Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thursday he would not authorize funding for the Long Range Strike Bomber as long as the program remains under a cost-plus contracting structure.
McCain has not yet been briefed by the Air Force on the contract award to Northrop Grumman [NOC] because of a protest filed by LRSB competitor Boeing [BA], which was denied earlier this month. However, that doesn’t seem to matter to the SASC chairman, who said that he finds cost-plus contracts unacceptable no matter what the service’s justification.
“I will not authorize a cost-plus contract,” he told reporters during a Defense Writers Group breakfast. “I don’t need to have a briefing to know this is a cost-plus contract.”
“They’ll say, well, [it’s] because we’re not sure of some of the things we’ll need in the development stage,” he added. “Fine, then don’t bid on it. Don’t bid on it until you do know.”
Exactly what this means for the future of the program is unclear. SASC, along with the House Armed Services Committee, is responsible for the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets defense policy and recommends funding levels. However, the appropriations committees are actually responsible for establishing how much funding each government program will obtain in a given year.
McCain also railed against the secrecy of the LRSB program. Almost every element is classified, from the engine manufacturer to the value of the production contract itself. Over-classification of Defense Department programs didn’t start with LRSB, but that doesn’t mean it makes sense, he said.
“Somewhere someone is going to see some engines being made,” he said. “It may be up at Pratt & Whitney, or whether it be at Rolls Royce or wherever the hell it is. I mean, some of this is just stupid.”
The Air Force requested nearly $1.4 billion for LRSB in its fiscal year 2017 budget request and projects to request about $12 billion for the program through FY ’21.