Several Pentagon probes under way on Boeing tanker lease

The Defense Department has suspended a controversial Air Force plan to lease Boeing 767 aerial refueling tankers while a handful of senior-level inquiries get under way, according to Pentagon officials and congressional aides.

The most significant review calls on a task force of outside experts from the Pentagon's Defense Science Board to evaluate the military's current aerial refueling capabilities and future tanker requirements, according to a Pentagon spokeswoman.

"This is one of four department initiatives that take seriously the allegations of impropriety and the need to take appropriate action as necessary," she told CongressDaily.

During testimony Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told lawmakers that any inappropriate department actions associated with the lease would be addressed. "I can assure you that, if there has been wrongdoing, as there appears to have been, we will take appropriate action," he said.

The Pentagon has asked the National Defense University to look at the decision-making process that shaped the tanker lease proposal, including acquisition needs associated with the program and whether competitive processes were adhered to during the negotiations.

Currently, the Pentagon's inspector general is conducting a formal probe into the actions of Darleen Druyun, who played a key role in the Boeing Co., contract during her stint as the Air Force's top acquisition official. Druyun retired in 2002 and went to work for Boeing. Last year Boeing dismissed Michael Sears, the firm's chief financial officer, over allegations that job discussions with Druyun took place while she was working on the tanker lease proposal.

The Pentagon has also called on its general counsel to conduct an immediate review of the department's current ethics program as it relates to Pentagon employees. The review will look at current ethics practices and any potential changes needed to ensure that department officials understand and comply with current protocols. The combined studies are expected to be completed by May 1.