AZ Senator Says Take Your Time On Tanker Study

Don't be in such a hurry.

That's the message from Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who's worried that the Pentagon is trying to move too fast to find a replacement for the aging KC-135 tanker -- a search that sparked one of the biggest defense procurement scandals in American history.

In a letter to Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, McCain referred to emails between an Air Force general and a vice president at the Rand Corporation, which has been tasked by the Pentagon to come up with what's called an "analysis of alternatives." The AoA's name speaks for itself.

"This is not an AoA and should not be advertised as an AoA," Rand Vice President Natalie Crawford wrote to Air Force Lt. Gen. John Corley six months ago. "One could do an AoA in five months on only the most trivial of topics. This is not a trivial topic." The email was quoted in the Arizona Republic.

The Rand analysis is supposed to be released sometime this month and will be a major factor in the fate of the KC-135 replacement program.

Boeing actually won a $23.5 billion lease-purchase contract with the Air Force to convert its 767 model for use as a tanker. But that deal was scotched when USAF negotiator Darleen Druyun cheated -- giving Boeing the contract and herself a job at... Boeing.

McCain, in his letter to Wolfowitz, said that, in light of the Rand email, the analysis should be given more time.

FMI: www.af.mil, www.mccain.senate.gov