First, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) put a hold on Navy Secretary Gordon England’s nomination to become Deputy Secretary of Defense. She was concerned about BRAC and the status of Navy shipbuilding. Now, Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) tells Defense Daily that he believes England is the wrong man for the job due to his poor management of naval shipbuilding programs. (Mississippi is home to several of the Navy’s largest shipbuilders.) “I am so disappointed in Gordon England,” Lott proclaimed. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner now thinks the White House should make England a recess appointment, but so far the Administration has resisted that option.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
