US Air Force leaders wary of tanker services offering

Market Watch ^ | June 19, 2006 | Rebecca Christie

[TalonDJ]

Nothing. The EADs bit will probably lose due to political pressure but that will have not one thing to do with fictions about Airbus being at death's door. Paul is taking the word of some random analyst that a engineering issue and a slap on the wrist from the *cough* WTO will take down the worlds second biggest commercial airframe maker.

[TalonDJ]

He seems to think as long as they are AMERICAN companies breaking laws it is much better than European companies playing shell games with money. I like 'buy American' as much as the next guy but some people are letting bigotry and anger replace logic and market analysis.

[TankerKC]

There are plenty of contract maintenance folks working USAF aircraft today. Have you had a bad experience with them?

[Heatseeker]

I don't want this. I'm an Airman and I don't care where you get the aircraft, I want it to have Active Duty Airmen as Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator and Boom operator. When the aircraft are on the ground I want them taken care of by Active Duty Airmen of the Air Force Speciality Codes needed to maintain the AIRCRAFT

I'm not an airman, but I am a politician. Picture this scenario, which I consider to be very realistically possible:

We hire the Irish firm to tank our military aircraft. Then a government is elected in the Irish Republic that is militantly anti-nuke, much as New Zealand's was/is. The Dáil Éireann (Irish house of commons) passes a law that prohibits any Irish company from commercial ventures involving nuclear weapons in any way "for safety reasons". Goodbye refuels for B-2's, B-1's and B-52's.

Or....the Dáil gets infected with the currently fashionable European antisemitism and forbids Irish companies from doing business with Israel. Israel is attacked and urgently needs resupply from the US...

You get the idea.

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

We hire the Irish firm to tank our military aircraft. Then a government is elected in the Irish Republic that is militantly anti-nuke, much as New Zealand's was/is. The Dáil Éireann (Irish house of commons) passes a law that prohibits any Irish company from commercial ventures involving nuclear weapons in any way "for safety reasons". Goodbye refuels for B-2's, B-1's and B-52's.

Contract terminated for material breach, Irish company forfeits political risk bond and most likely cannot afford penalty clauses, air and ground assets get seized by US government, contract re-let to qualified bidders.

Political risk is a part of doing business, and gets dealt with very aggressively. I had a contract to provide computer software to a foreign government, and some of the contract terms revolved around "and what happens if you idiots throw Reagan out next year?" (The government was and is friendly, but was and is not flavor of the month with Democrats.) I had to make a real gut check on that contract--if Mondale had won in 1984, my company would have gone under.

[Paul Ross]

I like 'buy American' as much as the next guy...

I doubt this. And particularly from the national defense preparedness standpoint.

...but some people are letting bigotry and anger replace logic and market analysis.

And who might they be, h'mmm? The only one suddenly raising racial/ethnic issues here by implication ...would have to be you.

As for replacing logic and market analysis...with something less...the phoney free traders did that long ago when they gave the subsidies of EADS/Airbus a pass. They have no moral compass whatsoever...and no basis of disinterested neutrality or even dispassionate rationality (which clearly they lack), to argue anything.

Total whores.

[TChris]

I don't want this. I'm an Airman and I don't care where you get the aircraft, I want it to have Active Duty Airmen as Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator and Boom operator. When the aircraft are on the ground I want them taken care of by Active Duty Airmen of the Air Force Speciality Codes needed to maintain the AIRCRAFT.

Double ditto.

[Paul Ross]

He seems to think as long as they are AMERICAN companies breaking laws it is much better than European companies playing shell games with money.

Wrong. Corruption is inimical to national self-rule and liberty. Look at Mexico. The perpetrators of the Boeing corruption have been busted, and are doing time. You can't say the same of the "competition."

Is it even possible that any of the corruption which envelopes and suffuses all of EADS and Airbus deals will result in any criminal prosecutions and convictions.

I am not going to hold my breath.

As for being "Pro-American" I am not going to apologize for it.

And your "Bigotry" insinuations are beneath contempt.

American industry is vital to our national security, and cannot be outsourced without catastrophe in its wake.

[JOE43270]

What I'm trying to say is that Airmen are refueling our Guys, not some person that is just working for money, because i want our Airmen to get the fuel. I think you AIRMEN would understand that. They are our BROTHERS.

[JOE43270]

I got the IDEA so figure3 this out. I want my BROTHERS to get the FUEL they need.

[JOE43270]

Grow up AIRMAN. I flew on NKC-135's and we needed Navigaters.

[JOE43270]

"Most of them have quite a number of combat-associated experience." The point I'm trying to make is that they will be working for a civilian company and they will have to listen to their stoct holders. I want my AIRMEN that need fuel to get it wether the company mkes money or not.

[JOE43270]

"There are plenty of contract maintenance folks working USAF aircraft today." I want my AIRMEN to get their FUEL.

[TankerKC]

Were you at Chanute?

[JOE43270]

Yes

[CholeraJoe]

Grow up AIRMAN. I flew on NKC-135's and we needed Navigaters.

That would be Colonel, and it would be navigatOrs not navigatErs.

[JOE43270]

Your rank may have been Colonel. I would have Saluted you and argued with you. I did with a some of officers that I flew with and they knew that with my tool box, that their engines would keep turning and burning and they would stay airborne. Remember this Colonel, WE are BOTH AIRMEN and we always have been. I send you the salute and also the arguing. Thank you sir for the spelling lesson.