Boeing, of course, has its own stable of powerful advocates, who drum up political funding for their candidates and argue that tanker construction is overdue. "It's wrong to slow down this critical procurement process," said the Kansas Republican Brownback about the Pentagon's bidding extension for EADS. "Our entire military relies on refueling tankers, which were built in the 1950s."
For the moment, however, most are downplaying tensions publicly. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said this week that the deadline change is the only modification that the Defense Department will make to specifications for the 179 refueling tankers. Even the 60-day delay is 30 days short of what EADS has requested to make a viable bid. The Pentagon then needs months to review the bids, aiming for a decision just before the November elections.
"We have been and continue to make decisions on this critical program based solely on the law of the land and the needs of our war-fighters," Morrell said. "Politics are not a part of this process never have been, never will be."
###
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
