By Debbie Gregory.

Minnesota-based 3M Company has agreed to pay $9.1 million to settle claims that it knowingly furnished U.S. servicemembers with defective earplugs. The allegations were brought against 3M under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Moldex-Metric, Inc.a 3M competitor.

The dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2 (CAEv2) were originally manufactured by Aearo Technologies, which was acquired by 3M in 2008. Aearo was aware of the plug’s defects as early as 2000, many years before it and 3M became the exclusive provider of selective attenuation earplugs to the military. The defects rendered the plugs too short for proper insertion into users’ ears. Additionally, the earplugs could loosen so gradually that the user wouldn’t even notice, resulting in a further lack of protection.

Tinnitus and hearing loss are the VA’s two most prevalent service-related disabilities according to the 2016 Annual Benefits Report issued by the Veterans Benefits Administration.

“Government contractors who seek to profit at the expense of our military will face appropriate consequences,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

The Combat Arms Earplugs were distributed to thousands of service members who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq between 2003 and 2015.

“Properly made safety equipment, for use by our Soldiers, is vital to our military’s readiness,” said Frank Robey, the head of the Major Procurement Fraud Unit at the Army’s Criminal Investigative Command. “Our agents will respond robustly to protect the safety of our military.”

The False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to share in any funds recovered from a successful lawsuit, which means Moldex-Metric, Inc. will receive $1.9 million.

The settlement was the result of a joint effort by the Civil Division of the Department of Justice, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, the Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

The Veterans and Military Business Owners Association (VAMBOA) is proud to announce it will be participating in the 30th Annual Department of the Navy Gold Coast event, the premier Navy procurement conference in the country.

VAMBOA, the “go to” association for Veteran and Military Entrepreneurs, is a 501(c)6 trade association that focuses on connecting Service Disabled Veteran Business Owners (SDVBO), Veteran Business Owners, Military Business Owners and Military Spouse Business Owners with corporations that value a diverse supplier network. The non-profit will exhibit at booth #117 on August 7th and 8th at the event location, the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA.

“VAMBOA invites business owners who are not yet members to stop by our booth and register,” said CEO Debbie Gregory. “I also invite suppliers to come by the booth to discuss how VAMBOA can assist in expanding their supplier diversity network.”

There are not any fees to join VAMBOA.

Gold Coast 2018 provides a forum to educate, guide, and assist businesses, large and small, in support of the warfighter mission within Department of the Navy and throughout the DOD. The event provides exciting and relevant topics delivered by government and industry experts, as well as providing insightful panels, workshops and networking events.

For those unable to attend the conference, Debbie Gregory invites them to email her at dgregory@vamboa.org.

By Debbie Gregory.

The Boeing Co. is pitching a new version of the F-15 Eagle to the U.S. Air Force that combines an updated airframe with an unprecedented number of anti-air missiles.

The F-15 Eagle was first introduced in 1972, and although it has undergone many changes in its near five decades history, it has consistently carried the same number of missiles. The newest version, known as F-15X, would be equipped with improved avionics and radars and would carry more than two dozen air-to-air missiles.

The F-15X configuration includes a flat-panel glass cockpit, JHMCS II helmet mounted display, revised internal wing structure, fly-by-wire controls, APG-82 AESA radar, activation of outer wing stations one and nine, advanced mission computer, low-profile heads-up display, updated radio and satellite communications, the highly advanced Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System electronic warfare and electronic surveillance suite, and Legion Pod-mounted infrared search and track system.

Boeing intends to deliver the F-15X at a flyaway cost well below that of an F-35A—which runs about $95M per unit. It has been speculated that Boeing is willing to offer the F-15X under a fixed priced contract. In other words, whatever the jets actually end up costing, the Pentagon will pay an agreed upon fixed price, with Boeing guaranteeing that it will absorb any overages.

While the Air Force had previously sworn off non-stealthy jets, the price of stealth aircraft, and the cost to keep them flying, is proving exorbitant. Spending money now to acquire F-15Xs may actually save money in the long run. The Air Force already intends to upgrade its F-15C/D fleet so that it could remain viable into at least the 2030s, but doing so would cost many millions of dollars per jet. The projected service life for the F-15X is 20,000 hours, about three times that of most fighters currently being produced. That means that this fleet could be in service until the end of this century!

By Debbie Gregory.

In an effort to make sure the Veterans Administration transition to electronic health records (EHR) stays on track, Congress has tasked a new subcommittee to oversee the 10 year, $10 billion-plus project awarded to Missouri-based Cerner.

The Subcommittee on Technology Modernization will be headed up by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), a former Navy Reserve supply officer and Afghanistan veteran.

“Service members and veterans deserve a seamless, lifetime medical record and an electronic health record system that supports the highest quality care,” Banks said. “However, I have no illusions about the challenge confronting VA in this monumental undertaking.”

Back in June, House Committee Chairman Phil Roe (R-TN) and ranking member Tim Walz (D-MN) had announced that the new subcommittee would supervise the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ tech projects such as the Electronic Health Record Modernization program.

Cerner CEO Zane Burke told lawmakers that the annual maintenance and operating cost of the electronic health record system his company would provide would be lower than that of the existing system, which is about $1 billion.

In addition to Roe and Walz, Reps. Conor Lamb (D-PA), Jack Bergman (R-MI), Mike Coffman (R-CO) and Scott Peters D-CA) round out  the subcommittee.

Committee members noted that the electronic interchange of health records between VA and the Defense Department is needed to provide quality and timely healthcare for service members and veterans.

“For millions of veterans across the country, their first interaction with VA will be the simple act of booking an appointment,” Walz said. “Unfortunately, even something as straightforward as that can be a struggle due to VA’s antiquated information technology systems.”

The VA said the newly formed Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization, which will be led by Genevieve Morris, deputy national coordinator for the Department of Health and Human Services, “will manage the preparation, deployment and maintenance of VA’s new electronic health care record system and the health information technology (IT) tools dependent upon it.”

By Debbie Gregory.

The U.S. Army will be spending $451 million to upgrade M1 Abrams tanks and Stryker combat vehicles.

The tanks will be equipped with the Trophy Active Protection System. The system, made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd., proactively detects, locates, and if necessary, neutralizes anti-armor threats, increasing platform survivability.

Rafael, an Israeli company has partnered with Leonardo DRS, a U.S. firm headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Under the terms of the $193 million contract, Leonardo DRS will provide the Army with TROPHY systems, countermeasures, and maintenance kits.

“This award is the culmination of several years of hard work by a strong, bi-national government/industry team to protect our warfighters and address a critical capability gap in our armored formations,” said Aaron Hankins, vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems Division.

Rafael has provided protection solutions to U.S. service members for over two decades via lifesaving passive and reactive armor on vehicles such as Bradley, Stryker and AAV7.

“The majority of Trophy components are manufactured by the American defense industry, and we are excited by the opportunity to increase manufacturing in the U.S., including for Israeli systems, as the U.S. acquires additional systems,” said Moshe Elazar, executive vice president and head of Rafael’s Land and Naval Division.

General Dynamics Land Systems was awarded a contract worth up to $258 million to upgrade 116 Stryker vehicles to the A1 variant.

The Stryker A1 builds upon the combat-proven Double-V Hull (DVH) configuration, providing unprecedented survivability against mines and improvised explosive devices. In addition to the DVH survivability, the Stryker A1 provides a 450-horsepower engine, 60,000-pound suspension, 910-amp alternator and in-vehicle network. The Stryker A1 Infantry Carrier Vehicle is one of the most versatile, most mobile and safest personnel carriers in the entire Army inventory.

The Stryker A1 work will be performed in Lima, Ohio; Anniston, Ala.; Tallahassee, Fla.; and Sterling Heights, with an estimated completion date of March 2020.