Word: pentagons
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Most recently, Boeing has said it needs six months - not the 45 days offered by the Pentagon - to draft a new bid for a larger tanker than it originally offered (Northrop-Grumman's bigger plane had given it an edge). Boeing had threatened to pull out of the competition entirely if it didn't get additional time. That would have forfeited the contract to Northrop Grumman, but it also would have galvanized Boeing's congressional allies into opposing the sole-source award to Northrop, whose partner on the tanker project is Europe's Airbus consortium...
...Despite claims that the Pentagon only buys what's best for the troops, Gates' decision suggests what critics of the procurement process have long said - that major defense purchases are salted through with political implications ("This is a very political decision," Lichte said). That's especially true in the tanker contract, because Northrop Grumman's partnership with the Airbus consortium led to complaints that jobs would be lost overseas. It also makes clear that Gates' June decision to take away the Air Force's power to pick the winner and reserve it for himself wasn't sufficient to salve...
...Clearly, a new, more intensive campaign has begun. The mounting Pakistani resentment over the civilian casualties inflicted in the U.S. raids - and Pakistani political leaders' ritual denunciation of those actions - are unlikely to change American plans. "They've gotten used to attacks being launched from drones," says a Pentagon official. "They might get used to this...
...officials say the relative peace in Iraq - attacks by insurgents have fallen 80% since last year - remains fragile. A lack of progress in resolving the country's political divisions could trigger more violence, especially if large U.S. units pull out, Pentagon officials say. When the British pulled out of the southern city of Basra in 2007, the resulting vacuum was filled by Shi'ite militia units until the Iraqi government sent in its improving army in March and brought the city under Baghdad's control. And Bush doesn't want to begin a major withdrawal that could jeopardize recent security...
...Pentagon officials say there's no conflict between the slow withdrawal of U.S. troops and Baghdad's desire to buy warplanes. "The troop numbers are designed to stabilize Iraq in the short term," one said. "The F-16s - if they get them - are for the long term...