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MDA Seeks Vendors to Support Radar Surveillance System
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MDA Seeks Vendors to Support Radar Surveillance System

The Missile Defense Agency is conducting market research to identify qualified vendors that can support future requirements of the Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance and Control Model-2 system.

The upcoming MDA requirements include development services, which cover software maintenance and upgrades, system hardware modernization, system engineering, and modeling and simulation, according to a Thursday notice posted on SAM.gov.

The AN/TPY-2, a mobile defense radar system designed to detect, track and intercept ballistic missiles, also requires manufacturing support. They include production components, system engineering, integrated logistics, program management, test functions, radar operations and logistics services, and sustainment engineering services.

Interested parties are invited to submit responses that address all or portions of the specified project requirements. MDA’s Ground Sensors Directorate also calls on businesses to provide recommendations on contracting strategies, such as the potential advantages of offering the opportunity exclusively to small businesses.

Submissions of white papers and capability statements will be accepted no later than Jan. 7, 2025.

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Navy Conducts Flight Test With Lockheed, General Atomics
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Navy Conducts Flight Test With Lockheed, General Atomics

The U.S. Navy has conducted a flight test to demonstrate its Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control Station’s ability to command different types of unmanned aircraft.

The Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Office—a.k.a. PMA-268—conducted the exercise with Lockheed Martin in California to showcase connectivity between the control station, dubbed UMCS, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ MQ-20 Avenger, the Naval Air Systems Command said Thursday.

During the Tuesday test flight, Navy air vehicle pilots at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland controlled the MQ-20 through the UMCS, which enabled beyond-the-line-of-sight connection to unmanned aircraft using a low Earth orbit satellite constellation. The control station also relayed flight control commands and received mission systems data.

Lockheed’s Multi-Domain Combat System powered the UMCS during the demo, which Lt. Steven Wilster, an MQ-25 pilot, described as a significant advancement for unmanned naval aviation. “The team is paving the way for integrating critical unmanned capability across the joint force to combat the high-end threat our warfighters face today and in the future,” he explained.

The exercise is part of ongoing efforts by the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps to develop and advance technologies for their envisioned collaborative combat aircraft platforms.

The flight test data will help PMA-268 to improve the program’s requirements and develop key command and control capabilities. More tests are lined up to demonstrate autonomy, mission systems, crewed-uncrewed teaming and advanced communications.

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NASA, Ohio State to Study In-Space Use of Laser Beam Welding
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NASA, Ohio State to Study In-Space Use of Laser Beam Welding

NASA has partnered with The Ohio State University to enhance in-space manufacturing through laser beam welding.

The agency said Thursday the collaboration aims to boost the capabilities of manufacturing in space with the goal of eventually building large structures and doing repair work on the Moon and possibly paving the way for bringing humans to Mars and beyond.

Laser Beam Welding in Space

The two organizations are working together to better understand how welding works in space, particularly the effects of laser beam welding in low gravity and in a combined vacuum. Researchers are evaluating the effects of simulated space conditions, including temperature and heat transfer in a vacuum, on welding.

A joint team from Ohio State’s Welding Engineering and Multidisciplinary Capstone Programs and Marshall’s Materials & Processes Laboratory was able to perform fiber laser beam welding while onboard a commercial aircraft that simulated reduced gravity and did parabolic flight maneuvers. During the test, researchers managed to complete 69 out of 70 laser welding experiments while floating in microgravity.

Andrew O’Connor, Marshall Space Flight Center materials scientist, said, “The ability to weld structures in space would also eliminate the need to transport rivets and other materials, reducing payloads for space travel.”

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Air Force, Navy Demo Minuteman III ICBM
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Air Force, Navy Demo Minuteman III ICBM

The Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen and Navy aircrew have conducted a demonstration of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 5 at the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The Air Force said Wednesday the joint team launched an unarmed Minuteman III ICBM from the Airborne Launch Control System, or ALCS. The test launch was conducted to determine the ICBM’s operational capability and the reliability and effectiveness of the ALCS. It was also intended to assess the effectiveness of the United States’ nuclear deterrent in tackling modern threats.

Minuteman III ICBM Test

During the test launch, members of the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron based at Offutt Air Force Base were aboard the U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury. The Minuteman III missile, equipped with multiple targetable re-entry vehicles, traveled approximately 4,200 miles to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Reagan Test Site sensors were utilized during the demonstration to collect radar, optical and telemetry data in the terminal phase of flight. The data were then used to assess the system’s performance. Furthermore, the collected data collected will be used by the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy and U.S. Strategic Command to evaluate force development.

“These tests are demonstrative of what Striker Airmen bring to the fight if called by the president,” said Gen. Thomas A. Bussiere, commander of AFGSC. “An airborne launch validates the survivability of our ICBMs, which serve as the strategic backstop of our nation’s defense and defense of allies and partners.”

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US Army Purchases Kraus Hamdani Aerospace’s Solar Drone
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US Army Purchases Kraus Hamdani Aerospace’s Solar Drone

The U.S. Army has purchased $20 million worth of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace’s solar drones after using a small number of the systems in regions like the Philippines and Guam.

The K1000 ultra long-endurance unmanned aircraft system aims to develop aerial tier network extension for communications, electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, Kraus Hamdani Aerospace said in an Oct. 30 statement.  

Fatema Hamdani, CEO and co-founder of Kraus Hamdani Aerospace, said, “Over time, we have matured our technology in line with the requirements of the U.S. Army and continue to align the K1000ULE to meet the needs of the warfighter in a dynamically changing environment.”

K1000ULE Details

The K1000ULE reportedly fits inside a standard case and takes operators about 10 minutes to assemble and launch. The aircraft currently lacks landing gear and uses 3D-printed skids that can be switched out after they can no longer operate. 

The aircraft, which features two solar panels on its wings, flew for 75 hours and 53 minutes at Pendleton UAS test range in Oregon, breaking the endurance record for class 2 unmanned aerial systems.

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Lauren Stocker Named Deputy Associate Director at OMB
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Lauren Stocker Named Deputy Associate Director at OMB

Lauren Stocker has joined the Office of Management and Budget to serve as deputy associate director of the Office of Performance and Personnel Management, or PPM.

Announcing her new role via LinkedIn on Nov. 2, Stocker thanked her colleagues at the General Services Administration for the opportunities and growth she enjoyed in the past 12 years. The new appointee said she looks forward to a new chapter at OMB, which she described as a partner during her time at GSA.

At PPM, Stocker will support the office’s mission of improving the outcomes of federal programs, organizations and policies.

Stocker’s Career Trajectory

Stocker was the acting deputy associate administrator and associate director of the Office of Shared Solutions and Performance Improvement at GSA, where she drove innovation and promoted collaboration. She also helped address future challenges while serving as director of the White House Leadership Development Program.

Earlier in her career, Stocker was a contract negotiator at the Department of the Navy and a contract specialist at the Executive Office of the President.

The new White House official earned her master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Duke University.

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Tracie Lattimore Takes on Acting DASD Position at DOD
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Tracie Lattimore Takes on Acting DASD Position at DOD

The Department of Defense’s Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness has appointed Tracie Lattimore, a public health executive, as acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for health readiness policy and oversight.

Lattimore announced her new position in a LinkedIn post published Tuesday.

Lattimore’s Career History

The U.S. Navy veteran most recently served as executive director of health readiness policy and oversight within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to her return to DOD, she was a senior director at Ginkgo Bioworks.

She served in the White House as a program examiner for the Veterans Affairs and Defense Health branch within the Office of Management and Budget and as executive director of the National Science and Technology Council and senior policy adviser within the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Lattimore started her career within the Navy as a nurse and went on to serve as a senior health policy analyst within the Defense Health Agency and director of the U.S. Army’s Traumatic Brain Injury Program.

Join the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit on Dec. 11, to explore the transformative trends and innovations shaping the future of the U.S. healthcare sector.

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Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess: Commercial Integration Cell Expanding
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Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess: Commercial Integration Cell Expanding

Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, commander of Space Forces-Space and the Combined Joint Force Space Component, said five companies have been added to the Commercial Integration Cell, or CIC, and two more mission partners are expected to get on board by early 2025, Breaking Defense reported Wednesday.

“We are continually trying to up our game in the commercial world,” Schiess said at an event Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Space Force told the publication that as of October, 15 commercial space operators are under CIC.

Ten of those 15 are legacy partners: Hughes, SpaceX, XTAR, Inmarsat, Viasat, Eutelsat, SES, Maxar, Iridium and Intelsat. The five new partners are BlackSky, Kratos, Leolabs, ICEYE and Telesat.

“Hawkeye 360 and Exoanalytic have agreed to join, and we look forward to welcoming them to the CIC in the future,” the spokesperson added.

What Is CIC?

According to a Space Force announcement, CIC facilitates technology and operational exchange between commercial partners and U.S. Space Command to quickly respond to space events and improve space domain awareness.

CIC partners have initially provided satellite communications and imagery. With the additional companies, mission areas will now include space domain awareness and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

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USCG Unveils Small Business Awardees on $4B Construction Contract
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USCG Unveils Small Business Awardees on $4B Construction Contract

The U.S. Coast Guard has announced the small business awardees on Pool 2 and Pool 3 of the third iteration of the potential 10-year, $4 billion National Multiple Award Construction Contract, or NMACC.

According to a notice published Wednesday on SAM.gov, the Department of Homeland Security’s USCG awarded the two pools for the NMACC III contract vehicle in August.

There are eight awardees on Pool 2, while nine companies secured spots on Pool 3.

The Pool 2 awardees are:

  • APC Construction
  • Barlovento
  • Bristol
  • CCI-ECS
  • G Force
  • Healtheon
  • Ocean Construction
  • SW Mid Builders

The Pool 3 awardees are:

  • Ahtna Global
  • Bristol Design Build Services
  • CCI Energy & Construction Services
  • CJW-MZT JV
  • Duwamish-Pacific Joint Venture
  • Gideon Contracting
  • Healtheon
  • J.I. Garcia Construction
  • SW Mid Builders JV

About NMACC III Pool 2 and 3

In 2023, USCG solicited proposals for the two small business pools of the multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide construction services for government facilities at various locations within the DHS area of responsibility.

NMACC III has a one-year base period and nine option years and will primarily support design-build projects. The contract covers general construction services, including new construction, renovation, alteration, marine construction, demolition and systems and infrastructure for ground, shore and coastal-type projects.

Pool 2 includes construction projects in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and the U.S. Atlantic region. Pool 3 covers projects in Guam and the U.S. Pacific region.

Register now for the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13 to learn more about technology initiatives to protect the country amid the evolving geopolitical landscape.

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ICE Seeking Industry Partner for Non-Citizen Supervision Program
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ICE Seeking Industry Partner for Non-Citizen Supervision Program

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is conducting market research as part of its planned acquisition of support services for the Alternatives to Detention, or ATD, unit under the agency’s Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, or ERO. ICE said Wednesday that it will host a virtual industry day to discuss the requirement with potential contractors on Dec. 2. 

ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program

The ATD is in charge of the development and implementation of programs that improve the appearance rates of non-citizens to immigration interviews and hearings. The unit comes up with cost-effective alternatives to secure detention to prevent overcrowding at detention facilities amid the increasing population of non-citizens. 

The ATD runs the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which uses technology to ensure that non-citizens comply with their release conditions, court appearances and final orders of removal while living securely within their communities. 

Program Requirements

The ICE needs an industry partner that can provide GPS or biometric technology monitoring, in-person reporting and community supervision through home visits to support the ISAP. 

The selected contractor will provide the GPS tracker or biometric technology that will be used as part of the supervision program. The contractor will also operate in stand-alone offices and assign personnel to work at government sites or at staging sites located along the United States border to supervise or enroll new participants. 

The program is a follow-on to a $2.2 billion contract ICE awarded to Colorado-based electronic monitoring systems company BI in 2020. 

Industry Day

As part of the acquisition process, ICE will host a virtual industry day on Microsoft Teams at 9 a.m. ET on Dec. 2. During the presentation, attendees will be briefed on program requirements and answer any questions from industry. 

ICE personnel will also have one-on-one sessions with potential offerors.

All interested businesses are welcome to register and attend. Requests to be part of the virtual industry day may be submitted until Nov. 20.

Hear directly from experts on national security challenges and concerns at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Homeland Security Summit on Nov. 13.

ICE Seeking Industry Partner for Non-Citizen Supervision Program
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