Shelby keeps holds on top AF nominees - Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times

Shelby keeps holds on top AF nominees

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., has lifted his “hold” on more than 70 presidential nominations, but continues to block three who have been selected for senior Pentagon posts.

Shelby wants the Air Force to rewrite the request for proposals it is getting ready to issue for a new refueling tanker.

Shelby is still blocking the nominations of Terry Yonkers to be assistant Air Force secretary, Erin Conaton to be Air Force undersecretary, and Frank Kendall to be principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

A contract to build tankers could be worth $35 billion, and Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been battling for it since 2005. Northrop won in 2008, only to have the award overturned by the Government Accountability Office.

As the Air Force prepares to rerun the contest, Northrop warned it might not bid because a draft request for proposals shows a “clear preference” for Boeing.

This matters to Shelby because, if it gets the contract, Northrop is planning to assemble its planes in Alabama.

When he imposed the hold in early February, Shelby said “we still do not have a transparent and fair acquisition process to move forward” on the tanker contract. The RFP “needs to be significantly and substantively changed.”

Shelby also wants the Obama administration to release funds for building an FBI Terrorist Explosive Devices Analytical Center in Alabama.

“The purpose of placing numerous holds was to get the White House’s attention on two issues that are critical to our national security,” a Shelby aide said in a statement. “With that accomplished, Senator Shelby has decided to release his holds on all but a few nominees directly related to the Air Force tanker acquisition.”

Related reading

* Senate leaves top DoD, VA nominations hanging

* Senator blocks nominees over tanker dispute