Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is back in action, lambasting the Air Force for obfuscating the C-130J program and slow-rolling Congressional demands for more information. The Air Force apparently has not moved fast enough to convert the C-130J commercial contract to a standard military procurement arrangement. (It has just signed a draft agreement with Lockheed Martin.) Former acting Air Force Secretary Michael Dominguez, at his confirmation hearing Wednesday for a top DOD personnel job, got the brunt of McCain’s wrath. McCain threatened to hold up the Dominguez nomination until the matter is “completely resolved.”
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
