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General gives stinging rebuke to contractors
The Hill ^ | 2/9/2011 | John T Bennett

Posted on 02/10/2011 5:39:25 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

The top brass at the Pentagon is signaling in no uncertain terms that the defense industry needs to clean up its act and accept that the government can no longer throw away money on ill-conceived military projects.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Wednesday had some tough talk for defense contractors, saying firms must stop “blowing smoke” and over-promising about what they can deliver.

“Don’t blow smoke up my ass” about what a military platform can do and when it will be ready, Schwartz told a tense and silent ballroom filled with defense industry executives. “There’s no time for it. There’s no patience for it. OK?”

The comments were the latest example of Pentagon officials speaking bluntly about the future of the U.S. defense sector, which they say must change rapidly to accommodate the nation’s new fiscal reality.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; defensecontractor; normanschwartz; pentagon; usaf
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1 posted on 02/10/2011 5:39:26 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
“Don’t blow smoke up my ass” about what a military platform can do and when it will be ready, Schwartz told a tense and silent ballroom filled with defense industry executives.

Fine, General, then don't blow smoke up industry's ass about how many units you're going to purchase over the life of a project.

2 posted on 02/10/2011 5:42:02 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /sarc tag really necessary?)
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
In 2004 General Schwartz was awarded the Jewish Community Center's Military Leadership Award. In accepting the award, General Schwartz said he was "proud to be identified as a Jewish as well as an American military leader."

Them evil defense profiteers must not have knowed they was messin with a member of the tribe.

3 posted on 02/10/2011 5:46:26 PM PST by kbennkc (For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.)
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I support the American Defense Industrial complex, which has provided us with great innovations and products, but they have been rather lazy in regards to delivering weapons.


4 posted on 02/10/2011 5:49:41 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

This was for public consumption, this guy will be interviewing with these same companies in a few months/years so don’t expect much to really change. Just propaganda for the sheeple.


5 posted on 02/10/2011 5:50:03 PM PST by trapped_in_LA
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

I agree General, maybe you also oughta think about reigning in your program managers and stop changing the requirements in mid or post design.


6 posted on 02/10/2011 5:54:25 PM PST by SZonian (July 27, 2010. Life begins anew.)
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The Pentagon needs to add clauses in the contracts that if the contractor is late with a particular project that they will be penalized.If they finish before the contract date they will be rewarded.


7 posted on 02/10/2011 5:54:46 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz on Wednesday had some tough talk for defense contractors, saying firms must stop “blowing smoke” and over-promising about what they can deliver.

Who writes the spec's, General? Usually there's enough blame to go around in situations like this.

8 posted on 02/10/2011 5:56:02 PM PST by Tallguy (Received a fine from the NFL for a helmet-to-helmet hit.)
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To: Tallguy

I agree


9 posted on 02/10/2011 5:56:50 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
the government can no longer throw away money on ill-conceived military projects.

Does the government have any role in the "conception" process? Did they send out an RFP? Did they eventually sign the contracts?

10 posted on 02/10/2011 6:12:21 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (BO + MB = BOMB -- The One will make sure they get one.)
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To: SZonian

Please...contractors love change orders. Every change order asked for by the government equals additional $$$$$$$$$$$ for the contractor. I have never seen a contractor say “no” to a proposed change and I have never seen one perform a change for free unless the change is being made to correct mistakes of their own doing.


11 posted on 02/10/2011 6:15:48 PM PST by XRdsRev (New Jersey - Crossroads of the American Revolution)
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To: SZonian

“I agree General, maybe you also oughta think about reigning in your program managers and stop changing the requirements in mid or post design.”

I think we can do with fewer Generals/Admirals. If we had good ones, we wouldn’t be rebuking contractors as an excuse for poor management.


12 posted on 02/10/2011 6:17:14 PM PST by RFEngineer
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General Schwartz, meet Helicopter Ben.


13 posted on 02/10/2011 6:18:22 PM PST by Milhous (Lev 19:18 Love your neighbor as yourself.)
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To: Yo-Yo

Way above you pay grade there yo-yo. The american people have had enough.


14 posted on 02/10/2011 6:30:35 PM PST by org.whodat
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

I can blow smoke rings out of my ass. I have the nicotine stains to prove it.


15 posted on 02/10/2011 6:41:39 PM PST by BerryDingle (I know how to deal with communists, I still wear their scars on my back from Hollywood-Ronald Reagan)
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To: XRdsRev

Last time I checked, the gov’t was in charge. If they can’t get it right the first time, why should business subsidize their ineptitude?

I would be very careful about making a case based on GS employee competence....


16 posted on 02/10/2011 7:01:00 PM PST by redlegplanner ( No Representation without Taxation)
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To: redlegplanner

Be careful about making a case based on government competence at all!


17 posted on 02/10/2011 7:03:59 PM PST by Eagle Eye (A blind clock finds a nut at least twice a day.)
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To: Milhous

It’s a good pic, but he’s not giving out free money. It’s money with a huge interest tag attached. It needs come from a bag of “chinese debt” or something


18 posted on 02/10/2011 7:17:50 PM PST by Jeremys Iron
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To: XRdsRev

Strawman. What you said is correct, but that’s not my point.

Yes, the contractor will take the money for the change order or design change, but at what cost to the program?

Then the contractor gets their ass handed to them when the project is overbudget, late or overweight. Well, who made it overbudget? The gov’t. They changed the design and are the ones writing the checks.

Eventually, the project gets cancelled and the blame is smeared onto the “Evil contractor”.

Presidential helicopter program anyone? The Navy kept adding more and more requirements to the initial design that they approved and eventually the damn thing got too heavy and costly and was subsequently cancelled.

What’s needed are people that will tell the gov’t or contractor management “No” when they need to be told “No” and people that will listen.

We need contractors that won’t just nod their heads and say, “yeah, we can do that.” because they don’t want to upset the “customer” or lose the contract.

Don’t attribute to malfeasance what you can attribute to mere incompetence. And that goes for both parties, contractors and gov’t.

FRegards


19 posted on 02/10/2011 7:23:15 PM PST by SZonian (July 27, 2010. Life begins anew.)
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To: Tallguy
Who writes the spec's, General? Yes, as the saying goes:

An elephant is a mouse built to government (in this case military) specifications.

20 posted on 02/11/2011 9:48:21 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (America has two cancers - democrats and RINOS.)
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