Wednesday, April 13, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 13, 2011

DTN News: U.S. Department of Defense Contracts Dated April 13, 2011
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 13, 2011: U.S. Department of Defense, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) Contracts issued April 13, 2011 are undermentioned;

CONTRACTS

NAVY

Northrop Grumman Corp., Integrated Systems, Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded a $94,629,000 modification to definitize a previously awarded advance acquisition contract (N00019-10-C-0044) to a fixed-price. In addition, this modification provides for the manufacture and delivery of four low rate initial production Lot 4 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (46.8 percent); Bethpage, N.Y. (13.5 percent); El Segundo, Calif.(2.6 percent); Potez, France (2.4 percent); Edgewood, N.Y. (1.9 percent); Menlo Park, Calif. (1.6 percent); Woodland Hills, Calif. (1.4 percent); Owego, N.Y. (1.2 percent); St. Augustine, Fla. (1.2 percent); Marlborough, Mass. (1.1 percent); Brooklyn Heights, Ohio (1 percent); Greenlawn, N.Y. (.6 percent); and various locations within the United States (24.7 percent). Work is expected to be completed by December 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-10-C-0044).

ARMY

Chugach Federal Solutions, Anchorage, Alaska, was awarded on March 31 a $41,974,155 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the installation support services for Redstone Arsenal, Ala. Work will be performed in Redstone Arsenal, Ala., with an estimated completion date of March 31, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9124P-11-C-0010).

AgustaWestland, Inc., Reston, Va., was awarded on April 1 a $37,656,065 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of AW139 helicopters, spare engine, spare parts, tools and ground support equipment, search and rescue equipment, crewmember personal equipment, medical equipment kits, transportation and pilot and maintenance training. Work will be performed in Reston, Va., and Egypt, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, AMCOM Contracting Center, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-11-C-0091).

Science and Technology Corp., Hampton, Va., was awarded on April 11 a $29,000,000 time-and-materials contract. The award will provide for the data collection services for U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center. Work will be performed in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2011. The bid was solicited through the Internet with four bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-05-D-0007).

Navistar Defense, LLC, Warrenville, Ill., was awarded on April 1 an $18,493,192 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 42 general transport trucks, 34 lubricant trucks, and 25 water tanker trucks. Work will be performed in West Point, Miss., with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2011. The bid was solicited through the Internet with one bid received. The U.S. Army TACOM LCMC, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-D-G097).

CACI-WGI, Chantilly, Va., was awarded on April 11 a $17,035,534 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the modification to exercise the surge option for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization Special Operations Forces Support Team supplemental. Work will be performed in Arlington, Va.; Afghanistan; Iraq; and Pakistan, with an estimated completion date of July 14, 2013. The bid was solicited through the Internet with two bids received. The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Contracting Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0027).

Science and Engineering Services, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on April 1 a $13,795,306 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the modification for the aircraft overhaul of five MI-17 aircraft variant models. Work will be performed in St. Petersburg, Russia, with an estimated completion date of April 30, 2012. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-D-0130).

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co., LLC, Oak Brook, Ill., was awarded on April 1 a $9,850,460 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the dredging in support of the Panama City Beach Renourishment Project. Work will be performed in Panama City Beach, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Nov. 1, 2011. Four bids were solicited with three bids received. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., is the contracting activity (W912EP-11-D-0004).

BAE Systems Land & Armaments, L.P., Ground Systems Division, York, Penn., was awarded on April 11 an $8,005,627 firm-fixed-price contract. The award will provide for the settlement of all costs associated with engineering changes impacting the six program of record engineer variant vehicles detailed in a previous version of this contract. Work will be performed in York, Penn., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 18, 2015. The bid was solicited through the Internet with four bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-08-D-0041).

Radiance Technologies, Inc., Huntsville, Ala., was awarded on April 1 a $7,233,348 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. The award will provide for the procurement of the Weapon Watch - Gunfire Detection System for AH-64D Apache Ground Fire Acquisition Systems. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2013. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Fort Eustis, Va., is the contracting activity (W911W6-10-D-0013).

L-3, Garland, Texas, was awarded on April 1 a $6,974,660 firm-fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. The award will provide for the procurement of 2,588 Enhanced Third Generation Image Intensification Ground Night Vision Imaging Systems. Work will be performed in Garland, Texas, with an estimated completion date of May 22, 2014. Two bids were solicited with two bids received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-11-D-0083).

U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND

iGov Technologies, McLean, Va., received a $20,000,000 ceiling increase for the U.S. Special Operations Command tactical local area network contract providing system acquisition, design, integration, production, and delivery in support of special operations forces mission requirements. The new contract maximum is $470,000,000. The period of performance was increased by six months with three one-month option periods to allow the government time to complete the recompetition action. U.S. Special Operations Command is the contracting activity (H92222-08-D-0017).

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US Navy ~ No Formal Query On Australia F/A-18s

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: US Navy ~ No Formal Query On Australia F/A-18s
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 13, 2011:

Australia has not asked the Pentagon to submit pricing for 18 F/A-18 Super Hornet warplanes built by Boeing, the U.S. Navy’s program manager for the warplanes said.

U.S. Navy Captain Mark Darrah said he had seen a report in the Australian newspaper that was published on Monday, and was recently in Australia, but Australian officials had not asked for “pricing and availability” of F/A-18s, the first step toward a possible foreign military sale.

The report said Australia was considering buying 18 of the Boeing fighter planes for about $1.6 billion to plug a hole in defense capabilities left by expected delays in Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Australia bought 24 Boeing F/A-18 fighter planes in 2007. It plans to buy up to 100 radar-evading Lockheed F-35 warplanes for about $16 billion, but the newspaper report said Australian officials were worried that further delays in the F-35 program will leave them with a gap in capability.

Darrah told reporters at the annual Navy League conference that the F/A-18 and the electronic attack version, EA-18G, were performing well, and attracting considerable foreign interest.

He said the plane’s foreign sales prospects got a boost by the Pentagon’s decision to buy 41 more planes under a multiyear agreement with Boeing, adding a year to the production line and giving U.S. officials more time to line up foreign sales.

India, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Indonesia were all interested in the plane, Darrah said.

Kory Matthews, vice president of F/A-18 and EA-18 programs for Boeing, said Japan was expected to release a request for proposals for new warplanes this week, possibly on Wednesday.

He said Boeing would review Japan’s requirements before deciding whether to bid the F/A-18 or the F-15 fighter, but initial indications were that the F/A-18 would meet its needs.

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DTN News - Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Is The PAP Finding It Harder To Recruit?

DTN News -
Asian Defense News: Singapore News ~ Is The PAP Finding It Harder To Recruit?
(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - April 13, 2011:
In a departure from recent history, the powerful People's Action Party (PAP) has found it hard to recruit talent from the private sector to stand as its election candidates.

This contrasts with the past when it enjoyed widespread popularity with little problem in persuading high achievers from private and public organisations to rally to its banner.

The relative failure comes at a time when opposition parties have made significant gains in attracting quality candidates.

It is posing a setback — at least temporarily — to the PAP's plan to use the election, which is expected next month, to produce the next Prime Minister and Cabinetleaders.

Of the 18 newly-recruited PAP candidates announced, only five hailed from the private sector — an assistant professor, two lawyers and two bankers, one of whom is an executive in the government-controlled DBS Bank.

The remaining 13 — or 72 percent — were top people who had served and resigned from public office to contest under the PAP banner.

They were from the civil service, the army, the statutory boards or PAP-controlled unions. The PAP-controlledNational Trades Union Congress (NTUC) contributed five.

Two army generals gave up their stars to take up politics and are tipped to be core members of the fourth generation Cabinet.

The political leaders have described it as a good, diverse team but it is obvious that the inability to attract private talent weighs heavily on officials' minds.

The paucity was confirmed by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong who admitted that the PAP had difficulty attracting private-sector high flyers to join efforts to form the PAP leadership team.

Extensive efforts, which included 200 "tea sessions" (interviews) to recruit election candidates from the private sector "have not been that successful," he admitted.

For the PAP, which has not lost a single election in the last 50 years, it is a dismal show especially in the face of a resurging opposition which seems to have less difficulty in this area.

Few analysts are predicting this will be a permanent PAP dilemma or that it will cause the PAP to lose the election, but it may have adverse consequences for the party in future.

Bringing together a diverse team comprising the best candidates is fast becoming an impossible task.

The trouble is that some of the targeted high-flyers either do not support the PAP's current strategy for Singapore or some of its political, economic and social policies.

The potential slate would include successful managers, businessmen, academicians and professionals, people that recruiters have paid special interest to.

How will it affect the future? Firstly, it could erode some of the PAP's support among voters which is already in decline over the mass intake of foreigners.

And, secondly, the reduced number of MPs from the private sector could lower the PAP's performance in Parliament.

"To have too many people with civil service or army background may not be a good idea. Parliament may lose touch with the people," one surfer said.

"What about diversity? Where are the professional social workers, the musicians and poets?" she asked.

The issue, which has become a hot topic, has prompted a National University of Singapore (NUS) undergrad to raise it with PM Lee Hsien Loong during a campus dialogue last week.

How is it, he wanted to know, that despite the high salaries, the PAP had not attracted private talents — but the opposition had.

Lee replied: "I'm not sure whether we're looking for exactly the same people. We're looking for a certain type of person ... (one with) commitment, integrity and purpose."

The preferred people, he added, were already set in their careers and not keen to change tracks or face the high risk of a political life.

Not everyone agrees with his explanation. One commentator said: "The real reason is that many of them refused to join because they disagreed with PAP policies. "They don't want to degrade themselves by having to toe the party line."

The fast expanding social media which alternates between being informative to punishing people it doesn't like, also adds to the reluctance of people to seek election for public office. Many successful people are not prepared to have their private lives or their family members be subjected to critical scrutiny or even insults.

What is putting paid to this is the opposition's apparent success in attracting quality candidates to contest, despite all the arguments about privacy and risks.

By entering politics, an opposition candidate is generally seen as facing a higher risk of defeat or failure and financial losses than the one who stands for the PAP, with its superior resources.

"Yet they are pushing ahead with their principles, unfazed," said an admiring female undergrad — a little too innocently to describe the tough world of politics. Not every politician who fights for the weaker team — or who joins the winning one — does so for a selfless cause.

The reward in Singapore that comes with political success can be very large — for all aspirants.

The high Cabinet salaries, which exceed those of even the richest nations in the world, have attracted top talent to help build Singapore's collective wealth.

But as the public backlash rises, it may be contributing to dissuading successful high flyers from joining the government for fear of becoming a target of criticism and even insults.

In other words, this high pay system may even deter a few potential leaders from joining the political arena.

Related Article:

Opposition: an emerging breed

A former Reuters correspondent and newspaper editor, the writer is now a freelance columnist writing on general trends in Singapore. This post first appeared on his blog, www.littlespeck.com, on 9 April 2011.

*Source: By Elena Torrijos | SingaporeScene

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DTN News - CHINA NEWS: Big-Spending Chinese Head Abroad In Record Numbers

DTN News - CHINA NEWS: Big-Spending Chinese Head Abroad In Record Numbers
**Tourists from the mainland make record number of visits overseas
(NSI News Source Info)
BEIJING, China
- April 13, 2011:
A record 56 million mainland tourists traveled overseas last year, Shao Qiwei, head of the China National Tourism Administration, said on Wednesday.
That number is 2 million more than an earlier estimate of 54 million, and is also an increase of 8.3 million over 2009.

In contrast, 55.7 million overseas tourists visited China and stayed for at least one night last year, up 9.5 percent year-on-year. In total, 134 million overseas visitors came to China, up 6 percent year-on-year, spending $45 billion in the country.

Meanwhile domestic tourists made 2.1 billion trips last year, up 11 percent from the previous year, bringing revenue of 1.25 trillion yuan ($189 billion), he said.

"China's tourism has entered a new round of golden development, thanks to fast economic development, the growth of people's incomes and further opening-up," he said.

Industry analysts said it is the first time that the number of mainland tourists going overseas has exceeded that of inbound overnight tourists.

It is "a significant change", as the growth of China's outbound tourism - 17.5 percent year-on-year in 2010 - is much faster than for inbound tourism, said Jiang Yiyi, director of the International Tourism Development Institute at the China Tourism Academy.

"It is very possible that in a few years' time the number of Chinese traveling overseas will be bigger than the total number of overseas tourists coming in," she said.

Starting this year, the State Council Information Office and the tourism administration will join hands to promote China's tourist resources and boost the national image abroad under a cooperative framework.

Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, told a news conference on Wednesday that the cooperation aims to "let overseas people know about China's hospitality and continuous efforts to improve tourism service so that they can visit China and enjoy it here at ease."

The two sides signed the framework agreement in Beijing on Wednesday, and planned to launch publicity promotions abroad together starting this year.

One of the two national publicity films shot last year will soon be broadcast in the United States, including on major media outlets and on big screens at New York's Times Square, said Wang Zhongwei, vice-minister of the information office.

The commercial, with two editions - 30 seconds and 1 minute - represents prominent Chinese elites from different walks of life and celebrities including basketball star Yao Ming and China's first astronaut Yang Liwei, he said.

Different from China's previous "Made in China" advertising campaign that stressed the importance of cooperation between Chinese companies and overseas partners in producing quality products, this commercial aims to send a friendly message to the world - "Hello world, here we come", he said.

The commercial will also be shown in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East in the future, he added.

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