F-22 Insourcing Isn’t Good Government

The Obama defense department has been fortunate to inherit several civil servants who are best of breed in the logistics sector, including Gary Motsek, Randy Fowler, and Alan Estevez. President Obama has also put a highly regarded political appointee, Dr. Ashton Carter, in charge of Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L), the de facto #3 job in the Pentagon. As a result, resistance is already emerging in the department to Capitol Hill moves that could take defense logistics insourcing too far at the potential expense of the warfighter and the taxpayer.

Another insourcing gap is opening up between inside and outside the Beltway Air Force logisticians. The Ogden Air Logistics Center in Utah and Air Force Materiel Command in Ohio are enthusiastic customers and partners on the F-22 FASTER program, which keeps our top-of-the-line stealth fighter combat ready. But Air Force loggies in the Pentagon are attempting to roll that government-industry partnership back, and bring even more work into the government.

The federal government is scheduled to take 28% of GDP next year, and much of that is debt and interest on debt. It is not clear the private sector will be able to carry this burden on its shoulders much longer. The private business sector can be an asset that helps get the Pentagon through the current rough patch, and there are some early indications key leaders in the public defense-aerospace sector understand this.