The Washington Post reported yesterday that the Air Force had arranged a job with a nonprofit for Charles Riechers for a two-month period while he awaited confirmation from the White House for a senior Air Force acquisition position. Reportedly Commonwealth Research Institute, a nonprofit intelligence contractor that works with various federal government entities, paid Riechers, but he actually worked for Sue Payton, USAF’s top acquisition official, on projects not related to CRI contracts. The article questions both the arrangement and CRI’s nonprofit status. It quotes Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) who said that CRI’s parent company, Pennsylvania-based Concurrent Technologies, does “quality work and research” and its “competitive price has saved taxpayers money.”
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.