24 décembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

Boeing’s Pentagon Takeover

BY

Patrick Shanahan, a former executive for the aerospace giant, is poised to take over for Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

Boeing's growing clout with U.S. President Donald Trump's Pentagon can no longer be ignored.

Trump announced Sunday morning on Twitter that he is forcing outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis to leave earlier than expected, and he named Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, as acting secretary. Mattis, a retired Marine general, was slated to leave at the end of February. Shanahan will now take over on Jan. 1.

“Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!” Trump tweeted.

Although Shanahan has not been formally tapped for secretary of defense, which requires Senate confirmation, sources say he is one of the White House's top picks for the job.

Shanahan's ascent is just the latest manifestation of the growing influence the world's largest aerospace company has in Trump's Pentagon. In the last six months, Boeing has wonthree multibillion-dollar competitions for major Department of Defense aircraft programs, despite massive delays in delivering a new tanker fleet to the U.S. Air Force.

Now, senior Pentagon leaders are forcing the Air Force to purchase a new version of Boeing's legacy F-15 fighter, a non-stealth jet that first flew in 1972, which will compete for the Air Force's limited resources with Lockheed Martin's new F-35 fighter jet.

The reportedly $1.2 billion proposal to buy the a dozen new variants of the “F-15X,” the same version of the aircraft Boeing is building for Qatar, reflects Boeing's outsize influence with senior leaders in the Trump administration, a phenomenon that dates back to the beginning of the president's term. As early as February 2017, Trump floated buying additional Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, instead of the F-35. The U.S. Navy placed an order for over 100 new Super Hornets this spring.

Trump also has a personal relationship with Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. The two men negotiated directly to reach a $3.9 billion deal for a new Air Force One presidential aircraft, which Trump claimed saves taxpayers $1.4 billion.

Certainly, Boeing has fought hard to offer the Pentagon its products at extremely competitive prices and allowed the department to boast considerable cost savings.

Boeing has adopted “an across-the-board aggressive posture in lobbying, pricing, and product development, largely due to fears that they were being eclipsed,” said Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group. In addition, “very strong profits from Boeing's commercial jetliner side ... permits more aggressive bids by the military side.”

Full article: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/23/boeing-pentagon-takeover-defense-department-mattis-shanahan

Sur le même sujet

  • US, Philippines wrap up naval drill amid clashes in South China

    18 octobre 2023 | International, Terrestre

    US, Philippines wrap up naval drill amid clashes in South China

    The exercise took place amid ongoing tension in the South China Sea, with resupply operations stoking diplomatic spats between the Philippines and China.

  • Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 29, 2020

    30 juin 2020 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité

    Contract Awards by US Department of Defense - June 29, 2020

    NAVY Huntington Ingalls Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $936,032,309 fixed-price-incentive-firm-target modification to previously awarded contract N00024-18-C-2307 to exercise the fiscal 2020 option for the construction of a USS Arleigh Burke DDG-51 class ship (DDG 135). This modification also includes options for engineering change proposals, design budgeting requirements and post-delivery availabilities on the fiscal 2020 option ship. If exercised, the cumulative value of the fiscal 2020 option ship will increase to $947,695,871. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (91%); Erie, Pennsylvania (1%); and other locations below 1% (collectively totaling 8%), and is expected to be completed by June 2027. Fiscal 2019 and 2020 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) funding in the amount of $926,032,309 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $360,800,000 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract modification (P00038) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract N00019-17-C-0001. This modification provides for the procurement of four F-35C Carrier Variant Lot 14 aircraft for the Navy. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (63%); El Segundo, California (14%); Warton, United Kingdom (9%); Orlando, Florida (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); Baltimore, Maryland (3%); San Diego, California (2%); various locations within the continental U.S. (1.3%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (0.7%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2023. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $170,000,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded a $67,690,000 not-to-exceed modification (P00004) to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target advance acquisition contract N00019-20-C-0009. This modification procures long lead materials, parts, components and support necessary to maintain on-time production and delivery of nine lot 16 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the government of The Netherlands, as well as seven F-35A semiconductors and two F-35B Lightning II aircraft for the government of Italy. Work will be performed in Cameri, Italy (24%); Fort Worth, Texas (22%); El Segundo, California (11%); Warton, United Kingdom (7%); Baltimore, Maryland (4%); Nashua, New Hampshire (3%); San Diego, California (2%); various locations within the continental U.S. (21%); and various locations outside the continental U.S. (6%). Work is expected to be completed by May 2025. Non-Department of Defense participant funds in the amount of $67,690,000 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Applied Systems Engineering, Niceville, Florida, is awarded a $48,640,357 indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price delivery orders contract with a five-year ordering period to provide Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) Advanced Tactical Navigator (ATACNAV) units, SAASM ATACNAV-High Accuracy (HA) units, SAASM ATACNAV-HA-Single Enclosure. ATACNAV mini purchases, ATACNAV units, reconfigurable avionics test sets and global positioning system military code receivers. In addition to procurement of ATACNAV units, system upgrades and repairs from Applied Systems Engineering will be required throughout the life of the contract. The program is in support of the Weapons Control and Integration Department (H) of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division and Battle Management Systems Program. This contract does not include options. Work will be performed in Niceville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2018 procurement defense agencies funding in the amount of $692,493 will be obligated on the first delivery order at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was procured sole-source in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304c1, with one responsible source. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia, is the contracting activity (N00178-20-D-4400). IAP World Services Inc., Cape Canaveral, Florida, is awarded a $13,586,127 firm-fixed-price modification to increase the maximum dollar value of an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for the exercise of an option for base operating support services at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River. After award of this option, the total cumulative contract value will be $119,645,912. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland. The work to be performed provides for recurring and non-recurring facility maintenance; facility investment; integrated solid waste management; swimming pool; wastewater; water; and environmental management. Work is expected to be completed by December 2020. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $13,586,127 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This award is issued under Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 6.302-2, “Unusually and Compelling Urgency.” The purpose of this modification is to ensure critical services continue as the agency responds to a post-award protest on the re-procurement of this contract. A total funding amount of $8,808,011 will be obligated at the time of award. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-14-D-0302). Lockheed Martin Corp., Fort Worth, Texas, is awarded an $11,610,581 firm-fixed-price order (N00019-20-F-0022) against previously issued basic ordering agreement N00019-19-G-0008. This order procures intel diminishing manufacturing sources parts that have reached end of life in support of the F-35 Lightning II Program future aircraft deliveries for the Air Force, Navy, Foreign Military Sales customers and non-Department of Defense (DOD) participants. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by October 2020. Fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $2,356,880; fiscal 2018 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,056,717; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Air Force) funds in the amount of $1,619,315; fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $631,782; non-DOD participant funds in the amount of $3,982,886; and Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $963,001, will be obligated at time of award, $4,413,597 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Herndon, Virginia, is awarded a $9,528,561 modification (P00028) to previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract N00019-17-C-0009. This modification provides for the installation of the multi-role tactical common data link into two E-6B Mercury aircraft. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (56%); and Lake Charles, Louisiana (44%), and is expected to be completed by October 2021. Fiscal 2020 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $9,528,561 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity. AREPII SA Hotel LLC, doing business as Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Atlanta, Georgia, is awarded an $8,139,274 firm-fixed-price, three-month contract for lodging, meal and laundry services. This contract includes one three-month option period which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $15,970,741. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia. Work is expected to be completed October 2020. If all options are exercised, work will continue through January 2021. Fiscal 2020 military personnel (Marine Corps) funds in the amount of $8,139,274 will be obligated at the time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the beta.SAM.gov website and 23 proposals were received. The Regional Contracting Office, Parris Island, South Carolina, is the contracting activity for (M00263-20-C-0001). ARMY Sharp Minds LLC,* Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $473,021,064 hybrid (firm-fixed-price and time-and-materials) contract to provide Letterkenny Army Depot with labor support. Bids were solicited via the internet with five received. Work will be performed in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2026. Fiscal 2020 Army working capital funds in the amount of $26,577,042 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W911N2-20-F-0494). Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin JV, Tucson, Arizona, was awarded a $25,408,756 modification (P00353) to contract W31P4Q-04-C-0046 for support services for the Javelin weapon system. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2025. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales (United Kingdom) funds in the amount of $25,408,756 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity. General Dynamics Mission Systems, Taunton, Massachusetts, was awarded a $19,298,469 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to procure engineering and testing contractor support services. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed in Taunton, Massachusetts, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2021. Fiscal 2018 and 2020 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $19,298,469 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W15P7T-20-F-0159). Welch Construction Inc.,* Marcellus, New York, was awarded a $15,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract for repair and construction of real property facilities at Watervliet Arsenal, New York. Bids were solicited via the internet with four received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of June 21, 2025. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, New York, is the contracting activity (W912DS-20-D-0005). Skookum Educational Programs, Bremerton, Washington, was awarded a $9,971,669 firm-fixed-price contract for inspection, testing and maintenance work; demand maintenance order work; and preventative maintenance order work and sustainment, restoration and modernization services in support of Fort Riley. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work will be performed at Fort Riley, Kansas, with an estimated completion date of June 28, 2021. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $3,500,000 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W912DY-20-C-0026). Techwerks LLC,* Arlington Heights, Illinois, was awarded an $8,685,042 modification (P00024) to contract W911QY-17-C-0101 for labor, other direct costs and travel in support of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Work will be performed in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with an estimated completion date of July 1, 2021. Fiscal 2020 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $178,340 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity. Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co., Portland, Oregon, was awarded an $8,362,290 firm-fixed-price contract for annual maintenance dredging of the Stockton Deep Water Ship Channel. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received. Work will be performed in Stockton, California, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2020. Fiscal 2020 civil operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $8,362,290 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco, California, is the contracting activity (W912P7-20-C-0009). AIR FORCE Georgia Tech Applied Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia, has been awarded a $22,562,480 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00008) to contract FA8523-18-C-0002 for reactivation of the Band 8 transmitter associated with the AN/ALQ-161A defensive avionics system supporting the B-1B aircraft. The contract modification is for the delivery of a Band 8 reactivation fleet-wide implementation plan. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Georgia, and is expected to be completed June 29, 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Fiscal 2020 operations and maintenance funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of award. The Electronic Warfare Contracting Branch, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity. Spartan Air Academy Iraq LLC, Irving, Texas, has been awarded a $14,769,952 firm-fixed-price modification (P00006) to contract FA8617-20-C-6232 for the Iraq T-6A contractor logistics support and training maintenance program. The modification provides for the exercise of an option to extend the term of the contract for the continued services needed in order to effectively maintain and operate a fleet of 15 T-6A training aircraft. Work will be performed at Balad Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2020. This modification involves 100% Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Iraq. FMS funds in the full amount will be obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Lockheed Martin Corp., Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $7,038,279 firmed-fixed-price contract with some cost-plus-fixed-fee and cost-reimbursable contract line item numbers for follow-on support sustainment of the Republic of Korea Peace Krypton Program. This contract provides for support of the field service representatives, program management, core/field engineering, System Depot Support Facility sustainment, technical manuals sustainment and obsolescence management. Work will be performed in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Seoul, Republic of Korea, and is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2020. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Republic of Korea and is the result of a sole-source acquisition. FMS funds in the full amount are being obligated at the time of the award. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright‐Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. (FA8620‐20-C-3099). DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY Jamaica Bearings,* New Hyde Park, New York, has been awarded a maximum $18,230,335 firm-fixed-price contract for wire ring race kits. This is an 18-month contract with a one-year option period. This was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. Locations of performance are South Carolina and New York, with a Dec. 17, 2021, performance completion date. Using military service is Army. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2020 through 2021 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime, Warren, Michigan (SPRDL1-20-C-0034). U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND CORRECTION: The contract announced on June 26, 2020, to Arcticom LLC, Anchorage, Alaska (H92240-20-C-0004), for $18,772,155, was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is June 29, 2020. *Small Business https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2241727/source/GovDelivery/

  • How U.S. Open Skies Exit Could Undermine Arms Control

    28 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

    How U.S. Open Skies Exit Could Undermine Arms Control

    Tony Osborne Jen DiMascio May 28, 2020 The decision by the U.S. government to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty signed two decades ago is creating ripples of discontent within the U.S. and in Europe. Washington announced on May 22 that it would end its obligations to the arms control treaty in six months, saying that it was “no longer in the United States' best interest to remain a party to this Treaty when Russia does not uphold its commitments,” in a statement put out by the Defense Department. The Open Skies Treaty permits its 34 signatories to conduct observation flights over each other's territory. Aircraft with four types of sensors—-optical panoramic and framing cameras, real-time video cameras, infrared line-scanners and sideways-looking synthetic aperture radar—may make observations anywhere over a country's national territory. Treaty rules say that the flight may only be restricted for reasons of flight safety, not for reasons of national security. NATO and European nations may share U.S. concerns about inconsistent flight restrictions imposed by Moscow but see a U.S. departure from the agreement, in place since 1992, as regrettable. According to the U.S. and NATO, Russia has imposed restrictions on the treaty, in particular those flying near Kaliningrad, Russia's enclave on the Baltic Sea, and near the country's border with Georgia. The Pentagon also says Moscow blocked the overflight of a major military exercise in September 2019, “preventing the exact transparency the treaty is meant to provide.” In an op-ed in The New York Times, Tim Morrison, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former member of this administration's National Security Council, added that Russia has been using its overflights to collect “military relevant intelligence on the other parties, like the means to target critical infrastructure.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during the May 22 meeting of alliance members, called on the Russian government to return to compliance as soon as possible, noting that the U.S. could reconsider its position if Russia complied. European Open Skies Treaty member states—including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden—said they would continue to implement the treaty, saying it has a “clear added value” for conventional arms control architecture and cooperative security. Russia rejects the claims of flight restrictions and contends that the U.S. had limited Russia's own Open Skies flights over Hawaii and the Aleutian Islands. Senior Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, denounced Washington's decision. Medvedev said the U.S. had taken another step down the “path of dismantling the international security architecture that took decades to lay down.” Moscow believes Washington's decision could also affect other arms control treaties, with negotiations on the next New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty potentially at risk. In Washington, the leaders of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees (both Democrats) have written a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contending that withdrawal from the treaty is illegal. They say it violates the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires Esper and Pompeo to notify Congress 120 days before the intent to withdrawal is presented. “This notification must be based on your joint conclusion that withdrawal is in the best interests of the United States and that other states parties to the treaty have been consulted. To date, this requirement has not been fulfilled,” wrote Reps. Adam Smith (Wash.), the Armed Services chairman, and Eliot Engel (N.Y.), the Foreign Affairs chairman. President Donald Trump and his administration have support from Repub-licans who lead the Senate for their decision to exit the treaty. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, asserts that the U.S. should withdraw if Russia is not complying with the agreement. “It will be critical for the Trump administration to continue working with our allies and partners, especially those in Eastern Europe, to ensure they have access to the intelligence they need to protect their security. That includes facilitating access to high-quality imagery.” The U.S. had planned to upgrade the two Boeing OC-135 aircraft delivered to the Air Force in 1996. Late last year, the U.S. issued a request for information saying it was considering awarding two contracts—one for the purchase of two commercial aircraft and another to modify the airframe and provide logistics support. But the Pentagon did not include funding for OC-135 upgrades in its fiscal 2020 budget request. And in March, Esper told Congress he was not prepared to authorize funding for those upgrades until a path forward is clear. Several signatories to the treaty have dedicated aircraft for the mission; others share or lease platforms from other nations for the task. Germany is the latest country to dedicate an aircraft for the mission, using an Airbus A319 converted by Lufthansa Technik. https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/budget-policy-operations/how-us-open-skies-exit-could-undermine-arms-control

Toutes les nouvelles