A Senator Kit Bond (B) News Release….
BOND, BOEING-ST. LOUIS OFFICIALS, EMPLOYEES CELEBRATE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN MILITARY AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION
November 22, 2010
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – U.S. Senator Kit Bond today joined Boeing senior leadership, employees, elected officials, and community leaders to celebrate recent developments in Boeing’s military aircraft production and the critical role these aircraft continue to play in support of our warfighters. Bond, the strongest advocate in the U.S. Senate for the on-time, on-budget F/A-18, F-15, and C-17, played a key role in the developments celebrated today.
“Your customers, our nation’s warfighters and our allies can claim the biggest victory,” Bond told Boeing employees. “They will be taking delivery of and operating the finest, most reliable, and effective military aircraft in the world. These aircraft are completed on-time, on-budget and that bring our warfighters home safely and with mission success.”
The multiyear procurement of the F/A-18 celebrated today is a major victory for taxpayers as the multiyear will save hundreds of millions of dollars and help to mitigate empty carrier decks caused by the Pentagon’s continued pursuit of the Joint Strike Fighter which is millions over budget and badly behind schedule.
Employees and local leaders also celebrated today the proposed sale of 84 F-15s to Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally. This pending sale, which Bond worked closely with Boeing and the Obama Administration to facilitate, will ensure the F-15 production line stays open and that hundreds of jobs remain at the St. Louis plant. Bond noted that in 1999 he worked to secure funding for four F-15s for the U.S. Air Force. Those four aircraft kept the F-15 line open long enough for the Koreans to chose it for their Air Force. Now, Bond stressed, with the pending Saudi sale and countless other potential customers across the globe, including our own Air National Guard, Boeing workers and our warfighters can be confident the F-15 will remain in production for years to come.
“Senator Bond has never missed an opportunity to support our armed forces, our industry and our work force, and without him we would not be here today, commemorating these remarkable milestones,” said Dennis Muilenburg, president and chief executive officer, Boeing, Defense, Space & Security. “The men and women of Boeing are truly grateful for his many years of service and tireless advocacy for a better equipped warfighter, a safer nation, and a stronger aerospace industry.”
In addition to the multiyear procurement and Saudi sale celebrated today, Bond noted that the sale of 10 C-17s to India, the world’s largest democracy and a strategic partner of the U.S., is nearly finalized. Continued production of the C-17 will help ensure our nation won’t lose its only large military airlift line in production.
“In these tough economic times, there is no question that government must rein in wasteful spending, but it must not compromise on providing for our national defense,” said Bond.
During nearly 24 years in the U.S. Senate, Bond has consistently been one of Boeing-St. Louis’ strongest allies on Capitol Hill. His advocacy for the company’s employees and the aircraft they produce has taken him across the world, from Seoul to Singapore, Tokyo to Tel Aviv and Copenhagen to Kuala Lampur.
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What little industry there is in the U.S. has to make hay while it still exists.
Last Term Republican sitting on a high of Conservative Congressional Fervor. It does him no harm to go whole hog here, especially as this “Yes, I am a Capitalist War Pig. Oink, Oink.” ‘celebration’ undoubtedly paid for whatever retirement a 72 year old can look forward to in his final years.
That said, the reality of this man and his constant narrow-margin victories through FOUR terms is simply this: He sits on the Subcommittees for Defense Appropriations, State and Foreign Operations and Intelligence.
ANYONE who needs a Lord Of War update to their arsenal of despotcracy, he has a jacket on and can get a sit down with, without raising so much as a ripple.
Interestingly, he’s also on the ‘Green Jobs and New Economy’ committee. I guess he saw what was coming and decided to get out while the gittin’ was good.
Woe be unto the rest of us sorry losers…
In any case, this is a well connected man whose presence on those key committees will lead to a lot of thrashing fins and white water-gone-red before someone ‘suitable’ replaces him.
Looking at their CV, Boeing needs a new tacair or stratair program if not both. Lunchmeat Inc. (My baloney has a first name, it’s Lock-y…) is likely going to go belly up, at least in their LMTAS division, about ten seconds before or after the economy does and relying on international commercial air contracts in a failed State that can’t get loans, materials or partnership interests is a bad idea, even in a ‘global market’.
UAS and Strategic Reach (Falcon for a choice) el-cheapo replacements for inventory fill if not outright replacement missioning could be very good ideas in a limited inventory, all-U.S., high technology reach effort to reset the technology baselines and gain some respect back, in the aftermath of USA.
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