Afghanistan

Alenia North America has been awarded an approximately $4 million contract by the United States Air Force to provide training of pilots, loadmasters and maintenance personnel on the C-27/G.222 tactical transport aircraft for the Afghanistan Air Force. This is a follow-on contract to a previous contract with the U.S. Air Force, which had three training classes on the C-27/G.222. This new contract will consist of four training classes over the next year. In 2008, the company received a contract to supply 18 refurbished C-27/G.222 aircraft for the Afghanistan Air Force. The C-27/G.222 serves as the backbone of the Afghanistan Air Force and has significantly expanded the Afghanistan military's ability to provide humanitarian aid and security to the Afghan population.

IAP World Services, Panama City, Florida, was recently awarded $12 million, which exercises the second option, third year of service, for the operation and maintenance of the electrical power grids at Forward Operating Bases Salerno and Sharana. Work is to be performed in northern Afghanistan. Defense Contract Management Agency, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, is the contracting activity.

DRS Defense Solutions LLC, Bethesda, Maryland, was recently awarded a $12.8 million contract to perform information technology support services for U.S. forces located on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Bagram Regional Contracting Center is the contracting activity.

What does the United States need to make its efforts in Afghanistan successful? According to Dr. Linton Wells II, the answer is sharing unclassified information.