Boeing officials say the company has reached an agreement with the Justice Department for misconduct related to the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program and the Darleen Druyun affair. In a statement, Doug Bain, Boeing senior vice president for law, says the company “will accept responsibility for the conduct of its employees and make additional commitments regarding ongoing compliance.” Boeing and Lockheed Martin—the injured party in the EELV deal—already have made up. The two companies have been pursuing joint arrangements for Air Force launch services and the new Small Diameter Bomb.
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
