$7.2b in US Army Intelligence Support Contracts, 2014-2019

Army Intelligence and Security Command at Fort Belvoir, VA issues up to $7.2 billion worth of indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contracts for global intelligence support services. Each contractor will compete for task orders, and receive a minimum guarantee of just $5,000. Funding and work location will be determined with each order, and will run from Sept 11/14 to Sept 11/19.

There were 2 categories of winners: larger firms, and small business set-asides…

Aerospace, Excelled: The USA’s Arnold Engineering Development Center

AEDC at work: X-29

The Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC), named for U.S. Air Force pioneer Gen. Henry “Hap” Arnold, bills itself as “The World’s Premier Flight Simulation Test Facility.” Nearly half of the AEDC’s 58 test facilities are unique in the U.S., and 14 are unique in the world. These specialized test facilities have played a crucial role in the development and sustainment of virtually every high performance aircraft, air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon, missile, and space system in use by all four of the U.S. military services today. The Center has also been involved in the development of every NASA manned space system, many satellites, and numerous commercial aircraft and spacecraft systems.

In 2003, the Air Force consolidated the test operations contract and the base services contract into a single contract for operations, maintenance, information management, and base support, which was awarded to Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) in Tullahoma, TN.

Studies, Science, Cybersecurity & Saddam: $888.8M to IDA for its 3 US FFRDCs from 2014-2018.

The Institute for Defense Analysis in Alexandria, VA recently received a 5-year indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $888.8 million, for research and analysis from the 3 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) they run. Just to give you some of the flavor, IDA’s recent Research Notes [PDF] publication includes “The Saddam Tapes: The Inner Workings Of A Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001”, as well as briefings covering cloud computing security, rates and causes of rotorcraft casualties from 2001 – 2009, etc.

FFRDC?

@NetSecWonk’d: Lessons from the Joseph Affair

Former National Security Council (NSC) non-proliferation staffer and potential Pentagon AT&L advisor Jofi Joseph isn’t the first person to be undone by social media, and he won’t be the last. The inconvenient truth is that social media security isn’t even close to the main takeaway from this episode.

Our advice re: social media still stands, but we should begin by acknowledging that Twitter just did the US government a big favor…

Iraq: Weapons – and Challenges – In the Pipeline

The last quarterly report [PDF] from SIGIR (the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction) included an interview with OSC-I (Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq) head Lieutenant General Robert Caslen.

Among other things, it provides an interesting breakdown of Iraq’s planned future purchases. Overall:

$7 billion Over 5 Years for US Army’s Software Engineering Center

In June 2013, the US Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD issued a 5-year multiple-award contract worth up to $7 billion. Winners will compete for task orders to support the Army’s Software Engineering Center with development and systems engineering services until May 30/18. 11 companies bid, and 8 were picked as qualifying options. The winners include…

GIG-a-Bite: Lockheed Takes $4.6 Billion Contract from SAIC

GIG concept

In June 2012, Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions Division in Manassas, VA won a competition, transferring the keystone GSM-O IT services contract away from SAIC, a 15-year incumbent. GSM-O pays for the worldwide support services necessary to carry out day-to-day operations of the US military’s Global Information Grid networks and related services, and to update them with new technologies. The contract could be worth up to $4.6 billion over 7 years, making it a major win for Lockheed Martin, and a big loss for SAIC.

So, what is the USA’s Global Information Grid? And how will this contract work?

$94M to LMCO for Continued DMOC Operation

In January 2012, Lockheed Martin Global Training and Logistics in Orlando, FL received a 5-year, $94 million cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity contract to continue supporting the USAF’s Distributed Mission Operations Center. The mission of the 705th Combat Training Squadron DMOC is to to conduct exercises, training, tactics, techniques and procedures-warfighter readiness, testing, experimentation, tactical to operational-bridged events, and standards development for USAF Air Combat Command and its allies. Their efforts range all the way up to theater-level, full spectrum combat training, test, and mission rehearsal, including Air Combat Command’s Synthetic Battlespace inter-team training events; Air Expeditionary Force-aligned, quarterly recurring Virtual Flag exercises; etc.

Lockheed Martin will continue to operate the award-winning center, building and maintaining network infrastructure, developing and maintaining associated software and hardware, and conducting distributed mission operations engineering activities at Kirkland Air Force Base, NM. The contract runs until Jan 31/17, and is managed by the AFNWC/PKE at Kirkland AFB, NM (FA9422-12-D-0001).

Up to $250M over 5 Years for US Army Cloud Computing

In January 2012, US Army Program Executive Office Enterprise Information Systems (PEO-EIS) issued 9 firm-fixed-price contracts, worth up to $249.8 million total over 5 years, for Enterprise Cloud Computing services. Cloud computing is a about providing computing applications and management as a service, rather than installing it as machine-specific software. Apple’s iCloud is one well-known example, and Google’s Gmail would be another, but cloud computing can encompass more than just 1 application. It’s connected to the phenomenon of virtualization, which improves back-end efficiency in data centers, but the 2 trends can exist independent of one another. The 7 contract winners are:

Emergency Services: Up to $900M from US NAVFAC

(click to visit)

In September 2011, US Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific in Pearl Harbor, HI awarded a new emergency engineering and infrastructure umbrella contract to 4 firms. Up to $900 million could be up for grabs among the 4 qualifying firms, over a 5 year period (base year + 4 option years), ending in September 2016 at the latest.

This is an indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity multiple award contract for the purchase of “short-term facility support services with incidental construction” in support of natural disasters; humanitarian efforts; the full range of military actions; and incumbent breaks in service at various locations throughout the world. NAVFAC has issued similar contracts before: a $500 million contract that ran from 2005-2009 came in handy a few times, in response to disasters like hurricane Katrina. This one could involve work on: