Ariz., (0.68 percent), Fort Benning, Ga., (2.13 percent), Fort Wainright, Ark., (3.49 percent), Fort Richardson, Ark., (2.81 percent), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii., (4.19 percent), Fort McPherson, Ga., (2.32 percent), HQ, Rock Island Arsenal., (31.46 percent), with an estimated completion date of Mar. 27, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0053).
J & J Contractors, Lowell, Mass., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $11,417,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of an Army reserve center, organizational maintenance shop, and unheated storage building, Kingston, N.Y. Work is to be performed in Kingston, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOpps with 10 bids received. U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0088).
Bid D Construction Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $10,882,320 firm-fixed-price contract. Work on this project consists of construction of a single story, single bay 38,300 Square feet maintenance hangars. The project includes construction of the primary hangar facility and associated roadways and utilities; reinforced concrete foundation and floor slabs; steel frame with metal sheathing, masonry veneer, standing seam metal roofing, fire protection, airfield paving for approach apron; parking areas, lighting, electrical, site and communications infrastructure. Work is to be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 28, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 15 bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District-CESPA-CT, Albuquerque, N.M., is the contracting activity (W912PP-09-C-0034).
Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC., Dallas, Texas., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $10,239,989 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is to design and construct a standard design medium tactical equipment maintenance facility (TEMF) for the Patriot Battery. This TEMF will include an organizational parking area, an organizational storage building, a POL storage building, a hazardous waste storage building, special foundations and information systems. Support facilities include site utilities to TEMF. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Five bids solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-D-0022).
American International Contractors, Incorp., Arlington, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $9,972,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the construction of the SOF Training Range at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The work consists of the construction of a two-story shooting house, an indoor range, breach and storage facilities a test fire bunker and bunker road, and related site work and utilities. Work is to be performed in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2011. Forty bids were solicited with 14 bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETAC-CT-M, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-09-C-0055).
R.C. Construction Company, Inc., Greenwood, Miss., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,852,400 firm-fixed-price contract. This project includes the demolition, hazardous material abatement, repair, and renovation of the nine buildings one story Old Bowley School complex. Renovated space will be provided for administrative space; a combination of open office space and private offices will be utilized. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 3, 2010. Six bids were solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-D-0011).
Arviso Construction Company, Inc., Fort Wingate, N.M., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,720,690 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of a child development center. Work is to be performed in Fort Carson, Colo., with an estimated completion date of Apr. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with nine bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-09-C-0048).
M-C Industries, Incorp., Topeka, Kan., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure 730 chemical protective patient warp kits. Work is to be performed in Monticello, Iowa., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 15, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army TACOM Contracting Center, Rock Island, CCTA-AR-C, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52H09-09-C-0125).
McTech Corp., Kansas Vity, Mo., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,478,549 firm-fixed-contract. This contract is for the design and construction of a small 31,200 square foot standard design Brigade Headquarters Facility. Primary facilities include parking, building information systems, connection to energy monitoring control systems and installation of intrusion detection system, supporting facilities include utilities; electric service; exterior lighting, fire protection and alarm system, paving, walks, curbs, and gutters, parking; erosion control, storm drainage; site grading and contouring; information systems, site improvement, and power distribution extension service. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Four bids were solicited with one bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0026).
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,126,971 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance dredging, Station 99+000 to Station 250+440, inland waterway, Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Delaware and Maryland. Work is to be performed in Chesapeake City, Md., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 20, 2010. Nine bids were solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0058).
Raytheon Company, El Segundo, Calif., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $6,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The contractor shall provide services in support of testing & evacuation, repair & return of inoperative gunner's integrated tow sight and turrent components for government of Kuwait Desert Warrior vehicles, in support of the government's Foreign Military Sales program with the government of Kuwait. Work is to be performed in El Segundo, Calif., (54 percent), Carlsbad, Calif., (1 percent), and Canada (45 percent) with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-G-0003).
Bancroft GS, Inc., Wilmington, Del., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $5,868,500 firm-fixed-price contract for the design-build skills development center and car wash, Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Delaware. Work is to be performed in Dover, Del., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. Ninety One Bids were solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0062).
Scrufari Construction Company, Inc., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $5,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of a community activity center/dining facility. Work is to be performed in Niagara County, Niagara Falls, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2011. Fifty bids were solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0092).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
U.S. Foodservice, La Mirada, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $60,979,048 firm fixed price, indefinite quantity indefinite delivery sole source contract for full line food distribution. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3312).
NAVY
BAE Systems, Land & Armaments L.P., U.S. Combat Systems, Minneapolis, Minn. is being awarded a $18,461,700 Not-To-Exceed (NTE) modification to previously awarded contract for the fy09 canister production requirements for MK-14 MOD 2 canisters to support integration of the TOMAHAWK missile into the MK 41 vertical launching system. Work will be performed in Aberdeen, S.D., (73 precent), Odessa, Mo., (16 precent), and Minneapolis, Minn., (11 precent) and is expected to be completed by April 2011. 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 (N00024-09-C-5317).
United Launch Services of Littleton, Colorado was awarded a $927,720,071 contract to provide the Fiscal Year 2010 Evolved Expendable launch Vehicle Launch Capability effort for the Delta IV and Atlas V families to launch vehicles. At this time, $16,000,000 has been obligated. SMC/LRSW, El Segundo, California is the contracting activity. (FA8816-06-C-0001, FA8816-06-C-0002, P00149)
McDonnell Douglas Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri was awarded a $51,900,000 contract to provide Massive Ordnance Penetrator Integration on B-2 test aircraft. At this time $32,150,000 has been obligated. 708 ARSG/PK, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida is the contracting Activity. (FA8681-09-C-0280,P00002)
General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Arizona was awarded a $17,500,000 contract to provide for the modification of the KG-327 End cryptographic unit design baseline to develop and deliver five production representative development models. At this time, $5,800,000 has been obligated. HQ CPSG/PKA, San Antonio, Texas is the contracting activity. (FA8307-06-C-0010)
Technical Ordnance Incorporated of Maple Plain, Minnesota was awarded a $9,794,350 contract which will provide for BBU-35 cartridges. At this time, no money has been obligated. 784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (FA8213-09-D-0009)
Pacific Scientific of Hollister, California was awarded a $9,794,350 contract which will provide for BBU-35 cartridges. At this time, no money has been obligated. 784 CBSG/PK, Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity. (FA8213-09-D-0010).
ARMY
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $128,124,103 cost-plus-award-fee contract. This contract is for the Distribution Management Center (DMC) support services required by the United States Army Sustainment Command (ASC), DMC within and outside the continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS) in support of Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN). This support will enable the Government to continue establishment of and perform DMC functions at Headquarters ASC and at selected locations CONUS and OCONUS to establish a unity of effort providing a centralized common operating picture. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., (9.41 percent), Fort Campbell, Ky., (3.80 percent), Fort Carson, Colo., (3.32 percent), Fort Drum, N.Y., (4.46 percent), Fort Hood, Texas., (9.57 percent), Fort Lewis, Wash., (5.64 percent), Fort Riley, Kan., (3.76 percent), Fort Stewart, Ga., (4.06 percent), Fort Sill, Okla., (1.74 percent), Fort Bliss, Texas., (3.25 percent), Fort Huachuca, Ariz., (0.73 percent), Fort Benning, Ga., (2.31 percent), Fort Wainright, Ark., (3.78 percent), Fort Richardson, Ark., (3.04 percent), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii., (4.54 percent), Fort McPherson, Ga., (2.51 percent),and HQ, Rock Island Arsenal., (34.08 percent), with an estimated completion date of Mar. 27, 2014. Full and Open bids were solicited with four bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0053).
Fluor Intercontinental, Inc., Greenville, S.C., was awarded on Sept. 25, 2009 a $66,783,359 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for Gulf Region District life support services. Work is to be performed in various locations throughout Iraq, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2010. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETSC-CT-U, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-09-C-0057).
Andritz Hydro, Charlotte, N.C., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $63,984,916 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract. This is a contract for the McNary main unit stator winding replacement contract replaces ten stator winding in hydropower generation units #1-4 and 7-12 at McNary Dam in Umatilla, Oregon. Work is to be performed in Umatilla County, Oregon., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, Walla Walla, Wash., is the contracting activity (W912EF-09-C-0039).
The Ross Group, Tulsa, Okla., Blackhawk Constructors, San Antonio, Texas, JAMCO Ventures, LLC., San Antonio, Texas., HJD Capitol Electric Inc., San Antonio, Texas., and Dorado Services Inc., Sanford, Fla., were awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $50,000,000 multi-award task order contract for design –build service. The MATOC pool of contracts are for design-build, design-bid-build and construction services to meet the requirements and time constraints for military missions, civil projects, and IIS customers of the Southwestern Division, primary the Fort Worth District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Work is to be performed in various cities across the US with estimated completions date s of Sept. 27, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 14 bids received. U.S. Army of Engineers, Fort Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-09-D-0088 (The Ross Group), W9126G-09-D-0089 (Blackhawk Constructors), W9126G-09-A-0090 (JAMCO Ventures), W9126G-09-D-0091( HJD Capitol Electric Inc), And W9126G-09-D-0092 (Dorado Services Inc).
Coakley & Williams Construction, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $42,874,000 firm-fixed-price contract to design/build Armed Forces Medical Examiner System Facility, Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Delaware. Work is to be performed in Dover, Del., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. Ninety bids were solicited with seven bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0063).
M.A. Mortenson Company, Minnesota, Minn., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $14,690,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the design and construction a standard COF for one company with an integrated admin module. The six companies COF includes a 16,120 square feet admin module, a readiness storage building totaling 45,118 square feet, including arms storage building of 9,405 square feet, and covered canopy area of 11,340 square feet. The COF includes a 4,990 square foot admin module, a readiness storage building of 9,405 square feet, and a covered hardstand of 2,328 square feet. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Three bids solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0021).
Russell Construction Inc., Davenport, Iowa., was awarded on Sept. 27, 2009 a $13,034,600 firm-fixed-price contract for the renovation of building 68 for First Army at Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. Work is to be performed in Rock Island Arsenal, Ill., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOpps with 10 bids received. U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0086).
Fluor Intercontinental, Inc., Greenville, S.C., was awarded on Sept. 25, 2009 a $12,307,936 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for operations and maintenance, Victory Base Complex, Baghdad, Iraq. Work is to be performed in Bagdad, Iraq., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 21, 2011. Ten bids were solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETAC-CT-U, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-04-D-0004).
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $11,720,873 cost-plus-award-fee contract. This contract is for the Distribution Management Center (DMC) support services required by the United States Army Sustainment Command (ASC), DMC within and outside the continental United States (CONUS and OCONUS) in support of Army Force Generation. This support will enable the government to continue establishment of and perform DMC functions at Headquarters ASC and at selected locations CONUS and OCONUS to establish a unity of effort providing a centralized common operating picture. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., (8.69 percent), Fort Campbell, Ky., (3.51 percent), Fort Carson, Colo., (3.06 percent), Fort Drum, N.Y., (4.10 percent), Fort Hood, Texas., (8.84 percent), Fort Lewis, Wash., (5.21 percent), Fort Riley, Kan., (3.47 percent), Fort Stewart, Ga., (3.75 percent), Fort Sill, Okla., (1.60 percent), Fort Bliss, Texas., (3.00 percent), Fort Huachuca, Ariz., (0.68 percent), Fort Benning, Ga., (2.13 percent), Fort Wainright, Ark., (3.49 percent), Fort Richardson, Ark., (2.81 percent), Schofield Barracks, Hawaii., (4.19 percent), Fort McPherson, Ga., (2.32 percent), HQ, Rock Island Arsenal., (31.46 percent), with an estimated completion date of Mar. 27, 2014. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with four bids received. Rock Island Contracting Center, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0053).
J & J Contractors, Lowell, Mass., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $11,417,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of an Army reserve center, organizational maintenance shop, and unheated storage building, Kingston, N.Y. Work is to be performed in Kingston, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited via FedBizOpps with 10 bids received. U.S. Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0088).
Bid D Construction Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $10,882,320 firm-fixed-price contract. Work on this project consists of construction of a single story, single bay 38,300 Square feet maintenance hangars. The project includes construction of the primary hangar facility and associated roadways and utilities; reinforced concrete foundation and floor slabs; steel frame with metal sheathing, masonry veneer, standing seam metal roofing, fire protection, airfield paving for approach apron; parking areas, lighting, electrical, site and communications infrastructure. Work is to be performed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., with an estimated completion date of Mar. 28, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with 15 bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District-CESPA-CT, Albuquerque, N.M., is the contracting activity (W912PP-09-C-0034).
Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC., Dallas, Texas., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $10,239,989 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is to design and construct a standard design medium tactical equipment maintenance facility (TEMF) for the Patriot Battery. This TEMF will include an organizational parking area, an organizational storage building, a POL storage building, a hazardous waste storage building, special foundations and information systems. Support facilities include site utilities to TEMF. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Five bids solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-D-0022).
American International Contractors, Incorp., Arlington, Va., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $9,972,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This contract is for the construction of the SOF Training Range at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. The work consists of the construction of a two-story shooting house, an indoor range, breach and storage facilities a test fire bunker and bunker road, and related site work and utilities. Work is to be performed in Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar., with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2011. Forty bids were solicited with 14 bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Transatlantic Programs Center, CETAC-CT-M, Winchester, Va., is the contracting activity (W912ER-09-C-0055).
R.C. Construction Company, Inc., Greenwood, Miss., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,852,400 firm-fixed-price contract. This project includes the demolition, hazardous material abatement, repair, and renovation of the nine buildings one story Old Bowley School complex. Renovated space will be provided for administrative space; a combination of open office space and private offices will be utilized. Work is to be performed in Fort Bragg, N.C., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 3, 2010. Six bids were solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-09-D-0011).
Arviso Construction Company, Inc., Fort Wingate, N.M., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,720,690 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of a child development center. Work is to be performed in Fort Carson, Colo., with an estimated completion date of Apr. 30, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with nine bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, Omaha, Neb., is the contracting activity (W9128F-09-C-0048).
M-C Industries, Incorp., Topeka, Kan., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract to procure 730 chemical protective patient warp kits. Work is to be performed in Monticello, Iowa., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 15, 2010. One bid solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army TACOM Contracting Center, Rock Island, CCTA-AR-C, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52H09-09-C-0125).
McTech Corp., Kansas Vity, Mo., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,478,549 firm-fixed-contract. This contract is for the design and construction of a small 31,200 square foot standard design Brigade Headquarters Facility. Primary facilities include parking, building information systems, connection to energy monitoring control systems and installation of intrusion detection system, supporting facilities include utilities; electric service; exterior lighting, fire protection and alarm system, paving, walks, curbs, and gutters, parking; erosion control, storm drainage; site grading and contouring; information systems, site improvement, and power distribution extension service. Work is to be performed in Fort Hood, Texas with an estimated completion date of Jan. 30, 2011. Four bids were solicited with one bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W912HN-08-D-0026).
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $8,126,971 firm-fixed-price contract for the maintenance dredging, Station 99+000 to Station 250+440, inland waterway, Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Delaware and Maryland. Work is to be performed in Chesapeake City, Md., with an estimated completion date of Feb. 20, 2010. Nine bids were solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0058).
Raytheon Company, El Segundo, Calif., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $6,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The contractor shall provide services in support of testing & evacuation, repair & return of inoperative gunner's integrated tow sight and turrent components for government of Kuwait Desert Warrior vehicles, in support of the government's Foreign Military Sales program with the government of Kuwait. Work is to be performed in El Segundo, Calif., (54 percent), Carlsbad, Calif., (1 percent), and Canada (45 percent) with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2014. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TACOM, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-09-G-0003).
Bancroft GS, Inc., Wilmington, Del., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $5,868,500 firm-fixed-price contract for the design-build skills development center and car wash, Dover Air Force Base, Dover, Delaware. Work is to be performed in Dover, Del., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2010. Ninety One Bids were solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (W912BU-09-C-0062).
Scrufari Construction Company, Inc., was awarded on Sept. 28, 2009 a $5,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for the design and construction of a community activity center/dining facility. Work is to be performed in Niagara County, Niagara Falls, N.Y., with an estimated completion date of May 30, 2011. Fifty bids were solicited with three bids received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Louisville, Ky., is the contracting activity (W912QR-09-C-0092).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
U.S. Foodservice, La Mirada, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $60,979,048 firm fixed price, indefinite quantity indefinite delivery sole source contract for full line food distribution. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is October 3, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM300-09-D-3312).
NAVY
BAE Systems, Land & Armaments L.P., U.S. Combat Systems, Minneapolis, Minn. is being awarded a $18,461,700 Not-To-Exceed (NTE) modification to previously awarded contract for the fy09 canister production requirements for MK-14 MOD 2 canisters to support integration of the TOMAHAWK missile into the MK 41 vertical launching system. Work will be performed in Aberdeen, S.D., (73 precent), Odessa, Mo., (16 precent), and Minneapolis, Minn., (11 precent) and is expected to be completed by April 2011. 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 (N00024-09-C-5317).
Army Establishes Program Executive Office Integration to Support Modernization
The Department of the Army announced to today that it established the Program Executive Office (PEO) Integration to support current and future acquisitions programs. This office supports the April 2009 Secretary of Defense decision to cancel Future Combat Systems (FCS) and restructure the program in accordance with guidance by the Defense Acquisition Executive to the Army outlined in the June 2009 Acquisition Decision Memorandum.
PEO Integration will oversee several project and product management offices which focus on the Ground Combat Vehicle, the Network, and Brigade Combat Team (BCT) modernization.
"It is important for the Army to establish a new PEO," said Acquisition Executive and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Dean G. Popps. "We are moving forward with efforts to improve our ability to equip brigade combat teams, and to modernize the Army consistent with the Army force generation model. PEO integration will enable better portfolio management."
As part of the Army's transition to a new modernization strategy, this new PEO will enhance the Army's ability to develop and deliver improved warfighter capabilities needed in current and future contingency operations, such as identifying threats from standoff positions, gathering and disseminating real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance information down to the soldier level, removing soldiers from potential danger by using unmanned systems and providing the BCT with a 40-kilometer precision-strike and all-weather capability.
For more information, please contact Maj. Jimmie Cummings, Army Public Affairs at (703) 697-7591.
PEO Integration will oversee several project and product management offices which focus on the Ground Combat Vehicle, the Network, and Brigade Combat Team (BCT) modernization.
"It is important for the Army to establish a new PEO," said Acquisition Executive and Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Dean G. Popps. "We are moving forward with efforts to improve our ability to equip brigade combat teams, and to modernize the Army consistent with the Army force generation model. PEO integration will enable better portfolio management."
As part of the Army's transition to a new modernization strategy, this new PEO will enhance the Army's ability to develop and deliver improved warfighter capabilities needed in current and future contingency operations, such as identifying threats from standoff positions, gathering and disseminating real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance information down to the soldier level, removing soldiers from potential danger by using unmanned systems and providing the BCT with a 40-kilometer precision-strike and all-weather capability.
For more information, please contact Maj. Jimmie Cummings, Army Public Affairs at (703) 697-7591.
Pentagon Efforts Target Preventable Accident Reduction
By Jessica E. Andrews
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Accidents on and off duty pose a greater threat than combat to U.S. servicemembers' lives, and Defense Department leaders continually strive to eliminate them. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has challenged the department to step up its investment in safety technologies, incorporate best safety practices of the corporate world and hold leaders accountable.
"We have no greater responsibility than to take care of those who volunteer to serve," Gates said.
Since July 2003, the Defense Safety Oversight Council has worked to reduce preventable accidents in the military, which affect operational readiness and cost the department more than $3 billion annually.
Military officials regularly review statistics examining preventable accidents across the board for all services, including civilian "lost day" rates, private vehicle fatality rates, injury rates and aviation Class A accident rates – those that result in loss of life or aircraft damage of more than $1 million.
A data-driven approach established metrics to show which areas were doing well, and which needed greater prevention efforts -- information that routinely is presented to Defense Department leaders so they can see where improvement is needed and focus efforts in that direction.
In fiscal 2002, civilian "lost day" rates, or days in which an employee missed work due to an injury, cost the department almost $200 million, with 157,337 lost work days. In fiscal 2008, the department had 74,681 fewer lost days, saving more than $90 million.
Officials credit the improvement in part to programs such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program, which the Defense Department adopted. VPP is a recognition program managed by OSHA for work sites with world-class safety and health management systems.
The VPP Center of Excellence helps military installations set performance-based safety and health management criteria for management commitment, employee involvement, hazard recognition and mitigation and employee training. Success in implementing these criteria results in reduced workplace injuries, illnesses and lost work days.
For example, Marine Corps Base Barstow, Calif., went from having the worst lost work day rate in 2005 to one of the best in 2008. The number of Defense Department VPP Star sites has risen dramatically over the past year; the department now has 25 VPP Star sites, with seven pending review with OSHA this year.
The department also is reducing private vehicle accidents, which were down 32 percent in fiscal 2009, compared to fiscal 2002. The Navy's fatality rate reduction was the highest, with a 60 percent decrease, and the Air Force had the best continuous reduction rate, with an overall 31 percent decrease.
With initiatives such as the Travel Risk Planning System, or TRiPs, and the Civilian Driver History Profile Pilot, department officials are focusing on potential risks before they become fatalities.
TRiPs is a Web-based tool used to identify active duty servicemembers who might be at risk for a motor vehicle accident while traveling on leave or pass. The Driver History Profile Pilot monitors off-base driving records and prepares customized reports to leadership, who can direct at-risk people to training and other interventions.
A task force focusing on private vehicle accidents identifies root causes and hazards through in-depth data analysis; the results determine the thrust of safety media campaigns.
To address military injuries, the officials have focused on serious vehicle accidents and sponsored initiatives such as an alert device to reduce Humvee rollovers. The military training task force also sponsored an initiative that successfully demonstrated a brace that can prevent and reduce ankle injuries by parachuters in training jumps.
Sports-related injuries also receive attention. The Leadership Injury Prevention Training distance-learning course gives leaders information and tools to prevent injuries at their level of influence. The online courseware recently earned the prestigious Bronze Omni Intermedia Award for outstanding media production that "engages, empowers and enlightens."
"Safety is about preserving our combat assets," said Joseph Angello, the Defense Safety Oversight Committee's executive director. "In the middle of a war, we prevented needless loss of life and equipment, and are continuing on that downward trend. DSOC metrics show that overall accidents have been reduced every year since 2002.
"There is significant improvement based on where we were," he continued. "Accountability and leadership are essential in achieving our safety goals."
Defense Department officials have embraced technology that makes military equipment safer and have initiated programs to raise awareness of preventable accidents.
Class A aviation accidents, for example, have seen a 45 percent reduction from 2002 to 2009.
After Air Force Col. (Dr.) Peter Mapes, a pilot-physician for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, briefed Navy Vice Adm. Thomas Kilcline, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Naval Air Force, on the importance of using a GPS system onboard any military service helicopter to reduce accidents the military labels as "controlled flight into terrain."
Kilcline made using a GPS system a top priority for naval aviation. Such accidents are the leading cause of death among Army and Air Force helicopter crews, claiming an average of six aircraft and 10 people per year.
"Every single life costs us dearly as a nation," Mapes said. "This GPS system is remarkable in detecting weather hazards and other dangers that could easily save a pilot's life."
(Jessica E. Andrews works in the readiness programming and assessment directorate in the office of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Accidents on and off duty pose a greater threat than combat to U.S. servicemembers' lives, and Defense Department leaders continually strive to eliminate them. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has challenged the department to step up its investment in safety technologies, incorporate best safety practices of the corporate world and hold leaders accountable.
"We have no greater responsibility than to take care of those who volunteer to serve," Gates said.
Since July 2003, the Defense Safety Oversight Council has worked to reduce preventable accidents in the military, which affect operational readiness and cost the department more than $3 billion annually.
Military officials regularly review statistics examining preventable accidents across the board for all services, including civilian "lost day" rates, private vehicle fatality rates, injury rates and aviation Class A accident rates – those that result in loss of life or aircraft damage of more than $1 million.
A data-driven approach established metrics to show which areas were doing well, and which needed greater prevention efforts -- information that routinely is presented to Defense Department leaders so they can see where improvement is needed and focus efforts in that direction.
In fiscal 2002, civilian "lost day" rates, or days in which an employee missed work due to an injury, cost the department almost $200 million, with 157,337 lost work days. In fiscal 2008, the department had 74,681 fewer lost days, saving more than $90 million.
Officials credit the improvement in part to programs such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Voluntary Protection Program, which the Defense Department adopted. VPP is a recognition program managed by OSHA for work sites with world-class safety and health management systems.
The VPP Center of Excellence helps military installations set performance-based safety and health management criteria for management commitment, employee involvement, hazard recognition and mitigation and employee training. Success in implementing these criteria results in reduced workplace injuries, illnesses and lost work days.
For example, Marine Corps Base Barstow, Calif., went from having the worst lost work day rate in 2005 to one of the best in 2008. The number of Defense Department VPP Star sites has risen dramatically over the past year; the department now has 25 VPP Star sites, with seven pending review with OSHA this year.
The department also is reducing private vehicle accidents, which were down 32 percent in fiscal 2009, compared to fiscal 2002. The Navy's fatality rate reduction was the highest, with a 60 percent decrease, and the Air Force had the best continuous reduction rate, with an overall 31 percent decrease.
With initiatives such as the Travel Risk Planning System, or TRiPs, and the Civilian Driver History Profile Pilot, department officials are focusing on potential risks before they become fatalities.
TRiPs is a Web-based tool used to identify active duty servicemembers who might be at risk for a motor vehicle accident while traveling on leave or pass. The Driver History Profile Pilot monitors off-base driving records and prepares customized reports to leadership, who can direct at-risk people to training and other interventions.
A task force focusing on private vehicle accidents identifies root causes and hazards through in-depth data analysis; the results determine the thrust of safety media campaigns.
To address military injuries, the officials have focused on serious vehicle accidents and sponsored initiatives such as an alert device to reduce Humvee rollovers. The military training task force also sponsored an initiative that successfully demonstrated a brace that can prevent and reduce ankle injuries by parachuters in training jumps.
Sports-related injuries also receive attention. The Leadership Injury Prevention Training distance-learning course gives leaders information and tools to prevent injuries at their level of influence. The online courseware recently earned the prestigious Bronze Omni Intermedia Award for outstanding media production that "engages, empowers and enlightens."
"Safety is about preserving our combat assets," said Joseph Angello, the Defense Safety Oversight Committee's executive director. "In the middle of a war, we prevented needless loss of life and equipment, and are continuing on that downward trend. DSOC metrics show that overall accidents have been reduced every year since 2002.
"There is significant improvement based on where we were," he continued. "Accountability and leadership are essential in achieving our safety goals."
Defense Department officials have embraced technology that makes military equipment safer and have initiated programs to raise awareness of preventable accidents.
Class A aviation accidents, for example, have seen a 45 percent reduction from 2002 to 2009.
After Air Force Col. (Dr.) Peter Mapes, a pilot-physician for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, briefed Navy Vice Adm. Thomas Kilcline, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Naval Air Force, on the importance of using a GPS system onboard any military service helicopter to reduce accidents the military labels as "controlled flight into terrain."
Kilcline made using a GPS system a top priority for naval aviation. Such accidents are the leading cause of death among Army and Air Force helicopter crews, claiming an average of six aircraft and 10 people per year.
"Every single life costs us dearly as a nation," Mapes said. "This GPS system is remarkable in detecting weather hazards and other dangers that could easily save a pilot's life."
(Jessica E. Andrews works in the readiness programming and assessment directorate in the office of the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.)
Captain Provides Glimpse Into Relief Effort
By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - A physician assistant from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing provided his unit at Hickam Air Force Base with a first-hand account from tsunami-torn American Samoa. An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands Sept. 29, causing 15-to-20-foot-high waves to crash inland in the island chain that includes American Samoa, a U.S. possession.
Capt. Nathaniel Duff is a member of the medical team embedded with the CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package that was on the first C-17 Globemaster III sent to American Samoa Sept. 30. CBRNE stands for the various threats the special force package is specially trained to meet: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive.
The medical team's mission is to perform medical triage and initial treatment, provide emergency medical treatment, stage for military and civilian evacuation and provide medical support to patient decontamination and search and extraction teams.
This is the text of an e-mail that Duff sent to his unit once he arrived in the tsunami-torn territory:
"Just finished de-briefing Day 1. Today, we broke our medical search and extraction teams into two groups. I was the designated medical team leader for the group that was deployed to the west side of American Samoa in a small village called Leone.
"Capt. [Jason] Iyomasa and Team 2 went toward Pago Pago. It was a simple fishing village that looked much like rural villages in southern Thailand. We contacted the village chief, who had been waiting since the tsunami hit for help. We were the first contact his village had with any government relief agency.
"The village included at least 30-50 families, a school and a temple/church. Very beautiful spot with clear water and a beach surrounded by lush, verdant forest covered mountains. It was absolutely devastated.
"Most of the village was in rubble and washed deep into the tropical mangrove forest up toward the mountains. Entire contents of homes, boats, full-size pick-up trucks and cars carried through the forest and up the mountainside. It must have been a tremendous wall of water to create that much damage.
"After talking with the village chief, we learned that a small, six-year-old boy was missing from his village and an 11-year-old girl was missing from an adjacent village. We set up an organized search grid and went out in five-man teams lead by a local villager into the hot, humid mangrove swamp. The entire area was easily over a mile wide and half-mile deep.
"The air stunk with human and animal excrement, hundreds of dead fish and animals, and rotting food and debris. It was very treacherous wading through knee-deep swamp and climbing over sharp debris with rusty nails, sheet metal, glass and all manner of house debris. We found over-turned trucks 500 yards deep into the jungle upside down in trees.
"The villagers all welcomed us and were grateful that we cared to stop and help, even though we were unsuccessful at locating their child today. The more seriously injured villagers had already been transported to the one hospital in the main town, so we provided basic first aid to any walking wounded, including a big, 300-pound muscular Samoan, nicknamed "The General," who was injured saving his wife from being washed away. He had three broken ribs and his left leg was swollen with infection from open sores and scrapes.
"We've planned two separate missions tomorrow. First, we'll be sending our search and extraction component along with more equipment for heavy lifting, search cameras, mapping equipment, communications, etc., back to Leone tomorrow.
"Second, we've stripped all gear from one CERFP trailer and restocked it specifically for a large medical mission north of Pago Pago. Capt. Iyomasa and Team 2 located a shelter apparently housing about 200 displaced villagers. We'll be setting up a field triage and first-aid station with the majority of our medical team including myself.
"Looks like we also may be hooking up with at least two Navy corpsmen to make this a joint medical effort. The Coast Guard also has a fairly large presence on that side of the island helping to manage the ocean and port damage and hazardous waste, etc.
"Things have been pretty chaotic, since we were essentially in the first wave of 'boots-on-the-ground.' It was very cool to know that we have been able to effectively operate our CERFP mission essentially within 24 hours of being called to duty from Hawaii.
"Logistics and communications have been difficult, to say the least, but everyone in our unit has risen to the challenge in unique ways. You should be very proud to see how mature and professional the CERFP team has performed, but especially our own 154th Medical Group team despite the long hours, heat, stress and emotional exhaustion."
(Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke serves at the National Guard Bureau.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - A physician assistant from the Hawaii Air National Guard's 154th Wing provided his unit at Hickam Air Force Base with a first-hand account from tsunami-torn American Samoa. An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands Sept. 29, causing 15-to-20-foot-high waves to crash inland in the island chain that includes American Samoa, a U.S. possession.
Capt. Nathaniel Duff is a member of the medical team embedded with the CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package that was on the first C-17 Globemaster III sent to American Samoa Sept. 30. CBRNE stands for the various threats the special force package is specially trained to meet: chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive.
The medical team's mission is to perform medical triage and initial treatment, provide emergency medical treatment, stage for military and civilian evacuation and provide medical support to patient decontamination and search and extraction teams.
This is the text of an e-mail that Duff sent to his unit once he arrived in the tsunami-torn territory:
"Just finished de-briefing Day 1. Today, we broke our medical search and extraction teams into two groups. I was the designated medical team leader for the group that was deployed to the west side of American Samoa in a small village called Leone.
"Capt. [Jason] Iyomasa and Team 2 went toward Pago Pago. It was a simple fishing village that looked much like rural villages in southern Thailand. We contacted the village chief, who had been waiting since the tsunami hit for help. We were the first contact his village had with any government relief agency.
"The village included at least 30-50 families, a school and a temple/church. Very beautiful spot with clear water and a beach surrounded by lush, verdant forest covered mountains. It was absolutely devastated.
"Most of the village was in rubble and washed deep into the tropical mangrove forest up toward the mountains. Entire contents of homes, boats, full-size pick-up trucks and cars carried through the forest and up the mountainside. It must have been a tremendous wall of water to create that much damage.
"After talking with the village chief, we learned that a small, six-year-old boy was missing from his village and an 11-year-old girl was missing from an adjacent village. We set up an organized search grid and went out in five-man teams lead by a local villager into the hot, humid mangrove swamp. The entire area was easily over a mile wide and half-mile deep.
"The air stunk with human and animal excrement, hundreds of dead fish and animals, and rotting food and debris. It was very treacherous wading through knee-deep swamp and climbing over sharp debris with rusty nails, sheet metal, glass and all manner of house debris. We found over-turned trucks 500 yards deep into the jungle upside down in trees.
"The villagers all welcomed us and were grateful that we cared to stop and help, even though we were unsuccessful at locating their child today. The more seriously injured villagers had already been transported to the one hospital in the main town, so we provided basic first aid to any walking wounded, including a big, 300-pound muscular Samoan, nicknamed "The General," who was injured saving his wife from being washed away. He had three broken ribs and his left leg was swollen with infection from open sores and scrapes.
"We've planned two separate missions tomorrow. First, we'll be sending our search and extraction component along with more equipment for heavy lifting, search cameras, mapping equipment, communications, etc., back to Leone tomorrow.
"Second, we've stripped all gear from one CERFP trailer and restocked it specifically for a large medical mission north of Pago Pago. Capt. Iyomasa and Team 2 located a shelter apparently housing about 200 displaced villagers. We'll be setting up a field triage and first-aid station with the majority of our medical team including myself.
"Looks like we also may be hooking up with at least two Navy corpsmen to make this a joint medical effort. The Coast Guard also has a fairly large presence on that side of the island helping to manage the ocean and port damage and hazardous waste, etc.
"Things have been pretty chaotic, since we were essentially in the first wave of 'boots-on-the-ground.' It was very cool to know that we have been able to effectively operate our CERFP mission essentially within 24 hours of being called to duty from Hawaii.
"Logistics and communications have been difficult, to say the least, but everyone in our unit has risen to the challenge in unique ways. You should be very proud to see how mature and professional the CERFP team has performed, but especially our own 154th Medical Group team despite the long hours, heat, stress and emotional exhaustion."
(Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke serves at the National Guard Bureau.)
Program Offers Housing Assistance for Servicemembers
By Ian Graham
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Concerns about housing have been prevalent since the mortgage crisis struck more than a year ago, but servicemembers and certain eligible civilians in the Defense Department can get some help when they're required to move. Joseph Sikes, director for housing and competitive sourcing in the office of the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, spoke today during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable about a recent Defense Department announcement of temporary expansion of the Homeowners Assistance Program.
The program, which began in the 1960s, will use $555 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to partially reimburse eligible military personnel, surviving spouses, and federal employees whose service to the nation has required them to relocate and sell their primary residence at a loss.
"We think this is really important in the department, because it's hard to concentrate on defending your country if you're worried about your house being foreclosed upon back home," Sikes said. "It's great to be able to actually start to take care of some of those families that are out there right now."
To be eligible for the aid, both the value of the applicant's home and the housing market in the area has to have dropped by at least 10 percent. Sikes said the program doesn't want to buy a lot of houses that are on rocky mortgages, but neither does it want to cull out those who are far behind on payments.
"The theory behind [the base requirement] is that if somebody is in a great market and their house is screwed up, ... they're not going to end up qualifying," he said. "It has to be looked at on an individual basis, because markets are not exactly homogenous."
The aim, he said, is to help those who are going to have trouble selling their home because of the local market and the value of the house itself.
Sikes acknowledged that concern exists that the program is underfunded because the $555 million was an estimated amount included in the stimulus bill. The program's administrators budgeted the funds so they can properly distribute the money through Dec. 31 for permanent-change-of-station moves, he explained, while they continue to seek more funding to continue the program.
"We've set aside money to make sure that we would always be able to take care of the wounded warriors and the surviving spouses, and also to take care of our required [base realignment and closure] moves, which could go out to 2011," he said.
Though some feared initially that BRAC moves would take up the bulk of the program's available funds, Sikes said, 80 to 90 percent of the applications submitted so far have been for permanent changes of station.
"This may be because many of the BRAC moves aren't occurring until 2010 and 2011, but it looks like most of our applications have been related to permanent-change-of-station moves," Sikes said.
About 4 or 5 percent of the applicants have been wounded warriors or surviving spouses. But because no "end" is planned in the program for servicemembers and families in those categories, money already was set aside to accommodate surviving spouses or wounded warriors.
"If anything, we may have done that conservatively, so there could actually be extra money there," Sikes said. "But for now, we're making sure we can pay for people in that awful situation."
As more claims come in and more data can be gathered, Sikes explained, estimates for funding will become more accurate. The program has received 4,000 applications for assistance so far, which Sikes said should be within the program's current budget.
(Ian Graham works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Concerns about housing have been prevalent since the mortgage crisis struck more than a year ago, but servicemembers and certain eligible civilians in the Defense Department can get some help when they're required to move. Joseph Sikes, director for housing and competitive sourcing in the office of the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, spoke today during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable about a recent Defense Department announcement of temporary expansion of the Homeowners Assistance Program.
The program, which began in the 1960s, will use $555 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to partially reimburse eligible military personnel, surviving spouses, and federal employees whose service to the nation has required them to relocate and sell their primary residence at a loss.
"We think this is really important in the department, because it's hard to concentrate on defending your country if you're worried about your house being foreclosed upon back home," Sikes said. "It's great to be able to actually start to take care of some of those families that are out there right now."
To be eligible for the aid, both the value of the applicant's home and the housing market in the area has to have dropped by at least 10 percent. Sikes said the program doesn't want to buy a lot of houses that are on rocky mortgages, but neither does it want to cull out those who are far behind on payments.
"The theory behind [the base requirement] is that if somebody is in a great market and their house is screwed up, ... they're not going to end up qualifying," he said. "It has to be looked at on an individual basis, because markets are not exactly homogenous."
The aim, he said, is to help those who are going to have trouble selling their home because of the local market and the value of the house itself.
Sikes acknowledged that concern exists that the program is underfunded because the $555 million was an estimated amount included in the stimulus bill. The program's administrators budgeted the funds so they can properly distribute the money through Dec. 31 for permanent-change-of-station moves, he explained, while they continue to seek more funding to continue the program.
"We've set aside money to make sure that we would always be able to take care of the wounded warriors and the surviving spouses, and also to take care of our required [base realignment and closure] moves, which could go out to 2011," he said.
Though some feared initially that BRAC moves would take up the bulk of the program's available funds, Sikes said, 80 to 90 percent of the applications submitted so far have been for permanent changes of station.
"This may be because many of the BRAC moves aren't occurring until 2010 and 2011, but it looks like most of our applications have been related to permanent-change-of-station moves," Sikes said.
About 4 or 5 percent of the applicants have been wounded warriors or surviving spouses. But because no "end" is planned in the program for servicemembers and families in those categories, money already was set aside to accommodate surviving spouses or wounded warriors.
"If anything, we may have done that conservatively, so there could actually be extra money there," Sikes said. "But for now, we're making sure we can pay for people in that awful situation."
As more claims come in and more data can be gathered, Sikes explained, estimates for funding will become more accurate. The program has received 4,000 applications for assistance so far, which Sikes said should be within the program's current budget.
(Ian Graham works in the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Army Balances Physical, Mental Fitness Training
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Being "Army Strong" means more than simply being physically fit. Through the Army's recently launched Comprehensive Fitness Program, Army leadership aims to improve all aspects of soldier fitness. Building strong minds and bodies will lead to an overall more resilient force, Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the program's director, said yesterday.
"[The program] is intended for the Army to look at psychological health and fitness historically, the same way the Army has looked at physical health in terms of assessment training," Cornum said in a roundtable discussion with military reporters here. "We need to look at psychological health the same way we look at any other risks."
Active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers, as well as Army civilians -- soon will be required to take an online self-evaluation that measures psychological strengths. The Global Assessment Tool is available on the Army Knowledge Online Web site now. The official order to take the assessment should be ready sometime this month, Cornum added, making it mandatory throughout the service.
Every member of the Army -- soldiers and civilian employees -- will be required to take their initial assessment within the next 12 months, and then every two years thereafter. Members will be reminded through a tracking system on their AKO accounts, which is similar to how the Army tracks medical, dental and deployment readiness.
The assessment records individual information pertaining to physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family strengths. Each component is graded on a 1-to-5 scale, 5 being the highest, to determine levels of follow-on training. The training will be done online individually or in groups at the unit level and will include online vignettes and or interactive group sessions, Cornum said.
People shouldn't be discouraged by a low score, Cornum said, noting that no one will be referred to a therapist or chaplain based on the initial assessment. It's simply a tool to give soldiers an idea of their resiliency and educate them on how to improve or help others improve, she explained.
"There is no pass-fail grade," the general said. "We maintain confidentiality, because it is a self-assessment. We just want to teach people to have confidence in themselves. It is intended to improve resiliency through education and training." Everyone will be recommended for follow-on training, Cornum said, which will be available Nov. 1 for each component of the program.
She explained that soldiers who score low or in the median range will be directed through the online system to attend training to improve their weak areas. Those who score very high will be directed to seek training that will help them help others improve.
Each of the program's various dimensions, at the very least, will have follow-on online vignettes to accommodate everyone's situation, Cornum said. Additional follow-on training modules will become available as they are proven effective and endorsed by the Army.
The idea behind the program is "prevention is better than cure," Cornum said.
"It's not a reasonable thing to have a training program for every single problem a person may face," she explained. "It would make much more sense to have sort of a global problem-solving skill set that you could apply to any problem, whether it's personal, within your family or at your unit."
Those skills will be taught early on in soldiers' careers. Formal resiliency training and interactive practical applications are being worked into basic training for enlisted soldiers as well as for new officers attending the Basic Officer Leader's Course.
Master resilience trainers are one of the more important aspects to the program's overall success, the general said. Eventually, every unit down to the lowest echelon will have qualified trainers.
"The best way to train someone is at the junior level," Cornum said. "Just like we don't have sports psychologists or physical therapists leading [physical fitness training] in the morning, we're not going to have subject-matter experts teaching these basic skills and principles. But we are going to give people who are tasked to train it the ability and the knowledge and the tools to train."
So far, 100 soldiers -- mostly noncommissioned officers in drill sergeant positions -- have attended the 10-day course and received certification, Cornum said, and 1,800 more trainers are expected to be certified within the next year.
Army officials are working on making the assessment and follow-on training available to family members. Several Army installations with high operations tempos now offer some sort of resiliency training to families. The families at such posts have expressed positive feedback on the training, saying that it helped reduce deployment stress felt by the families, the general said.
The program shows great promise and has the potential to have a very positive impact on soldiers' lives, Cornum said. Soldiers deal with stress from every aspect of their lives. Repetitive deployments cause stress at home as well as at work. Reducing stress among soldiers and their families will improve the Army's overall mission through retention, increased resiliency and enhanced soldier performance, she added.
"I think we will see a more resilient, self-confident, better-performing Army," she said. "This program is not militarily unique, but it will give people even better tools to actually implement the warrior ethos in the rest of their lives."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Being "Army Strong" means more than simply being physically fit. Through the Army's recently launched Comprehensive Fitness Program, Army leadership aims to improve all aspects of soldier fitness. Building strong minds and bodies will lead to an overall more resilient force, Army Brig. Gen. Rhonda Cornum, the program's director, said yesterday.
"[The program] is intended for the Army to look at psychological health and fitness historically, the same way the Army has looked at physical health in terms of assessment training," Cornum said in a roundtable discussion with military reporters here. "We need to look at psychological health the same way we look at any other risks."
Active duty, National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers, as well as Army civilians -- soon will be required to take an online self-evaluation that measures psychological strengths. The Global Assessment Tool is available on the Army Knowledge Online Web site now. The official order to take the assessment should be ready sometime this month, Cornum added, making it mandatory throughout the service.
Every member of the Army -- soldiers and civilian employees -- will be required to take their initial assessment within the next 12 months, and then every two years thereafter. Members will be reminded through a tracking system on their AKO accounts, which is similar to how the Army tracks medical, dental and deployment readiness.
The assessment records individual information pertaining to physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family strengths. Each component is graded on a 1-to-5 scale, 5 being the highest, to determine levels of follow-on training. The training will be done online individually or in groups at the unit level and will include online vignettes and or interactive group sessions, Cornum said.
People shouldn't be discouraged by a low score, Cornum said, noting that no one will be referred to a therapist or chaplain based on the initial assessment. It's simply a tool to give soldiers an idea of their resiliency and educate them on how to improve or help others improve, she explained.
"There is no pass-fail grade," the general said. "We maintain confidentiality, because it is a self-assessment. We just want to teach people to have confidence in themselves. It is intended to improve resiliency through education and training." Everyone will be recommended for follow-on training, Cornum said, which will be available Nov. 1 for each component of the program.
She explained that soldiers who score low or in the median range will be directed through the online system to attend training to improve their weak areas. Those who score very high will be directed to seek training that will help them help others improve.
Each of the program's various dimensions, at the very least, will have follow-on online vignettes to accommodate everyone's situation, Cornum said. Additional follow-on training modules will become available as they are proven effective and endorsed by the Army.
The idea behind the program is "prevention is better than cure," Cornum said.
"It's not a reasonable thing to have a training program for every single problem a person may face," she explained. "It would make much more sense to have sort of a global problem-solving skill set that you could apply to any problem, whether it's personal, within your family or at your unit."
Those skills will be taught early on in soldiers' careers. Formal resiliency training and interactive practical applications are being worked into basic training for enlisted soldiers as well as for new officers attending the Basic Officer Leader's Course.
Master resilience trainers are one of the more important aspects to the program's overall success, the general said. Eventually, every unit down to the lowest echelon will have qualified trainers.
"The best way to train someone is at the junior level," Cornum said. "Just like we don't have sports psychologists or physical therapists leading [physical fitness training] in the morning, we're not going to have subject-matter experts teaching these basic skills and principles. But we are going to give people who are tasked to train it the ability and the knowledge and the tools to train."
So far, 100 soldiers -- mostly noncommissioned officers in drill sergeant positions -- have attended the 10-day course and received certification, Cornum said, and 1,800 more trainers are expected to be certified within the next year.
Army officials are working on making the assessment and follow-on training available to family members. Several Army installations with high operations tempos now offer some sort of resiliency training to families. The families at such posts have expressed positive feedback on the training, saying that it helped reduce deployment stress felt by the families, the general said.
The program shows great promise and has the potential to have a very positive impact on soldiers' lives, Cornum said. Soldiers deal with stress from every aspect of their lives. Repetitive deployments cause stress at home as well as at work. Reducing stress among soldiers and their families will improve the Army's overall mission through retention, increased resiliency and enhanced soldier performance, she added.
"I think we will see a more resilient, self-confident, better-performing Army," she said. "This program is not militarily unique, but it will give people even better tools to actually implement the warrior ethos in the rest of their lives."
American Samoa Relief Efforts Continue
By John J. KruzelAmerican Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - The medical support situation in American Samoa has stabilized amid ongoing U.S. relief efforts after a massive tsunami devastated the area this week, a Defense Department official said today. Medical triage, casualty care, shelter and bedding are being administered to those affected by the disaster, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.
"It does appear as if the situation is stabilizing a bit -- at least the medical support situation has stabilized," he said. "The hospital there is open, [and] the [Veterans Affairs] clinic on the island has been providing some additional assistance in the treatment of injured there."
An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands region Sept. 29, causing devastating 15-to-20-foot-high waves to cascade inland across the South Pacific archipelago, including the eastern side of American Samoa, a U.S. possession.
Three C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes flew from Hawaii to deliver personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, food and water, and mortuary-affairs assets. A fourth flight is expected to arrive soon, and two other C-17 flights are being coordinated, Whitman said.
"It's the very basic types of things that you need when people are all of a sudden without any shelter and all of a sudden need assistance with the basic necessities," Whitman said. "Food, personal hygiene items, that type of [assistance]."
Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers and subject-matter experts are working on power regeneration and handling issues related to debris and waste water.
The request for Defense Department assistance in providing medical triage, hazardous material response, mass casualty care and strategic airlift came from FEMA.
FEMA maintains well-stocked warehouses in Guam and Honolulu and is deploying resources to support 70,000 survivors in American Samoa survivors over the coming week.
Former WAC Serves in Iraq
By Chanel S. WeaverAmerican Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - Some people turn to reference books or the Internet for a lesson in military history, but the personnel at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division in Iraq have another option. They simply can have a conversation with Pat Riley. Riley enlisted in the Women's Army Corps in June 1973. She was a member of the last all-female basic training class at Fort McClellan, Ala. Thirty-six years later, she still serves her country, but this time as a Gulf Region Division civilian.
Riley said a lot has changed for women in the Army since the 1970s. She enjoys telling stories of her early days in the Women's Army Corps.
"When I joined the Army, a woman had only two career choices: she could either enter the medical or clerical field," she said.
Women not only had few career choices in the 1970s, but also had classes in applying make-up during basic training, but no classes in soldiering skills, Riley said. Sexual harassment, she added, was prevalent in the Army during the 1970s.
"One boss literally chased me around the desk and made continuous sexual innuendos," she recalled.
Today, Riley is pleased to see sexual harassment prevention classes are mandatory for all Army personnel. She also is amazed to see the diverse career opportunities now available for women in the Army.
"I think it's just wonderful to see that women have progressed so much in the military," she said. "Today, a woman can choose almost any career field she wants. Women are truck drivers and mechanics, among many other things. For example, when I flew to Iraq from Kuwait, the crew chief was a female. We have come a long way."
Riley said believes today's female servicemembers stand on the shoulders of the brave women who served before them. She's not the only one in her family with a history of serving her country; her sister is a Navy veteran.
"I think women like my sister and I paved the way and opened the door for the women of today," she said.
Both Riley and her sister served during Operation Desert Storm as well as the present operations in Iraq. Riley said their mother once remarked, "You know the world has changed when you are buying kitchen gadgets for your sons and worrying about whether your daughters are going to war."
Riley, a Colorado native, is permanently assigned to the Alaska District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She volunteered for a six-month assignment to support the Iraqi reconstruction effort a few months ago. "After the attacks on Sept. 11, I wanted to do something patriotic," she said.
Her wish was granted when she was selected for a position as a realty specialist with the Gulf Region Division. She ensures that land leased by the U.S. government is returned to its original owners and processes claims for landowners to be compensated for the U.S. government's use of their property.
Although Riley no longer is in uniform, she said, her job as a civilian is rewarding.
"GRD has an important mission in rebuilding Iraq," said Riley. "The work here is very interesting, and I am pleased to be a part of it."
The Gulf Region Division has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. government and the government of Iraq. Since 2004, the division has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $8.9 billion, and has 361 projects ongoing.
(Chanel S. Weaver works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division in Iraq.)
Marines, Sailors Bring Aid to Philippines
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 2, 2009 - The U.S. military is providing critically needed disaster-relief supplies to mitigate suffering and prevent further loss of life in the wake of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck the Philippines on Sept. 25. "Marines and sailors are working with the Philippine government to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas the Philippine government deems most in need," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.
U.S. military personnel are delivering relief supplies to remote areas by way of air and ground, providing limited medical and dental care and establishing long-range communication capabilities for relief efforts.
A team of about 100 3rd MEF Marines flew from Okinawa to the Philippines Sept. 29 to assess the situation. The next day, U.S. Navy ships USS Denver, USS Tortuga, and USS Harpers Ferry, with embarked Marines and sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, set sail from Okinawa toward the Philippines.
Yesterday, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis, commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, flew to the Philippines from Okinawa to lead planning and humanitarian assistance efforts.
Medical personnel attached to the MEU set up a medical civil affairs program at an elementary school in Marikina City yesterday that provided care for more than 760 medical and dental patients. A food-distribution mission yesterday provided more than 2,400 meals for Quezon City residents.
C-130 transport aircraft from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing already have delivered humanitarian relief aid to the region. U.S. forces temporarily deployed in Zamboanga provided 20 personnel, a helicopter and
four Zodiac inflatable boats to move food and medical supplies and conduct initial rescue operations in the Manila area.
A 3rd MEF humanitarian assistance support team will arrive today to assess the operation and request additional support the areas hardest hit by the storm may need.
(From a 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force news release.)
Oct. 2, 2009 - The U.S. military is providing critically needed disaster-relief supplies to mitigate suffering and prevent further loss of life in the wake of Tropical Storm Ketsana, which struck the Philippines on Sept. 25. "Marines and sailors are working with the Philippine government to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the areas the Philippine government deems most in need," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Douglas Powell, spokesman for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force.
U.S. military personnel are delivering relief supplies to remote areas by way of air and ground, providing limited medical and dental care and establishing long-range communication capabilities for relief efforts.
A team of about 100 3rd MEF Marines flew from Okinawa to the Philippines Sept. 29 to assess the situation. The next day, U.S. Navy ships USS Denver, USS Tortuga, and USS Harpers Ferry, with embarked Marines and sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, set sail from Okinawa toward the Philippines.
Yesterday, Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis, commander of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, flew to the Philippines from Okinawa to lead planning and humanitarian assistance efforts.
Medical personnel attached to the MEU set up a medical civil affairs program at an elementary school in Marikina City yesterday that provided care for more than 760 medical and dental patients. A food-distribution mission yesterday provided more than 2,400 meals for Quezon City residents.
C-130 transport aircraft from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing already have delivered humanitarian relief aid to the region. U.S. forces temporarily deployed in Zamboanga provided 20 personnel, a helicopter and
four Zodiac inflatable boats to move food and medical supplies and conduct initial rescue operations in the Manila area.
A 3rd MEF humanitarian assistance support team will arrive today to assess the operation and request additional support the areas hardest hit by the storm may need.
(From a 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force news release.)
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Hawaii National Guard, FEMA Teams to Assist American Samoa
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - In response to Federal Emergency Management Agency requests, National Guard assets from Hawaii continue to provide air-cargo operations and other support to tsunami victims on American Samoa, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters here today. Support requested by American Samoa authorities includes power-generation equipment, medical supplies, food, water and shelter-support, including bedding and blankets, Whitman said.
"We'll continue to do that for some time," Whitman told reporters, noting nearly 100 Hawaii National Guard personnel are involved in airlift and humanitarian-relief operations for American Samoa.
An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands region Sept. 29, causing devastating 15-to-20-foot-high waves to cascade inland across the South Pacific archipelago, including the eastern side of American Samoa, a U.S. possession.
FEMA, which maintains well-stocked warehouses in Guam and Honolulu, is deploying resources to American Samoa, including water and meals, to support 70,000 survivors over the coming week.
Two C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes departed Hawaii today en route to American Samoa with FEMA members, food and water, and mortuary-affairs assets aboard, Whitman said. Another C-17 is slated to leave Hawaii for American Samoa later today, he added, carrying more equipment and supplies.
The first of four C-17 relief flights to American Samoa left Hawaii yesterday afternoon, Whitman said, carrying medical, search-and-rescue, and communications personnel, as well as supplies and equipment.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell yesterday outlined some of the infrastructure for the effort.
"We are providing Travis Air Force Base in California, Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii [and] Andersen Air Force Base in Guam as base support installations," he said. "These are basically staging areas for operations to provide aid and assistance to those in American Samoa. We're going to be providing medical triage, [hazardous materials] response, mass-casualty care and strategic airlift. That's what the focus at the outset will be of our assistance."
The Navy yesterday dispatched the frigate USS Ingraham to assist humanitarian-relief efforts in American Samoa. The Ingraham was in the region when the tsunami struck.
U.S. military personnel also are assisting relief efforts in the Philippines, which has experienced massive flooding.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - In response to Federal Emergency Management Agency requests, National Guard assets from Hawaii continue to provide air-cargo operations and other support to tsunami victims on American Samoa, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters here today. Support requested by American Samoa authorities includes power-generation equipment, medical supplies, food, water and shelter-support, including bedding and blankets, Whitman said.
"We'll continue to do that for some time," Whitman told reporters, noting nearly 100 Hawaii National Guard personnel are involved in airlift and humanitarian-relief operations for American Samoa.
An 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the Samoa Islands region Sept. 29, causing devastating 15-to-20-foot-high waves to cascade inland across the South Pacific archipelago, including the eastern side of American Samoa, a U.S. possession.
FEMA, which maintains well-stocked warehouses in Guam and Honolulu, is deploying resources to American Samoa, including water and meals, to support 70,000 survivors over the coming week.
Two C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes departed Hawaii today en route to American Samoa with FEMA members, food and water, and mortuary-affairs assets aboard, Whitman said. Another C-17 is slated to leave Hawaii for American Samoa later today, he added, carrying more equipment and supplies.
The first of four C-17 relief flights to American Samoa left Hawaii yesterday afternoon, Whitman said, carrying medical, search-and-rescue, and communications personnel, as well as supplies and equipment.
Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell yesterday outlined some of the infrastructure for the effort.
"We are providing Travis Air Force Base in California, Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii [and] Andersen Air Force Base in Guam as base support installations," he said. "These are basically staging areas for operations to provide aid and assistance to those in American Samoa. We're going to be providing medical triage, [hazardous materials] response, mass-casualty care and strategic airlift. That's what the focus at the outset will be of our assistance."
The Navy yesterday dispatched the frigate USS Ingraham to assist humanitarian-relief efforts in American Samoa. The Ingraham was in the region when the tsunami struck.
U.S. military personnel also are assisting relief efforts in the Philippines, which has experienced massive flooding.
New Missile Plan Serves Same Objectives, Officials Say
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - The adoption of a new U.S. missile defense approach does not represent a departure from earlier objectives nor was it influenced by U.S.-Russian relations, top Defense Department officials said today. Like the old system that would have placed missile defense equipment in Poland and the Czech Republic, the proposal announced last month places priority on protecting the United States, American troops abroad and NATO allies on the European continent, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers.
"Our recommendations are not a departure from the objectives," he told the House Armed Services Committee, referring to what he called the three-layered approach.
As opposed to earlier plans to build ground-based components in Eastern Europe, defense officials have said a new sea-based approach is better suited to intelligence on Iranian threats and would provide protection sooner.
Some have interpreted this move away from the plan to place advanced radars in the Czech Republic and 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland as intended to gain political favor with Moscow, which vocally opposed the ground-based approach. But in her remarks to the committee today, Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, emphasized that the decision to alter the missile defense system's architecture was aimed at better securing American interests.
"We certainly welcome Russian interest in the new approach, as well as potential Russian cooperation in sharing data from their radars. But this is not about Russia," she said. "It never has been about Russia. Regardless of the Russian reaction, we will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure our security and those of our partners and allies."
In December 2006, when intelligence suggested the development of Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile was the foremost threat to the United States and its allies, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recommended to then-President George W. Bush that the United States adopt the ground-based approach.
But with current intelligence reports suggesting Iran is moving faster to develop its shorter-range missiles, Gates has said the new architecture better protects the United States and its European allies.
"The original program that I recommended would have had no capability against short- and medium-range missiles until probably 2018," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference last month. "What the new system provides is some capability beginning in 2011 that will grow steadily each year in terms of its sophistication and its coverage of Europe. The next phase would begin in 2015."
Gates -- a former CIA director -- said the new arrangement is preferable even if U.S. intelligence assessments that indicate Iran is more focused on developing short and mid-range missiles over long-range capabilities prove incorrect.
Flournoy amplified that position at today's hearing, saying the previous configuration was based on threat information and technology that is now outdated.
"Circumstances have changed since then," she told lawmakers. "First, the intelligence picture has evolved. And second, we have made major strides in missile defense technologies and capabilities in just the last few years. We are now in a position to put in place a far more effective missile defense system more rapidly than just a few years ago."
An additional drawback to the previous plan was that ground-based interceptors designed to deal with no more than five enemy missiles at once were prone to being overwhelmed by a larger salvo fired simultaneously, Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told lawmakers.
"The previously proposed European defense architecture was insufficient to protect NATO and our forward-based forces, and provide redundant coverage of the United States homeland," he said.
President Barack Obama's announcement of the new program last month puts the United States on track for a four-phase missile defense program with the ultimate goal being a robust, interconnected, multinational system.
Deploying the Navy's ships equipped with the Aegis weapons system to the region by 2011 drives the new plan's initial phase. Their Standard Missile 3 interceptor has passed several tests in the past two years, and forward-position Army radar systems will support them.
This will give the military a smaller range of detection and protection, but is enough initially to protect U.S. troops and allies against Iran's shorter-range missiles, officials said.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - The adoption of a new U.S. missile defense approach does not represent a departure from earlier objectives nor was it influenced by U.S.-Russian relations, top Defense Department officials said today. Like the old system that would have placed missile defense equipment in Poland and the Czech Republic, the proposal announced last month places priority on protecting the United States, American troops abroad and NATO allies on the European continent, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told lawmakers.
"Our recommendations are not a departure from the objectives," he told the House Armed Services Committee, referring to what he called the three-layered approach.
As opposed to earlier plans to build ground-based components in Eastern Europe, defense officials have said a new sea-based approach is better suited to intelligence on Iranian threats and would provide protection sooner.
Some have interpreted this move away from the plan to place advanced radars in the Czech Republic and 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland as intended to gain political favor with Moscow, which vocally opposed the ground-based approach. But in her remarks to the committee today, Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, emphasized that the decision to alter the missile defense system's architecture was aimed at better securing American interests.
"We certainly welcome Russian interest in the new approach, as well as potential Russian cooperation in sharing data from their radars. But this is not about Russia," she said. "It never has been about Russia. Regardless of the Russian reaction, we will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure our security and those of our partners and allies."
In December 2006, when intelligence suggested the development of Iran's intercontinental ballistic missile was the foremost threat to the United States and its allies, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recommended to then-President George W. Bush that the United States adopt the ground-based approach.
But with current intelligence reports suggesting Iran is moving faster to develop its shorter-range missiles, Gates has said the new architecture better protects the United States and its European allies.
"The original program that I recommended would have had no capability against short- and medium-range missiles until probably 2018," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference last month. "What the new system provides is some capability beginning in 2011 that will grow steadily each year in terms of its sophistication and its coverage of Europe. The next phase would begin in 2015."
Gates -- a former CIA director -- said the new arrangement is preferable even if U.S. intelligence assessments that indicate Iran is more focused on developing short and mid-range missiles over long-range capabilities prove incorrect.
Flournoy amplified that position at today's hearing, saying the previous configuration was based on threat information and technology that is now outdated.
"Circumstances have changed since then," she told lawmakers. "First, the intelligence picture has evolved. And second, we have made major strides in missile defense technologies and capabilities in just the last few years. We are now in a position to put in place a far more effective missile defense system more rapidly than just a few years ago."
An additional drawback to the previous plan was that ground-based interceptors designed to deal with no more than five enemy missiles at once were prone to being overwhelmed by a larger salvo fired simultaneously, Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O'Reilly, director of the Missile Defense Agency, told lawmakers.
"The previously proposed European defense architecture was insufficient to protect NATO and our forward-based forces, and provide redundant coverage of the United States homeland," he said.
President Barack Obama's announcement of the new program last month puts the United States on track for a four-phase missile defense program with the ultimate goal being a robust, interconnected, multinational system.
Deploying the Navy's ships equipped with the Aegis weapons system to the region by 2011 drives the new plan's initial phase. Their Standard Missile 3 interceptor has passed several tests in the past two years, and forward-position Army radar systems will support them.
This will give the military a smaller range of detection and protection, but is enough initially to protect U.S. troops and allies against Iran's shorter-range missiles, officials said.
Army Confirms First Suspected H1N1-related Death
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - A soldier stationed at Fort Jackson, S.C., who died Sept. 10, possibly is the first H1N1-related death suffered by the U.S. armed forces, Army officials here said. Army Spc. Christopher Hogg, 23, of Dayton, Fla., died of pneumonia, but autopsy reports released yesterday confirm his death was the result of complications caused by the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu, said Karen Soule, a Fort Jackson spokeswoman.
Fort Jackson doesn't yet offer the H1N1 vaccine, but officials there expect the first supply to arrive this month, she added.
Fort Jackson is taking the issue seriously, Soule said. The base is the largest Army training facility with more than 10,000 soldiers stationed there at any given time. An H1N1 epidemic there could compromise the Army's ability to effectively produce soldiers to support fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, she explained.
Hoggs was a basic training recruit in his fifth week of training when he was taken to the hospital Sept. 1 for a fever and respiratory issues. He was set to graduate Oct. 15.
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - A soldier stationed at Fort Jackson, S.C., who died Sept. 10, possibly is the first H1N1-related death suffered by the U.S. armed forces, Army officials here said. Army Spc. Christopher Hogg, 23, of Dayton, Fla., died of pneumonia, but autopsy reports released yesterday confirm his death was the result of complications caused by the H1N1 virus, better known as swine flu, said Karen Soule, a Fort Jackson spokeswoman.
Fort Jackson doesn't yet offer the H1N1 vaccine, but officials there expect the first supply to arrive this month, she added.
Fort Jackson is taking the issue seriously, Soule said. The base is the largest Army training facility with more than 10,000 soldiers stationed there at any given time. An H1N1 epidemic there could compromise the Army's ability to effectively produce soldiers to support fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, she explained.
Hoggs was a basic training recruit in his fifth week of training when he was taken to the hospital Sept. 1 for a fever and respiratory issues. He was set to graduate Oct. 15.
Virginia Women's Group Donates Items for Troops
By Heather Forsgren WeaverAmerican Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - Sometime around Thanksgiving some troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will receive boxes filled with gifts from a women's group in Alexandria, Va. For the first time in 15 years of doing fall service projects, the Mount Vernon Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated granola and energy bars, mints, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other items at its annual dinner Sept. 26, 2009.
The Relief Society teamed up with Judith Albarelli, of Alexandria who has been sending boxes to Iraq since her son, Army Capt. Nolan Albarelli of the 25th Infantry Division, was deployed in 2006.
Albarelli told his mom that some of his men never got mail from home and that they needed new boots. Ms. Albarelli began collecting money for boots and items for boxes. She eventually sent 35 pair of Oakley boots and a themed box for each of the 15 months her son and his men were deployed.
"It then just became a bad habit," she jokingly said about something that has truly become a labor of love. Capt. Albarelli continues to give his mom names of soldiers who don't receive mail and may need extra encouragement. She sends the boxes to the troops until they return home and then a new group of troops is chosen.
As people heard about Albarelli's project, they started dropping items at her house. She gratefully accepts everything. "A little makes a lot," she said.
Albarelli doesn't receive requests for specific items, although she always asks the troops when they are first deployed, she said.
Troops especially like homemade cards from children and when a new group of servicemembers become recipients of Albarelli's boxes, she usually includes a large, handmade calendar that they can use to count down to when they come home, she said.
While the items are donated, Albarelli packs each box personally and pays the average $13 each to ship them.
"I want to pack the boxes. I want to know what is in the boxes," she said. "My part always has been and always will be to pay for shipping. That is my deal with God for bringing my son home."
The Relief Society gathers annually to do a service project and share a meal. This year, they filled 40 bags of requested items, said Deborah Blair, a group leader. The items will be sorted and combined with other items from the community, she said.
"We have the servicemembers on our minds during this difficult time," Blair said. "This project blends the church with service to the community and highlights our appreciation for the troops."
Afghan Decision Expected in Matter of Weeks
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - President Barack Obama is getting the ground-level perspective on Afghanistan, and soon will address the strategy and resources needed in the country, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expects a decision on the way forward in Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, Morrell told MSNBC. "I would remind you that the Bush administration when they were deliberating whether or not to surge forces into Iraq took about three months to come to that conclusion," he said.
Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, chief of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently submitted to the Pentagon and White House his assessment of Afghan operations and requirements. The general believes that the right strategy is more important than resources, Morrell said.
"We need to be much more focused on changing the strategy, changing how we behave on the ground in Afghanistan," Morrell said. "If we are able to win the trust and confidence of the Afghan people, if they trust that we are there by their side and committed to being there for the duration, he believes we can succeed."
The McChrystal strategy is making inroads with Gates, Morrell said. "The secretary, I think, is growing increasingly comfortable with that notion," he said.
The secretary has said he is uncomfortable with a large foreign military presence in Afghanistan. "General McChrystal was making the case to him and to others that it's not the size of the force; it's how that force behaves" that matters most, the press secretary said.
McChrystal believes the Afghan people do not regard U.S. and NATO forces as occupiers, Morrell said. This will continue as long as International Security Assistance Force personnel ensure the population is protected and that civilian casualties are kept to the minimum.
Obama's meeting yesterday with civilian and military leaders lasted three hours, Morrell said. Vice President Joe Biden; Gates; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, the assistant to the president for national security; and Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command; participated.
McChrystal, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ann Patterson joined the meeting by teleconference, Morrell said.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - President Barack Obama is getting the ground-level perspective on Afghanistan, and soon will address the strategy and resources needed in the country, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expects a decision on the way forward in Afghanistan in a matter of weeks, Morrell told MSNBC. "I would remind you that the Bush administration when they were deliberating whether or not to surge forces into Iraq took about three months to come to that conclusion," he said.
Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, chief of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently submitted to the Pentagon and White House his assessment of Afghan operations and requirements. The general believes that the right strategy is more important than resources, Morrell said.
"We need to be much more focused on changing the strategy, changing how we behave on the ground in Afghanistan," Morrell said. "If we are able to win the trust and confidence of the Afghan people, if they trust that we are there by their side and committed to being there for the duration, he believes we can succeed."
The McChrystal strategy is making inroads with Gates, Morrell said. "The secretary, I think, is growing increasingly comfortable with that notion," he said.
The secretary has said he is uncomfortable with a large foreign military presence in Afghanistan. "General McChrystal was making the case to him and to others that it's not the size of the force; it's how that force behaves" that matters most, the press secretary said.
McChrystal believes the Afghan people do not regard U.S. and NATO forces as occupiers, Morrell said. This will continue as long as International Security Assistance Force personnel ensure the population is protected and that civilian casualties are kept to the minimum.
Obama's meeting yesterday with civilian and military leaders lasted three hours, Morrell said. Vice President Joe Biden; Gates; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones, the assistant to the president for national security; and Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command; participated.
McChrystal, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Ann Patterson joined the meeting by teleconference, Morrell said.
MILITARY CONTRACTS October 1, 2009
AIR FORCE
Northrop Grumman Technical Services of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $3.8 billion contract to provide contractor logistics services in support of Air Mobility Command assets. At this time, $4,000,000 has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKA, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-10-D-0001).
MITRE Corp., of Bedford, Mass., was awarded a $360,211,389 contract to provide systems engineering and integration support for Air Force ceiling programs for fiscal year 2010. At this time $1,607,901 has been obligated. ESC/PKE, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting Activity (FA8721-10-C-0001).
Boeing Co., of Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a $270,891,078 contract to provide for the basic C-17 Globemaster III sustainment partnership contract. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 730 ACSG/GFKAA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004, P00TBD).
Salish & Kootenai Aerospace, Inc., of Saint Ignatius, Mont. was awarded a $77,000,000 which will provide for third party logistics management services to support the F-15 aircraft, low altitude navigation and targeting infrared for Night System Program Offices, and the Royal Saudi Air Force. At this time, $23,300,000 has been obligated. 830 ACSG/GFKA, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia is the contracting activity (FA8505-10-D-0001).
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems of Bellevue, Neb., was awarded a $53,466,566 contract which will extend the performance period for fiscal year 2010 through 2015, for systems engineering, management, development, and sustainment for Air Force weather systems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (FA4600-08-D-0002,P00013).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $49,212,364 contract which will add contingency operations for Fiscal Year 2010 and additional incentive fee metrics into the performance plan to support Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle fielded systems and subsystems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 560 ACSG/GFKAB, Robins, Kirtland Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8528-09-D-0001,P00005).
Science Applications International Corp., of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $21,965,395 contract which will provide technology development and research into optical division of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate to develop, simulate, analyze and characterize beam control systems for laser propagation, optical imaging, and target acquisition, pointing, and tracking applications. At this time, $284,300 has been obligated. AFRL/RDKL, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity (FA9451-09-C-0384).
Alliant Techsystems Inc., of Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $20,101,019 contract which will provide 200,000 rounds of 30 millimeter ammunition. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 667 AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8629-09-C-2442, P00001).
ACG Systems, Inc., of Annapolis, Md., was awarded a $25,000,000 contract which will provide land mobile radio accessories. At this time, $3,500,050 has been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCD, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3002-09-D-0012).
Defense Support Services of Mount Laurel, N.J., was awarded a $15,817,144 contract which will exercise Option 1 providing for civil engineering services at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, $15,817,144 has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCM, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3002-09-C-0003, Mod 07).
Angel Staffing, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas was awarded a $12,692,206 contract which will provide for the employment of approximately 280 nurses. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 37 CONS, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3047-08-D-0012).
L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $12,620,514 contract which will exercise option six of a contract that provides trainer maintenance at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, no money has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCA, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (F41689-03-C-0018).
BAE Systems Information and Electronics of Nashua, N.H., was awarded a $11,210,738 contract which will provide for performance based logistics services in support of a countermeasures test set determined to be a sole source to BAE Systems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 762 CBSG/GBBC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8535-09-D-0003).
Boeing Aerospace Operations of Oklahoma City, Okla., was awarded a $10,127,999 contract which will provide F-15/F-16, and F-22 contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-06-C-0004, P00011).
Crew Training International, Inc., of Memphis, Tenn., was awarded a $7,325,900 contract which will provide for RC/OC/WC-135 & E-4B contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-09-C-0007, P00001).
Five Rivers Services of Colorado Springs, Colorado was awarded a $7,222,560 contract which will provide for the management, operation, maintenance, and logistical support of nine Air Force Space Surveillance System field stations. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 21 CONS/LGCZB, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado is the contracting activity. (FA2517-09-C-8002, P00002)
PKL Services Incorporated of Poway California was awarded a $7,013,194 contract which will provide for Republic of Singapore Air Force maintenance services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 366 CONS/LGCA of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho is the contracting activity. (FA4897-08-C-2002, P00009)
T-Square Logistics Services Corporation of Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $6,962,201 contract which will exercise Option 2 which provides for logistics services to include base supply, fuels and vehicle maintenance, and operation at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCA, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3020-07-C-0007,P00016).
C2 Technologies, Inc. of Vienna, Va., was awarded a $6,605,308 contract which will provide for EC-130/A-10 contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity. (FA4890-08-C-0007, P00005)
TYBRIN Corp. of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $6,191,927 contract which will provide for non-personal advisory and assistance services to fully support aerospace research, development, test and evaluation activities at the Air Force Flight Test Center. At this time, no money has been obligated. AFFTC/PKTJ, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9304-09-C-0100).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Hutchinson Industries Inc., Trenton, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $106,566,600 firm-fixed price, sole-source contract for a run-flat kit. Other location of performance is Trenton, N.J. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sep. 29, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), Columbus, Ohio (SPM7LX-09-D-7137).
Abbott Labs, Inc., Abbott Park, Ill. is being awarded a maximum $54,874,910 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for chemical analyzers, accessories and reagents. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with 63 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is for a five-year base period. The date of performance completion is Oct. 1, 2015. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM200-09-D-8214).
Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $43,405,976 firm-fixed price contract for parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There were originally two proposals solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep. 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (SPRRA1-09-D-0060).
FLIR Systems Inc., Wilsonville, Ore. is being awarded a maximum $22,007,356 firm fixe- price, sole-source contract for turret assembly parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sep. 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (SPRRA1-09-D-0061 D.O. 0001).
Woodward Governor Co., Loves Park, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $8,542,200 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for main fuel control parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep. 29, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-07-D-0129/ZB01).
The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $6,481,934 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for aircraft steering units. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. This contract is exercising the second option year period. The date of performance completion is Sep. 15, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHB), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-04-G-023 D.O.0134).
Woodward Governor Co., Loves Park, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $5,929,582 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for main fuel control parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep.29, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-07-D-0174/ZB03).
NAVY
Sodexho Management, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., is receiving a $71,578,975 modification for the call up of Contract Year 8 (FY10 requirements) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract (M00027-02-C-0002) to provide food services to the Marine Corps and manage and operate their mess halls in the western region of the United States. This modification is only for the purpose of placing the required funding on this contract. This modification does not include any funding for work that is outside the scope of the original contract. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., (60 percent); Miramar, Calif., (5 percent); Twentynine Palms, Calif., (10 percent); San Diego, Calif., (10 percent); Bridgeport, Calif., (5 percent); and Yuma, Ariz., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total funded dollars for contract years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (five multi-year base period), and 6, 7, and 8 (3 option years) totals $532,089,467. The contracting activity is USMC Regional Contracting Office Southwest, Marine Corps Installations (MCI) West, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Network Communication Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $24,280,512 firm-fixed-price contract for all material and services to support system development and demonstration phase through preliminary design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted and fixed site) of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 System of Systems. This will provide combat troops protection against RCIEDs. CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles, and permanent structures. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., (84 percent), Sierra Vista, Ariz., (14 percent), and Kileen, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be complete by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-6317).
ITT Force Protection Systems (ITT FPS), Thousand Oaks, Calif., is being awarded a $16,021,056 firm-fixed-price contract for all material and services to support system development and demonstration phase through preliminary design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted and fixed site) of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 System of Systems. This will provide combat troops protection against RCIEDs. CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles, and permanent structures. Work will be performed Clifton, N.J., (41 percent), Annapolis Junction, Md., (30 percent), and Thousand Oaks, Calif., (29 percent), and is expected to be complete by March 2010 This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-6316).
Problem-Knowledge Coupler Corp.*, DBA Problem Knowledge Coupler, Burlington, Vt., is being awarded a $7,165,600 firm-fixed-price contract to provide military health system (MHS) enterprise software licenses to support DoD's use of custom screening tools, complete health screening, diagnostic, management and behavioral health tool sets (clinical couplers). This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $29,137,761. Work will be performed in Burlington, Vt., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2013. This contract was not procured competitively. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity (N65236-10-C-3100).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., McLean, Va., (N00189-10-D-Z002); Serco, Inc., Reston, Va., (N00189-10-D-Z003); and IBM Corp., Fairfax, Va. (N00189-10-D-Z004), are each being awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide decision support services for Bureau of Personnel Navy Personnel Research Studies and Technology, Millington, Tenn. This contract contains a one-year base period with two one-year option periods. For Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., the base amount is $7,067,825, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $37,572,915. For Serco, Inc., the base amount is $5,768,028, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $30,408,965. For IBM Corp., the base amount is $6,653,382, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $35,246,006. Work is to be performed in McLean, Va., (32 percent); Reston, Va., (32 percent); Fairfax, Va., (31 percent); and Millington, Tenn., (5 percent), and work is expected to be complete September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Philadelphia Division, is the contracting activity.
3M Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $6,450,672 firm-fixed-price contract to provide annual maintenance and support for the 3M Care Innovation licensed software product suite and also software support for BEA Systems Tuxedo and Medicomp MEDCIN. 3M Care Innovation provides the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application program's electronic health record database infrastructure, data standardization and normalization of data, as well as the longitudinal encounter integration of patient data worldwide across the Military Health System enterprise. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $32,967,023. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is expected to be completed by September 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2014. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively awarded. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity (N65236-10-C-3102).
Ibis Tek, LLC, Butler, Pa., is being awarded a $6,108,043 firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0008 under previously awarded contract (M67854-08-D-5046) for 360 degree light kits and consumables. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle 360 degree light kits are for the Caiman and Cat III Buffalo variants. Work will be performed in Butler, Pa., and is expected to be completed Dec. 4, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
NCI Information Systems, Inc., of Reston, Va., is being awarded a $12,056,789 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Six for information technology support of selected USTRANSCOM C4 systems and support functions. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (W91QUZ-04-D-0001-YK01/39)
Lockheed Martin Corp., of Manassas, Va., is being awarded an $11,712,704 fixed-price/labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Two for Global Transportation Network support. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source acquisition. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (HTC711-08-F-0047/P00013)
International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $8,050,340.03 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year One for portfolio Management and information technology investment strategies support. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Contract funds will expire Sept. 30, 2010. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill (HTC711-07-D-0011-0002/01).
Systems Research and Applications Corp., (SRA), of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $7,545,143 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year One for enterprise support services. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill (HTC711-09-F-0005/P00006).
Anvicom, Inc., of Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $7,385,340.48 firm fixed-price task order modification for Option Year One for integrated booking system software engineering services and support. Work will be performed at Alexandria, Va., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (HTC711-09-F-0011/P00002)
NCI Information Systems, Inc., of Reston, Va., is being awarded a $6,991,799 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Six for information technology support of selected USTRANSCOM and Air Mobility Command C4 systems and support functions. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (W91QUZ-04-D-0001-YK02/50)
Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc. (PSS), of McLean, Va., is being awarded a $6,242,182.96 firm fixed priced task order modification for Option Year Two for systems response center call center support. Work will be performed at Fairvew Heights, Ill., and McLean, Va., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., (HTC711-08-F-0031/P00007).
Northrop Grumman Technical Services of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $3.8 billion contract to provide contractor logistics services in support of Air Mobility Command assets. At this time, $4,000,000 has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKA, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-10-D-0001).
MITRE Corp., of Bedford, Mass., was awarded a $360,211,389 contract to provide systems engineering and integration support for Air Force ceiling programs for fiscal year 2010. At this time $1,607,901 has been obligated. ESC/PKE, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting Activity (FA8721-10-C-0001).
Boeing Co., of Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a $270,891,078 contract to provide for the basic C-17 Globemaster III sustainment partnership contract. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 730 ACSG/GFKAA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-C-2004, P00TBD).
Salish & Kootenai Aerospace, Inc., of Saint Ignatius, Mont. was awarded a $77,000,000 which will provide for third party logistics management services to support the F-15 aircraft, low altitude navigation and targeting infrared for Night System Program Offices, and the Royal Saudi Air Force. At this time, $23,300,000 has been obligated. 830 ACSG/GFKA, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia is the contracting activity (FA8505-10-D-0001).
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems of Bellevue, Neb., was awarded a $53,466,566 contract which will extend the performance period for fiscal year 2010 through 2015, for systems engineering, management, development, and sustainment for Air Force weather systems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (FA4600-08-D-0002,P00013).
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $49,212,364 contract which will add contingency operations for Fiscal Year 2010 and additional incentive fee metrics into the performance plan to support Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle fielded systems and subsystems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 560 ACSG/GFKAB, Robins, Kirtland Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8528-09-D-0001,P00005).
Science Applications International Corp., of San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $21,965,395 contract which will provide technology development and research into optical division of the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate to develop, simulate, analyze and characterize beam control systems for laser propagation, optical imaging, and target acquisition, pointing, and tracking applications. At this time, $284,300 has been obligated. AFRL/RDKL, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., is the contracting activity (FA9451-09-C-0384).
Alliant Techsystems Inc., of Mesa, Ariz., was awarded a $20,101,019 contract which will provide 200,000 rounds of 30 millimeter ammunition. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 667 AESS/SYKA, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8629-09-C-2442, P00001).
ACG Systems, Inc., of Annapolis, Md., was awarded a $25,000,000 contract which will provide land mobile radio accessories. At this time, $3,500,050 has been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCD, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3002-09-D-0012).
Defense Support Services of Mount Laurel, N.J., was awarded a $15,817,144 contract which will exercise Option 1 providing for civil engineering services at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, $15,817,144 has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCM, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3002-09-C-0003, Mod 07).
Angel Staffing, Inc., of San Antonio, Texas was awarded a $12,692,206 contract which will provide for the employment of approximately 280 nurses. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 37 CONS, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3047-08-D-0012).
L3 Communications Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $12,620,514 contract which will exercise option six of a contract that provides trainer maintenance at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, no money has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCA, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (F41689-03-C-0018).
BAE Systems Information and Electronics of Nashua, N.H., was awarded a $11,210,738 contract which will provide for performance based logistics services in support of a countermeasures test set determined to be a sole source to BAE Systems. At this time, no money has been obligated. 762 CBSG/GBBC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8535-09-D-0003).
Boeing Aerospace Operations of Oklahoma City, Okla., was awarded a $10,127,999 contract which will provide F-15/F-16, and F-22 contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-06-C-0004, P00011).
Crew Training International, Inc., of Memphis, Tenn., was awarded a $7,325,900 contract which will provide for RC/OC/WC-135 & E-4B contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity (FA4890-09-C-0007, P00001).
Five Rivers Services of Colorado Springs, Colorado was awarded a $7,222,560 contract which will provide for the management, operation, maintenance, and logistical support of nine Air Force Space Surveillance System field stations. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 21 CONS/LGCZB, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado is the contracting activity. (FA2517-09-C-8002, P00002)
PKL Services Incorporated of Poway California was awarded a $7,013,194 contract which will provide for Republic of Singapore Air Force maintenance services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 366 CONS/LGCA of Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho is the contracting activity. (FA4897-08-C-2002, P00009)
T-Square Logistics Services Corporation of Colorado Springs, Colo., was awarded a $6,962,201 contract which will exercise Option 2 which provides for logistics services to include base supply, fuels and vehicle maintenance, and operation at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 82 CONS/LGCA, Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3020-07-C-0007,P00016).
C2 Technologies, Inc. of Vienna, Va., was awarded a $6,605,308 contract which will provide for EC-130/A-10 contract aircrew training and courseware development services. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. ACC AMIC/PKB, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity. (FA4890-08-C-0007, P00005)
TYBRIN Corp. of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., was awarded a $6,191,927 contract which will provide for non-personal advisory and assistance services to fully support aerospace research, development, test and evaluation activities at the Air Force Flight Test Center. At this time, no money has been obligated. AFFTC/PKTJ, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9304-09-C-0100).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Hutchinson Industries Inc., Trenton, N.J., is being awarded a maximum $106,566,600 firm-fixed price, sole-source contract for a run-flat kit. Other location of performance is Trenton, N.J. Using services are Army and Marine Corps. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sep. 29, 2010. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), Columbus, Ohio (SPM7LX-09-D-7137).
Abbott Labs, Inc., Abbott Park, Ill. is being awarded a maximum $54,874,910 fixed-price with economic price adjustment contract for chemical analyzers, accessories and reagents. There are no other locations of performance. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. The original proposal was Web solicited with 63 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is for a five-year base period. The date of performance completion is Oct. 1, 2015. The contracting activity is the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM200-09-D-8214).
Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a maximum $43,405,976 firm-fixed price contract for parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There were originally two proposals solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep. 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (SPRRA1-09-D-0060).
FLIR Systems Inc., Wilsonville, Ore. is being awarded a maximum $22,007,356 firm fixe- price, sole-source contract for turret assembly parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is Sep. 30, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (SPRRA1-09-D-0061 D.O. 0001).
Woodward Governor Co., Loves Park, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $8,542,200 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for main fuel control parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep. 29, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-07-D-0129/ZB01).
The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., is being awarded a maximum $6,481,934 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for aircraft steering units. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. This contract is exercising the second option year period. The date of performance completion is Sep. 15, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHB), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-04-G-023 D.O.0134).
Woodward Governor Co., Loves Park, Ill., is being awarded a maximum $5,929,582 firm fixed-price, sole-source contract for main fuel control parts. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Army. There was originally one proposal solicited with one response. The date of performance completion is Sep.29, 2009. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency (DSCR-AHA), Redstone Arsenal, Ala., (W58RGZ-07-D-0174/ZB03).
NAVY
Sodexho Management, Inc., Gaithersburg, Md., is receiving a $71,578,975 modification for the call up of Contract Year 8 (FY10 requirements) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive contract (M00027-02-C-0002) to provide food services to the Marine Corps and manage and operate their mess halls in the western region of the United States. This modification is only for the purpose of placing the required funding on this contract. This modification does not include any funding for work that is outside the scope of the original contract. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., (60 percent); Miramar, Calif., (5 percent); Twentynine Palms, Calif., (10 percent); San Diego, Calif., (10 percent); Bridgeport, Calif., (5 percent); and Yuma, Ariz., (10 percent), and is expected to be completed by September 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The total funded dollars for contract years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (five multi-year base period), and 6, 7, and 8 (3 option years) totals $532,089,467. The contracting activity is USMC Regional Contracting Office Southwest, Marine Corps Installations (MCI) West, Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Northrop Grumman Space and Mission Systems, Network Communication Systems, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $24,280,512 firm-fixed-price contract for all material and services to support system development and demonstration phase through preliminary design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted and fixed site) of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 System of Systems. This will provide combat troops protection against RCIEDs. CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles, and permanent structures. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., (84 percent), Sierra Vista, Ariz., (14 percent), and Kileen, Texas (2 percent), and is expected to be complete by March 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-6317).
ITT Force Protection Systems (ITT FPS), Thousand Oaks, Calif., is being awarded a $16,021,056 firm-fixed-price contract for all material and services to support system development and demonstration phase through preliminary design review for the three capabilities (dismounted, mounted and fixed site) of the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) Electronic Warfare (JCREW) 3.3 System of Systems. This will provide combat troops protection against RCIEDs. CREW systems are designed to provide protection for foot soldiers, vehicles, and permanent structures. Work will be performed Clifton, N.J., (41 percent), Annapolis Junction, Md., (30 percent), and Thousand Oaks, Calif., (29 percent), and is expected to be complete by March 2010 This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with three offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-09-C-6316).
Problem-Knowledge Coupler Corp.*, DBA Problem Knowledge Coupler, Burlington, Vt., is being awarded a $7,165,600 firm-fixed-price contract to provide military health system (MHS) enterprise software licenses to support DoD's use of custom screening tools, complete health screening, diagnostic, management and behavioral health tool sets (clinical couplers). This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $29,137,761. Work will be performed in Burlington, Vt., and is expected to be completed by September 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2013. This contract was not procured competitively. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity (N65236-10-C-3100).
Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., McLean, Va., (N00189-10-D-Z002); Serco, Inc., Reston, Va., (N00189-10-D-Z003); and IBM Corp., Fairfax, Va. (N00189-10-D-Z004), are each being awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide decision support services for Bureau of Personnel Navy Personnel Research Studies and Technology, Millington, Tenn. This contract contains a one-year base period with two one-year option periods. For Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., the base amount is $7,067,825, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $37,572,915. For Serco, Inc., the base amount is $5,768,028, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $30,408,965. For IBM Corp., the base amount is $6,653,382, and the estimated value if all options are exercised is $35,246,006. Work is to be performed in McLean, Va., (32 percent); Reston, Va., (32 percent); Fairfax, Va., (31 percent); and Millington, Tenn., (5 percent), and work is expected to be complete September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three offers received. The Fleet and Industrial Supply Center Norfolk, Philadelphia Division, is the contracting activity.
3M Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, is being awarded a $6,450,672 firm-fixed-price contract to provide annual maintenance and support for the 3M Care Innovation licensed software product suite and also software support for BEA Systems Tuxedo and Medicomp MEDCIN. 3M Care Innovation provides the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application program's electronic health record database infrastructure, data standardization and normalization of data, as well as the longitudinal encounter integration of patient data worldwide across the Military Health System enterprise. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of the contract to $32,967,023. Work will be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is expected to be completed by September 2010. If all options are exercised, work could continue until September 2014. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively awarded. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic is the contracting activity (N65236-10-C-3102).
Ibis Tek, LLC, Butler, Pa., is being awarded a $6,108,043 firm-fixed-priced delivery order #0008 under previously awarded contract (M67854-08-D-5046) for 360 degree light kits and consumables. Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle 360 degree light kits are for the Caiman and Cat III Buffalo variants. Work will be performed in Butler, Pa., and is expected to be completed Dec. 4, 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured, with two offers received. Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity.
U.S. TRANSPORTATION COMMAND
NCI Information Systems, Inc., of Reston, Va., is being awarded a $12,056,789 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Six for information technology support of selected USTRANSCOM C4 systems and support functions. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (W91QUZ-04-D-0001-YK01/39)
Lockheed Martin Corp., of Manassas, Va., is being awarded an $11,712,704 fixed-price/labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Two for Global Transportation Network support. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole-source acquisition. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (HTC711-08-F-0047/P00013)
International Business Machines (IBM) Corp., of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $8,050,340.03 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year One for portfolio Management and information technology investment strategies support. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. Contract funds will expire Sept. 30, 2010. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill (HTC711-07-D-0011-0002/01).
Systems Research and Applications Corp., (SRA), of Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $7,545,143 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year One for enterprise support services. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill (HTC711-09-F-0005/P00006).
Anvicom, Inc., of Alexandria, Va., is being awarded a $7,385,340.48 firm fixed-price task order modification for Option Year One for integrated booking system software engineering services and support. Work will be performed at Alexandria, Va., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (HTC711-09-F-0011/P00002)
NCI Information Systems, Inc., of Reston, Va., is being awarded a $6,991,799 labor-hour task order modification for Option Year Six for information technology support of selected USTRANSCOM and Air Mobility Command C4 systems and support functions. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (W91QUZ-04-D-0001-YK02/50)
Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc. (PSS), of McLean, Va., is being awarded a $6,242,182.96 firm fixed priced task order modification for Option Year Two for systems response center call center support. Work will be performed at Fairvew Heights, Ill., and McLean, Va., and is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., (HTC711-08-F-0031/P00007).
Task Force Takes Up Effort to Prevent Suicides
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - Bonnie Carroll, co-chair of the congressionally mandated Suicide Prevention Task Force, aims to remove the stigma within the military of seeking mental health care. Carroll is the founder and executive director of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. The group represents all military families who have experienced the loss of a servicemember.
Carroll and co-chair Army Maj. Gen. Philip Volpe conducted the task force's first meeting here today. During an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Carroll said the task force represents a great change in attitude.
"This task force is a tremendous step forward on the part of the Department of Defense to look at suicide today and make a difference, to remove, once and for all, the stigma that kills," she said. "Removing stigma is a key message. If they had a broken leg, no one would question their going to seek medical attention.
"If they're struggling emotionally, mentally, psychologically, it is imperative that they get healthy psychologically and seek that care," she added. "We need [servicemembers] healthy and strong in every way."
Carroll said she's excited that the families' voices will be heard throughout this process. They often can provide hints about why the servicemember chose suicide -- hints that wouldn't be obvious from a fitness report or medical file. Their feedback could include a trauma from the past that had a lasting effect, she added.
"We're working so hard to incorporate the voice of those families so the lessons they have learned can speak to those still living," she said.
Volpe is the deputy commander of Joint Task Force, National Capital Region Medical, based at Bethesda Naval Base, Md.
The suicide prevention task force numbers 14 and includes military, both enlisted and officer; civilians, including representatives of each service; a chaplain; family members; academics; and researchers. The group will produce a report containing their findings and recommendations to the defense secretary for improving the Defense Department's suicide prevention program for all servicemembers.
After just the morning session, Volpe said he's impressed with the gravity being given to the topic by senior service leadership.
"I'm very impressed with a couple of things that we noticed right away in our first meeting. First off, that this has high visibility and it's at the upper levels of each military service," he said. "It also came across clear that all of the services are doing a number of programs at communities, on installations, training programs, education programs, some that are online, some that are in person."
The services are offering a wide variety and scope of programs, he added.
"What we are trying to do is figure out what are the best practices out there that could be shared amongst all the services," he said. "I wouldn't say we're trying to standardize. We're trying to assess what the services are doing, see how well their programs are working ... and then certain things could be shared and standardized."
Certain practices would remain specific to a service, however, because of differing cultures and organization, he added.
The task force understands the importance of the job ahead of them and that the result will be important to the nation which, Volpe said, owes it to servicemember to do "whatever we can to support" the men and women defending the country's freedom and values.
"There's enough external enemies of the United States," he said. "They don't need these internal enemies, too."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 1, 2009 - Bonnie Carroll, co-chair of the congressionally mandated Suicide Prevention Task Force, aims to remove the stigma within the military of seeking mental health care. Carroll is the founder and executive director of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. The group represents all military families who have experienced the loss of a servicemember.
Carroll and co-chair Army Maj. Gen. Philip Volpe conducted the task force's first meeting here today. During an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Carroll said the task force represents a great change in attitude.
"This task force is a tremendous step forward on the part of the Department of Defense to look at suicide today and make a difference, to remove, once and for all, the stigma that kills," she said. "Removing stigma is a key message. If they had a broken leg, no one would question their going to seek medical attention.
"If they're struggling emotionally, mentally, psychologically, it is imperative that they get healthy psychologically and seek that care," she added. "We need [servicemembers] healthy and strong in every way."
Carroll said she's excited that the families' voices will be heard throughout this process. They often can provide hints about why the servicemember chose suicide -- hints that wouldn't be obvious from a fitness report or medical file. Their feedback could include a trauma from the past that had a lasting effect, she added.
"We're working so hard to incorporate the voice of those families so the lessons they have learned can speak to those still living," she said.
Volpe is the deputy commander of Joint Task Force, National Capital Region Medical, based at Bethesda Naval Base, Md.
The suicide prevention task force numbers 14 and includes military, both enlisted and officer; civilians, including representatives of each service; a chaplain; family members; academics; and researchers. The group will produce a report containing their findings and recommendations to the defense secretary for improving the Defense Department's suicide prevention program for all servicemembers.
After just the morning session, Volpe said he's impressed with the gravity being given to the topic by senior service leadership.
"I'm very impressed with a couple of things that we noticed right away in our first meeting. First off, that this has high visibility and it's at the upper levels of each military service," he said. "It also came across clear that all of the services are doing a number of programs at communities, on installations, training programs, education programs, some that are online, some that are in person."
The services are offering a wide variety and scope of programs, he added.
"What we are trying to do is figure out what are the best practices out there that could be shared amongst all the services," he said. "I wouldn't say we're trying to standardize. We're trying to assess what the services are doing, see how well their programs are working ... and then certain things could be shared and standardized."
Certain practices would remain specific to a service, however, because of differing cultures and organization, he added.
The task force understands the importance of the job ahead of them and that the result will be important to the nation which, Volpe said, owes it to servicemember to do "whatever we can to support" the men and women defending the country's freedom and values.
"There's enough external enemies of the United States," he said. "They don't need these internal enemies, too."
Commander Reports on Africa Command Progress
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 30, 2009 - U.S. Africa Command is a "listening command" that has added value to U.S. government programs on the continent, the command's top military officer told the Atlantic Council here last night. Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, who stood up Africa Command this time last year, said the nation's newest combatant command is making inroads with Africans and is successful because it is helping African nations do what they need to do.
The question for the command "is how to move ahead in a way that causes the continent of Africa to be as stable as it can be," Ward said.
Africa is a vital national interest for the United States, Ward said, and it does have serious problems. "There are myriad security challenges to consider: the population explosion, illegal trafficking, national disasters, pandemic influenza outbreaks, the increase in insurgencies and piracy," he said.
But it also is important to speak about the opportunities on the continent, the general said. Africa, as a whole, is becoming more prosperous. More nations are embracing democracy. Regional and continental peacekeeping agencies and forces are in place.
"U.S. Africa Command's mission calls for us to do our work in concert with other U.S. government agencies and in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives," Ward said. "I want to emphasize that: we support -- not lead -- those other government agencies."
The command works to help countries establish or continue security. "There is a growing political will among nations to confront challenges and to be serious about providing for their own security," Ward said.
The general admitted that the command had a rough start. When African nations thought of the command, he explained, they thought of permanent bases with U.S. servicemembers conducting operations. "That's not the truth," he said. "And the last year has shown them that."
Some in American embassies on the continent feared that U.S. Africa Command was going to "militarize" American foreign policy on the continent, the general said. "We only operate in support of another federal agency," Ward said. For example, he noted, the command was not to take over the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development, but rather was to help the agency with its mission.
The command was designed to be something different, Ward said, and the appointment of Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates as the command's deputy to the commander for civil-military affairs was proof of that. Yates, now at the National Security Council, was a civilian voice at the highest level. More than 20 senior civilians from various agencies, including the Departments of State and Justice, are integral members of the command team. These men and women help the command understand the cultures, policies and processes of their parent agencies, Ward explained.
Security gets to the heart of challenges in Africa. It allows for economic growth, better medical care and more equitable distribution of resources, the general said. Africom works with the African Union, regional organizations and individual countries to bolster security efforts.
"We believe that professional African security institutions that operate within the rule of law and are responsive to civilian authority are key to bolstering conditions under which development can occur," he said.
The command provides planning and logistics help to African nations and regional organizations and works with other nations outside the continent to leverage the capacity-building activities. "We want to explore greater collaboration with African and European partners to eliminate duplication and maximize limited resources in order to improve security and stability in Africa," Ward said.
Still, he noted, the command is a combatant command. "We will respond to crises when directed by the president," Ward said. "Our aim is to deter conflict, but we do stand ready to take action when directed to do so by our commander in chief."
The command sponsors exercises throughout the continent that aim to encourage cooperation between the United States and individual countries, Ward said. Some also work to develop regional capabilities and improve communications and liaison among nations.
The command also schedules exercises with African land, sea and air forces, many of which aim to help the nations take responsibility for all areas of their country, including the resources off the coasts, he added.
Again, it all comes back to listening, the general said.
"There is always room for improvement," he said. "We are a listening and learning command, seeking the perspective of others so we can better understand how to develop and implement the programs that our partners make their own and use in their efforts to enhance their professionalism."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 30, 2009 - U.S. Africa Command is a "listening command" that has added value to U.S. government programs on the continent, the command's top military officer told the Atlantic Council here last night. Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward, who stood up Africa Command this time last year, said the nation's newest combatant command is making inroads with Africans and is successful because it is helping African nations do what they need to do.
The question for the command "is how to move ahead in a way that causes the continent of Africa to be as stable as it can be," Ward said.
Africa is a vital national interest for the United States, Ward said, and it does have serious problems. "There are myriad security challenges to consider: the population explosion, illegal trafficking, national disasters, pandemic influenza outbreaks, the increase in insurgencies and piracy," he said.
But it also is important to speak about the opportunities on the continent, the general said. Africa, as a whole, is becoming more prosperous. More nations are embracing democracy. Regional and continental peacekeeping agencies and forces are in place.
"U.S. Africa Command's mission calls for us to do our work in concert with other U.S. government agencies and in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives," Ward said. "I want to emphasize that: we support -- not lead -- those other government agencies."
The command works to help countries establish or continue security. "There is a growing political will among nations to confront challenges and to be serious about providing for their own security," Ward said.
The general admitted that the command had a rough start. When African nations thought of the command, he explained, they thought of permanent bases with U.S. servicemembers conducting operations. "That's not the truth," he said. "And the last year has shown them that."
Some in American embassies on the continent feared that U.S. Africa Command was going to "militarize" American foreign policy on the continent, the general said. "We only operate in support of another federal agency," Ward said. For example, he noted, the command was not to take over the mission of the U.S. Agency for International Development, but rather was to help the agency with its mission.
The command was designed to be something different, Ward said, and the appointment of Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates as the command's deputy to the commander for civil-military affairs was proof of that. Yates, now at the National Security Council, was a civilian voice at the highest level. More than 20 senior civilians from various agencies, including the Departments of State and Justice, are integral members of the command team. These men and women help the command understand the cultures, policies and processes of their parent agencies, Ward explained.
Security gets to the heart of challenges in Africa. It allows for economic growth, better medical care and more equitable distribution of resources, the general said. Africom works with the African Union, regional organizations and individual countries to bolster security efforts.
"We believe that professional African security institutions that operate within the rule of law and are responsive to civilian authority are key to bolstering conditions under which development can occur," he said.
The command provides planning and logistics help to African nations and regional organizations and works with other nations outside the continent to leverage the capacity-building activities. "We want to explore greater collaboration with African and European partners to eliminate duplication and maximize limited resources in order to improve security and stability in Africa," Ward said.
Still, he noted, the command is a combatant command. "We will respond to crises when directed by the president," Ward said. "Our aim is to deter conflict, but we do stand ready to take action when directed to do so by our commander in chief."
The command sponsors exercises throughout the continent that aim to encourage cooperation between the United States and individual countries, Ward said. Some also work to develop regional capabilities and improve communications and liaison among nations.
The command also schedules exercises with African land, sea and air forces, many of which aim to help the nations take responsibility for all areas of their country, including the resources off the coasts, he added.
Again, it all comes back to listening, the general said.
"There is always room for improvement," he said. "We are a listening and learning command, seeking the perspective of others so we can better understand how to develop and implement the programs that our partners make their own and use in their efforts to enhance their professionalism."
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
NORAD Fighters Escort Troubled Aircraft
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 30, 2009 - Two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft this morning near Muncie, Ind., at the North American Aerospace Defense Command's direction and escorted it and its unconscious pilot until they crashed, NORAD officials reported. NORAD scrambled the Air National Guard F-16s at about 9:30 a.m. Mountain time to intercept a Mooney, single-engine aircraft when it failed to respond to radio calls. The F-16 pilots reported the civilian pilot appeared to be unresponsive. They escorted the aircraft until it crashed at about 10:40 a.m. Mountain time in a rural area of Randolph County, Ind., Air Force Capt. Sharbe Clark, a NORAD spokesman said.
The civilian aircraft was not believed to be part of any terrorist activity, Clark said. It left Grand Rapids, Mich., on a post-maintenance flight and had been in contact with ground air traffic controllers before the communication lines stopped.
The F-16s escorted the aircraft, trying to re-establish communications with the pilot and monitoring its erratic flight as it continued to lose altitude, Clark said.
First responders and local law enforcement responded to the scene. No information is yet available about the fate of the pilot, and no injuries have been reported on the ground, according to Rachel Meyer of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Meyer called military interceptions an important element of homeland security.
Military interceptions typically are conducted to get the identified aircraft to re-establish communications with the local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and to direct them to land safely.
However, in cases like today's, the escorts monitor the aircraft's location and altitude and alert anyone in the area to help control the situation, Meyer said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 30, 2009 - Two F-16 fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft this morning near Muncie, Ind., at the North American Aerospace Defense Command's direction and escorted it and its unconscious pilot until they crashed, NORAD officials reported. NORAD scrambled the Air National Guard F-16s at about 9:30 a.m. Mountain time to intercept a Mooney, single-engine aircraft when it failed to respond to radio calls. The F-16 pilots reported the civilian pilot appeared to be unresponsive. They escorted the aircraft until it crashed at about 10:40 a.m. Mountain time in a rural area of Randolph County, Ind., Air Force Capt. Sharbe Clark, a NORAD spokesman said.
The civilian aircraft was not believed to be part of any terrorist activity, Clark said. It left Grand Rapids, Mich., on a post-maintenance flight and had been in contact with ground air traffic controllers before the communication lines stopped.
The F-16s escorted the aircraft, trying to re-establish communications with the pilot and monitoring its erratic flight as it continued to lose altitude, Clark said.
First responders and local law enforcement responded to the scene. No information is yet available about the fate of the pilot, and no injuries have been reported on the ground, according to Rachel Meyer of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
Meyer called military interceptions an important element of homeland security.
Military interceptions typically are conducted to get the identified aircraft to re-establish communications with the local Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers and to direct them to land safely.
However, in cases like today's, the escorts monitor the aircraft's location and altitude and alert anyone in the area to help control the situation, Meyer said.
Officials Announce Homeowners Assistance Program Details
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 30, 2009 - Defense Department officials today announced the details for distributing $555 million available under the Homeowners Assistance Program. The program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February, and it's designed to partially reimburse those whose service to the nation has required them to relocate and sell their primary residence at a loss.
Those eligible include active and former servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. It also includes Defense Department and Coast Guard civilian employees and nonappropriated fund civilians.
The money -- which also is available to surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers and civilian employees -- is for those who lost money on their homes after having to sell them in the down economy.
At the top of the program's priority list are those wounded, injured or ill. Within that category, applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the wound, injury or illness, officials said. The program covers those wounded, injured of ill since Sept. 11, 2001, and who relocate for medical treatment.
Next are surviving spouses moving within two years of the death of the spouse. Applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the servicemember's or employee's date of death.
Next up are servicemembers and civilians affected by the 2005 base realignment and closure process. Applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the date of job elimination, officials said. Under the legislation, homeowners do not have to prove that the BRAC process caused the drop in housing price.
Servicemember homeowners receiving orders dated on or after Feb. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2009, for a permanent change of station move are next on the priority list. The orders must specify a reporting date on or before Feb. 28, 2010, to a new duty station or home port outside a 50-mile radius of the former duty station. These dates may be extended to Sept. 30, 2012, based on availability of funds, officials said.
The Army Corps of Engineers is handling the processing. People wishing to apply or seeking more information can go to http://hap.usace.army.mil.
The program has been in place since 1966, when it was used to mitigate the effect of a base closure on home prices. The current program is expanded to cover those affected by the economic downturn. The program is not designed to pay 100 percent of losses or to cover all declines in value, officials said, but it can help to protect eligible applicants from financial catastrophe due to significant losses in their home values.
Sept. 30, 2009 - Defense Department officials today announced the details for distributing $555 million available under the Homeowners Assistance Program. The program is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in February, and it's designed to partially reimburse those whose service to the nation has required them to relocate and sell their primary residence at a loss.
Those eligible include active and former servicemembers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard. It also includes Defense Department and Coast Guard civilian employees and nonappropriated fund civilians.
The money -- which also is available to surviving spouses of fallen servicemembers and civilian employees -- is for those who lost money on their homes after having to sell them in the down economy.
At the top of the program's priority list are those wounded, injured or ill. Within that category, applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the wound, injury or illness, officials said. The program covers those wounded, injured of ill since Sept. 11, 2001, and who relocate for medical treatment.
Next are surviving spouses moving within two years of the death of the spouse. Applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the servicemember's or employee's date of death.
Next up are servicemembers and civilians affected by the 2005 base realignment and closure process. Applications generally will be processed in chronological order of the date of job elimination, officials said. Under the legislation, homeowners do not have to prove that the BRAC process caused the drop in housing price.
Servicemember homeowners receiving orders dated on or after Feb. 1, 2006, through Dec. 31, 2009, for a permanent change of station move are next on the priority list. The orders must specify a reporting date on or before Feb. 28, 2010, to a new duty station or home port outside a 50-mile radius of the former duty station. These dates may be extended to Sept. 30, 2012, based on availability of funds, officials said.
The Army Corps of Engineers is handling the processing. People wishing to apply or seeking more information can go to http://hap.usace.army.mil.
The program has been in place since 1966, when it was used to mitigate the effect of a base closure on home prices. The current program is expanded to cover those affected by the economic downturn. The program is not designed to pay 100 percent of losses or to cover all declines in value, officials said, but it can help to protect eligible applicants from financial catastrophe due to significant losses in their home values.
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