Service Experience

 During the last 3 years, CAIRD Sextant LLC has completed 3 tasks that demonstrate services experience in the following 6 Functional Service Areas of the Seaport-e Contract:

• 3.1   Research and Development Support
  3.2  Engineering, System Engineering and Process Engineering Support
  3.3  Modeling, Simulation, Stimulation, and Analysis Support
  3.9  System Safety Engineering Support
  3.14  Interoperability, Test and Evaluation, Trials Support
  3.20 Program Support

 Execution of Environmental Mitigation Efforts for the Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST) of the two variants of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Vessel Class.

Functional Areas 3.1, 3.2. 3.3, 3.9, 3.14, and 3.20 

CAIRD Sextant, as a subcontractor of CSRA, provides the Chief Scientist of the LCS FSST.  This Chief Scientist leads all of the environmental mitigation efforts during the execution of LCS FSST and directly supports the FSST Environmental Director.  The FSST is a major Navy Live Fire Test & Evaluation event that validates the ability of new construction ships to carry out their assigned missions in the combat shock environment.  A carefully controlled shock trial realistically simulates the effects of an underwater weapons attack without exposing the ship’s crew to the risk of injury or causing unnecessary and costly damage to a ship’s equipment that is not required to be shock hardened. The FSST conducted in open waters, and if not properly designed and executed, could have a severe impact on the protected species and marine resources.  The Chief Scientist leads a team of 12 marine observers operating from two vessels and two aircraft to ensure the protection of marine resources and compliance with requirement set by both the Letter of Authorization (LOA) and section 5.3.2.1.2.15 of the Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS).  The Chief Scientist closely coordinates with the explosive and operations teams to ensure safe operations of all participants,  including de-conflicting use of airspace above test area.  The Chief Scientist also provides the FSST Team leadership with analysis of oceanographic and meteorological models to support scheduling of detonations and briefs senior Navy FSST leadership, including Flag Officers, on environmental issues as they pertain to the LCS FSST.  To increase the confidence of the results of mitigation efforts, the Chief Scientist establishes a collaboration with the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory of NOAA for the deployment of state of the art drifter drogues after every detonation.  These drogues, designed to track surface currents, are being incorporated in the NOAA Global Drifter Program, a research and monitoring effort to better understand global ocean circulations.  The Chief Scientist also supports the FSST Environmental Test Director with planning, organizing, staffing effort required to conduct the test successfully. 

Planning Support for the FSST of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
Functional Areas, 3.2. 3.3, 3.9, 3.14, and 3.20

CAIRD Sextant , as a subcontractor of Leidos, provided environmental engineering support to Code 6301 of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) and the Program Manager, Littoral Combat Ship (PMS 501) during the planning phase of the LCS FSST.  In this role, CAIRD Sextant drafted a comprehensive LCS FSST Mitigation Plan required by LOA, and AFTT EIS/OEIS, and supported the drafting of the program wide Shock Trial Plan.  He also researched and helps established FSST environmental procedures, analyzed technical, policy, engineering and safety requirements, and supported coordination with Navy Offices (e.g., PEO LCS, NAVSEA 04RE, OPNAV N45, NUWC) and National Marine Fisheries Services (NMFS), including supported meetings, developed agendas and schedules, prepared briefs, identified recruitment requirement for observer candidate and drafted white papers and other required documents.

Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Monitoring

Functional Areas, 3.2, 3.9, and 3.20

CAIRD Sextant, as a subcontractor of Coastwise Consulting, provided endangered species and marine mammal monitoring and advice during dredging and beach re-nourishment operations conducted in the coastal waters of New Jersey.  The operations, conducted aboard the MV GLENN EDWARDS, the largest hopper dredger in the nation, required strict adherence to environmental, engineering, and safety processes to ensure compliance with multiple federal regulations.  During the project, CAIRD Sextant logged 59 days at sea, and inspected over a hundred dredging cycles, each one with a volume of close to 10,000 cubic yard of sand used for the re-nourishment of Long Branch Beach, NJ.  CAIRD Sextant identified and quantified protected species and other important fisheries resources (e.g., horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, and sharks), and kept a detail written and photographic record of operations and environmental and oceanographic variables.