Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt is working to launch a university that would rival Stanford and MIT and funnel tech workers into government work. “The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence — an organization created to push the US ahead in the race for artificial intelligence — voted unanimously in a meeting Monday to recommend the university to Congress.”
The Army’s network modernization program office is reorganizing. “The Army’s PEO Command, Control, Communications-Tactical will add a new project lead office, called Project Lead Integration, Interoperability and Services (PL I2S) that will help coordinate between the PEO C3T’s tactical network program offices and Army Futures Command’s Network Cross-Functional Team.”
Firms rev up for B-52 re-engine battle. “Pratt & Whitney’s TF33 currently powers the Air Force’s fleet of 76 operational B-52s, with eight of the engines equipping each aircraft.”
DOD awards $4.9 million contract to Pall Corporation to increase industrial base expansion for medical ventilator components. “This contract award is part of the ongoing collaboration between DOD and HHS, led by the Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) and funded through the CARES Act.”
DOD announces $77.3 million in defense production act title III COVID-19 actions. “$33.6 million agreement with eMagin Corporation to sustain and expand critical industrial base production of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) microdisplays… $14.9 million agreement with Meggitt-Rockmart to increase domestic production capability and capacity of military grade fuel bladders… $28.8 million agreement with Urban Mining Company, to assist in developing a domestic source for Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) rare earth permanent magnets.”
From Mad Hatter to Torque: Kessel Run makes software for F-22, CV-22. Mad Hatter, which supported F-35 ALIS, is now known as Torque, “as we are working towards improving maintenance scheduling tools for other aircraft such as F-22 and CV-22.” Interesting throughout. “We strive every day to create a learning culture through a powerful combination of high psychological awareness and high accountability.”
Lockheed lands $15 billion deal for C-130J work. That’s just a massive contract. What other firms are getting dough in this size, and a $34 billion F-35 block buy? The IDIQ “broadly covers “development, integration, retrofit, and production activities”, the announcement states.”
Lockheed will not commit to paying back extra labor costs for F-35. “He said that data can be corrupted through the business process… The extra labor costs added up to $300 million over the past five years, and could add an extra $55 million a year if the problem isn’t fixed.”
While major primes skate free despite incredible deficiencies and overcharging, this is what happens to the small guys: Contractor who lied about using weak metal parts for Navy aircraft is headed to prison.
Rookie middlemen muddle the government’s effort to buy coronavirus supplies. “That review found nearly 10% of vendors that received a COVID-19 contract without competition listed a residence for their address, often an indication that they are middlemen… In all, the government shelled out more than $2.7 billion nationwide to vendors completely new to the market.” Really, quite a good article, but middlemen shouldn’t be blamed because without them, the supplies would have never gotten to the government or been pricier yet!
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