Tanker turmoil: Ala. lawmakers urge Pentagon to disregard industrial base

Published 2:06 pm Thursday, July 31, 2008

The battle to land a $35 billion tanker contract continues.

Today, Alabama lawmakers sent Defense Secretary Robert Gates a letter urging him to resolve quickly the competition between the Boeing Co. and partners Northrop Grumman and EADS for the Air Force tanker contract.

In particular, the Alabama politicians suggest the secretary should “resist any recommendations or demands that the competition be restructured to address matters beyond the particular process defects identified by the Government Accountability Office.”

It’s not difficult to guess which recommendations concern the Alabama lawmakers.

Yesterday, a House subcommittee approved tanker funding but directed the Pentagon to consider America’s aerospace industrial base when determining the winner of the disputed aerial refueling tanker contract. The recommendation, inserted by Rep. John Murtha, chairman of the House subcommittee, is thought to benefit Boeing. The Alabama lawmakers, of course, are pulling for Northrop and EADS because the duo would build their tanker in Mobile.

Boeing’s friends in Congress spoke out against anti-Boeing radio spots, paid for by an Alabama group. Congressman Dave Reichert, R-Wash., denounced the advertisements in a press statement and demanded the Alabamians to Build a Better Tanker group apologize to Boeing workers.

“I believe that the group responsible for this ad should apologize to every Boeing worker and I urge my colleagues in the Washington State, Kansas and Alabama delegations to join me in calling for these ads to be taken down so that the bidding process can carry on in a fair, responsible and respectful manner. These ads are beneath the dignity of the country these tankers will ultimately serve,” Reichert said in a statement.

The group apparently plans to fork over $250,000 to keep the ads running, according to this report.

Here’s the WKRG.com News 5 Mobile-Pensacola report

Here’s Boeing’s response to the ads:

Boeing is the largest aerospace employer in Alabama. These ads are an affront to our more than 3,000 hard-working, highly-talented employees and their families in the state. They are also clearly a sign of desperation in support of our competitor. The ads do a disservice to our customer, the men and women who serve our country, more than 160,000 Boeing employees, and to Northrop-Grumman/EADS.

The GAO ruled that the recent tanker competition was seriously flawed and that the award to Northrop-Grumman/EADS should be recompeted. Our focus will remain on the new competition and getting the best technology to the warfighter and the best value to the U.S. taxpayer.