Senator blocks nominees over tanker dispute - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Senator blocks nominees over tanker dispute

An Alabama senator has fired the latest shot in the battle over who will build the Air Force’s new refueling tanker.

Republican Jeff Sessions is blocking the nominations of Erin Conaton for undersecretary of the Air Force and Frank Kendall III as principal deputy undersecretary of defense.

Sessions spokeswoman Sarah Haley said the senator had placed holds on the nominations because of the tanker competition, but declined to elaborate on his reasons.

“I’m not going to comment on strategy,” she said. “Senator Sessions does look forward to speaking with the Secretary of Defense on the matter.”

The team of Northrop Grumman and EADS, which is competing with Boeing for the KC-X tanker contract, would assemble its aircraft at a plant in Alabama. Northrop/EADS has threatened to drop out of the competition unless the Defense Department and the Air Force modify their request for proposals.

Sessions said this week that he hopes the Air Force will “seriously re-evaluate the overall impact” of the RFP. However, the Pentagon and Air Force Secretary Michael Donley have both said they do not anticipate major changes to the document.

Sessions and the other senator from Alabama, Republican Richard Shelby, placed a hold in April on Ashton Carter’s nomination to become the Pentagon’s acquisition chief — also because of the tanker contract. He was ultimately confirmed after Shelby and Sessions lifted the hold.

Donley said through a spokesman Thursday that he looks forward to the Senate’s “favorable consideration” of Conaton’s nomination. The post of Air Force undersecretary has been vacant since August 2007. Conaton, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton’s lead adviser, was nominated last month by President Barack Obama.

A Defense Department spokesman did not immediately return a call from Air Force Times.