Takes Flight
23 Apr 2008
Gates and McCain: "Contract With Northrop Grumman-EADS Should Not Be Delayed"
The Mobile Press-Register this morning is pointing to recent comments by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain in saying "construction of the KC-45A aerial refueling tanker for the Air Force should go forward quickly."
In an editorial today, the Press-Register notes that "both men said the $40 billion KC-45A tanker contract with Northrop Grumman-EADS should not be delayed."
The paper concurs with that point of view, saying of Boeing's challenge to the Government Accountability Office of Northrop Grumman's win, "the sooner the winning bidder, Northrop Grumman-EADs, can get to work assembling the planes in Mobile, the better. It's a matter of national security."
The editorial also picks apart allegations made by opponents of Northrop Grumman's tanker win, including charges that national security would be outsourced as part of the agreement; in fact, all sensitive military technology will be installed by Defense Department personnel and Northrop Grumman employees with appropriate security clearances at Northrop Grumman's secure facility in Mobile.
Of the protests, the newspaper notes Gate's observation that the Defense Department was required by law to consider only the technology, capability and cost of the bids presented by each bidder. The paper also notes that both men see the delay as harmful to America's national security interests.
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