Stem From Lack Of Strategic Vision, Competent Leadership

Bryan Bedford, President Trump’s nominee to head the troubled FAA, says the agency suffers from a “profound lack of trust” and that it “fails to carry out its safety mission,” he said in a questionnaire submitted to senators prior to his nomination hearing on Wednesday, June 11.

Regarding the lack of trust issue, Bedford continued, “Part of this is due to an unwieldy organizational structure with unnecessary spans, layers, and silos which makes responsibility opaque and accountability difficult at best.”

Bedford said, “The root cause of FAA’s inability to complete its mission to modernize air traffic systems and effectively manage safety is the lack of strategic vision and competent leadership,” and that he plans to echo those comments in his prepared remarks for the nominating committee.

His prepared remarks include, “Flying is safe, but as you know the system that manages our skies is showing its age. Chronic understaffing, controller fatigue, outdated facilities and telecommunication technology has placed a strain on the men and women at the FAA.”

Bedford, referring to the collision between a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter over Washington, DC, in which 67 people were killed, said, “After the horrific accident on January 29, 2025, those of us who are passionate about aviation can no longer afford to sit on the sidelines as FAA fails to carry out its safety mission.

“I only needed one reason to say yes to President Trump: I firmly believe in his vision for building a new, modernized air traffic control system, not just incremental changes.”

Bedford adds, “In the years preceding that tragic night in January, there were 85 similar near misses at Reagan National, similar near misses at Reagan National. How did this go unaddressed? It’s unacceptable.”

Bedford’s nomination hearing with the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11.

FMI:  www.faa.gov/