Since the first of the year, the Pentagon Inspector General has released three of eight reports of investigation into programs that may have been tainted by Darleen Druyun—the one-time Air Force acquisition official who served time in prison for violating ethics rules, principally for favoring Boeing on contract awards to secure a job for herself and relatives. One investigation reviewed the procurement of a new aircraft cargo loader—dubbed the Tunner by the Air Force—and found Druyun “influenced” the source of repair for the new loader, directing the work to Systems & Electronics Inc. The other two concerned the C-5 avionics modernization program and F-16 simulator services, in both of which the IG found that Druyun had favored Lockheed Martin.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.