And in the F-35 engine war, The Hill reports that the General Electric-Rolls Royce F136 engine team plans to present a formal and detailed—but still unsolicited—fixed-price proposal to the Pentagon on Monday. The F136 team already briefed program officials and publicly announced its offer, but the formal proposal, GE spokesman Rick Kennedy told The Hill, would “show the President that we can accelerate the head-to-head competition with Pratt & Whitney by three years.” Pratt & Whitney told the Congressional newspaper that it offered a fixed-price arrangement in July but the Pentagon opted out. This issue is still up in the air, at least until House and Senate lawmakers complete work on the 2010 spending bill.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to undertake far-reaching reforms on the way the U.S. military buys weapons, promising a sweeping overhaul of the way the Defense Department determines requirements, handles the acquisition process, and tests its kit. The fundamental goal, which Hegseth underscored in a 1-hour and 10-minute speech…
