By Emelie Rutherford
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) is the new chair of a House committee that oversees military aircraft programs, a move seen as a shot in the arm to Boeing [BA], a major employer in his state hit by recent Pentagon weapon-system curtailments.
Smith replaces Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) as the chairman of the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces subcommittee, the full panel announced yesterday.
Abercrombie resigned from the chairmanship post on Wednesday because he is leaving Congress to focus on his campaign for governor of Hawaii. He chaired the subcommittee since January 2007, and was the ranking Democrat on it for the four previous years, when Republicans were in charge of the House.
The Air and Land Forces panel has jurisdiction over all Army and most Air Force acquisition programs. Abercrombie, a colorful orator, was outspoken as chairman in his push to properly equip troops. He prodded the Pentagon to speed up the delivery of equipment including Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, and was critical of the execution of programs such as the now-restructured Future Combat Systems Army modernization effort.
Smith said yesterday that many of the Army and Air Force programs under the subcommittee’s purview “face immense challenges.”
“Striking the appropriate balance between the immediate and future needs of our Army and Air Force is one of the most pressing questions this committee will face,” Smith said in a statement. “In my new role, I will continue to work to ensure that our men and women in uniform not only have the equipment and support they need today, but well into the future.”
Analysts said Boeing, a major Washington state employer, suffered more than any other company as a result of weapon-system reductions proposed by Defense Secretary Robert Gates last year; however, some of those changes, such as the ending of the C-17 cargo aircraft production line, were rejected by Congress.
House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Democrats elected Smith to the new post yesterday. He leaves the chairmanship of the HASC Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities subcommittee; Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) was elected to that post by her party colleagues yesterday.
The Terrorism, Unconventional Threats, and Capabilities panel oversees Pentagon counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation programs; Special Operations Forces; information- technology and cybersecurity initiatives; and intelligence support. “As chairwoman, my top priority will be preparing our Armed Forces for a new generation of security challenges, including cyberterrorism, nuclear proliferation, and biological warfare,” Sanchez said yesterday.