|
 |
 |
|
Cornyn lifts hold on Army acquisitions chief
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has lifted his hold on the nomination of the Army’s acquisition chief after Pentagon officials said they would audit a contract with Russian company Rosoboronexport, which has been accused of providing weapons to the Syrian regime of President Bashar Assad.
The Pentagon also said it would hold an open competition for future Afghan Mi-17 helicopter contracts, including with American companies.
Cornyn’s move to lift the hold Thursday will likely clear a path for Heidi Shyu to be confirmed as Army acquisitions chief, a position she’s held in an interim capacity since last June.
Cornyn lifted the hold after he received a letter from the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, detailing the steps the Pentagon was taking with Rosoboronexport’s Mi-17 contract after Cornyn and other lawmakers raised concerns earlier this year.
A congressional aide said that the hold was lifted because of the assurances the Pentagon made on both the audit of the contract and for a competitive bidding process.
The Defense Department had initially defended its contract with the Russian company, saying in June when Cornyn placed the hold that it was the only “legally available method” to get the helicopters to the Afghan forces.
“We're not buying helicopters for the Syrian regime. We're buying helicopters in support of the Afghan Air Force,” Little told reporters.
In the letter, Kendall said the Pentagon would try to reduce the number of new Russian aircraft that would be needed, and said DOD would consult Congress before acquiring any additional Mi-17 aircraft.
“We continually work with U.S. industry partners to identify U.S.-made aircraft for this purpose,” Kendall wrote. “However, in the case of Afghanistan, a mixed mobility aircraft fleet is highly undesirable at this time.”
The lifted hold was first reported by Inside Defense.
