Upgrading Camp Shelby museum

HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby, Miss., is in the process of improving exhibits from WWI, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Global War on Terrorism; and a new website. “(W)e’re trying to ... upgrade our exhibits, add some (audio/visual) components, maybe some interactive components as well and try to do just a little bit of sprucing up and bring some new information and new technology and things to the public,” Tommy Lofton, museum director, told WDAM-TV. The museum is tentatively planning on hosting a virtual and in-person Memorial Day service this year. For Veterans’ Day in November, the museum plans to host a reunion of WWII soldiers from the 65th Infantry Division, which was activated at Camp Shelby in 1943. (Source: WDAM 01/09/21) Many Camp Shelby museum exhibits to get makeover in 2021 (wdam.com)

Wicker Op-Ed: Power shift

With a major political power shift coming back to Washington, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) offers an opinion-editorial look ahead to the new, incoming Congress, and what is likely to come under the Biden Administration. (Source: MSNews 01/10/21) New Congress: Wicker looks ahead - News Mississippi (newsms.fm)

Jan. 11, new official MS flag

JACKSON, Miss. - Gov. Tate Reeves will sign a bill Jan. 11 officially changing Mississippi’s state flag that features a magnolia and the phrase, “In God We Trust.” After the signing, officials are scheduled to raise the new flag at the state Capitol. (Source: The AP 01/08/21) Mississippi go0vernor to sign law Monday for new state flag | Around Mississippi | djournal.com

Munn is new HII VP of biz mgmt

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Jan. 8 that Keith Munn has been promoted to vice president of business management and chief financial officer for Ingalls Shipbuilding. In that role, he will be responsible for all financial management, contract management and business management functions at Ingalls in Pascagoula. Munn replaces Tom Stiehle, who was promoted to HII executive VP/CFO. Munn will assume his new role on Feb. 15. Munn, a second-generation shipbuilder, joined Ingalls in 1998 as an accountant. Munn served as a director of Business Management for 12 years and was responsible for his key roles in multiple contract negotiations, including Ingalls’ guided missile destroyer (DDG), amphibious transport dock (LPD), and national security cutter (NSC). Munn holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi. (Source: HII 01/08/21) Photo Release — Huntington Ingalls Industries Announces New Vice President, Business Management, and Chief Financial Officer at Ingalls Shipbuilding | Huntington Ingalls Industries 

HII begins fabrication of DDG 129

PASCAGOULA, Miss. - Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division officially started fabrication of the Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) destroyer Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129) on Jan. 7. The start of fabrication signifies the first 100 tons of steel have been cut. The destroyer honors former U.S. Sen. Jeremiah Denton (R-Ala.), a Vietnam War veteran awarded the Navy Cross for heroism while a prisoner of war. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1946, Denton went on to serve for 34 years as a test pilot, flight instructor and squadron leader. Following decades of military service, Denton was elected to the Senate in 1980 where he represented the state of Alabama for six years. Denton was born in Mobile, Ala. His wife, the former Kathryn Jane Maury, served as ship’s sponsor of the Ingalls-built Aegis guided missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) which was christened in 1985. Ingalls has delivered 32 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy. Others under construction include Frank E. Peterson Jr. (DDG 121), Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) and Ted Stevens (DDG 128). (Source: HII 01/07/21) 

Vertex: AC mechanic in Meridian

Vertex Aerospace has posted a link to an Aircraft Mechanic (Aviation Life Support Specialist/Parachute Rigger) position with the T-45 program in Meridian, Miss. The job description includes: Inspect, troubleshoot, repair, maintain and perform organizational and intermediate (O&I) maintenance level calendar inspections on aviator’s personal survival equipment and aircraft installed safety/survival equipment in accordance with applicable manuals, publications, and instructions. Possess a working knowledge of the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program (NAMP) OPNAVINST 4790.2, NAVAIR 11-110-1, 13-1-6 series manuals, and other applicable maintenance/technical manuals. Must have a working knowledge of aircrew survival equipment and applicable explosive devices. (Source: Vertex 01/06/21) (1) Aviation Life Support Specialist / Parachute Rigger | Vertex Aerospace | LinkedIn

NASA’s final Green Run hot-fire

NASA has targeted Jan. 17 for the eighth and final hot-fire test in its Green Run series that gradually brings the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) to life for the first time. NASA conducted the seventh test of the Green Run test series before Christmas at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. It marked the first time cryogenic liquid propellant was fully loaded into, and drained from, the SLS core stage’s two tanks. Boeing is the core stage lead contractor, and Aerojet Rocketdyne is the RS-25 engines lead contractor. The SLS program is managed out of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., while Boeing’s Huntsville-based Space and Launch division manages the company’s SLS work. The upcoming hot fire test will fire all four of the stage’s RS-25 engines simultaneously for up to eight minutes to simulate the core stage’s performance during launch. After the firing at Stennis, the core stage for SLS will be refurbished and shipped by barge to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be assembled with other parts of the rocket and NASA’s Orion spacecraft in preparation for Artemis I - the first integrated flight of SLS and Orion and the first non-crew mission of the Artemis program. (Source: Yellowhammer 01/06/21)

La. firm to build 2 research ships

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in an effort to update its aging fleet of research ships, awarded a $178M Navy contract to Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors of Houma, La. Thoma-Sea’s contract calls for the detailed design and construction of two new oceanographic ships for NOAA, which is acquiring the vessels through an agreement with the Naval Sea Systems Command.  The first ship, to be named Oceanographer, will be homeported in Hawai’i. The second, to be named Discoverer, will be assigned a homeport in the future. (Source: Work Boat 01/05/21) NOAA awards contract to Thoma-Sea for two new ships | WorkBoat

Bollinger to build 4 more FRCs

President Trump signed into law the omnibus spending bill for FY 2021, which includes funding for four additional Sentinel-class fast response cutters (FRC) for the Coast Guard. This will permit Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, La., to build all four, which would increase the total number of FRCs to 64. The FRC program has had a total economic impact of $1.2B since inception, and supports 650 jobs in Southeast Louisiana.  (Source: Work Boat 01/05/21)

Carnival suspension continues

Carnival Cruise Lines has extended the suspension of its cruise-ship sailings through February for its New Orleans embarkations, and through January for all of its U.S. sailings in efforts to continue its combat against the spread of the coronavirus. The cruise line is the largest in the U.S. Carnival had canceled cruises – on its Valor and Glory ships - through 2020 out of New Orleans. Sailings on Valor are canceled until April 29 for an upgrade. The absence of cruise ship passengers has cost New Orleans businesses an estimated $110M in direct spending throughout 2020. Carnival is taking a phased-in approach to resume operations, which will focus initially on Miami and Port Canaveral, Fla., to be followed by Galveston, Texas, according to a company statement released Jan. 6. Carnival had canceled all embarkations from U.S. homeports through January. Baltimore, Charleston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Mobile, New Orleans and San Diego embarkations are canceled through February. (Source: NOLA.com 01/06/21) Carnival cancels New Orleans cruises through February and all U.S. cruises through January | Business News | nola.com

Fed judge tosses Formosa lawsuit

A Washington, D.C.-based federal judge threw out a lawsuit challenging the wetlands permit for a $9.4B Formosa Plastics chemical manufacturing complex proposed along the Mississippi River in northwest St. James Parish, La. In the interim, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to re-evaluate its now-suspended authorization to fill in lowlands on the Formosa site. A Formosa affiliate remains barred from starting major construction while the permit is under review, except for work on a water line and road widening. The ruling means opponents of the project would have to start a new lawsuit should the USACOE issue a new permit. (Source: The Advocate 01/05/21) Judge tosses lawsuit over permit for $9.4 billion Formosa plastic complex; here's what's next | News | theadvocate.com

MSU-M partners with Ala. college

Students in the Demopolis and Selma, Ala., area seeking an undergraduate degree have the option of earning one from Mississippi State University, thanks to a partnership between MSU-Meridian and Wallace Community College’s two campuses. The two schools signed an agreement allowing students at WCC ‘s two campuses to earn full credit for the first two years of college at MSU, and those west Alabama students don’t have to pay out-of-state tuition. This is the first partnership MSU has formed with an Alabama college. Students taking part in the Pathways program will have degree-specific course plans tailored for each of the four-degree programs being offered at WCC-Demopolis: Applied Technology and Healthcare Services; Event and Hospitality Management, Accounting and Business Administration. WCC spent about $40,000 over the holidays to install special camera and computer technology to allow synchronous instruction. (Source: West Alabama Watchman 01/05/21)

Weak GC restoration projects

Only two of the six total projects submitted by the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors and City of Picayune, for funding from the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund, scored higher than a 10 - both were submitted by the Board of Supervisors. Of the 77 state-wide projects submitted by various entities, only 14 scored higher than a 10 out of a possible 40 points. Projects submitted by the board included improvements to Ridge Road to connect it to Highway 607, creation of hangar space at the Poplarville Airport through a partnership with Pearl River Community College to establish a flight aviation school and the purchase and development of more than 300 acres in Carriere near Interstate 59 to create a mixed-use industrial area called Horizon Business Park. The Ridge Road project received a score of 1. The aviation school project received a 13. Horizon Business Park got a 10, according to the Mississippi Development Agency. The three Picayune projects - a roundabout at the entrance of the shopping center along Ridge Road, renovations to Friendship Park, and construction of a frontage road along East Jerusalem Road to create access to property owned by Resurrection Life Church for the proposed creation of a commercial area. The Ridge Road and Friendship Park projects each scored a 2; the East Jerusalem project scored a 1. (Source: Picayune Item 01/05/21) Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport’s ready-site mitigation project scored a 24; Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission’s assault landing ship project scored a 22; and the Pearl River Community College-Hancock Aviation Aerospace Workforce Academy project scored a 20.  (Source: MDA website 2021)

BCD to acquire SoilTech

Burns Cooley Dennis Inc. has agreed to acquire SoilTech Consultants, an affiliate of Neel-Schaffer Inc. Neel-Schaffer and BCD have a history of collaboration and have teamed on nearly 30 projects over the last five years. In forming a strategic plan for the future, Neel-Schaffer decided to focus on core services - transportation, civil, environmental and water resources engineering - and was a natural fit to sell the firm’s geotechnical affiliate. BCD is the largest geotechnical and materials consulting firm headquartered in Mississippi, with corporate and CMET campuses in the Jackson area with branches in Hattiesburg and Hernando. BCD will acquire a new office location in Starkville as part of the acquisition. The acquisition will increase the number of BCS employees to more than 70. The SoilTech acquisition will improve BCD’s ability to deliver engineered solutions for routine and complex geotechnical projects, according to Eddie Templeton, BCD president. Combining resources and abilities will allow BCD to provide state-of-the-art geotechnical, pavement and construction testing services across the Golden Triangle, Pine Belt-Gulf Coast, and Memphis regions. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 01/05/21) SoilTech has offices across eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Mask mandate covers 95% of MS

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves’ executive orders, mandating masks and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, apply to about 95 percent of the state. As of Jan. 1, all but four of the 82 counties were under the mask mandate: Claiborne, Issaquena, Sharkey and Tunica. All six counties in South Mississippi have been under the mandate since Dec. 23. The latest order expires Jan. 15, unless extended. Violating the executive order is like breaking the law. Mississippi law says penalties for breaking an emergency management law includes a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 6 months in prison. (Source: Sun Herald 01/05/21) 95% of Mississippi is under a COVID-19 mask mandate | Biloxi Sun Herald

'v1' radar built into HII DDG-51

A new family of SPY-6 radar systems is being expanded by the Navy. The long-range variant of the SPY-6 - the v1 - has now been built into the Navy’s first-of-its-kind DDG 51 Flight III destroyer, the future USS Jack H. Lucas, at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Pascagoula, Miss. General Dynamics’ Bath (Maine) Iron Works has also tested programs in November. The SPY-6 family of radars is being engineered to be easily repairable with replaceable parts, and less expensive components than previous radars. A report from Naval Sea Systems Command says two of four AMDR (Air and Missile Defense Radar) arrays have now been installed in the deckhouse of the Jack H. Lucas. AMDR is designed to rely heavily on software innovations, reducing the need for different spare parts. The Navy has finished one of four planned software builds for the AMDR system. There are 68 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers currently in the fleet. (Source: Fox News 01/03/21) Navy arms destroyers with new drone, aircraft and missile defenses | Fox News

HII tech solutions acquire SIS

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced Jan. 4 it has acquired Spatial Integrated Systems (SIS). The acquisition further expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities through a 50-person SIS team and proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions. SIS's unmanned systems solutions, including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception, have been fielded for more than 6,000 hours on 23 vessel types. “2020 was a significant year for HII in the unmanned systems industry,” said Andy Green, HII executive VP/president of Technical Solutions, “and this acquisition is the perfect complement to our existing portfolio and strategic partnerships.” SIS’s unmanned systems solutions, including multi-vehicle collaborative autonomy, sensor fusion and perception, have supported development projects and demonstrations advancing autonomy in unmanned systems in the maritime, ground and air domains. SIS solutions are in use throughout the Defense Department in the execution of mission applications, including ISR, harbor patrol, high value escort missions, payload delivery, mine clearance, and transporting supplies. The acquisition follows other recent HII activity, including the purchasing of Hydroid, a strategic alliance with Kongsberg Maritime, an equity investment in Sea Machines, and groundbreaking of an Unmanned Systems Center of Excellence in Virginia. The SIS transaction closed Dec. 31. The cost of the transaction was not disclosed. (Source: HII 01/04/20)

Lockheed aero VP dead at 55

Lockheed Martin’s aeronautics division VP Michele Evans, 55, died Jan. 1, the aerospace company announced. The family has not released information on the cause of her death, other than to say it was not COVID-19 related. Evans also served as VP/GM for Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors in the firm’s Rotary and Mission Systems business. She oversaw the strategy and execution of the Freedom-class of Littoral Combat Ships [designed and built by the Lockheed Martin-led industry team at Marinette (Wis.) Marine], Aegis Combat Systems and sea-based missile defense. Over her 31 years at Lockheed, she also was VP of Modernization and Sustainment, where she was responsible for the A-10 weapons system, and avionics programs on the C-130 and F-35. (Source: Defense News 01/02/21) Lockheed aeronautics chief Michele Evans has died (defensenews.com)

'Future' base control access arrives

TYNDALL AFB, Fla. - The “Installation of the Future” received the Air Force’s first Mobile Vehicle Access Control Inspection System (VACIS M6500) on Dec. 21. With it, the 325th Security Forces Squadron’s job to search commercial vehicles coming on base just got easier at Tyndall AFB. The dual-mode x-ray machine will rapidly expedite the search process for incoming vehicles as part of the 5-to-7 year rebuild of the NW Florida base devastated by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. “Compared to the traditional search method, the number of vehicles we can analyze now is unparalleled,” said Senior Airman Norman Shoemake, 325th SFS search specialist. The VACIS M6500 will allow for a drastic increase in performance time - from 15 minutes to two.  As a bonus, search specialists believe the x-ray will act as a psychological deterrent for would-be offenders. (Source: Tyndall AFB 01/02/21)

COVID filter device shows promise

A new filtering device, which works similar to dialysis, aims at helping patients recover from COVID-19, shows promising results, according to Dr. Brian Rifkin, a nephrologist at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. Miss. The device, Seraph 100 Microbind Affinity Blood Filter, has helped most of the 17 patients who have received the one-time treatment. Twelve had been discharged. Four are still hospitalized. One died of complications unrelated to COVID-19 or the Seraph treatment., according to Dr. Rifkin. In general, the treatment takes up to six hours before seeing results, with patients seeing improvement within 48 hours. (Source: Hattiesburg American 12/30/20) Forrest General sees success with new treatment for COVID-19 patients (hattiesburgamerican.com)