The Department of Defense’s Inspector General (IG) is investigating United Launch Alliance’s dealings with the Pentagon, the oversight body said in a March 22 letter. Defense Secretary Ash Carter asked for an investigation after Brett Tobey, ULA’s former vice president of engineering, asserted the company refrained from bidding on a request for GPS launch services in what should have been the first competitive national security space launch to avoid a “cost shoot out.” In an email, ULA spokeswoman Jessica Rye told Air Force Magazine, “ULA is committed to serving all our customers with excellence and transparency. As a part of this commitment we look forward to fully supporting any investigation into launch service procurement to address concerns.” In the letter—sent to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Frank Kendall—the IG noted it will also probe whether contracts awarded to ULA were done so in accordance with regulations. The investigation will include site visits, interviews, and document review.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. had hardly left the Indo-Pacific theater before China flew a joint bomber and fighter mission with U.S. partner Thailand. In nearby Indonesia, the U.S. concluded exercise Garuda Shield alongside Australia, Japan, and Singapore. At each stop, Brown held an all-call…