Up to $318M to Lockheed Martin to Support Counter-IED Teams

IEDs: The Aftermath

Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems in Ellicott City, MD won a $318 million indefinite-delivery/ indefinite-quantity time-and-material task order to provide operational support services for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) analytical support teams deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The task order is part of a broader contract (W91CRB-08-D-0024) issued April 25/08 by the US Army Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) to provide operations support services to JIEDDO. Other companies that received JIEDDO support contracts were BAE Systems (W91CRB-08-D-0025), ITT (W91CRB-08-D-0026), and CACI (W91CRB-08-D-0027). Each contract has a maximum value of $453 million.

JIEDDO is responsible for developing and coordinating US Department of Defense efforts to defeat improvised explosive devices (IEDs)…

F-35 Controversies and Counterclaims, December 2009

F-35 in the spotlight

The $300 billion F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program could well become the largest single weapon program in modern history. With the next Quadrennial Defense Review on the way, however, tensions are rising for the program amidst claims of funding cuts, and the recent independent JET evaluation that placed the project $17.1 billion dollars over budget, and up to 2 years late. A recent flurry of disagreements offers DID readers both sides of the arguments; we’ll leave readers to make up their own minds.

One notable exchange began with an issue brief from Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute: “Four Reasons for Confidence in the F-35.” That triggered a somewhat acerbic response from another respected analyst, Aviation Week’s Bill Sweetman, who has written books about the F-35. His Dec 2/09 piece “JSF Is Fine, Says LockMart Consultant” outlines his disagreements with Thompson’s brief.

The left-wing CDI is a somewhat predictable member of the critics’ roster. In a similar vein, the sunnier side features Australian Minister Greg Combet, who seems rather more sanguine about his government’s recent billion-dollar commitment. Lockheed Martin has also offered some substantive reasons for optimism, and says testing is behind but progress is ahead of normal metrics at this stage. For full coverage of the F-35 program, industrial arrangements, controversies, and contracts, see the DII FOCUS article “F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: 2009-2010.”

GCSS: Logistics Support for Far-flung Troops

Alexander the Great

Since the days of Alexander the Great, supplying troops deployed far from home has been a concern of militaries. At the height of his empire, Alexander’s legions extended from Greece to the Indian subcontinent. Keeping his troops feed and armed was one of Alexander’s major concerns.

In the information age, militaries are increasing turning to the network to ensure troops are supplied over vast distances. The US military’s latest effort in this area is called the Global Combat Support System (GCSS), which uses information technology to increase the efficiency of logistics and provide a global picture of combat assets and supplies.

Each service has its own version of GCSS. The one operated by the Air Force was developed by Lockheed Martin. On Dec 10/09, the company received a $78.5 million bridge contract to continue its work on the system…

Darigold to Supply Dairy Products to Military Commissaries in Western US

Darigold in Seattle, WA won a $13.2 million indefinite-delivery, requirements-type contract to provide fresh dairy products for resale at 12 Defense Commissary Agency’s commissaries in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.

The Defense Commissary Agency in Fort Lee, VA operates commissaries providing groceries to US military personnel, retirees and their families. Authorized patrons purchase items at cost plus a 5% surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones…