Pentagon weapons czar Ashton Carter on Monday reiterated that the Defense Department will not factor a World Trade Organization interim ruling against European aircraft maker Airbus in the Air Force’s KC-X tanker competition. “The only action we can take at this point,” Carter told reporters at the Pentagon, is to ensure “that the taxpayer is held harmless in respect of any damages that end up being awarded in any of the cases before the WTO,” reported Reuters news wire service. Boeing supporters contend that the illegal subsidies Airbus allegedly received for its A330 airliner place Boeing at an unfair price disadvantage against Northrop Grumman, since the latter’s KC-X tanker offering is based on the A330. But their calls for intervention have heretofore gone unheeded. Conversely, Northrop supporters say the subsidies issue has no place in the contest. Plus, the WTO is still reviewing a countercharge against Boeing.
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Sept. 12, 2026
General Stephen Whiting took command of U.S. Space Command in January 2024, and if customary three-year tenures hold, his tour would end in January 2027. The question now before the President and Senate is who should follow him? Whoever they choose, it has to be a Guardian—and so should every successor…
