Reuters news service reports that Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said last week, after Northrop Grumman officials said the company could pull out of the latest effort to select a KC-X tanker because it deemed the contest unfair, that he would “find that extraordinarily hard to believe.” He continued, saying the “extremely lucrative” nature of the KC-X program would necessarily generate a “healthy competition.” The Air Force planned to issue a final request for proposals soon, but both Boeing and Northrop have submitted numerous questions and concerns over the draft RFP.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.