Fight over tanker pact puts two nominations in limbo
Alabama senator is blocking the nominations of Erin Conaton as the Air Force's No. 2 civilian leader and Frank Kendall as Defense acquisition and technology chief.
Frustrated with the Air Force's handling of the latest competition for a lucrative contract to build a fleet of aerial refueling tankers, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is blocking the confirmation of Erin Conaton to be the service's No. 2 civilian leader.
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted unanimously to support the confirmation of Conaton, who serves as the staff director of the House Armed Services Committee, this month. But a spokesman for Sessions confirmed Monday that the senator, who sits on the Armed Services panel, has placed a hold on her nomination amid concerns about the tanker competition.
In addition to Conaton, Sessions is also blocking the nomination of Frank Kendall, whom President Obama tapped to be deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and technology, the spokesman said.
The spokesman would not elaborate about the senator's concerns.
Northrop Grumman Corp. and EADS, the European consortium behind Airbus, plan to build their tanker offering at a plant in Mobile, Ala. But they want the Pentagon to make significant changes to the current draft Request For Proposals to make it worthwhile to stay in the competition for the contract, worth at least $35 billion.
The final RFP is expected next month in anticipation of a contract award in the summer.
Northrop won the competition last year, but GAO ultimately upheld a protest filed by Boeing Co., the losing bidder, and the Pentagon canceled its contract for the planes.
At her confirmation hearing Nov. 19, Conaton said she would be fair and objective when dealing with the competition.
"My sense and my commitment [are] to ask questions upon confirmation that would lead to this competition being concluded to the best interests of the war fighter," Conaton said at the hearing. "I think it's very important that this be a fair and open competition and that it be clear to those who see the results how the decision was made."
Sessions and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., also placed a hold on Ashton Carter's nomination to be the Pentagon's top weapons buyer this year. They ultimately lifted the hold after receiving assurances that Carter was committed to an open and transparent competition.