thedrifter
04-26-06, 07:04 PM
Lawmakers criticize rush to deploy new Marine One fleet
By Roxana Tiron
Some lawmakers are defying the administration’s aggressive plans to see a new, advanced presidential helicopter on the White House lawn in the next decade.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, and ranking member Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) yesterday criticized the White House for seeking to impose a quick timetable for the new presidential helicopter at the expense of safety.
The subcommittee voted to cut $39 million from the president’s fiscal year 2007 budget request of $682.6 million for research, development test and evaluation. Even though it is a relatively modest cut, it represents a clear admonishment of the White House.
Weldon said that the administration’s schedule forces the research and development of the helicopter to overlap with the procurement of the aircraft. He expressed concern that the administration is buying the helicopters before they are properly tested.
The Navy manages the new-helicopter program, also known as VH-71. The Marine Corps flies the helicopters. The high-profile contract went to a team made up of Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland, an Italian-British helicopter venture that is part of the Italian Finmeccanica consortium.
Weldon was a key supporter of the AgustaWestland-Lockheed team in its bid to win the $1.6 billion contract. After the team won the bid, AgustaWestland expanded its 20-year-old Philadelphia-area plant. The Harper’s magazine website reported that AgustaWestland hired Weldon’s daughter Kim, but several sources say she does not work on the defense program.
The first presidential helicopter from the contract is expected to be on the White House lawn in 2009. By 2015, all 23 helicopters in the program will be upgraded to the most technologically advanced version. Three test aircraft are also part of the contract.
The White House is in dire need of new helicopters for presidential operations. Last week, after White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced his resignation, he and President Bush had to drive to Andrews Air Force base in Maryland because the presidential helicopter was grounded with radio problems.
But the rush to replace the helicopters without properly vetting the new ones would create more problems, according to congressional authorizers.
“We believe that the [research and development] and procurement plan for VH-71 is too concurrent,” Weldon said during his panel’s markup of the 2007 defense authorization bill.
He said the committee directed the Navy last year to change the schedule to reduce risk. “The department did not comply,” Weldon said. Therefore, he said, $39 million will be shaved from the purchase of materials for two of the more advanced helicopters.
“This program is being pushed too fast by political appointees and is taking test and development risks that are clearly not appropriate and could be outright dangerous,” Abercrombie said. Referring to the White House’s political appointees, he said that he continues to be amazed “that we have such complete idiots” making decisions.
Abercrombie emphasized that the cut is not meant to “kill the program” or “even scale back its size.”
“Instead, it is a reflection of this subcommittee’s support for the principle of fly before you buy,” he said.
Abercrombie told The Hill that he does not expect any political backlash after the subcommittee’s move. “How can there be any backlash? There would be no public support for it. Politically it makes no sense because you are never going to be able to say to people we want to move this along and take chances on whether the presidential helicopter crashes,” he said.
The Navy, however, stands by the aggressive schedule. A spokesman expressed confidence that it can meet the ambitious goals.
“The schedule is aggressive, and we have been upfront about it,” said John Milliman, the Marines’ spokesman for VH-71. “Our test plan has been approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.”
Both the helicopters and the systems that will be integrated are already in operation with the U.S. military and around the world. The helicopter itself has flown almost 100,000 flight-hours, Milliman said.
He said the Navy is doing all three traditionally consecutive phases of acquisition — design, testing and production — at the same time to compress the schedule.
Congress’s concern “is well-founded and we appreciate the scrutiny, and I think it is important for the program,” Milliman said.
Even though the Navy and the contractors are not developing entirely new technology, Abercrombie said the helicopter has to be modified significantly to “make it more terrorist-proof and to significantly reduce the ability to damage, shoot down or interfere with the helicopter’s ability.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee starts its markups next week.
Ellie
By Roxana Tiron
Some lawmakers are defying the administration’s aggressive plans to see a new, advanced presidential helicopter on the White House lawn in the next decade.
Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, and ranking member Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) yesterday criticized the White House for seeking to impose a quick timetable for the new presidential helicopter at the expense of safety.
The subcommittee voted to cut $39 million from the president’s fiscal year 2007 budget request of $682.6 million for research, development test and evaluation. Even though it is a relatively modest cut, it represents a clear admonishment of the White House.
Weldon said that the administration’s schedule forces the research and development of the helicopter to overlap with the procurement of the aircraft. He expressed concern that the administration is buying the helicopters before they are properly tested.
The Navy manages the new-helicopter program, also known as VH-71. The Marine Corps flies the helicopters. The high-profile contract went to a team made up of Lockheed Martin and AgustaWestland, an Italian-British helicopter venture that is part of the Italian Finmeccanica consortium.
Weldon was a key supporter of the AgustaWestland-Lockheed team in its bid to win the $1.6 billion contract. After the team won the bid, AgustaWestland expanded its 20-year-old Philadelphia-area plant. The Harper’s magazine website reported that AgustaWestland hired Weldon’s daughter Kim, but several sources say she does not work on the defense program.
The first presidential helicopter from the contract is expected to be on the White House lawn in 2009. By 2015, all 23 helicopters in the program will be upgraded to the most technologically advanced version. Three test aircraft are also part of the contract.
The White House is in dire need of new helicopters for presidential operations. Last week, after White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced his resignation, he and President Bush had to drive to Andrews Air Force base in Maryland because the presidential helicopter was grounded with radio problems.
But the rush to replace the helicopters without properly vetting the new ones would create more problems, according to congressional authorizers.
“We believe that the [research and development] and procurement plan for VH-71 is too concurrent,” Weldon said during his panel’s markup of the 2007 defense authorization bill.
He said the committee directed the Navy last year to change the schedule to reduce risk. “The department did not comply,” Weldon said. Therefore, he said, $39 million will be shaved from the purchase of materials for two of the more advanced helicopters.
“This program is being pushed too fast by political appointees and is taking test and development risks that are clearly not appropriate and could be outright dangerous,” Abercrombie said. Referring to the White House’s political appointees, he said that he continues to be amazed “that we have such complete idiots” making decisions.
Abercrombie emphasized that the cut is not meant to “kill the program” or “even scale back its size.”
“Instead, it is a reflection of this subcommittee’s support for the principle of fly before you buy,” he said.
Abercrombie told The Hill that he does not expect any political backlash after the subcommittee’s move. “How can there be any backlash? There would be no public support for it. Politically it makes no sense because you are never going to be able to say to people we want to move this along and take chances on whether the presidential helicopter crashes,” he said.
The Navy, however, stands by the aggressive schedule. A spokesman expressed confidence that it can meet the ambitious goals.
“The schedule is aggressive, and we have been upfront about it,” said John Milliman, the Marines’ spokesman for VH-71. “Our test plan has been approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense.”
Both the helicopters and the systems that will be integrated are already in operation with the U.S. military and around the world. The helicopter itself has flown almost 100,000 flight-hours, Milliman said.
He said the Navy is doing all three traditionally consecutive phases of acquisition — design, testing and production — at the same time to compress the schedule.
Congress’s concern “is well-founded and we appreciate the scrutiny, and I think it is important for the program,” Milliman said.
Even though the Navy and the contractors are not developing entirely new technology, Abercrombie said the helicopter has to be modified significantly to “make it more terrorist-proof and to significantly reduce the ability to damage, shoot down or interfere with the helicopter’s ability.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee starts its markups next week.
Ellie