The pro-opposition daily Vijesti reported on the same day that the Kfor command was searching for a location for the temporary stationing of its troops on their way to and from Kosovo, to which end it had visited the Masline barracks in Podgorica.

"Defence Ministry spokesman Vidak Latkovic has told the MINA news agency that the Masline barracks was declared by the government as unsuitable for the needs of the Army of Montenegro (VCG), which will soon abandon it," MINA said.

The agency quoted the spokesman as saying that the barracks compound area would be used for the construction of a residential estate for the needs of the state, including the military.

"For this reason alleged stories about the construction of a NATO base are absolutely groundless and such journalistic sensationalism coupled with bombastic headlines will certainly not contribute to the objective informing of citizens, which is a key requirement for understanding the process of Euro-Atlantic integration," Latkovic told the agency.

He added that Kfor representatives had recently visited Montenegro to discuss the implementation of an accord between Montenegro and NATO on transit arrangements in support of peace operations.

"Such a generic agreement has been signed by all the countries of the region and beyond, as a means to support peace operations. This accord also includes the right to transit and short rest and recreation activities of NATO troops," Latkovic said.

He said that the talks did not touch upon the construction of NATO bases, but the use of existing Montenegrin army facilities for the temporary accommodation of NATO troops during their transit through Montenegro.

"We did not discuss the possible funding of the construction or reconstruction of existing military facilities for Kfor's needs either," Latkovic said, according to the agency.

Vijesti published the reactions of the main ruling party, the Democratic Party of Socialists DPS and opposition parties to the alleged agreement on the opening of a NATO base in Podgorica. According to the paper, DPS spokesman Rajko Kovacevic said that the leasing of the barracks in Masline to NATO "is in line with the transit accord between Montenegro and NATO, and does not herald the construction of military bases in Montenegro".

However, the opposition Liberal Party said in a statement, partly quoted by Vijesti, that the announcement that "NATO will become the new owner of and investor in the Masline barracks constitutes a continuation of the arbitrary and humiliating consent of the Montenegrin authorities to providing services to this military organization".

Matija Nikolic, spokesman for another opposition party, the Democratic Serb Party - DSS, said: "The agreement between the Defence Ministry and the Kfor command is another attempt to usher Montenegro into NATO, since friendly persuasion by the government and prime minister and aggressive media pressure have not borne fruit".

The People's Party NS said: "The NS sees the leasing of the Masline barracks as a risk for Montenegro's strategic development interests, which are, at least declaratively, geared towards the building of an ecological state".

Source: Vijesti website, Podgorica, in Serbian 18 Jul 08; Mina news agency, Podgorica, in Serbian 1650 gmt 17 Jul 08;

BBC Mon EU1 EuroPol bk

"The flexibility of the GHMD team to rapidly shift gears from a planned maritime mission to a domestic humanitarian mission surpassed many expectations, by responding so quickly and providing high resolution images for the firefighting commanders," said Dave Seagle, GHMD program lead for the Persistent Maritime Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Office (PMA-262) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. "GHMD's capabilities and versatility to support this mission may have ultimately helped save lives and homes, and that is extremely gratifying to our GHMD team."

Flying its first civil emergency support mission for the U.S. Northern Command, GHMD imaged various fires, including those near Monterey, San Francisco Bay, Big Sur, Crescent City, and the California-Oregon border.

"The images were gathered while the GHMD aircraft was on assignment in Point Mugu, Calif., supporting the Navy's Trident Warrior and Rim of the Pacific 2008 exercises," said George Guerra, Northrop Grumman vice president of high-altitude long-endurance systems. "The GHMD team has performed superbly, meeting all mission objectives in support of both exercises."

The RQ-4 Block 10 GHMD can soar up to 65,000 feet, much higher than any other operational unmanned aircraft. It provides high-resolution, near real-time imagery and other sensor data for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance. The high-flying aerial vehicle's radar can persistently see through any type of weather. The newer RQ-4 Block 20 aircraft has demonstrated the ability to remain aloft for more than 35 hours.

The GHMD configuration uses a basic integrated sensor suite with an electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar payload modified for the maritime environment, along with limited signals intelligence capability. The GHMD aircraft is also equipped with a Naval Research Laboratory-designed automatic identification system, enabling it to receive shipboard broadcast system transponder information.

The principal Global Hawk team members include: Aurora Flight Sciences, Bridgeport, West Va. (V-tail assembly and other composite structures); L-3 Communications, Salt Lake City (communication system); Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems, El Segundo, Calif. (integrated sensor suite); Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems, Falls Church, Va. (ground station); Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis (engine); and Vought Aircraft Industries, Dallas (wing).

(Photo: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=5275)

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide.

This news release was distributed by PrimeNewswire, www.primenewswire.com

SOURCE: Northrop Grumman Corp.

Gemma Loochkartt
          Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems 
          (858) 618-4245 
          Cell: (858) 335-0694
          gemma.loochkartt@ngc.com

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force

OFFICE ADDRESS: 1515 ICELAND AVENUEBLDG 8500, ROOM 150 VANDENBERG AFB, CA 93437-5212

SUBJECT: Geotextiles and Coir

CLASSIFICATION CODE: 93 - Nonmetallic fabricated materials

SOLICITATION NUMBER: F4D3D98175A001

CONTACT: DENNIS A CHAN, PHONE (805) 605- 3916, EMAIL DENNIS.CHAN@VANDENBERG.AF.MIL

SETASIDE: Total Small Business

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE ADDRESS: Vandenberg AFB, CAVandenberg AFB, CA

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE ZIPCODE: 93437

PLACE OF PERFORMANCE COUNTRY: US

NOTICE TEXT: Department of the Air Force Air Force Space Command 30CONS This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. This combined synopsis/solicitation is issued as a request for quote (RFQ) #F4D3D98175A005. Submit written offers - quote template provided upon request. Oral offers will not be accepted. All firms or individuals responding must be registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (www.bpn.gov). This procurement is being issued as a 100% Small Business Set-Aside. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular (FAC) 2005-26 and DFARS Change Notice 2008513. North American Industrial Classification Standard (NAICS) 423320 and Size Standard 100 employees apply to this procurement. Project Number: F4D3D98175A001 Project Title: Geotextile and Coir - San Antonio Creek Restoration 1. Delivery to be between 11 AUG 08 - 1- OCT 08 at the San Antonio Creek, Vandenberg AFB. 2. Quote shall conform to the CLIN structure as established in this synopsis/solicitation and shall include delivery costs to the site. A quote template is available upon request. 3. Quotes shall be valid for 30 days after close of solicitation. 4. All questions or comments must be provided to the Contract Specialist in writing; telephone and other means of oral communication will not be permitted. The Contract Specialist is Dennis Chan, dennis.chan@vandenberg.af.mil. The contract will be Firm Fixed Price with the following structure: Include a complete breakdown of all costs: CLIN 0001 Non-woven Geotextile per attached Specifications. Qty: 5,030 Unit: SY CLIN 0002 Coir per attached Specifications Qty: 1,060 Unit: SM CLIN 0003 Delivery to site Qty: 1 Unit: EA The following provisions and clauses apply to this acquisition: FAR 52.203-3 - Gratuities FAR 52.203-6 Alt 1 -- Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government FAR 52.204-9: Personal Identity Verification of Contractor Personnel FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Items. FAR 52.212-2-7001 dev. Evaluation-Commercial Items, quotes will be evaluated on price. FAR 52.212-3 Alt I Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items, the offeror must include a completed copy of this provision with their proposal. FAR 52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items FAR 52.212-5 Dev. Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items. FAR 52.219-6 Notice of Total Small Business Set-Aside FAR 52.219-28 Post-Award Small Business Program Representation FAR 52.232-33 Payment by Electronic Funds-Central Contractor Registration. FAR 52.233-3 Protest After Award FAR 52.252-2 Clauses Incorporated by reference (view clauses at): http://farsite.hill.af.mil/vffar1.htm DFARS 252.204-7004 Alta A Central Contractor Registration DFARS 252.205-7000 Provision of Information to Cooperative Agreement Holders. DFARS 252.212-7001 dev. Contract Terms and Conditions Required to Implement Statutes or Executive Orders Applicable to Defense Acquisitions of Commercial Items DFARS 252.212-7000 Offeror Representations and Certifications - Commercial Items DFARS 252.225-7012 Preference for Certain Domestic Commodities. DFARS 252.232-7003 Electronic Submission of Payment Requests AFFARS 5352.201.9101 Ombudsman contact: AFSPC/A7KO, 719-554-5250, afspc.a7k@peterson.af.mil AFFARS 5352.223-9000 Elimination of ODS AFFARS 5352.223-9001 Health & Safety on Gov't Installations AFFARS 5352.242-9000 Contractor Access to Air Force Installations CONS G-800 Memorandum for Vandenberg AFB Contractors All potential offerors are reminded that compliance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFAR) 252.204-7004, Required Central Contractor Registration (CCR), is mandatory. Lack of registration in the CCR will make an offeror ineligible for contract award. All quotes must be sent to Dennis Chan at dennis.chan@vandenberg.af.mil or faxed to 805-606-5193 no later than 5:00 PM PST on 5 Aug 08.

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