Don’t Rev Those Engines Quite Yet

At least one senior Pentagon official has decided to openly chastise lawmakers who would imperil DOD’s Joint Strike Fighter plans—specifically the elimination of a second engine maker and the buy approach. Acquisition chief Ken Krieg told Reuters news service that the unified front by Capitol Hill to restore funding for a second F-35 engine could force the services to reduce how many fighters they can buy. And, on point 2, Krieg told Reuters that slowing the program—effectively the result of a move by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to cut $1.2 billion in 2007 from JSF—would negatively affect suppliers and the program’s international partners.