V2X to report Q2 results Aug. 8

MCLEAN, Va. - V2X, Inc., a leading provider of critical mission solutions and support to defense clients globally, will report second quarter 2023 financial results on Aug. 8 after market close. Senior management will conduct a conference call at 3:30 p.m. CT on that same day. 

U.S.-based participants may dial in to the conference call at 877-506-6380, while international participants may dial 412-542-4198. A live webcast of the conference call as well as an accompanying slide presentation will be available at https://app.webinar.net/lZEXpEOLx9J and on the Investors section of the V2X website at https://gov2x.com/.

A replay of the conference call will be posted on the V2X website and be available for one year. A telephonic replay will also be available through Aug. 22 at 844-512-2921 (domestic) or 412-317-6671 (international) with passcode 10179631. 

V2X locations in Mississippi: Biloxi, Brandon, Columbus, Madison, Meridian, Vicksburg

70 Yrs: Agreement ends Korean War

Today in history July 27

1953: Seventy years ago, after more than three years of war on the Korean Peninsula, military leaders from the United States, North Korea and the People’s Republic of China signed the Korean Armistice Agreement to "insure a complete cessation of hostilities.” 

$16M hopper dredge work in NOLA

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Co. LLC, Houston, Texas, was awarded a $16,069,475 firm-fixed-price contract for one fully crewed and equipped self-propelled trailing suction type hopper dredge. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 5, 2024. Fiscal 2010 civil operation and maintenance funds in the amount of $16,069,475.00 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans, Louisiana, is the contracting activity. (DoD 07/27/23)

Funds for NOLA riverfront project?

Audubon Nature Institute’s preliminary 2018 plans to turn two old wharves on the edge of the New Orleans' French Quarter into a public park that connects a .3-mile missing link, between the upriver side of the wharves and Crescent Park's downriver side, would create 2.25 miles of contiguous riverfront access.

“It will be one of the longest, continuous public riverfronts in the United States,” said architect Mark Ripple, Audubon’s project manager. “This is a transformational moment for the city and for the riverfront.” 

But key questions remain unanswered about funding, maintenance and operation of the $30M project, which has doubled in cost since 2018. 

Following a "Riverfront for All" public meeting July 24, Audubon Institute President/CEO Ron Forman said he has half the money needed. He also said he recently secured a commitment from Mayor LaToya Cantrell to “find the additional $15 million.” 

Cantrell supports the project but said July 25 it was premature to talk about specific dollar amounts or potential sources. (NOLA.com 07/26/23) Audubon riverfront plans win raves, raise questions | Business News | nola.com

Gen. Allvin nominated to lead AF

Gen. David Allvin, currently the Air Force vice chief of staff, has been nominated by the President for the service’s top military post, according to a notice posted on Congress.gov. 

If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown, who has been tapped to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Without fanfare, President Biden’s nomination of Allvin was quietly sent to the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 25. 

Last week, Biden announced the nomination of Adm. Lisa Franchetti to be the next Chief of Naval Operations. Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George has been chosen as Chief of Staff. Gen. Eric Smith, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, has been tapped to be the next commandant. They all await confirmation to take the positions permanently. 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) has put a blanket over on senior military officer confirmations in protest of the Defense Department’s abortion policies. 

Regionally, Allvin was a student from August 1997 to June 1998 at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Ala. From July 1998 to June 1999, he as a student at the School of Advanced Airpower Studies at Maxwell AFB. 

If confirmed, Allvin would lead the Air Force forward with a variety of modernization initiatives, including new drones, a new Air Force battle network, a next-gen stealth fighter and B-21 stealth bomber, IT upgrades and hypersonic weapons. (Defense Scoop 07/26/23)

NCBC to stream command change

The Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Miss., change of command ceremony will be streamed live on the base's official Facebook page at 10 a.m. on July 28. 

Capt. Ana Franco will relieve Capt. Jeff Powell as commanding officer. Capt. Franco is familiar with the Gulf Coast. This will be her third tour at Gulfport.

She first served as the chief of staff officer for the 7th Naval Construction Regiment in 2014-2016. 

Became CO of Naval Construction Training Center Gulfport from 2016-18.

She is coming to south Mississippi from the office of the Chief of Naval Operations as infrastructure and facilities program manager in the readiness branch. 

Immediately following the ceremony, the website will also be streaming Capt. Powell's retirement ceremony.  He served as the commanding officer for the last three years, reporting for duty in August 2020. 

NCBC Gulf website Facebook.  

Upstate at NAS Meridian, Captain Luke H. Davis became the new leader following a change of command on July 27. Capt. Davis assumed command from Capt. Timothy B. Moore. (NAS Meridian 07/27/23)

P'goula 6% of AEGIS $8M contract

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Manassas, Virginia, is awarded an $8,349,013 cost-plus-incentive-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-15-C-5151 to exercise options for shipboard integration and test of the AEGIS Weapon System. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey (49%); Norfolk, Virginia (15%); San Diego, California (8%); Washington, D.C. (7%); Pascagoula, Mississippi (6%); Mayport, Florida (4%); Bath, Maine (3%); and various places each below one percent (8%) and is expected to be completed by February 2025. Fiscal 2016 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funds in the amount $4,516,523 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (DoD 07/26/23)

Today July 26 in history

Today July 26 in history 

* 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

* 1945, the Potsdam Declaration warned Imperial Japan to unconditionally surrender, or face “prompt and utter destruction.” ... Winston Churchill resigned as Britain’s prime minister after his Conservatives were defeated by the Labour Party. Clement Attlee succeeded him.

*1947, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, which reorganized America’s armed forces as the National Military Establishment and created the Central Intelligence Agency.

* 1953, Fidel Castro began his revolt against Fulgencio Batista with an unsuccessful attack on an army barracks in eastern Cuba. (Castro ousted Batista in 1959.)

* 1971, Apollo 15 was launched from Cape Kennedy, Fla., on America’s fourth successful manned mission to the moon.

* 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

* 2002, the Republican-led House voted, 295-132, to create an enormous Homeland Security Department in the biggest government reorganization in decades.

* 2017, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter he would not “accept or allow” transgender people to serve in the U.S. military. 

* 2020, a processional with the casket of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge at Selma, Ala., where Lewis and civil rights marchers were beaten 55 years earlier. (The AP 07/26/23)

Murphy joins Port NOLA board

NEW ORLEANS - Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed Todd P. Murphy to the Board of Commissioners of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) in July to succeed Commissioner Jack C. Jensen.

Murphy was sworn in during July 25's monthly Board meeting and will serve a 5-year term.

Murphy will be a representative of Jefferson Parish on the 7-member regional board.

With the Port’s alignment with the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad in 2018, Port Commissioners also serve on the NOPB Commission. 

Murphy is an economic development leader and veteran of the financial sector. A native of Metairie, La., he currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer of M Wealth Advisors-Raymond James.

He's spent nearly 10 years as President of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and Ex-Officio Administrator of the organization’s Charitable Foundation and Political Action Committee. 

Under his leadership, the chamber was awarded a Five-Star Accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was honored three times in the past decade as the most outstanding Chamber by the Louisiana Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

He has a bachelor’s degree from LSU and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. 

The Port NOLA /NOPB Commission boards are unsalaried positions and members serve 5-year staggered terms. (Port NOLA 07/25/23) Port NOLA | Gov. John Bel Edwards Appoints Todd Murphy to Port of New…

Fed hikes interest rate for 11th time

WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve raised its key interest rate again on July 26 - the 11th time in 17 months - a streak of hikes intended to curb inflation but may carry may go too far and trigger a recession.

The move lifted the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate from roughly 5.1% to 5.3% - its highest level since 2001.

Coming on top of its previous rate hikes, the Fed’s move could lead to further increases in mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and business borrowing. 

Though inflation has eased, this latest reflects the Feds' concern the economy is growing too fast. 

Consumer confidence is the highest it's been in two years. Americans keep spending and businesses keep hiring. The unemployment rate is near a half-century low - 3.6%.

Some Fed officials have said the total effects of previous rate hikes have been baked into the economy. With inflation still above the Fed’s2% target, they concluded additional hikes may be needed. 

Fed policymakers will next meet Sept. 19-20. (The AP 07/26/23) Federal Reserve raises key rate to highest level since 2001 | AP News 

'Bullish' weapon sales to Ukraine

RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies, posted $18.3B in FY 2023 second quarter sales, up 12% from the prior year's Q2, and saw adjusted earnings per share increase 11% to $1.29 during the quarter. 

The aerospace and defense contractor said July 25 that its backlog, at the end of Q2, totaled $185B with the defense side of business accounting for $73B. 

Notable Q2 defense bookings included $2B for F135 engine production, $1.2B for advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (MRAAM) production and $1.5B for F117 sustainment work.

In early July, the company started operating with three businesses - Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon – as part of a portfolio realignment. 

“Our team has done a tremendous job in a relatively short period of time," said RTX Chairman/CEO Greg Hayes, "shifting roughly $3B of sales and thousands of employees across our portfolio to better meet the evolving needs of our customers." (RTX 07/25/23) 

Regionally, RTX operates a facility in Forest, Miss.

RTX 'bullish" on Ukraine-specific defense system sales

RTX, maker of the Patriot, AMRAAM, Sidewinder, Javelin, Stinger, and other missiles featuring significantly in the war in Ukraine - for neighboring NATO countries - has logged about $2B in replenishment orders as a result of the conflict and expects to top that figure in the coming year, Hayes said in a July 25 earnings call. 

The Biden Administration announced on the same day (July 25) another drawdown of weapons from U.S. stocks will be provided to Ukraine worth $400M, including many of those same systems Hayes referenced.  

Hayes said the company is “so bullish” on defense systems sales “for the next couple of years” because it has logged large orders for AIM-120 AMRAAM and other missiles. 

“We have orders coming from NATO,” he said. “(W)e're planning on significant order intake" on both the AMRAAM and GEM-T. 

RTX has only seen $2B of Ukraine-specific replenishment orders. Hayes expects "probably another $2.5B" in the next 12 months.

AMRAAM sales through the Air Force's Foreign Military Sales program have been $1.2B so far in 2013, with German and Ukrainian orders in that package. he noted. 

The House and Senate have been supportive of major RTX programs while marking up the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, Hayes continued, including hypersonics, the nuclear Long-Range Stand-Off missile, and the Pratt & Whitney unit’s F135 engine upgrades. (Air & Space Forces Magazine 07/25/23)

RTX Expects Even More Demand in the Next Year to Replenish Missiles Sent to Ukraine (airandspaceforces.com)

AU' s Coker nom for cyber director

Harry Coker, an American lawyer and national security expert, was nominated July 25 by President Joe Biden to become National Cyber Director. 

He served as executive director of the National Security Agency from 2017-19.

Since 2019, Coker has worked as a senior fellow at the Auburn University's McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. 

A graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Coker was a naval officer for 20 years before joining the Central Intelligence Agency in 2000. 

Coker is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Coker served as a surface warfare officer for his first six years in the United States Navy and was an engineering duty officer until he retired as a Commander in 2000. 

In 2019, Coker became a senior fellow at the Auburn University McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. 

In 2020, Coker was a member national security staff during the presidential transition of Joe Biden.

If confirmed as National Cyber Director, sould succeed Kemba Walden, acting National Cyber Director. (GovWire 07/25/23) Harry Coker Nominated as National Cyber Director - GovCon Wire

Regional Note: U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who has been holding up defense promotions until DoD changes its abortion policy, was a football coach at Auburn University (and the University of Mississippi).

Today July 25 in history

 Today July 25 in history

* In 1866, Ulysses S. Grant was named General of the Army of the United States, the first officer to hold the rank.

* In 1946, the United States detonated an atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific in the first underwater test of the device.

* In 1972, the notorious Tuskegee syphilis experiment came to light as The Associated Press reported that for the previous four decades, the U.S. Public Health Service, in conjunction with the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, had been allowing poor, rural Black male patients with syphilis to go without treatment, even allowing them to die, as a way of studying the disease.

* In 1978, Louise Joy Brown, the first “test tube baby,” was born in Oldham, England; she’d been conceived through the technique of in-vitro fertilization.

* In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordan’s King Hussein signed a declaration at the White House ending their countries’ 46-year-old formal state of war.

* In 2010, the online whistleblower Wikileaks posted some 90,000 leaked U.S. military records that amounted to a blow-by-blow account of the Afghanistan war, including unreported incidents of Afghan civilian killings as well as covert operations against Taliban figures.

* In 2016, on the opening night of the Democratic national convention in Philadelphia, Bernie Sanders robustly embraced former rival Hillary Clinton as a champion for the economic causes that enlivened his supporters, signaling for them to rally behind her in the campaign against Republican Donald Trump. 

* In 2017, a bitterly-divided Senate voted to move forward with Republican legislation to repeal and replace “Obamacare.” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz,), returning to the Capitol for the first time since he was diagnosed with brain cancer, cast a decisive “yes” vote.  (Three days later, McCain joined two Republicans and Democrats in defeating the repeal effort.) 

* In 2017, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, (R-La.) who was critically wounded in a shooting at a baseball practice June 14, was released from a Washington hospital. 

* In 2019, President Donald Trump had a second phone call with the new Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he solicited Zelenskyy’s help in gathering potentially damaging information about former VP Joe Biden. (The AP 07/25/23)

$968K rural MS hospital grant

A west Mississippi hospital has been awarded $968,200 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 

The rural emergency healthcare grant is going to Sharkey Issaquena Community Hospital in Rolling Fork - population about 1,900 - to improve healthcare facilities in small towns.

This investment will be used to offset the burden that COVID-19 placed on the Mississippi hospital, including lost revenues, increased staffing expenses and expenses incurred to protect the community and facility from the spread of COVID-19. 

USDA Deputy Secretary Torres Small said its Emergency Rural Health Care Grants are helping strengthen rural America’s health care infrastructure to build for the future.

In addition to its contribution to the Mississippi hospital, USDA is awarding $129M in grants to help 172 rural healthcare organizations throughout the nation. Magnola State Live 07/25/23)

Cemetery tour ban; LED job fair

Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Paulette Irons in New Orleans has effectively upheld a ban on about 75 local tour operators from one of the city’s most popular attractions - the historic St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, owned by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

The Archdiocese began restricting access to the cemetery from all but immediate family members of those buried at the site and a single tour company - Cemetery Tours NOLA - that does business with the church. 

The firm, owned by hotelier and tour bus operator Michael Valentino, was selected by the archdiocese to be its sole tour group after responding to a solicitation for proposals. 

The archdiocese has never said why it chose to limit access to one tour company although the speculation is to prevent chaos when multiple tours overwhelm the cemetery site. 

Founded in 1789, the cemetery is known for its thousands of elaborate mausoleums, vaults and tombs and is the oldest of New Orleans’ surviving “cities of the dead.” 

The attorney for tour operators has asked Irons for a rehearing, which is allowed under state law. In court documents, he argues the archdiocese lied in the hearing earlier this month and mispresented certain facts about the federal case - regarding what constitutes public or private cemeteries. 

Online job fair slated Wednesday 

Five companies - Premier Health in Baton Rouge, Calls Plus in Lafayette, SchoolMint in Lafayette, The Healthy School Food Collaborative in Slidell and Entergy in Monroe - are teaming up for a Louisiana Economic Development (LED) FastStart online job fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 26. 

The companies are looking to fill dozens of full-time job openings such as sales executives, Medicaid coordinator, customer care representative, project manager, business financial analyst, payroll coordinator and IT technical support specialist. 

The job fair is free and participants can register in advance or throughout the event through Brazen. Companies look to hire dozens at LED job fair | Business News | nola.com

'Ape' Hayde takes helm @ 505th

HURLBERT FIELD, Fla. - Col. Ryan 'Ape' Hayde became the commander of the 505th Command and Control Wing during a change of command ceremony in the Commando Hangar at Hurlburt Field, Fla., on July 20, becoming the newest leader responsible for the U.S. Air Force's only wing dedicated to operational-level command and control (C2). 

Prior to arriving at Hurlburt Field, Hayde served as vice commander of the 23rd Wing at Moody AFB, Gia. He also served as director of operations for U.S. Air Forces Central Command at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. 

Hayde earned his commission in 2001 after graduating from the Air Force Academy. He has served as an instructor pilot in A-10 Thunderbolt IIs at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School. Hayde has more than 2,000 flight hours, including 500 combat hours in the A/OA-10, A-10A, and A-10C. 

Outgoing commander, Col. Frederick Coleman III, is set to retire after 24+ years of service. He received the Legion of Merit for his outstanding leadership at the 505th CCW.  

The 505th CCW is comprised of the 505th Test and Training Group at Hurlburt Field; 505th Combat Training Group at Nellis AFB, Nev.; and Detachment 1 of the 505th CCW at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Its mission is to prepare and enable the joint force to execute war winning C2 airpower. (Hurlburt Field 07/25/23) 

1st La. eval of red drum stocking

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is providing a special permit to transport and stock about 10,000 red drum fingerlings into the Calcasieu Lake estuary as part of a pilot project to investigate the biological/ecological efficacy of stocking with hatchery-raised fish. 

The fish are expected to be stocked during 2023-24, but the permit will expire December 31 and will require renewal prior to any stocking activities in 2024. 

The fingerlings will be stocked by the Recreational Fisheries Research Institute (RFRI) along with the Coastal Conservation Association of Louisiana.

LDWF will assist with project evaluation by genetic monitoring during fish releases and collecting fish samples in later years for genetic testing. 

RFRI, a Louisiana-based non-profit, conducts marine fisheries restoration through education and public involvement. RFRI is covering the costs of stocking and genetic analysis as part of the permit stipulations.

“We know that red drum are important to our citizens, the economy, and the ecosystem," said LDWF Secretary Rob Shadoin.

LDWF wants to "evaluate all options to recover the stock in coastal waters," he said. 

It will be the first-ever evaluation of red drum stocking in Louisiana. 

Although red drum have been stocked in other states, the department says it wants to temper expectations related to this effort. 

A recent stock assessment shows the red drum population has had a population drop of more than 1.5M compared to its long-term recruitment average.

Stocking efforts won't solve the population issue of nature, according to LDWF Assistant Secretary for Fisheries Patrick Banks. Hatchery-reared fish could serve useful for the future. 

The hope is that stocked fish survive in the Calcasieu Estuary and at levels that can be tracked via genetic testing.

From a fisheries management perspective, the pilot study can help scientists assess the percentage of hatchery-reared fish.

Any future stocking program decisions will be up to the LDWF Secretary. (LDWF 07/24/23)

For more scientific detail on the project click here.

Teamsters, UPS reach tentative deal

UPDATE

The Teamsters union has reached a tentative deal with UPS narrowly beating the expiration of the current contract on July 31, according to a Teamsters press release. The tentative deal boasts higher wages, more jobs, equal pay, air conditioning for drivers and Martin Luther King Jr. Day off. (Daily Caller 07/25/23) UPS Avoids Major Strike In New Deal With Union | The Daily Caller

Skirting debt ceiling agreement

Leaders of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC) have reached an agreement to add $8B to the FY24 defense budget, using emergency spending authority to bypass spending limits put in place by a recent debt ceiling agreement. 

The debt agreement was designed to suspend the debt limit for two years in exchange for capping federal spending. 

The limit National security spending would be limited to the president’s requested level of $886B for FY25 and $895B for FY26. 

As soon as the agreement was reached, lawmakers began discussing options for bypassing the spending limits. The option used was to apply an emergency supplemental spending bill, which wouldn’t be subject to the caps.

During opening remarks at a recent budget markup of several federal spending bills, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), chair of the SAC, outlined plans to increase federal discretionary spending by $13.7B above the caps, including $8B for defense and $5.7B for non-defense.

Members from both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns about the cuts to vital non-defense programs, and the caps on defense spending, Murray said. 

The chairperson and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) have discussed how best to address these concerns, Murry said, and "agreed to make use of additional emergency appropriations ... to address in a bipartisan way some of the pressing challenges" to the nation. 

The committee is scheduled to meet July 27 for its markup of the FY24 defense appropriations bill. 

The House Appropriations Committee marked up its version in June. That bill falls in line with the spending limits established by the deficit agreement. (The AP 07/24/23) Senate Appropriators Agree to Bypass Spending Limits, Add $8 Billion for Defense – Defense Security Monitor (forecastinternational.com)  

Schumer warns against late 'toxic' add-ons to NDAA

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wants a quick conclusion to the defense bill. 

The NDAA bill is full of provisions both parties "can celebrate," Schumer said, but "provide a strong foundation for the security of this nation.” 

Schumer wants NDAA done before senators leave for the August recess, but warned against “toxic” amendments that could tank the package. 

Chief among those are measures related to the Pentagon’s policy to provide leave and travel reimbursement for troops who cross state lines to seek abortions. 

The issue has grounded top military promotion confirmations by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) who is jamming up the process in a bid to force DoD to reverse the abortion policy. (Politico 07/24/23) Senate aims to sidestep culture war land mines in race to pass defense bill - POLITICO

DoD regional contracts July 24

* Alabama Shipyard, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded $19,685,492 firm-fixed-price contract (N3220523C4084) for a 120-calendar day shipyard availability for the mid-term availability of Military Sealift Command’s hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). This contract includes a base period and options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $19,927,348. Work will be performed in Mobile beginning Sept. 15, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 12, 2024. FY 2023 Navy working capital funds in the amount of $19,685,492 are obligated and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, Sept. 30. This contract was a small business set-aside with proposals solicited via the SAM.gov website and four offers received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. 

* Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Florida, was awarded a $256,955,264 firm-fixed-price contract for the design-build of a new medium-class hopper dredge. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Panama City with an estimated completion date of Aug. 16, 2027. FY 2023 Plant Replacement and Improvement Program funds in the amount of $256,955,264 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity. (DoD 07/24/23)