The Air Force is “microscopically” watching Boeing to make sure the company delivers what it promises with the KC-46A tanker contract, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz told lawmakers Thursday. “The level of approval for engineering change orders is not going to be at the program-office level,” Schwartz told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He added, “We haven’t decided where it will be yet. It might be at [the USAF leadership] level, but the bottom line is we intend to maintain discipline on this . . . like you would expect.” The Air Force late last month awarded Boeing the contract to supply up to 179 767-based KC-46A tankers to replace the service’s oldest KC-135s. Boeing beat out EADS North America’s A330-based KC-45 model. EADS opted not to protest the award, but company officials said they will be standing by to step in if Boeing can’t deliver.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.