The chefs of the latest efforts to reform Pentagon procurement practices met uniform skepticism Tuesday from Senate Armed Services Committee lawmakers who say there’s been no improvement in the past two decades. Noting that problems cited in the 1980s still remain, panel Chairman John Warner (R-Va.) said, “most weapons systems still cost too much and still take too long to field.” Ranking Member Carl Levin (D-Mich.) maintained the lack of the Pentagon’s ability to follow its own policies simply “cries out for oversight.” (This form the group that can’t move the defense authorization bill.) The Pentagon has long cried foul over what it terms excessive oversight. Everyone seems to agree that the procurement process needs to be less bureaucratic—but that in itself could take years. Retired USAF Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, who is chairing a DOD acquisition assessment, said, “There is no quick solution; this is just hard work.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.