The deal in question is the $990-million contract awarded to AeroVironment on August 27 for an “organic, stand-off solution” capable of neutralizing hostile tanks, armored vehicles, and personnel targets.

Although the grounds for the petition have not yet been disclosed, the protest will halt production of the loitering munitions while the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviews the case.

An official decision is expected to be made within 100 calendar days as required by law.

If successful, Mistral’s protest could force the US Army to re-open a competition.

The Agreement

On August 28, AeroVironment confirmed it had entered a five-year agreement with the US Army to support its Lethal Unmanned Systems (LUS) requirement by supplying an undisclosed number of Switchblade attack drones.

The systems will be used by dismounted infantry formations to defend against the threats of enemy armored assets.

The company stated that its Switchblade munitions will enhance soldier lethality and give operators the ability to track and engage moving, non-line-of-sight targets.

“AV (AeroVironment) is proud to have been selected to provide Switchblade for this critical and urgent army requirement,” Senior VP Brett Hush noted.

Deliveries of the Switchblade systems were originally scheduled to begin in months, but the protest may delay them until next year.

‘Well Positioned’

The Switchblade is a tube-launched, precision-guided munition that is flown like a drone and detonates upon contact with the target.

It can stay airborne for up to 20 minutes to monitor the surroundings and search for a target.

Prior to Mistral’s protest, AeroVironment said that its Switchblade munitions offer “unmatched maturity and effectiveness” for various missions.

Additionally, the company affirmed it is well positioned to meet the army’s emerging needs by leveraging robust production capability and supply chain capacity.

“This contract further solidifies AV’s role as a leading provider of innovative unmanned solutions,” AeroVironment noted. “The company remains committed to supporting US Army missions by delivering advanced technology that ensures operational superiority”

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In a report published July 15, the watchdog said that while the service has generally met its deployment requirements, it regularly fails to fully ensure that facilities, personnel, and training are ready before deploying a new system.

It claimed that as of late 2023, the army had fielded six priority equipment items “with at least one incomplete planning element” at the time the first units received them.

“When the army fields new equipment to units without fully completing the planning elements, units may not be well positioned to operate the new equipment,” the report stated.

Adequate planning could incur more unexpected costs, additional labor hours, and unnecessary delays, according to GAO.

It could also undermine ongoing efforts to develop weapons and military equipment and put them to use faster.

Corrective Actions

The US Army has committed billions of dollars to modernizing its units with the most advanced weapon systems and equipment available.

However, a bill provision requires the GAO, a nonpartisan agency that provides investigative services for the US Congress, to assess the status, progress, budget implications, and potential challenges of the modernization drive.

It recommended several corrective actions, including determining and adjusting processes so the service can better complete the planning elements by the time it fields new equipment.

It also wants the army to ensure that equipment meets required standards before they are transferred to other units.

Additionally, the GAO told the Secretary of the Army to document planning processes and adjustments to ensure that they are properly followed.

The post US Army Modernization Lacks Planning, Preparation: GAO appeared first on The Defense Post.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated this after conducting a comprehensive study on the production issues plaguing the program.

According to the watchdog, F-35 engine contractor Pratt & Whitney did not deliver any engines on time last year and was more than two months late on average.

The delay was blamed on quality issues discovered with some engine parts, which resulted in failure to meet requirements during testing.

In addition, contractor Lockheed Martin delivered only nine percent of engines on time in 2023, causing the number of jets waiting for delivery to grow.

TR-3 Upgrade

Besides new engines, the F-35s were supposed to receive an important hardware and software upgrade, the Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3).

The TR-3 will provide the aircraft with enhanced computing power, sensor capabilities, and overall performance to take on a wide variety of missions.

However, core components of the TR-3 have also faced delivery delays, hampering the modernization effort.

About 80 F-35s have reportedly been ready for delivery since last fall, but the service has not accepted any aircraft yet until the TR-3 hardware and software are installed and stable.

Corrective Measures

Pratt & Whitney submitted a corrective action plan to the US Department of Defense to mitigate manufacturing issues and parts shortages.

Though the document is not publicly available, it reportedly includes steps to enhance delivery performance.

Lockheed Martin also took steps to address the issues, including the acquisition of additional tooling to improve the production capacity of critical parts.

Additionally, it plans to deliver 20 F-35s to the US Air Force every month once the aircraft has been cleared for transfer.

“Even at this faster rate, delivering all the parked jets will still take about a year after the TR-3 software is completed and certified,” the GAO report concluded.

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The move comes after a US government watchdog released a report claiming that some government-provided housing poses serious health and safety risks to soldiers.

Under the proposed funding, nine barracks buildings will be built at Fort Johnson in Louisiana, Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia, and Parks Reserve Forces Training Area in California.

There will also be new and improved housing for American soldiers deployed in Germany and Puerto Rico.

To ensure that army barracks are properly and regularly maintained, the service will earmark a specific budget for barracks managers.

“People are obviously our top priority,” Army Under Secretary Gabe Camarillo said. “Army leaders have, for the last two years, really emphasized the need to have sustained investment in quality housing for our soldiers…”

If approved, the budget will reportedly mark a 325 percent increase over last year’s funding for barracks construction.

‘Substandard Barracks’

In September 2023, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released stark photos of army barracks with sewage overflow and inoperable fire systems.

It said some barracks are substandard and do not meet minimum Pentagon standards for privacy and configuration.

The assessment was confirmed by servicewoman Dana Estrella, who said in a TikTok video that there were instances when she unwillingly shared a room with someone she did not know.

The GAO report also found that the poor living conditions in barracks have affected the morale and readiness of many service members.

Because of the report, US Senators demanded the Pentagon increase its budget to build and upgrade military housing.

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The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) claimed in a recent report that the current guidance being used by the Pentagon does not clearly define at what point in the delivery process weapons and equipment should be recorded as delivered.

This reportedly stems from the lack of clear instructions for how service branches should actually confirm delivery.

“As a result, DoD officials sometimes record defense articles as delivered while they are in transit, weeks before they arrive in Ukraine,” the report noted.

Additionally, the GAO said available data systems are not being utilized to accurately track the delivery of some equipment.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Washington has delivered more than $44 billion in military aid to Kyiv.

End-Use Monitoring

The GAO acknowledged that weapons deliveries to the war-ravaged nation are being carried out rapidly, sometimes only taking days for deliveries that typically need weeks to complete.

This has raised many calls for accuracy and greater efforts to ensure accountability for all the weapons and equipment sent.

Apart from the lack of clear guidance, the watchdog flagged the Pentagon for not properly monitoring equipment losses or misuse.

“For instance, DoD has been unable to directly observe some sensitive defense articles and has allowed Ukrainian officials to self-report the status of such articles,” it reported.

Recommendations

The GAO laid out eight recommendations to ensure that US weapons sent to Ukraine are properly tracked and used correctly.

It said the department should improve the accuracy of delivery data and evaluate its end-use monitoring approach in Ukraine.

The watchdog also suggested coming up with a written, detailed guidance that would define roles and responsibilities.

The DoD agreed with five of the recommendations and partially agreed with two others. However, it disagreed with the agency’s recommendation that it should clarify guidance for documenting alleged end-use violations.

The post Pentagon ‘No Clear Guidance’ for Tracking Weapons Deliveries to Ukraine: GAO appeared first on The Defense Post.

A recent study by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that 43 percent of behavioral health care jobs within the Defense Health Agency (DHA) were vacant as of January 2023.

This has resulted in soldiers often being referred to local communities, where appointments can reportedly take up to 30 days.

“Our analysis showed that service members with urgent referrals to civilian behavioral health care providers are waiting an average of more than 2-3 weeks for their first appointment,” the report noted.

The staffing shortage is attributed to the slow hiring process within the agency and the failure to offer competitive pay compared to the private sector, according to the GAO.

Monitoring Failure

The DHA usually provides medical care for troops within military treatment facilities.

However, when that option is not possible due to staff shortages, the agency refers troops to civilian mental health care providers that accept military health insurance.

The GAO report claimed that the DHA fails to properly monitor its referrals, especially how long these referrals are taking.

Without proper monitoring, the watchdog said the agency will not be able to identify and address what is causing the delays in receiving care.

According to DHA director Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland, when service members are referred off base, they are responsible for making their own appointments. This gives the DHA less control over the situation.

The post US Military Facing Shortage of Mental Health Workers: GAO appeared first on The Defense Post.

In an expansive 96-page report released earlier this month, the investigative agency said the aircraft’s mission capable rate – or the percentage of time the warplane can effectively perform one of its tasks – was about 55 percent.

The figures were “far below” targets of 90 percent for the F-35A and 85 percent for both the B and C variants.

The office cited depot and organizational maintenance challenges as the major factors for the relatively low performance.

“The program was behind schedule in establishing depot maintenance activities to conduct repairs. As a result, component repair times remained slow with over 10,000 waiting to be repaired – above desired levels,” the GAO noted.

Additionally, the US military’s insufficient supply of F-35 spare parts and alleged overreliance on contractors contributed to the fleet’s low mission-capable rate.

Recent Mishap

The watchdog’s findings were published after an F-35B in service with the US Marine Corps suddenly went missing in South Carolina earlier this month.

The pilot ejected from the craft, but the service could not find it within the first 24 hours of searching.

The incident was considered a “Class-A” mishap, meaning the aircraft was destroyed or had property damage of $2.5 million or more.

In response, the US Marine Corps ordered a two-day stand down for all Marine aviation units to reassess aviation safety and best practices.

“During the safety stand down, aviation commanders will lead discussions with their Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness,” the service stated in a press release.

Recommendations

The GAO published several recommendations to improve the mission capability rate of American F-35s, including reassessing aircraft maintenance services.

It also said the F-35 Joint Program Office must decide whether the government or the contractor should assume primary responsibility for the warplane’s sustainment.

A final decision should be made immediately regarding the sustainment changes to be implemented.

The US Department of Defense concurred with all of the GAO’s recommendations.

The post Only 55% of US F-35s ‘Mission Capable:’ GAO appeared first on The Defense Post.

Called the “Global Train and Equip” program, the initiative provides training, services, and equipment to 90 partner nations to support their defense capabilities.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has allocated $5.6 billion to support projects under the program.

However, according to the government watchdog, roughly 75 percent of the projects between fiscal 2018 and 2022 were delayed when compared to the Pentagon’s submitted timeline.

“Specifically, 82 percent of equipment deliveries, 68 percent of training deliveries, 72 percent of services deliveries, and 95 percent of small-scale construction deliveries were delayed,” the GAO wrote.

It also noted that nearly 55 percent of equipment delivery delays were completed at least one year behind schedule.

‘Unsuitable, Unreliable Equipment’

The GAO report revealed that two out of six Global Train and Equip projects failed to improve the capabilities of partner forces because of the provision of “unsuitable” and “unreliable” equipment.

One example is an unspecified $7.6-million project to supply ground sensors to an allied force, but the systems were “not suited” for the environment they were deployed in.

The office said the sensors only functioned for three months before becoming inoperative “because of factors such as insufficient battery life, damage to ground wiring by local fauna, and sensor failures in extreme temperatures.”

Another incident involved $12 million mobile border security system trailers provided to a partner nation, which the GAO said were “unreliable.”

The trailer reportedly functioned for only three months because of problems with electrical generators and damage sustained during shipping.

Recommendations

The GAO provided the US DoD and the State Department with 10 recommendations to address what it called “persistent issues.”

Among the proposed solutions was for the defense secretary to ensure that the Defense Security Cooperation Agency works with implementing agencies to identify and analyze the factors contributing to delivery delays.

They were also told to take important steps to improve the quality of Global Train and Equip projects, and conduct thorough evaluations to better align with international best practices.

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If uncorrected, aviation problems under category one are considered “serious” as they may cause death, severe injuries, or severe occupational illnesses. They may also result in a production line stoppage.

Last year, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified seven category one deficiencies on the tanker aircraft, including two issues related to its remote vision system (RVS).

After spending 19 months and reportedly incurring over $7 billion in losses to fix the deficiencies, only one major issue concerning the tanker’s flight management system has been downgraded to category two.

“We are partnering with the air force and have a path to closure on each of these issues. The specific timeline is subject to our joint efforts and the air force determines when [category one] issues close,” a Boeing official told Breaking Defense.

Work is ‘Underway’

According to the GAO, the most prominent problem plaguing the KC-46A production and delivery is its RVS, or the camera and video system boom operators use to refuel other aircraft.

Under some lighting conditions, boom operators cannot see the receptacle clearly through the RVS, potentially damaging the receiving plane.

US Air Force official Col. Lee Ottati said a new vision system is being developed, and it would take about two months for each Pegasus to be fitted with the new RVS.

Another category one deficiency is the “stiffness” in the refueling boom, which prevents the aircraft from refueling the A-10 Warthog attack plane. A fix is expected to be developed around early 2025,” according to Ottati.

The remaining issues are related to the tanker’s auxiliary power unit and fuel system.

Boeing said they have redesigned the valve seals to prevent leaks, and the US Air Force will soon analyze if the issues could be downgraded or closed.

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The program aims to replace the service’s obsolete M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, recently achieving a milestone as two companies were selected to mature their proposals and build prototypes for testing.

According to the investigative arm of the US Congress, the army’s report did not include enough information to draw positive conclusions on the program.

To achieve this, the service should have provided “sound” conclusions from reasonable methods and presented reliable information and data.

“For example, Army officials said they ensured the models and simulations they used were valid and reliable, but didn’t include supporting evidence in the report,” the GAO stated.

Despite the negative assessment, the GAO report said the OMFV program was “generally objective” as the army gathered enough feedback from soldiers and vendors before proceeding with the contract award.

Combat Effectiveness

The US Army reportedly provided Congress with some information about the combat effectiveness of the potential Bradley replacement.

However, the GAO said portions of the report did not have quantitative metrics that would have overturned its assessment.

The information also lacked data that would have allowed the congressional watchdog to conclude that the program’s operational concepts were reliable.

The army said more details were not included in the report to Congress due to security classification.

Rationale

The OMPV program seeks to develop a state-of-the-art vehicle that offers greater firepower and mobility than the most upgraded Bradley vehicle in the army inventory.

It should have a design that can quickly integrate future upgrades to address evolving threats.

The GAO explained that it is mandated to assess the program since the US Congress included a provision for the army to submit a report about the OMFV’s desired characteristics, force structure, and operational concepts.

The investigative arm is also required to evaluate the combat effectiveness of infantry units equipped with the OMFV compared to those that use the modernized Bradley.

The US Army said it intends to complete an analysis of the program’s force structure and operational concepts over the next 18 to 24 months.

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