Tuesday, September 22, 2009

National Security Archive Update, September 22, 2009

JOE-1:U.S. Intelligence and the Detection of the First Soviet Nuclear Test, September 1949

For more information contact:
William Burr [National Security Archive] - 202/994-7000

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb286/

Washington D.C., September 22, 2009 – Sixty years ago tomorrow, on 23 September 1949, President Harry Truman made headlines when he announced that the Soviet Union had secretly tested a nuclear weapon several weeks earlier. Truman did not explain how the United States had detected the test, which had occurred on 29 August 1949 at Semipalatinsk, a site in northeastern Kazakhstan. Using declassified material, much of which has never been published, this briefing book documents how the U.S. Air Force, the Atomic Energy Commission, and U.S. scientific intelligence worked together to detect a nuclear test that intelligence analysts, still unaware of the extent to which the Soviets had penetrated the Manhattan Project, did not expect so soon.

Stalin and the Soviet Politburo were probably stunned by Truman's announcement; they did not know that Washington had a surveillance system for detecting the tell-tale signs of a nuclear test and they wanted secrecy to avoid giving the United States an incentive to accelerate its nuclear weapons activities. (Note 1) Joe-1 (as U.S. intelligence designated it) was also a jolt for U.S. intelligence analysis, which for several years had asserted that the Soviets were unlikely to have the bomb before mid-1953, although mid-1950 was also possible. A few weeks after the test, CIA director Roscoe Hillenkoetter argued that "I don't think we were taken by surprise" because of an error of only a "few months," but not all of his Congressional masters accepted that.

Jill Biden Visits New York Guardsmen

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 22, 2009 - Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, met here yesterday with New York National Guard personnel and their families following an appearance in the state with President Barack Obama. Biden met with Army Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Taluto, adjutant general of the New York National Guard; family members of deployed soldiers; and professionals who support the New York National Guard's Family Program.

The Bidens' son, Joseph "Beau" Biden III, is a captain in the Delaware Army National Guard and is currently deployed in Iraq. Biden has made support for the families of National Guard and Reserve members one of her priority issues as the nation's "second lady."

"I have talked to hundreds of servicemembers and families in my travels around the country, and I have listened to their concerns," Biden said. "As a military mom, this is personal to me too -- and I am doing as much as I can to raise awareness of the special challenges that Guard members and their families face.

"I hope to encourage more Americans to think about how they can show appreciation for our military families," she said.

Biden, an English professor who holds a doctorate in education, accompanied Obama to Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., yesterday where the president called for a "new generation of innovation" and announced $100 billion in economic stimulus for the effort.

Biden took advantage of her visit to the capital region to find out more about the New York Guard's Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program to help redeployed soldiers reintegrate to civilian life, and the Guard's family support programs.

"I enjoyed learning more today about the New York National Guard's reintegration programs and the critical ways the Guard is working to better support our soldiers and their families before, during and after deployments," she said.

Following a meeting with administrators of the Guard's Family Program, Biden met with family members of soldiers in the 206th Military Police Company, headquartered here, who are currently deployed in Basra, Iraq. She also met briefly with members of 3rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, who recently returned from Iraq.

(From the New York National Guard public affairs office.)

Pennsylvania Guard Called Up for G-20 Summit

By Air Force Capt. Jay Ostrich
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 22, 2009 - More than 2,500 Pennsylvania National Guardsmen have been called up to support the international G-20 Summit, a global economic summit, being held here Sept. 24 and 25. Operation Steel Kickoff started Sept. 20 with a joint reception, staging, onward movement and integration point process led by the Guard's 213th Area Support Group, which is working out of a hangar at the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Coraopolis, Pa.

In short, the four-point process acts as the gateway for the soldiers and airmen assigned to the mission.

"We're the support role, helping the soldiers and airmen get out and do the things they need to do," said Army 1st Lt. Matthew Springer, the team leader for Operation Steel Kickoff's JRSOI process. "Our focus is on ensuring the war fighter is getting the things they need to be successful in their mission."
This is the first joint operation of this magnitude for the 213th ASG, and because it is taking place in their home state, the operation has instilled many with an extra sense of pride.

"It's always a great experience when you can help, especially when it's here on the home front, a mission right here in the state of Pennsylvania," Springer said.

The mission starts administratively, Springer said.

"We're checking for ID cards, orders, dog tags and critical personnel information" he said. "Once they're in-processed, soldiers and airmen move to medical where they receive their flu shots."

After being medically processed, the servicemembers are briefed by public affairs, legal, medical and intelligence. Once they've completed the briefings, they're ready for the mission, Springer said.

Following the check-in process, soldiers and airmen wasted no time in practicing techniques needed to help local, state and federal authorities keep Pittsburgh safe as demonstrators take to the streets in protest of the worldwide economic summit.

Several hundred joint task force members practiced throughout the day with movement techniques, formations and crowd and riot control at Crane Armory here.

"We're working hard right now because we have Army and Air Force members who haven't trained together before," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Bittner, a platoon leader from 1/110th, D Company. "We are working to mesh, because we all take a lot of pride in this mission."

Even the veterans are experiencing something new.

"This is definitely a different mission," said Air Force Master Sgt. Pauline Gonzalez, a 23-year veteran and personnel specialist with the 211th Engineering Installation Squadron. "It's very hard and very challenging, but it's been a rewarding experience."

As the sun set on the first day of training for the big event, the Guard continued to practice in case protests become a threat to people and property.

"We have a duty and responsibility to make sure the citizens are protected," Gonzalez said. "Demonstrators have their rights, but they have to exercise them peacefully and within the law."

(Air Force Capt. Jay Ostrich serves with the Pennsylvania National Guard public affairs office.)

MILITARY CONTRACTS September 22, 2009

NAVY
Harper Construction Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $124,372,557 firm-fixed price contract for design and construction of four Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The BEQs will house a total of 1,798 Marines in the standard 2+0 configuration and will include a multipurpose community area and laundry facilities. The contract also contains four planned modifications, which if issued would increase the cumulative contract value to $137,200,519. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by June 2011. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 21 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N62473-07-C-1208).

Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Portsmouth, R.I., is being awarded an $81,100,001 firm-fixed-price contract for the procurement of 23 FY09 full rate production Lot VII AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar helicopter dipping sonar systems for the MH-60R Program. Work will be performed in Brest, France, (72 percent); Portsmouth, R.I., (26 percent); and Gaithersburg, Md., (2 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2012. 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 (N00019-09-C-0096).

Alliant Techsystems, Inc., Integrated Systems Division, Clearwater, Fla., is being awarded a $49,380,947 contract for the procurement of AAR-47 Missile Warning System components. This contract provides for the procurement of 684 AAR-47 A(V)2 Optical Sensor Converters for U.S. Air Force, (324); U.S. Army (8); U.S. National Guard, (176); NATO, (12); and the Governments of India, (32); United Kingdom, (4); Canada (4); Germany, (36); Portugal, (8); Austria, (20); and Taiwan, (60). In addition, this contract provides for 1,677 AAR-47B(V)2 Optical Sensor Converters for the U.S. Navy, (1,672) and the Government of Canada, (5); 64 AAR-47 A(V)2 Control Indicators for the U.S. Navy, (2); U.S. Air Force, (25); U.S. Army, (2); NATO, (3); and the Governments of the United Kingdom, (1); Canada, (1); Germany, (10); Austria, (5); and Taiwan, (15); 222 AAR-47A(V)2 Computer Processors for the U.S. Air Force, (133); U.S. Army, (2); U.S. National Guard, (44); NATO, (3); and the Governments of India, (8); United Kingdom, (1); Canada, (1); Germany, (10); Austria, (5); and Taiwan, (15). This contract also provides for 118 AAR-47B(V)2 Computer Processors for the U.S. Navy and 301 Computer Processor Retrofits for the U.S. Navy (300) and the Government of Canada (1), including associated technical data and computer software. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Navy, ($29,879,616; 60.5 percent); U.S. Air Force, ($9,621,564; 19.5 percent); National Guard, ($4,573,668; 9.3 percent); NATO, ($350,664; .7 percent); U.S. Army, ($233,776; .5 percent), and the governments of Germany, ($1,081,824; 10 percent); and Taiwan, ($1,753,320; 3.6 percent); India, ($831,576; 1.7 percent); Canada, ($179,499; .4 percent); Portugal, ($174,112; .3 percent); United Kingdom, ($116,888; .2 percent); and Austria, ($584,440; 1.1 percent); under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Clearwater, Fla., (58.3 percent); Austin, Texas, (24.2 percent); various OCONUS locations (6.2 percent); Natanya, Israel, (3.6 percent); Hamamatsu, Japan, (3 percent); Sarasota, Fla., (2 percent); Northvale, N.J., (1.6 percent); and Loveland, Colo., (1.1 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $6,234,066 will 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 (N00019-09-C-0037).

Sundt William Scotsman, a Joint Venture, Tempe, Ariz., is being awarded a $25,356,405 modification under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N62473-08-C-3511) to exercise option 0003 which provides for the design and installation of temporary facilities. The work to be performed under this option provides interim facilities for administration, billeting, armory, storage and maintenance buildings over ten areas at Marine Corps Base and Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $92,063,499. Work will be performed in Oceanside, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Choate Construction Co., Mount Pleasant, S.C., is being awarded an $11,460,000 firm-fixed price contract for construction of a multi-story dormitory (144 rooms) at Shaw Air Force Base. The work will also include the demolition of two existing dormitories. Work will be performed in Sumter, S.C., and is expected to be completed by June 2011. Funds for this project are provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 14 proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity (N69450-09-C-1782).

BAE Systems Technologies, Inc., Rockville, Md., is being awarded an $11,262,303 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N00421-07-C-0019) to exercise an option for engineering and technical products and services in support of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division's air traffic control and landing systems. The estimated level of effort for this option is 134,000 man-hours. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., (80 percent), San Diego, Calif., (10 percent), and various shipboard locations (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in September 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.

Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $10,628,905 cost-plus fixed-fee delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-07-G-0008) to design and develop improvements to the interim defensive weapon system on the V-22 tiltrotor aircraft. This delivery order includes the design, qualification testing, airworthiness substantiation; aircraft fit check and ground testing and procurement of all necessary materials and parts. Work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pa., (50 percent) and Johnson City, N.Y., (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2012. Contract funds in the amount of $10,628,905 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Bering Sea Eccotech, Inc., (DBA BSE Inc.) *, Anchorage, Alaska, is being awarded $7,785,464 for firm-fixed-price task order #0006 under the range sustainment remediation environmental multiple award contract (N62473-09-D-2617) for operational range clearance at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The work to be performed provides for operational range clearance, processing, recycling of ordnance scrap and target debris for multiple target areas. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2011. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, Environmental Core Contracts, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

Raytheon Co., Goleta, Calif., is being awarded a $6,658,468 firm-fixed-price contract to retrofit 603 integrated multi-platform launch controllers (IMPLCs) on F/A-18 aircraft for the Navy (576) and the government of Australia (27). The IMPLC is the launch controller component of the AN/ALE-50 and AN/ALE-55 countermeasures decoy dispensing set and integrated defensive electronics countermeasure program. This contract combines purchases for the Navy, ($5,893,855; 89 percent) and the government of Australia, ($764,613; 11 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program. Work will be performed in Goleta, Calif., (99 percent) and Fullerton, Calif., (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in April 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to the FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-09-C-0036).

AIR FORCE
Boeing Aerospace Operations of Oklahoma city, Okla., was awarded a $28,940,000 contract for contractor logistics support umbrella engineering services support which will provide sustaining and non-recurring engineering services to support research and development, aircraft modifications, aircraft maintenance and technical services for Boeing commercial derivative military use aircraft. At this time, no money has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKA, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-07-C-0001, P00057).

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $18,999,957 contract which will provide strategic planning full spectrum intelligence analysis of U.S. Air Force Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Agency intelligence transformation. At this time, $5,957,149 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, DO:0336).

Boeing Co., of Wichita, Kan., was awarded a $15,151,207 contract which will provide portion of the heavy maintenance and the cost reimbursable paint effort for VC-25A aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 727 ACSG/PKB, Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., is the contracting activity (FA8106-09-C-0005,P00001).

Booz Allen & Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $14,492,756 contract which will provide joint munitions lethality and survivability/vulnerability analysis. At this time $1,770,000 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380, DO:0335).

Booz Allen & Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $14,471,271 contract to provide survivability and vulnerability analysis for the United States Strategic Command missions. At this time, $1,050,828 has been obligated. 55 CONS, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380 DO 0338).

Davis Group, Inc. of Sanford, Fla., was awarded a $9,404,145 contract to provide intelligence facility B530 at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. At this time, $2,045,766 has been obligated. 17 CONS/LGCA, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity. (FA3030-09-C-0012).

General Electric Aviation Systems, LLC of Sterling, Va., was awarded a $8,701,464 contract to provide for the purchase of 26 total R-391 propellers for the C-130 aircraft. At this time the entire amount has been obligated. 330 ACSG/GFKA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8504-098-C-0005).

Wyle Laboratories, Inc of Huntsville, Ala., was awarded a $8,581,458 contract to research, test, develop, and deliver engineering change proposals/technical directives, engineering and technical design review recommendations, installation procedures and practical findings, process Improvement recommendations and practical findings and technical reports for the Navy's, E-2/C-2/MPT aircraft modifications and installations analysis project. At this time, $387,895 was obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (HC1047-05-D-4005, DO:0109).

Rolls-Royce Corp., of Indianapolis, Ind., was awarded a $8,525,500 contract to provide 956 initial spare engine parts in support of the Rolls-Royce commercial engines used for propulsion of the C-130 aircraft. At this time, the entire amount has been obligated. 330 ACSG/GFKA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8504-07-D-0001, DO:0304).

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., of Herndon, Va., was awarded a $7,246,367 contract to provide for expeditionary warfare training group Pacific mission assurance through survivability/vulnerability analysis and assessment. At this time, $120,000 has been obligated. 55 CONS/LGCD, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., is the contracting activity (SP0700-03-D-1380 DO:0327).

Harris Technical Services Corp., of Colorado Springs, Col., was awarded a $6,449,151 contract for mission communications operations and maintenance for the 50th Space Wing. At this time, no money has been obligated. 50 CONS, Schriever Air Force Base, Col., is the contracting activity (FA2550-02-C-0007).

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems of Clearfield, Utah was awarded a $10,625,000 contract which will replace 30 year old cables and junction boxes on the reentry system test set for the Minuteman weapon system. At this time, $5,206,250 has been obligated. 526 ICBMSG/PKE55 Hill Air Force Base, Utah is the contracting activity (F42610-98-C-0001).

L3 Vertex Aerospace of Madison, Miss., was awarded a $8,231,115 contract which will provide acquisition of helicopter maintenance services for UH-1N and HH-60G helicopters and functional check flight services for the CV-22 aircraft located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. At this time, $8,231,115 has been obligated. AETC CONS/LGCK, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas is the contracting activity (FA3002-10-C-0001).

Northrop Grumman Information Technology of McLean, Va., was awarded a $6,166,724 contract which will provide support services for war gaming and doctrine education. At this time, $1,818,746 has been obligated. 42 CONS, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., is the contracting activity (F01600-01-C-0004, P00097).

BAE Systems Information and Electronics of Totowa, N.J., was awarded a $5,963,688 contract which will provide engineering services to resolve obsolete part and vanishing vendor issues with the LRU-3c of the AN/ALR-56C system, and significantly improve the system availability of the LRU-3C. At this time, $5,963,688 has been obligated. 542 CBSG/PKS, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (F09603-03-D-0001,0380).