Congressional Record—Senate S8632
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S8632 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 15, 2011 itself into a lighter, more modular, and The Airborne Laser effort is to be son, retired from the Air Force, during what more deployable fighting force. Origi- canceled. The fantastic story of the period of time did he serve as an advisor, nally and erroneously executed under a VH–71 new Presidential Helicopter Re- consultant or mentor, or in any other simi- lar capacity, to the Air Force? type of contract more fitting for small- placement Program was canceled only 2. Describe, with specificity, General Rob- er programs, the FCS was supposed to after it became more expensive than a ertson’s duties, responsibilities and activi- develop 18 manned and unmanned full-size 747. ties while serving in the foregoing capacity ground systems, including sensors, ro- What can we do? during this period. bots, UAVs, and vehicles, all connected I know it is time for us to get on with 3. Identify, with specificity, what project(s) by a complicated mobile electronic the Defense authorization bill. General Robertson served on in the foregoing network. When work began on this pro- We need to have transparency. We capacity, including but not limited to, as a gram in 2000, the Army estimated that mentor. need to have accountability. We have 4. Describe, with specificity, what relation- the first combat units would be to use competition to encourage indus- ship these projects had with any program or equipped by 2011 and that all the try to produce desired outcomes and process in which Boeing had a direct or indi- Army’s ground combat formations better incentivize the acquisition rect interest. would be equipped by 2032. The Army workforce to do more with less. We 5. Describe, with specificity, the activity initially estimated the entire effort have to do a lot of things. We have cited in the article described above (i.e., a would cost about $160 billion. clearly failed to abide by the warning ‘‘war game’’) and what relationship, if any, By 2006, independent cost estimators that this activity had with the pending Air President Eisenhower issued in his Force program to replace its aerial refueling at the Pentagon pegged total procure- speech 50 years ago, but I do find some tanker fleet. ment costs at upwards of $300 billion. comfort that times of fiscal restraint 6. Describe what was happening with the And, from there, with the assistance of and austerity can drive desired change, Air Force’s program to replace its aerial re- a fundamentally flawed fee structure even in the face of daunting systemic fueling tanker fleet while the foregoing ac- that was not focused on objective re- obstacles such as the military-indus- tivity was conducted. 7. What direct or indirect input or influ- sults, FCS total costs kept growing. To trial-congressional complex. We must make a long story short, in April 2009, ence did General Robertson have in the out- do better. come of the activity for which he was serv- then-Secretary Gates terminated most Mr. President, I yield the floor. I ing as a mentor (or in any similar capacity) of the program and the problem. thank my friend from Michigan for his or the overall program or process that this While the Army has had its problems, indulgence. activity was intended to support? the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship is an- 8. How much per year and in total com- EXHIBIT 1 other example of a fundamentally pensation was General Robertson paid for his U.S. SENATE, flawed acquisition process. Originally service as an advisor, consultant or mentor, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, conceived by former Chief of Naval Op- or in any other similar capacity, to the Air Washington, DC, December 1, 2011. Force? erations Vern Clark as a revolutionary, Hon. LEON PANETTA, 9. Please provide a copy of his employment new, affordable class of surface com- Secretary of Defense, contract(s) with the Air Force for his service batant—about the size of a light frigate Pentagon, Washington, DC. in the foregoing capacity. or Coast Guard cutter—the LCS was to DEAR SECRETARY PANETTA: I was very 10. Explain why it reportedly took two be able to conduct shallow-water and troubled to read recently in USA Today that years to provide the information described near-shore operations. the Air Force allowed a retired general offi- above where this information was responsive The first two LCS contracts set the cer who was then-serving as an executive in to a properly presented FOIA request. The Boeing Company to participate as a cost of the sea frame at $188 million 11. What is the current status or the De- ‘‘mentor’’ in a war game involving the aerial partment of Defense’s mentor program? each. After spiking to over $730 mil- refueling tanker that Boeing was at the 12. If the program is still extant at all, lion, the cost is now about $400 million same time competing to build for the Air what controls are in place today that will per hull. In December of 2010, the Pen- Force under a multibillion dollar procure- ensure against conflicts-of-interests and the tagon’s chief tester gave LCS poor per- ment program. This, in my view, warrants appearance of impropriety by its partici- formance ratings, saying that ‘‘LCS is serious inquiry. pants? not expected to be survivable in terms According to the article, the retired gen- Thank you for your cooperation and your of maintaining a mission capability in eral officer previously served as the chief of attention to this serious matter. Sincerely, a hostile combat environment.’’ U.S. Transportation Command and Air Force Mobility Command, which would have given JOHN MCCAIN, I continue to be very troubled by the him keen insight into the Air Force’s plans Ranking Member. Navy’s decision late last year to set to replace its aerial refueling tanker fleet. It f aside then-pending competition and appears that what this mentor did for the award contracts to each of the bidders Air Force in this case directly related to one NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZA- on this program. of Boeing’s largest potential contracts with TION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR The F–22 raptor program. The F–22 the Air Force. This makes the story particu- 2012—CONFERENCE REPORT was supposed to maintain air superi- larly alarming. No less disturbing is that the The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under ority in the face of the Soviet threat Air Force apparently withheld publicly dis- closing this information from a Freedom of the previous order, the Senate will pro- during the Cold War. The F–22 obtained ceed to the consideration of the con- full operational capability 20 years Information Act (FOIA) request for approxi- mately two years. ference report to accompany H.R. 1540, later, well after the Soviet Union dis- This latest revelation plainly validates my which the clerk will report. solved. When it finally emerged from concerns that I conveyed last year about the The assistant legislative clerk read its extended testing and development potential for conflicts-of-interests associated as follows: phase, the F–22 was recognized as a with military mentor programs. It is also an- The committee of conference on the dis- very capable tactical fighter, probably other example of the revolving door between agreeing votes of the two Houses on the the best in the world for some time to the Department and private industry and the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. come. But plagued with development prevalence of the military-industrial com- 1540), to authorize appropriations for fiscal and technical issues that caused the plex in the Department’s planning and pro- year 2012 for military activities of the De- curement processes, which has plagued the costs of buying to go through the roof, partment of Defense, for military construc- Air Force’s attempts to replace its aerial re- tion, and for defense activities of the Depart- not only was the F–22 20 years in the fueling tanker fleet from day-one. making, but the process has proved so ment of Energy, to prescribe military per- Although there appears to be general com- sonnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for costly that the Pentagon could ulti- fort that the contract for the KC–46A was other purposes, having met, after full and mately afford only 187 of the planes awarded properly and that the contracting free conference, have agreed that the House rather than the 750 it originally strategy for the development of these tank- recede from its disagreement to the amend- planned to buy. To make a long story ers is viable, whether any misconduct some- ment of the Senate and agree to the same short, the F–22 has not flown in combat how biased the program at its inception to- with an amendment, and the Senate agree to since its inception. wards a particular outcome must be taken the same, signed by a majority of the con- very seriously. ferees on the part of both Houses. The DDG–1000 Zumwalt Class De- With this in mind, please answer the fol- stroyer was supposed to cost $1.1 bil- lowing questions. (The conference report is printed in lion each. It is now expected to cost 1. After the individual cited in the article, the House proceedings of the RECORD of $3.5 billion each. retired Lieutenant General Charles Robert- December 12, 2011.) VerDate Mar 15 2010 03:38 Dec 16, 2011 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G15DE6.021 S15DEPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with SENATE December 15, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S8633 The PRESIDING OFFICER.