Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England put out a dinner invitation for several of the defense industry’s CEOs to gather at the Pentagon for dinner tonight. It’s to be an exclusive gathering—no assistants or deputies are invited. Pentagon spokesman Capt. Kevin Wensing says this is not a “last supper” in the shadow of the QDR and reviews of procurement practices. He was referring to the infamous “last supper” of 1993 where the late Les Aspin, then Secretary of Defense, told defense executives about the post-Cold War facts of consolidation. Wensing said, “If this meeting were nine months ago, analysts would be saying this had to do with BRAC.” He would give no particular topic, simply noted that England hopes to foster a “sense of partnership” between DOD and industry.
A three-month continuing resolution that ended in December inflicted less pain on the Department of the Air Force than it had expected, as procurement and construction continue in the new year. The federal government operated under a stopgap spending measure that stretched from the beginning of the fiscal year on…