Gen Norton Schwartz took another shot at the defense industry at the AFA Air Warfare Symposium today, albeit in veiled language. Schwartz's oblique insult seemed to catch the audience off-guard, but a smattering of applause broke out once they realized the chief's point. [See first 23 seconds of clip below.]
It's certainly not the first time I've heard Schwartz take a bat to the defense executives he depends on to deliver his most advanced weapons. In his first public appearance as chief of staff in September 2008, Schwartz did not miss an opportunity to call out retired military officers who had taken sides -- usually for a fee, naturally -- on behalf of KC-X competitors [see page 11].
Every reporter who shows up to Schwartz's press conferences usually gets to ask the chief at least one question. I decided to spend mine to ask Schwartz to explain his palpable disappointment with the air force's weapons suppliers. After acknowledging the USAF's own guilt for acquisition blunders, Schwartz delivered a surprisingly stern warning for the CEOs of defense companies.
It's certainly not the first time I've heard Schwartz take a bat to the defense executives he depends on to deliver his most advanced weapons. In his first public appearance as chief of staff in September 2008, Schwartz did not miss an opportunity to call out retired military officers who had taken sides -- usually for a fee, naturally -- on behalf of KC-X competitors [see page 11].
Every reporter who shows up to Schwartz's press conferences usually gets to ask the chief at least one question. I decided to spend mine to ask Schwartz to explain his palpable disappointment with the air force's weapons suppliers. After acknowledging the USAF's own guilt for acquisition blunders, Schwartz delivered a surprisingly stern warning for the CEOs of defense companies.
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