Berry Aviation Inc., San Marcos, Texas, has been awarded a $10,725,000 fixed-priced, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for Trans-Sahara short take-off and landing (STOL) services.  The contract provides for casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), personnel airlift, cargo airlift, and air drop services.  Services will be performed throughout the recognized political boundaries of Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, and Uganda, with an expected completion date of June 27, 2017.  The value, including the base period and three one-year option periods, is $49,092,472.  The contracting activity is U.S. Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., (HTC711-13-D-C013)

It has been an interesting month of December.  For 2012, GovPartners will be releasing bi-weekly news updates from around the world which may be of interest to current (and potential) government contractors.  Below is a top-ten list of the news-worthy material which have dominated the headlines for the month of December:

10.          NATO vows to continue to carry out nighttime raids that target suspected insurgents.  The partnership with Afghan forces will also continue to increase as well, with Afghan special forces now take part in nearly all night raids.

9.            U.S. increasingly reliant on the three transit routes which snake through Central Asia, Russia and the Caucasus to ship non-military supplies and fuel into Afghanistan as the relationship between Washington and Pakistan continues to deteriorate.

8.            General John Allen reiterated that “the continued work beyond ’14 in terms of development of economic capability and governance will continue.  We will also see, probably, a U.S. military capability beyond ’14.”

7.            The U.S. military may have withdrawn from Iraq, but international companies continue to pour into the oil-rich country.  Earlier this month, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Mitsubishi Corp. signed a final $17.2 billion, 25-year contract with the country.  Some $12.8 billion would be spent on infrastructure and $4.4 billon on construction of a liquefied natural gas facility.

6.            Iraq cabinet okays 2012 budget at $100 billion.  The new budget forecasts total government expenditures at $68 billion, including $31.6 billion set for investment spending in 2012.

5.            U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and General Carter Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, paid a visit to the country in mid-December and expressed their confidence and support in Libya’s transition to democracy.

4.            Afghanistan's government signed a deal with China's state-owned National Petroleum Corporation, allowing it to become the first foreign company to exploit the country's oil and natural gas reserves.  The deal, initially valued at $700 million, could end up being more than ten times this amount if more reserves are discovered and developed.

3.            The Department of Defense’s $662 billion budget for 2012 was approved by the U.S. Congress.  The lawmakers agreed on $518 billion for Pentagon operations and about $115 billion to cover the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

2.            Kim Jong-Il passes away, names his 27-28 (depending on source) year old son, Kim Jong-un as his successor.

1.            Iran threatens to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route in the Gulf where more than 1/3^rd of the world’s ship-borne oil passes. 

WHO? 

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States Armed Forces.  It is responsible for U.S. military operations and military relations with 53 African nations - an area of responsibility covering all of Africa, with the exception of Egypt.

WHAT? 

AFRICOM, in concert with other U.S. government agencies and international partners, conducts sustained security engagement through military-to-military programs, military-sponsored activities, and other military operations as directed to promote a stable and secure African environment in support of U.S. foreign policy.

U.S. Africa Command supports American national security interests by conducting a wide range of programs and activities that help African states—at their request—meet their goals of building capable and professional militaries that are subordinate to civilian authority, respect human rights, and adhere to the rule of law.

WHERE?

Headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, the territory of the command consists of all of the African continent except for Egypt, which remains under the direct responsibility of USCENTCOM, as it closely relates to the Middle East. USAFRICOM also covers island countries commonly associated with Africa;

• Cape Verde
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Comoros
• Madagascar
• Mauritius
• Seychelles

WHEN?

2006 – Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld forms planning team to advise on requirements for establishing a new Unified Command for the African continent.  A recommendation of their findings are sent to President George W. Bush.

6 February 2007 - President George W. Bush gives authority to create the new African Command and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moeller, the director of the AFRICOM transition team, arrived in Stuttgart Germany to begin creating the logistical framework for the command.

28 September 2007 - the U.S. Senate confirmed General William E. "Kip" Ward as AFRICOM's first commander and AFRICOM officially became operational as a sub-unified command of EUCOM with a separate headquarters.

1 October 2008 - the command separated from USEUCOM and began operating on its own as a full-fledged combatant command.

WHY?

To bring U.S. military activities in Africa, which have previously been divided among three existing commands (European Command, Central Command, and Pacific Command), under a single one.

AFRICOM was created to counter the growing presence of China in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, to secure long-term economic agreements for raw materials from Africa in exchange for Chinese aid and production sharing agreements and royalties.

3/9/2011 - SINDELFINGEN, Germany (AFNS) -- Members of the Defense Department's newest combatant command bid farewell to their inaugural commander.

Army Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward passed the reins of U.S. Africa Command to Army Gen. Carter F. Ham after nearly three years at the helm.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates officiated at the ceremony and spoke to the audience at the Sindelfingen city hall near AFRICOM's headquarters in Stuttgart. Read full article.