The nominee to become the next Air Force chief of staff announced imminent program milestone decisions for two of the service’s nuclear modernization programs during a confirmation before a Senate panel on Thursday.
Gen. David Goldfein told the Senate Armed Service Committee (SASC) that the Air Force should reach a decision on whether to enter technology maturation and risk reduction phase (Milestone A) for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) in August. GBSD will replace the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile.
A request for proposals from industry for the next iteration of the ground leg of the U.S. nuclear triad will be issued within two weeks, Goldfein said.
Meanwhile, the Long Range Standoff Weapon that will replace the Air Force arsenal of air-launched cruise missiles should reach a Milestone A decision within the month.
Both systems were scheduled for milestone A decisions earlier this year but were put on hold by Pentagon chief weapon buyer Frank Kendall. Major aerospace companies Boeing [BA], Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Northrop Grumman [NOC] are expected to compete for both nuclear modernization programs.
Goldfein will replace outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, who is retiring from the service in July. Thursday’s confirmation hearing was smooth sailing for Goldfein, who currently serves as the vice chief and was hailed by lawmakers as eminently qualified for the post.
None of his questioners plumbed very rigorously for information on several programs of note, though it was mentioned that he would shepherd the Air Force toward the convergence of several high-dollar modernization programs that also include full-rate production of the Lockheed Martin F-35, the continually delayed and overbudget Boeing KC-46 aerial refueling tanker and the Northrop Grumman Long Range Bomber.
“At this point, it is by no means clear to me that the Air Force has conceived a plausible path through this tremendous budget crunch,” SASC Chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in his opening remarks. “With the future of our Air Force on the line, it will be your task if confirmed to chart this course in the coming years.”
If confirmed, Goldfein said he would harness the acquisition authorities recently granted service chiefs to speed the programs through development. The 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) granted service chiefs authority over milestone A and B decisions that move a program from the technical analysis phase to the engineering and manufacturing and development phase of development.
If confirmed as Air Force chief of staff, “I am the lead requirements officer for all major weapons systems,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to make sure we don’t have requirement creep that increases cost of increases schedule on any of our programs.”