Month: November 2022

Posted on

Defense News: Navy Cuts Ribbon For New Facilities Onboard Norfolk Naval Shipyard

Source: United States Navy

The facilities aim to provide better living accommodations and improve quality of service for Sailors stationed aboard ships during planned maintenance availabilities. Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, along with additional leadership from Fleet Forces, NNSY, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) attended the event and delivered remarks.

“Just as we’re committed to improving the quality and sustainability of our warships, we are equally committed to improving the quality of the barges that house the Sailors who live in them,” said Caudle. “And this is only the first of many, with more being constructed right now; a testament of our commitment to enhancing Sailors’ quality of life.”

APL 68 is the second in a new class of berthing barges set to replace the 27 legacy berthing barges that are reaching the end of their service lives. It has berthing for up to 609 personnel and messing facilities able to accommodate food service for 1,130 personnel to have three meals a day. It also features washrooms, classrooms, lounges, laundry facilities, offices, a barbershop, a fitness center and a medical facility. The barges provide a home away from home for crews of ships – particularly the duty section – while that ship is going through extensive maintenance.

USS Harry S. Truman Sailors will be the first to utilize APL 68. The ship will soon enter a planned maintenance period after returning from a nine-and-a-half-month deployment.

“The Navy has plans to build 12 barges for this new class and we’ve already taken delivery of our second, APL 70, which will be going into service this spring. The Navy also has plans to build 26 new medium sized berthing barges,” said Rear Adm. Bill Greene, Fleet Maintenance Officer, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “These new barges are designed to support cruisers, destroyers, LPDs, and LSD amphibious ships, and submarines as they undergo depot level maintenance.”

As for the new NEX Micro Mart at NNSY, the facility officially opened to Sailors and shipyard workers in October and since then, roughly 1,100 people have passed through the doors.  Not surprisingly, officials say coffee is the number one selling item.

“This Micro Mart is on its way to being one of the busiest in the world. We have 64 of these operating right now and this location is doing over 1,000 transactions a day.  The important point is that it’s taking care of our Sailors and our civilian workforce team,” said Retired Rear Adm. Robert Bianchi, Chief Executive Officer, Naval Exchange Service Command. “This is a great day for all of us, because we’re focusing on quality of life and supporting our Sailors and civilians.”

The new Micro Mart operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, using a self-checkout system and is within a few minutes’ walk of APL 68. It provides Sailors and shipyard workers healthy choice food items such as salads, fruit and snack options as well as hot and cold beverages, a variety of heat and serve meals and sandwiches. This Micro Mart was designed as a facility that will save people time and provide more options during work days and during transit to and from the shipyard.

In 2022, NEXCOM opened 10 new Micro Marts with plans for 20 more in the new future.  

Posted on

Defense News: Pax River wins NDW Region Installation Excellence Award, Moves to Navy-Wide Competition

Source: United States Navy

“I truly appreciate all that you, and your teams, have done over the past year,” wrote Lacore in an email message announcing the win. “Congrats to the selectees and thank you again to all for what you do each day.”

All of the NDW installations were judged on air and port operations; fire and emergency management; security; safety and health; conservation efforts; planned or completed energy projects; facility improvement; property stewardship; fleet and family readiness; communications and public relations.

The following are just some of the activities and initiatives that earned Pax River its award:
– Pax Military Working Dog (MWD) Kennel opened in May 2022, and houses four canines supporting two President of the United States missions, VQ-4 MWD requirements, 147 Random Antiterrorism

Measures, and 741 hours of Explosive and Narcotics detection across six fence-lines.
– Pax Operations earned an 82% overall grade for the Command Assessment for Readiness and Training (CART) including maximum points for the Incident Management Team and a successful “pilot” program assessment of Fire and Emergency Services.
– Pax served as a pilot program for CNIC’s Healthy Food Initiative in March, informing the future of food services across CNIC.
– Pax supported Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) operations in May and June 2022. The LCACs landed and launched from our beach to deliver high-value equipment for crucial Special Operations Group testing.
– Pax Air Ops team earned a 94% on the triennial CNIC Naval Air Training and Operating Procedures Standardization (NATOPS) Airfield Evaluation, exceeding the Fleet average of 85%. Airfield Services (AFS) earned a grade of OUTSTANDING during their concurrent Carrier Airfield Service Unit (CAFSU) inspection, and our Search and Rescue (SAR) Dogs executed eight real-world SAR operations and rescued six personnel.
– Pax supported Calvert Exercise (CALVEX) 2022, a FEMA evaluated exercise at the St. Mary’s County EOC, strengthening bonds with state and local partners.
– Fire and Emergency Services from NAS Pax River responded to 1,021 real-world events, most notably, a quickly growing structural fire at building 440. Pax Fire’s rapid response saved CNIC approximately $1M.
– Pax Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) department programs provided responsible liberty solutions for over 3,000 Sailors with more than 11,000 program sign-ups. Through innovative third-party commercial sponsorship, the Liberty program provided free golf, bowling, and movies to E-4 and below Sailors. Our CYP served over 575 children, youth, and teens in the Navy’s largest Child Development Center.
– Pax received a $2.7M Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Challenge award to restore eroding shoreline that contains a nesting area for diamondback terrapins. The REPI program acquired two conservation easements, totaling 300 acres, in the Harriet Tubman Rural Legacy Area on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. These easements are located beneath Navy airspace and now support wildlife, agricultural productivity, climate resilience, and military readiness.
– Pax Environmental completed 427 FY22 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews.

“This award is no small feat, and representative of the hard work from each of our Sailors and civilian teammates,” said Capt. Derrick Kingsley, NAS Patuxent River Commanding Officer. “All of our ‘Pax Pros’ should be proud of this achievement. Everyone did their job to make this happen.”

As a result of the win, Pax River will now advance to the CNIC-level of competition as the NDW nominee, facing other regions around the world for the Navywide award. Winners of the CNIC-level Installation Excellence Award will go on to compete with installations from other branches of the military services for the DoD-wide Commander in Chief Awards.

Posted on

Security News: Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter Issues Statement on Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster’s Decision to not Appeal

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter for the Antitrust Division issued the following statement regarding Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster’s Decision to not appeal.

“The district court’s decision is a victory for authors, the marketplace of ideas, consumers, and competitive markets. It reinforces the important principle that antitrust laws apply to transactions that harm content creators and workers. The Department is pleased that Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster have opted not to appeal.”

Posted on

Security News: Justice Department Grant Establishes New Center to Improve Conditions and Environments in Jails

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP)’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) announced today a grant award of almost $2 million to establish the Department of Justice Jails and Justice Support Center to help create and maintain safe environments for people in the custody of the nation’s jails and those who work in jail facilities.

“It is the responsibility of our corrections systems — jails and prisons alike — to keep individuals in their custody safe and to treat them with dignity and respect,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “We are pleased to work with our partners to ensure that the professionals operating our nation’s jails have the tools and training they need to safeguard the rights and well-being of individuals incarcerated in their facilities.”

More than 3,000 jails are in operation across the United States, with 10.3 million admissions in 2019 and an average daily census of 734,500. Jail administrators face a multitude of challenges, including high population turnover, limited resources and a broad mix of sentenced and unsentenced individuals. Of particular concern is mortality in jails. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 1,200 people died in local jails in 2019.

This award aims to establish a center that will be a centralized hub for providing resources and technical assistance support to help jails maintain safe and humane environments for people who are detained, for their visitors and for those who work there. It will also provide jail staff with specialized trainings, core competency development, expert assessments and consultation on issues related to jail administration, and other professional development resources. The center will be the first of its kind to maximize the core missions, resources and capabilities of both BJA and NIC to expand Justice Department support for jail administrators who identify and seek to address challenges in their systems.

“Millions of people cycle through America’s jails each year, bringing with them a host of challenges, but also presenting opportunities to address the health and well-being of those who enter and leave the system,” said BJA Director Karhlton F. Moore. “This new resource will help jail professionals address the urgent problems they face daily and ensure that conditions inside their facilities are safe, humane and constitutionally sound.”

Shaina Vanek, who served as NIC Acting Director for over five years before leaving recently for a detail at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was instrumental in conceptualizing and designing the center. The award to establish the center is being made to CNA. The National Sheriffs’ Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, the American Jail Association and the National Association of Counties are partners in the effort. These organizations represent jail administrators and sheriffs’ departments across the country and will use their combined talent and expertise to support the center’s mission.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

The National Institute of Corrections advances public safety by shaping and enhancing correctional policies and practices through leadership, learning and innovation. More information about NIC can be found at www.nicic.gov.

Posted on

Security News: Justice Department Awards Almost $160 Million to Support Forensic Science

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) announced today almost $160 million in grant awards to support crime laboratories, fund forensics research, decrease DNA backlogs and help investigators locate missing persons and identify human remains. The funding is administered by OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

“Forensic science can play an indispensable role in solving crimes, absolving the innocent and finding the missing — all of which helps deliver justice to victims and their families,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The Justice Department is pleased to support the thousands of dedicated professionals who investigate cases, staff our nation’s crime labs and work so hard to help ensure the fair and effective operation of our criminal justice system.”

The awards announced today will support DNA analysis, build the capacity of the nation’s crime labs to examine forensic evidence, help solve cold cases and enable coroners, medical examiners and law enforcement officials to locate missing persons and identify human remains. Grants will also expand the base of knowledge about the utility of forensic tools employed by investigators.

“One of the most urgent challenges facing criminal justice professionals today is earning and retaining the confidence of the communities they serve, a goal that forensic science, with all its untapped potential, can help us achieve,” said BJA Director Karhlton F. Moore. “These investments will give our state, local and Tribal partners the resources they need to solve crimes, improve the clearance rate for serious offenses like murder and sexual assault and bring long-awaited answers to victims and their families.”

“Building a strong forensic science infrastructure is a critical first step in the pursuit of justice and it is vital to ensuring the integrity of our justice system,” said NIJ Director Dr. Nancy La Vigne. “The National Institute of Justice is proud to help strengthen our nation’s forensic network by widening our understanding of the application of scientific methods and techniques to public safety.”

BJA and NIJ are distributing millions of dollars in awards to state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States and territories. Below is a list of funded grants. Descriptions of individual awards can be found by clicking on the links.

The awards announced above are being made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal year cycle. More information about these and other OJP awards can be found on the OJP Grant Awards Page.

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.