ISR

The U.S. Air Force would be foolish to cut its MQ-9 Reaper program, as the unmanned aircraft provides key strike and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR, capabilities that will still be very much needed into the future, an expert claims. Amidst great budgetary pressures, the service is proposing to cut the program in 2035.

For military intelligence, the status quo is unacceptable in this new era. The prescription is change, and that must come across the board for the military to be able to prevail against growing adversarial threats.

That point was presented by a panel of high-ranking military intelligence officers and officials on the first day of the Intelligence and National Security Summit, hosted by AFCEA and INSA and being held at the Gaylord Convention Center near Washington, D.C., September 13-14. The live panel at the live event wasted little time in telling the audience what needs to transpire for their intelligence needs to be met.

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $11,219,955 firm-fixed-price contract for intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance modernization support. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of December 31, 2021. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $5,609,977 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W50NH9-21-F-0034).

Similar to other members of the intelligence community, the U.S. Space Force is responsible for advancing intelligence-related mission objectives for U.S. national security. The service is performing space-related intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to provide key information and data to the community. Being part of the intelligence community is an important step for the year-old service, said Maj. Gen. Leah Lauderback, USAF, director, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), U.S. Space Force, speaking last Friday at a virtual Mitchell Institute event.

Serco Inc., Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $7,681,160 modification (P00002) to contract FA2517-20-C-0003 for Ground-based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance system support. Work will be performed in Socorro, New Mexico; Maui, Hawaii; and Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory, and is expected to be completed April 30, 2022. Fiscal 2021 operation and maintenance funds in the full amount will be obligated the time of award. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $57,097,418. The 21st Contracting Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is the contracting activity.

The U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command, headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia and known as ACC, has a new leader. In a ceremony broadcast via video on August 28, Gen. Mark Kelly, USAF, took over the command from retiring Gen. Mike Holmes, USAF. Gen. Kelly also received his fourth star at the event, promoting him from lieutenant general.

Most recently, Gen. Kelly served since August 2018 as the deputy chief of staff for ACC operations at the Pentagon. The deputy chief of staff determines the requirements, capabilities and training necessary for the service to conduct its missions.

The Syncon LLC,* Chesapeake, Virginia, is awarded a $23,242,171 firm-fixed-price contract for the construction of Commander Undersea Surveillance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations expansion located at Naval Air Station Oceana. The contract also included three planned modifications. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new addition attached to the current facility. The new addition will be constructed of a structural steel frame, concrete slab, and a modified bitumen roof system. The existing building will be reconfigured to compliment the expanded spaces to meet mission requirements. Site improvements include but are not limited to demolition of the existing warehouse.

Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia, was awarded a $72,575,612 firm-fixed-price contract for services in support of the existing Night Eagle System. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, with an estimated completion date of April 25, 2022. Fiscal years 2020, 2021 and 2022 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $72,575,612 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-20-C-0021). (Awarded January 25, 2020)

Less than two months on the job, Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh, USAF, commander of the 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), is already shaping the structure of the service’s new information warfare Numbered Air Force (NAF). Stood up in October, the NAF combines the service’s cyber operations; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities; electronic warfare and information operations, including capabilities folded in from the 24th and 25th Air Forces.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Military Aircraft Systems, Melbourne, Florida, is awarded a $1,362,276,582 firm-fixed-price modification (P00009) to a previously awarded fixed-price-incentive (firm target) contract (N00019-18-C-1037). This modification is for non-recurring and recurring engineering for the production and delivery of nine Japan configuration E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Act. This modification definitizes a previously awarded modification (P00003) for long lead parts associated with the Japan E-2D aircraft. Work will be performed in St.

General Dynamics Information Technology, Falls Church, Virginia, has been awarded a not-to-exceed $217,000,000 task order under General Services Administration Alliant 2 Unrestricted Government-Wide (GWAC) for the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing technical operations support. This task order provides for support of the Distributed Common Ground System network weapon system and all supporting activities, such as the development, integration, maintenance, administration, management, documentation, assessment, disposal and troubleshooting of 480 ISRW information technology assets from the network and enterprise level.

A resurgent Russian military that has adopted an entirely different posture than its communist predecessor is posing a major military challenge to U.S. forces worldwide, according to U.S. service intelligence chiefs. Where China is boosting its military to realize its goal of global economic supremacy, Russia is focusing its force modernization to defeat the U.S. military in any setting, the flag officers said.

The Rockhill Group, Molino, Florida, has been awarded an $8,430,746 firm-fixed-price modification (P00020) to contract (FA4890-16-C-0011) for the air-to-ground intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance contract. The contract modification is for exercising Option Year Two. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $76,627,660. Work will be performed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Hancock Field, New York; March Air Reserve Base, California; and Creech AFB, Nevada. Work is expected to be completed by September 30, 2019 for this option period. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The U.S. Navy is procuring advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. It awarded six indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple-award contract for engineering services to provide development, technical, management and engineering services for such systems. The awards to companies included: Science Application International Corp., Reston, Virginia ($17,221,542); Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia ($16,446,968); Leidos Inc., Reston, Virginia ($15,685,313); General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Virginia ($15,651,710); Lockheed Martin Corp., Manassas, Virginia ($14,991,699); and Solute, Inc., San Diego, California ($13,390,442).

NATO is building a wide range of technological capabilities, including open source intelligence, counterterrorism, artificial intelligence, space-based surveillance, electronic warfare and biometric solutions, some of which were previously left to the individual nations or other international organizations.

The flurry of activity amounts to a complete metamorphosis of NATO’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets, according to Matt Roper, the joint ISR chief within NATO’s Communications and Information Agency. Roper notes that the alliance’s new direction results directly from the 2012 summit in Chicago.

URS Federal Services Inc. (an AECOM Co.), Germantown, Maryland, is being awarded a $33,735,531 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide responsive and real-time intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to U.S. Central Command, U.S.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Polaris Alpha a $96 million contract vehicle for maintenance and enhancement for command, control, intelligence and surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. Under the task orders, the company will support projects ranging from advanced research and development of machine learning and complex event processing, to the creation and deployment of state of the art command and control applications, to cross-community intelligence reporting and analysis tools and software development. "We’ve been privileged to provide this national security enterprise support for the Air Force for over 15 years," the company's Executive Vice President Kevin Moffat said.

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, has been awarded a $15,670,445 firm-fixed-price contract for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) services, to include supporting force protection efforts and providing a non-developmental Contractor-Owned and Contractor-Operated UAS ISR solution to perform operational, engineering, and sustainment efforts. Work will be performed at Bagram and Kandahar Airfields, Afghanistan, and is expected to be complete by September 27, 2018. The award was a sole-source acquisition. Air Combat Command Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, is the contracting activity (FA4890-18-C-0005).

Spectrum Comm Incorporated of Newport News, Virginia, has been awarded a $22,431,365 firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, and indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the enterprise contracted logistics support and provides for an enterprise approach to total lifecycle logistics support and specialized global supply chain management for supported command and control intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft weapon systems. Work will be performed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, with an expected completion date of November 30, 2023. The contract was a competitive acquisition and 15 offers were received.

While space has always been an important domain for military intelligence, the intelligence community is renewing its emphasis on the stars, according to officials speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington, D.C.

“One of the reasons this conversation is taking place is because of the evolving threat environment. We realize, as much as we thought we appreciated the role of space historically, it’s become even more critical, both from a warfighting perspective and from an economic perspective,” said Maj. Gen. James Marrs, USAF, Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is being awarded a maximum $30,000,000 modification for a non-competitive, single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for mid-endurance unmanned aircraft systems (MEUAS 2.0-B) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance services at multiple locations worldwide. This contract is being extended for a period of up to 12 months for a maximum not-to-exceed value of the contract to $105,000,000.

General Dynamics Mission Systems Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona, was awarded a $250,000,000 hybrid cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price contract to modify, test, train and sustain the Prophet System, a tactical signals intelligence and electronic warfare capability. One bid was solicited and one bid received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2022. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W56KGY-17-D-0006).

NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corp.,* Warminster, Pennsylvania, is being awarded $12,527,206 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order (N6833517F0118) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-14-G-0040) to provide engineering analyses, advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance sensor evaluation, and enhanced surveillance capabilities to the deployed warfighter that can be integrated into existing naval platforms to support the Special Operations Command’s Special Surveillance Program activities. These efforts are in support of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase III work that derives from, extends, or completes an effort performed under SBIR Topics N08-023 Precision H

The recent activation of the Unified Video Dissemination System (UVDS) at the Defense Information System’s Agency’s (DISA's) data center in Weisbaden, Germany, has improved the reliable, secure transport of full-motion video (FMV) collected for the purpose of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) in support of missions led by all combatant commands, the agency has announced.