Tanker decision postponed past election

[unhappycamper]

Tanker decision postponed past election
By Gayle S. Putrich - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Sep 11, 2008 6:10:28 EDT

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has opted to leave the tanker decision, including the parameters of competition, up to the next administration, Pentagon officials said.

The Pentagon told bidders Boeing and Northrop Grumman this morning that it was “terminating the current competition for a U.S. Air Force airborne tanker replacement,” according to a Sept. 10 press release.

“Secretary Gates, in consultation with senior Defense and Air Force officials, has determined that the solicitation and award cannot be accomplished by January,” the release said. “Rather than hand the next Administration an incomplete and possibly contested process, Secretary Gates decided that the best course of action is to provide the next administration with full flexibility regarding the requirements, evaluation criteria and the appropriate allocation of defense budget to this mission.”

In the statement, Gates said, “Over the past seven years the process has become enormously complex and emotional — in no small part because of mistakes and missteps along the way by the Department of Defense.”

At a 10 a.m. hearing before the House Armed Services Committee, Gates added a bit more.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/defense_tanker_091008/%2e