Shelby & Sessions Meet With Gates About The Tanker

Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions met with Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday to talk about the $40 billion tanker contract.

Northrop Grumman/EADS won the contract last year. But Boeing filed a protest which was upheld by the Government Accountability Office. Gates then canceled the contract.

“From the outset, I have been a strong proponent of a fair, open, and transparent tanker acquisition process," said Shelby. "Secretary Gates echoed those thoughts today. Simply awarding a contract to the lowest bidder, with little or no weight given to the capabilities of the aircraft, is not in the best interest of the warfighter or the taxpayer."

"I was pleased to hear the Secretary reaffirm his commitment to a fair and transparent process that will deliver the best airplane to our troops," Sessions said. Anything less than a fair competition would be a body blow to the military procurement process, signaling that politics trump merit."

Last month, President Barack Obama nominated Dr. Ashton Carter to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics. Two weeks later, Shelby and Sessions put a hold on Carter's nomination and demanded Gates make the tanker decision based on which plane is the best value, not on which is the cheapest. Thursday, both Shelby and Sessions lifted their holds on the nomination.

"I recognize the need for the Secretary to have a confirmed acquisition chief to move the tanker replacement process forward," said Shelby. I have therefore decided to lift my hold on the nomination of Dr. Carter but will continue to closely monitor the process to see that Secretary Gates’ assurances are carried out. It is my sincere hope that the safety of our warfighters and the security of our nation will become the priority this time.”

“Dr. Carter, a capable and qualified nominee, has indicated his desire to move forward with a competition that selects the aircraft with the most capability for the taxpayers’ money," Sessions said. "It is important that the Pentagon’s chief acquisition officer be in place to oversee this tanker competition as well as numerous other critical acquisition programs. Accordingly, after our conversation today, I am pleased to lift my hold on Dr. Carter’s nomination. I look forward to working closely with him in the future.”

Some democratic lawmakers are pushing for splitting the contract between Northrop Grumman/EADS and Boeing. But Gates has rejected the idea. If Northrop Grumman/EADS wins the competition again, the planes will be built at Brookley Field in Mobile.