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DoD Funds Projects to Address Defense Industry Manufacturing Gaps
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DoD Funds Projects to Address Defense Industry Manufacturing Gaps

The Department of Defense (DoD) has issued awards worth almost $27 million for nine projects that will prototype manufacturing technologies in support of the defense industrial base.

The investment supports the National Imperative for Industrial Skills initiative that aims to address the engineering skills gap in the defense industry, DoD said Monday.

The department selected projects froma five-year request for proposals launched earlier this year.

“I am confident that this effort will enable greater stakeholder cooperation across the U.S. industrial base and encourage more partners to come forward to join the effort to drive sufficient scale and velocity into our industrial workforce development pipelines, all with the end goal of elevating U.S. manufacturing to world-leading status," said Adele Ratcliff, the director of DoD's Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program office that runs the initiative.

DoD plans to issue more awards in fiscal 2021, in addition to the existing ones that awarded to parties in Alabama, Connecticut, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Texas.

The department expects the initiative to support the country's production and procurement of missiles, naval ships, aircraft and other defense systems.

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FAA Sets Criteria for Complex UAS Service Certifications
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FAA Sets Criteria for Complex UAS Service Certifications

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a set of criteria to guide proposed unmanned aircraft system certification across 10 different drone service applicants. 

FAA said Monday that its proposed airworthiness criteria are made to standardize safety in the same way done by standards for other aircraft types.

The proposed criteria would apply to drone services operated by 3D Robotics, Airobotics, Amazon, Flirtey, Flytrex, Matternet, Percepto, Telegrid, Wingcopter and Zipline.

The agency will use the criteria to determine the certification of the mentioned companies for complex drone operations. FAA invites the public to comment on airworthiness criteria for each of the applicant companies over a 30-day period.

Bipartisan Legislation to Develop National Database on Flood Risk Data
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Bipartisan Legislation to Develop National Database on Flood Risk Data

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., has unveiled a bipartisan bill that seeks to develop a national database to assist coastal communities in handling flood risks.

The National Sea Level Risk Analysis Act will require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to gather and consolidate data on flood risks within the U.S. into a centralized database, the office of Nydia Velasquez said Thursday.

The database, dubbed as the National Coastal Data Information System, will include maps and information on rising sea levels.

According to a report, the bill will also direct NOAA to augment the federal government's partnership with coastal communities and build information products and services to address their needs.

"When we can assess how these changes may impact New York City through the information being added to this database, we can prepare sustainable infrastructure to protect our buildings and ensure the safety of our community against any disaster that comes its way," said Velasquez.

Various organizations such as Roots Action and Sequoia Forest endorsed the bipartisan bill.

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USAF Launches Program to Boost Airmen’s Digital Skills; Lt. Gen. Christopher Weggeman Quoted
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USAF Launches Program to Boost Airmen’s Digital Skills; Lt. Gen. Christopher Weggeman Quoted

The U.S. Air Force has initiated an effort to help airmen access educational opportunities on digital technology, The Digital University program will provide airmen and U.S. Space Force members free access to over 12,000 courses from Pluralsight, Udacity and Udemy, USAF said Friday.

“There is hidden talent and untapped potential out there – our job is to seek it out and feed the digital hunger in our Airmen,” said Lt. Gen. Christopher Weggeman, deputy commander of Air Combat Command (ACC).

Digital University's offered courses will tackle multiple applications and topics including computer programming, game development, conflict management and public speaking.

The program's pilot will run through June 2021 before Pluralsight and Udacity licenses, including those for nano-degrees, are added to the offerings.

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Tetra Tech JV Wins FEMA Contract to Support Disaster Resilience
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Tetra Tech JV Wins FEMA Contract to Support Disaster Resilience

A Tetra Tech-led joint venture (JV) has been awarded a five-year, $50 million contract from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to increase resilience and reduce the costs of recovery efforts in disaster-stricken communities, Tetra Tech reported on Monday. 

“Tetra Tech has supported disaster response and mitigation activities in more than 3,000 communities in some of the most hazard-prone areas of the United States,” said Dan Batrack, Tetra Tech chairman and CEO.

Under the single-award contract with FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Technical Assistance Program, Tetra Tech will help communities plan for and recover from increasingly frequent and intense natural disasters.

The company’s team will provide essential technical support services for effective hazard mitigation programs to reduce damages due to flood, earthquake and wildfire events, as well as increase community resilience throughout FEMA regions 5, 6 and 7. 

The Tetra Tech JV will leverage innovative technologies to collect data, assess damaged properties and prioritize disaster-impacted areas to enable FEMA to direct resources to support rapid recovery and increased community resilience to future events. 

The team’s technical specialists will streamline collection, analysis and presentation of key findings using unmanned aerial systems, enhanced field-enabled software tools, predictive models and customized management dashboards. The tools will help FEMA prioritize missions. 

“Using our Leading with Science approach, we apply emerging technologies and advanced analytics expertise to help communities recover faster from natural disasters and become more resilient,” Batrack added. 

About Tetra Tech

Tetra Tech is a leading provider of high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 20,000 associates working together, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to complex problems in water, environment, infrastructure, resource management, energy, and international development. We are Leading with Science to provide sustainable and resilient solutions for our clients.

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Jacobs Launches ‘Pavy’ Cloud Platform to Improve Asset Management
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Jacobs Launches ‘Pavy’ Cloud Platform to Improve Asset Management

Jacobs has launched Pavy, a proprietary cloud-based platform, that will provide advanced asset management of airfields, the company reported on Wednesday. Pavy completed a successful trial period, and will now be integrated into airports to manage airfield pavements.

"With Pavy, our new cloud-based platform, airports around the globe can better plan pavement investments and prioritize critical interventions," said Jacobs People & Places Solutions Senior Vice President Europe and Digital Strategies Donald Morrison. 

Jacob’s Pavy is a customizable platform that will advance airport control by enabling strategic, data-led decisions about airfield investment. Pavy will enable airports to leverage their data to build stronger business cases for additional funding requests. 

"Pavy, along with Jacobs' consultation support, aims to provide optimized CapEx spend profiles, client decision support and contribute in future airfield pavement planning,” said Heathrow Airport senior engineer Louise Batts.

By showing where investment will be needed over 5-year periods, Pavy provides a strategic decision enabler by connecting engineering and finance teams to help balance costs, risk and performance.

“Immediate feedback and basic scenario forecasting combined with visual plans, gives Pavy an opportunity to change the field of Airfield Pavement Asset Management. The work Jacobs has done here, and the future of Pavy is really exciting," Batts added. 

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. 

With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.

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DCS Wins AFLCMC Task Order to Provide ISR Capabilities; Randy Washington Quoted
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DCS Wins AFLCMC Task Order to Provide ISR Capabilities; Randy Washington Quoted

DCS Corporation has been awarded a  five-year, $48 million task order to support the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and Special Operations Forces (ISR/SOF) Directorate's Global Hawk Division under the Air Force's EPASS program, the company reported on Tuesday. 

Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft with an integrated sensor suite. The Global Hawk provides persistent near-real-time coverage using imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, and moving target indicator sensors. 

"DCS is excited for the opportunity to provide support to the Air Force's remotely piloted Global Hawk fleet of aircraft," DCS president and chief operating officer Randy Washington stated. "Our history of providing ISR expertise positions us well to support the Global Hawk mission, delivering the technical excellence and quality for which DCS is known."

Under the contract, DCS will deliver services across acquisition, engineering, scientific, research, finance and administrative support. The company will support U.S. Air Force aircraft research, development, production, life cycle acquisition and sustainment activities as well as Foreign Military Sales (FMS) support.

Full contract performance began at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB), Ohio, and Robins AFB, Georgia. Subcontractors on the award include Abacus, Imagintel, MAG Aerospace, Sumaria, and WBB.

About DCS Corporation

DCS is a 100% employee owned, mid-sized company that offers advanced technology, engineering, and management solutions to Government agencies in the Department of Defense and national security sector. 

The transformative ideas, commitment to quality, and entrepreneurial spirit that characterize our employee-owners allow us to ensure the success of each customer's mission and actively contribute to the well-being of the Nation.

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Amentum Selected for $95M TRSS IDIQ Contract; Jill Bruning Quoted
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Amentum Selected for $95M TRSS IDIQ Contract; Jill Bruning Quoted

Amentum has been selected for the seven year, $95 million, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) Tenant Renovation for Secure Spaces (TRSS) contract vehicle, the company reported on Tuesday.

“Amentum is looking forward to supporting the Army Corps of Engineers through the task orders we secure under TRSS,” said Jill Bruning, executive vice president and general manager of Amentum’s IS4 strategic business unit and 2016 Wash100 Award recipient.

Under the multiple award contract vehicle, Amentum will compete for firm, fixed-price task orders to conduct facility renovations and repairs of U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide.

“We’re excited to apply our 30-plus years of experience successfully performing secure renovations at U.S. facilities around the world,” Bruning added.

Amentum has recently expanded it’s defense offerings with the acquisition of DynCorp International. The purchase has accelerated Amentum’s growth into key new markets, such as contractor logistics support, intelligence solutions, and training, John Vollmer, Amentum CEO and 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, reported.

Amentum entered the DynCorp acquisition on Sept. 24. Following the announcement, ExecutiveBiz followed up with Vollmer to gain additional insights on how the purchase would shape Amentum’s strategy and offerings.

ExecutiveBiz: What are some of the initiatives Amentum will pursue in new markets once the acquisition is complete?

“Some of the primary markets that both companies plan to emerge in are asset management, critical infrastructure and supply chain management. That is a market for the federal marketplace, not just the Department of Defense (DoD), but also the Department of Energy (DoE) and other federal agencies as well.”

To read John Vollmer’s full Executive Spotlight, visit blog.executivebiz.com.

About Amentum

Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. We draw from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., we employ more than 34,000 people in all 50 states and 105 foreign countries and territories. Visit us at amentum.com to explore how we deliver excellence for our customers’ most vital missions.

U.S. Army Plans Missile Defense, Space Tech R&D Contract
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U.S. Army Plans Missile Defense, Space Tech R&D Contract

The Army Contracting Command has indicated its intent to award Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory a sole-source, $92.5M indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development services to the military branch's Applied Science, Systems Engineering and Space Science Support program.

A SAM notice posted Thursday lists the following eight core competencies under the military branch's ASSESSS program:

  • Strategic systems test and evaluation
  • Submarine security and survivability
  • Space science and engineering
  • Combat systems and guided missiles
  • Theater air defense and power projection
  • Information technology
  • Simulation, modeling and operations analysis
  • Mission-related and public-service oriented research, technology development, test, evaluation and system analysis

 

Scope of work includes fundamental technology research, technology insertion planning and execution, risk mitigation strategy development, hardware and software modeling, engineering analysis and quantification of research impact.

The proposed single-award IDIQ has a 12-month base period of performance and four one-year option periods.

In the same notice, ACC said the command is exploring potential sources of missile defense, space science and systems engineering support necessary to accelerate transition of new technology to soldiers.

Interested parties can submit written statements of capability until Dec. 8.

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Air Force Reorganizes Groups Within 688th Cyberspace Wing; Col. Joshua Rockhill Quoted
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Air Force Reorganizes Groups Within 688th Cyberspace Wing; Col. Joshua Rockhill Quoted

The U.S. Air Force is reorganizing several components of the 688th Cyberspace Wing to form a single group to oversee network and security operations, C4ISRNET reported Monday. 

Col. Joshua Rockhill, commander of the 26th Cyberspace Operations Group, said the new entity will serve as the lead integrator for security incidents at the tactical level and work with local network defenders to collect alerts and produce automated responses.  

“Our sense is [the reorganization] will be a significant improvement, but the experiment will bear the out,” Rockhill said. “We think this approach across people, process and tech is going to help the 688th Cyber Wing do its part to enable a digital future.” 

The 26th Cyber Operations Group, 690th Cyberspace Operations Group and the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group are the units the service is reorganizing as part of an experiment to establish a single cell.  

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