The leaders of the Senate Tanker Caucus expressed dismay at Northrop Grumman’s threatened pull out from the KC-X tanker competition, but they believe the Air Force should press on. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), co-chairmen of the caucus, said in a statement: “Though competition would likely improve the final product, we have experienced far too many delays in this process already. … We believe the Air Force should proceed with its process, even if one company decides not to submit a proposal.” The latest word from Defense Secretary Robert Gates was that the Pentagon would “make a judgment” about changes after considering all comments on the KC-X draft request for proposals. There are varying views as to whether Northrop’s pull out threat is simply posturing or the real deal.
More USAF ‘Operational Imperatives’ Likely Coming
Aug. 11, 2022
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall distilled the top fighting priorities of the Air Force and Space Force into seven “operational imperatives” chiefly as a mechanism to identify the spending transitions needed in the fiscal 2023 budget. But they are likely to persist, and more—on electronic warfare, cyber, and munitions—may be…