Lucky 11 gives back to community

Gulfport, Miss.-based Naval Construction Battalion Center Seabees from NMCB-11 have been volunteering to help restore the Residency Center at the Temple Baptist Church in Biloxi. NMCB-11 has engaged in various volunteer projects throughout this homeport cycle, and this project carries much meaning for the Seabees. Not only are the volunteers getting in-rate experience, which will help their own professional performance, they are also helping build up the community they inhabit, sharing a space and collaborating within the Gulf Coast. It's going to take a few more weeks to complete the entire project, but the volunteers from the Lucky-Eleven will see it through. (Source: NMCB 11 Gulfport 07/12/22) (5) Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Eleven | Facebook

DoD regional contracts July 13-15

APTIM Federal Services LLC, Baton Rouge, La., was awarded a $13,605,262 firm-fixed-price contract for recurring maintenance, inspections, minor repairs, emergency repair actions, and minor construction for petroleum facilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2023. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD, 07/13/22)

Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., McLean, Virginia, is awarded a $171,768,424 cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. This contract provides technical, analytical, and managerial services to support the Naval Aviation Enterprise for strategic objectives and initiatives in support of its mission to sustain required current readiness and advance future warfighting capabilities. Work will be performed in Norfolk, Virginia (32%); San Diego, California (27%); Patuxent River, Maryland (13%); Arlington, Virginia (7%); Cherry Point, North Carolina (3%); New River, North Carolina (3%); Fort Worth, Texas (2%); Millington, Tennessee (2%); Washington, D.C. (1%); Yuma, Arizona (1%); various locations within the continental U.S. (8%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (1%), and is expected to be completed in August 2027.  No funds will be obligated at the time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposal; one offer was received. The Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 07/15/22)

New methodology for eco benes

BATON ROUGE, La. - A new methodology developed by The Water Institute here and partners allows the comparison of proposed or built projects on the basis of potential ecosystem benefit, social vulnerability and exposure to future stressors such as sea level rise. The peer-reviewed research article, “Supporting habitat restoration in the northern Gulf of Mexico through synthesis of data on multiple and interacting benefits and stressors” was published in the Journal of Environmental Management. This new method can be applied anywhere where regional planning is needed. Developed by The Water Institute, with partners U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Royal Engineers & Consultants, the research supports planning tools, including the Southeast Conservation Blueprint, a regularly-updated spatial plan that identifies important places for conservation and restoration across the Southeast and Caribbean. The 2022 blueprint, scheduled for release in October, uses many of the approaches discussed in the paper to depict priorities that supports thriving fish and wildlife populations and improved quality of life. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, there has been an increase in the funding available to regional restoration approaches and valuations. This work fills a key gap in quantitative methodologies that can be used to compare proposed projects based on potential ecological benefits, community vulnerabilities and future threats. (Source: The Water Institute 07/11/22)

MSPA board meets July 26

The Mississippi State Port Authority (MSPA) board of commissioners will meet on Tuesday, July 26, at 1 p.m. at the Port’s Administrative Office on the 14th floor of the Hancock Bank Plaza, located at 2510 14th Street in Gulfport. (Source: MSPA 07/14/22)

May regular scheduled meeting minutes. May-26-Regular-Meeting.pdf (shipmspa.com)

June special meeting minutes. June13Special.pdf (shipmspa.com) 

Ala. group heads to Farnborough

The State of Alabama’s Commerce Department will be present starting July 18 at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK after a 2-year pandemic hiatus. Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield and the state’s economic development team have scheduled meetings with Boeing, Airbus, GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance and other companies. “Alabama and aerospace share a common DNA, and this relationship is poised to climb to new heights in the future.” Canfield said in a statement. “The air show allows Alabama’s representatives to show off the state’s record as an economic partner,” said Bob Smith, Commerce’s assistant director of European strategy. (Source: AL.com 07/15/22) Gulf Coast Note: Other regional states will also likely be headed to the UK but have yet to announce those plans. More than 200 US companies are exhibiting at the Farnborough International Airshow.

Spoke in wheel to MS aero academy

ABERDEEN, Miss. – Students here in sixth-through-eighth grade are being invited to participate in a summer camp July 18-22 intended to set future career goals in aviation. Aberdeen High School’s JROTC program will host the camp, which is sponsored by Atmos Energy. The camp is free, and will run from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. daily. The camp's purpose is to make kids aware of aviation- and aerospace-related careers, according to Aberdeen High JROTC instructor Maj. Allen Williams. “I see this as being another kind of spoke in the wheel" as far as establishing an aerospace science academy. The Aberdeen School District is considering implementing such an academy, which would be the first of its kind in Mississippi. As of last week, 20+ students had signed up. There are still available slots. To register, go to https://forms.gle/rT9LoVWyLrqJjamu9. (Source: Monroe Journal 07/1422) Aviation camp giving students opportunity to aim high for career options | News | djournal.com

Sr. aircraft tech job @ AHI

 Sr. Aircraft Technician (New Helicopter Completions) AHI Columbus, Miss. 

Performs detailed inspection, assembly, installation, repair or replacement of aircraft components and systems, maintenance or refurbishing of aircraft and function check of components. Conduct operational checks of complete systems to verify accurate functioning of components and systems. Diagnose malfunctions or failures and make adjustments, repairs or replacements of parts or components. 

Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI)

TVA request for CO2-free electricity

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is planning to boost the amount of zero-carbon energy on its grid by more than 10 percent by 2029 while moving toward a cleaner system. TVA is the nation’s largest public power utility. On July 12, it issued a clean energy procurement request for carbon dioxide-free electricity. The power would serve TVA’s 7-state territory in the Southeast (including Mississippi) but could come from outside the region. TVA is casting a wide net for technologies that don’t emit CO2 as it continues its transition away from fossil fuels. Under the plan, TVA will add up to 5,000 MWs of clean energy as part of its strategy to cut its carbon portfolio. TVA has roughly 35,000 MW to 38,000 MW of capacity daily through its own generation and power purchases from other places. The 5,000 MW will make up a significant piece of TVA’s future electricity mix. Executives said it will help the utility reach its decarbonization goals faster. The deadline for carbon-free proposals is Oct. 19, and TVA said it will announce which projects it has chosen in the spring of 2023. (Source: Energy Wire 07/13/22) TVA plans major increase in carbon-free power - E&E News (eenews.net)

BOEM task force's 3rd GoM meet

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will hold its third Gulf of Mexico Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Task Force meeting from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CT) on July 27. The meeting is to present potential areas identified in federal waters offshore of the Gulf suitable for offshore renewable energy development. The task force provides significant information to the decision-making process. The task force is a partnership between federal, state, and local agencies and Tribal governments tasked with coordinating renewable energy planning activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) in the Gulf of Mexico. It serves as a forum to discuss stakeholder issues, obtain data, exchange information about ocean resources, and facilitate collaboration opportunities. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting, which will include an opportunity for public input. The meeting will take place virtually via Zoom. To register for the meeting, go to https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/gulf-mexico-gom-intergovernmental-renewable-energy-task-force. Additional information about this task force is available on BOEM's Gulf of Mexico Task Force web page. (Source: Work Boat 07/14/22)

Gov't upholds Vertex's Navy contract

MADISON, Miss.  – The Vertex Company, a V2X company (VVX), has begun work on an up to $850M Navy contract after the award was upheld by federal bid protest decisions. Vertex previously announced the contract, for maintenance of test aircraft for the Navy, in April. Vertex will provide aircraft maintenance to the Naval Test Wing Atlantic (NTWL), which has five squadrons comprising of a range of fixed-wing, rotary and unmanned aircraft. The aircraft supported by this contract perform a variety of test and evaluation missions and operate at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. As part of the transition, Vertex is hiring aircraft technicians. A complete list of opportunities for skilled artisans and support positions available at Patuxent River, Md., can be found at the company’s website: https://vtxco.com/welcome-new-naval-test-wing-atlantic-teammates/. (Source: Vertex 07/13/22)

Double trouble from sliver of La.

The heavily industrialized stretch of the Mississippi River extending from Baton Rouge to south of New Orleans has accounted for more than 50% of Louisiana's greenhouse gas footprint for nearly 50 years, according to research analysis conducted by the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. The research, still undergoing peer review, found that, in any given year, this small section of Louisiana produces anywhere from 26% to 55% of the state’s disproportionately large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. LUMC's coastal scientist Alex Kolker, who led the research, said the region stood out like a sore thumb when he began digging into international data compiled on climate and air pollution. Since 2020, Kolker has been on the scientific committee advising a state task force formed to guide Louisiana’s response to ever-growing threats of climate change. A greenhouse gas inventory found that in 2018 the industrial sector accounted for about two-thirds of the state's emissions. As discussions about Louisiana's carbon footprint progressed, he tried to find the answer to a single question: Where are these planet-warming emissions coming from? Turns out it was concentrated in ones same notorious area of the state for toxic air pollution and long-debated health concerns. (Source: WGNO 07/06/22) This sliver of Louisiana is responsible for most of the state’s carbon emissions, new study says | WWNO

Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday

Mississippi's sales-tax-free weekend will be July 29-30. It begins Friday morning at 12:01 a.m. and runs through midnight Saturday, July 30. Sales tax will not be due on articles of clothing, footwear or school supplies if the sales price of a single item is less than $100. The Mississippi Department of Revenue laid out some guidelines for eligible and ineligible items - here's what you need to know. (Source: Clarion Ledger 07/12/22) Tax-free weekend Mississippi 2022: What you need to know (clarionledger.com)

CG medevacs off-shore crewman

NEW ORLEANS - The Coast Guard medevaced a 52-year-old man from an offshore supply vessel about 36 miles SE of Grand Isle, La., on July 14. Coast Guard New Orleans received a call via Channel 16 stating a crewmember aboard the offshore supply vessel Warren Thomas was reportedly experiencing heart attack- and stroke-like symptoms. The CG directed the launch of a CG Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew to assist. The helicopter crew hoisted the patient aboard and transported him to University Medical Center in New Orleans.  The man was last reported in stable condition. (Source: Coast Guard 07/14/22)

Ex-MDA boss joins BTSG Partners

Ridgeland, Miss.-based Bryant Tsongi Snell Global Partners announced that former Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) and Mississippi State University (MSU) executive Dr. Mike McGarvey had joined the firm's economic development team. The consulting firm provides business development, government affairs and public relations services; strategic planning; management of issues; and many more for customers around the world. Among highlights of Dr. McGarvey's career includes serving with distinction in the Air Force for 20 years; serving on the Mississippi Lottery Corporation Board of Directors where he is Founding Chairman and State of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board; and supported Mississippi’s Site Development Grant Program which laid the foundation for strengthening project recruitment competitiveness. While at MDA, his team generated more than $10B in private investment and 30,000 new jobs. While at MSU, had an institutional operating budget of $675M and a $200M research budget. (Source: Dark News 07/13/22) Bryant Tsongi Snell Global Partners welcomes former MDA and MSU Executive Dr. Mike McGarvey. Mississippi Politics & News – Mississippi News (darik.news)

Matt Dowell new GTR director

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Matt Dowell took the reins of director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR) here on July 1 following the retirement of former director Mike Hainsey. One of his first projects will be expanding the airport's second floor, thanks to a federal funds. (Source: WVTA 07/13/22)

Flight deck basketball on 11-11

A pair of national college basketball teams - Gonzaga and Michigan State - will meet on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in California on Veterans Day. The 2022 Armed Forces Classic game Nov. 11 will be televised in prime time on ESPN. (Source: San Diego Union Tribune 07/13/22)

Navy demos PE training device

WASHINGTON: The Navy demonstrated a new training device July 7 that is designed to prepare its aviators for potential in-flight emergencies by having them feel the effects of oxygen deprivation while safely grounded. The new tool in the service’s years-long struggle with the phenomena known as physiological episodes (PEs). The “Mask on Breathing Device” allows pilots feel the PE symptoms that could happen in flight - from hypoxia to hyperventilation and “air hunger.” The service has delivered 10 devices to date and plans to install 35 throughout the fleet’s training centers. PEs have been a problem for the Navy and Air Force. A PE is characterized by a pilot body’s adversely reacting to intense pressures of flight, combined with issues with the aircraft, in ways that can debilitate the pilot. The Navy's highest number of PEs per flight hour in 2017 were roughly 71 per 100,000 flights hours in the T-45 trainer, according to the Navy. Studies concluded there is no singular root cause. It is a combination of factors in the cockpit and the pilot’s health that could lead to blacking out mid-flight. Since the height of the phenomenon, PE episodes have declined. (Source: Breaking Defense 07/13/22) New Navy flight mask could prep aviators to avoid blacking out mid-flight - Breaking Defense

Huntsville clears Space HQ review

An Air Force environmental impact statement (EIS) review has found no problems with the Huntsville, Ala., site for a new U.S. Space Command HQ, which may clear a final official hurdle for the new command to move to Alabama, according to U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) July 13. A public comment period will follow, during which Colorado officials may likely continue the fight to keep the command at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. After the comment period, the Secretary of the Air Force will make the final base decision. The decision for Huntsville would move 1,800 HQ staff and families to Alabama and building a new HQ facility. (Source: AL.com 07/13/22) Redstone Arsenal environmental study paves way for Space Command’s move to Alabama - al.com 

Aurora to build VG rocket lift

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Virgin Galactic announced July 13 it is partnering with Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences to manufacture the next generation of the twin-fuselage aircraft used to carry aloft VG's rocket ship. AFS will build two of the special planes at its facilities in Columbus, Miss., and West Virginia. Final assembly still will take place at Virgin Galactic's facility in Mojave, Calif., with the first ship produced under the contract expected to enter service in 2025. Each of the aircraft will be designed to fly up to 200 launches per year. (Source: The AP 07/13/22) Virgin Galactic Taps Boeing Subsidiary to Build Motherships | Manufacturing.net

Regional mil.health clinic changes

More than 155,000 military family members and retirees will be moved from the military hospital system to civilian health providers starting later in the year, a process expected to last through mid-2026, according to a Defense Department report. Under the revised plan, however, at least 29 facilities that were slated to serve only active-duty patients may still see some active-duty family members to sustain their staffs' clinical skills. In a report sent to Congress on July 1, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Gil Cisneros said that the number of facilities scheduled for downsizing has changed and active-duty family members might be kept in the military system, depending on location and training needs. The plan gives 29 clinics the option of keeping some active-duty family members "as appropriate for provider skill sustainment." The facilities will "generally transition non-active duty

As a result of the post-pandemic review, the following changes have been made, including clinics that will be closed to retirees and their family members but will retain the option to treat active-duty family members: • Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas • Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana • Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama • Dover Air Force Base, Delaware • Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts • MacDill Air Force Base, Florida • Robins Air Force Base, Georgia • Dyess Air Force Base, Texas • Patrick Space Force Base, Florida • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey • Navy Weapons Station Earle, New Jersey, Colts Neck Earle clinic • Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland • Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, New Hampshire, outpatient clinic • Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Millington, Tennessee, outpatient clinic • Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas • Naval Air Station Belle Chasse, Louisiana, outpatient clinic • Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Virginia, Naval Branch Health Clinic Dahlgren • Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland, outpatient clinic • Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, Naval Health Clinic New England • Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia, Naval Branch Health Clinic Albany • Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, Kirk Army Health outpatient clinic • Redstone Arsenal, • Fort Detrick, Maryland, Barquist outpatient clinic • Rock Island Arsenal • Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Miami, Florida, Gordon outpatient clinic • Fort Lee, Virginia, Kenner-Lee outpatient clinic • Defense Distribution Center in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, outpatient clinic • Naval Technical Training Center Meridian, Mississippi, outpatient clinic Facilities that may continue to see active-duty. (Source: Military.com 07/12/22) 155,000 Military Health System Patients to Be Pushed to Civilian Care Starting This Year | Military.com