The US government filed a claim against Boeing in federal court on Tuesday, saying that the company unlawfully overcharged the Air Force by $7.5 million for the towed decoy systems used on the B-1B bomber. Bloomberg News wire service reported yesterday (via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer) that the government contends that Boeing failed to disclose during contract negotiations that it was outsourcing components for the decoy system, which is designed to divert missile threats away from the bomber. Had the Air Force known this, it would have negotiated a lower price, according to the news service. Boeing has denied any wrongdoing. According to a separate Associated Press report (via the International Herald Tribune), the Air Force paid a total of $36 million for 57 decoy kits.
The top Air Force commander on on the Japanese island of Okinawa has clamped down alcohol and issued a curfew for junior enlisted Airmen and Guardians at Kadena Air Base for the next month. The order came roughly two weeks after a U.S. Marine was arrested for allegedly robbing and…