The Pentagon’s inspector general determined that the Air Force mismanaged several aspects of the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program between 2010 and 2013, according to a report released last month. “The government failed to discourage repeated tender of nonconforming components, delegated inherently government functions to Lockheed Martin, accepted nonconformances that were corrected at an additional cost to the government, and failed to comply with [Defense Contract Management Agency] instruction for the corrective action process,” said Randolph Stone, deputy IG for policy and oversight, in a Nov. 18 summary. The IG investigated the Air Force’s RERP offices at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and Robins AFB, Ga., as well as Lockheed Martin’s upgrade facility in response to a May 2013 complaint that came into the IG hotline, according to the report. In response to its findings, the IG directed the C-5 program office to ensure all contracting meets government standards and establish a system to identify and fix contractual breaches and update airworthiness certificates. The IG further directed the DCMA to work with Lockheed Martin to oversee the replacement of inferior components and implement any further required fixes. (IG report; caution, large-sized file.) (See also More Super Galaxy Conversions Under Contract.)
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
