This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 25, 2011 - The Pentagon's decision to award Boeing a $3.5 billion aerial tanker contract may not mean any additional jobs in St. Louis, but that didn't stop area members of Congress from lauding the military decision.
Boeing is a major employer in the St. Louis area, and its health is a key political objective for area political officials.
Under the contract, Boeing is to deliver 18 aircraft by 2017.
The planes are to replace the U.S. Air Force's veteran fleet of KC-135 aerial refueling tankers. Boeing had been competing against EADS, the Europe-based parent company of Airbus. The planes are to built at Boeing plants in Washington state and Kansas. (Click here to read the New York Times' account.)
U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, is chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.The panel has jurisdiction over Navy shipbuilding programs as well as Air Force projection platforms including bombers, tankers and airlift aircraft.
"The Air Force is in desperate need of a new air refueling tanker. The first of these planes was bought the same year that color television was introduced in the United States," Akin said in a statement. "Asking airmen to fly a plane that may be older than their parents is simply unacceptable.
"While I am personally encouraged by this decision, we have very little information at this point to evaluate whether the competition was fair and level. The Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee will hold a hearing on this issue as soon as enough information is publicly available."
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., left no doubt that he was pleased. "I applaud the Pentagon's decision to award Boeing with the contract for the KC-X next generation aerial refueling tanker," the senator said. "Not only will our servicemen and women have the best aircraft available in order to achieve their critical missions, but this selection ensures that we maintain and create much-needed private sector jobs right here in America. I'm confident our next generation of war-fighters will be well-served by this platform."
Said U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo: "This is great news for Boeing and for American jobs. Boeing put forth a great bid and I am encouraged to see that the Department of Defense took into account all factors and that in the end Boeing came out on top."
The senator noted that she "pressed Pentagon officials last month about the importance of maintaining competitiveness and a level playing field in the process of awarding this contract earlier this year in a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
"Today's contract will support 50,000 American jobs at Boeing nationwide, as well as supporting 800 supplier companies in 40 states. Boeing's competitor was a foreign company that would have shipped some of these jobs overseas...," her office said in a statement.
Also lauding Boeing's success was U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, R-Belleville. "As we find ourselves coming out of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, we need to continue to make investments in projects that spur growth and put Americans back to work," said
Costello. "Today's newly announced contract will do exactly that. Boeing is the very best aerospace company in the world, it is one of the nation's largest and most successful companies, and its workforce is truly outstanding. This is great news, and I look forward to this process moving forward."
Leaders of two unions affected by the deal also were jubilant, while also blasting Airbus' "illegal subsidies'' from European governments.
Richard Michalski, General Vice President at the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said in a statement:
"Today, the Air Force made the right choice for America. Its decision to award the tanker contract to Boeing vindicated the determination and excellence of American workers who have long labored under the shadow of Airbus's illegal foreign subsidies. It's amazing that our own procurement system favors foreign companies that use illegal subsidies to cheat the rules and take American jobs. The Obama administration should work with Congress to pass procurement reform to ensure that foreign companies bidding on government contracts can't get away with cheating...."
Said Paul Shearon, Secretary-Treasurer of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, in a statement: "This is a victory not only for Boeing, but for working families across America. The $35 billion contract and the 50,000 jobs it will create are a much-needed shot in the arm for our economy. The American people can be proud that Boeing was awarded this contract despite the unfair advantages Airbus obtained by accepting illegal subsidies from its European government sponsors. ...This contract represents 50,000 American jobs -- good, high paying jobs -- that will stimulate our communities, help build the middle class and create real economic growth. Furthermore, this contract recognizes the importance of the American aerospace industry, which supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs and serves as our largest source of exports to the rest of the world."
