12 Nov 15. Defense Secretary Ash Carter fires senior 3-star military assistant. The three-star general who has been serving as the senior military assistant to Defense Secretary Ash Carter was abruptly fired Thursday amid allegations of misconduct.
Army Lt. Gen. Ron Lewis was removed from his post Thursday morning after Carter learned of the allegations Tuesday night, a senior defense official said.
“The secretary was very surprised to learn of these allegations,” the official said.
Pentagon officials declined to reveal details of the alleged misconduct.
Carter has referred the matter to the Defense Department’s inspector general for an official investigation.
For now, Lewis will report to the Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Daniel B. Allyn. Other top generals facing IG investigations have been permitted to remain in their jobs. For example, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright was the vice chairman of the Joint Staff in 2011 while the IG investigated allegations that he had an improper relationship with a female subordinate. Navy Adm. James Stavridis remained in his post as commander of U.S. European Command in 2012 while the IG investigated allegations that he misused government travel privileges and improperly accented gifts. In both cases, the IG recommended no disciplinary action.
Lewis, a Chicago native and former attack helicopter pilot, deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 as commander of an aviation brigade attached to the 101st Airborne Division. In 2013, he served in Afghanistan as the division’s deputy commanding general. He later served as the chief of Army public affairs.
Lewis’ desk was adjacent to Carter’s office in the Pentagon’s E-ring, and the general routinely accompanied Carter on his trips abroad. As senior military assistant, Lewis’ job was to advise the Pentagon’s top civilian leader on a range of issues related to policy, strategy and budgets.
Carter’s selection of Lewis was one of the first personnel moves the new secretary made when he assumed office. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Army Times)
12 Nov 15. Northrop’s long-range U.S. bomber work paused after protest. Work on a recently awarded long-range strike bomber contract to Northrop Grumman Corp has been paused after rivals Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin protested against the selection process, the U.S. Air Force said.
Air Force spokesman Major Robert Leese said the order to stop work was issued after a formal protest was filed on Nov. 6.
In October, the Air Force selected Northrop, maker of the stealth B-2 aircraft, to develop and build the new bomber over a bid by a Boeing and Lockheed Martin team.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin complained that the selection process was “fundamentally flawed.”
The protest reflected concerns about the Air Force’s use of cost data from earlier bomber programs to assess the pricing of the planes, devaluing innovations and new manufacturing processes implemented in recent years, according to two sources familiar with the companies’ thinking.
The bomber deal, analysts have said, could be valued at up to $80bn if the U.S. Air Force buys all 100 stealth bombers now planned.
While Northrop referred queries about the pause in work to the Air Force, it has previously said that the protest decision was disappointing because it would disrupt a program important to national security.
News of the pause was first reported by Aviation Week magazine.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office has said a ruling on the protest is due by Feb. 16, 2016. (Source: Reuters)
11 Nov 15. Bell Could Have FVL Ready For US Navy, Air Force By 2025.
As the Pentagon considers the future of military vertical lift, Bell Helicopter is in talks with the US Navy and US Air Force to design a next-generation tiltrotor solution that could be ready by 2025.
Bell is partnered with Lockheed Martin to build a rotorcraft flight demonstrator as part of the US Army’s Joint Multi-Role program, which will gauge the art of the possible for the path ah