Senator: Air Force shake-up raises tanker questions
Published 12:25 pm Thursday, June 5, 2008
Two top Air Force officials will step down today in move that raises “red flags” for one senator about the $35 billion tanker deal the Boeing Co. lost.
Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley are expected to resign today, according to this Associated Press report.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., says the resignations raise new questions about the Air Force procurement process. In February, the Air Force awarded an aerial refueling tanker award to Northrop Grumman and EADS over the Boeing Co., which would have built its tankers here in Everett.
Boeing protested the decision to the Government Accountability Office, which is expected to rule by June 19.
From Murray’s press statement on the Air Force shake-up:
“For months the Air Force has stonewalled Congress and the American people in answering basic questions about the tanker decision. Now, on the eve of a GAO ruling, the Administration itself has expressed a lack of confidence in the decision-making and leadership of the Air Force’s top officials.
“The American people deserve real answers about what happened within the Air Force and why this decision was made before $35 billion of taxpayer money is shipped overseas. I hope with new leadership and oversight we get those answers.”
