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contract with Northrop Grumman-EADS
be terminated if Chicago-based Boeing
won the reconfigured competition.
Along with its finding, the GAO stated,
"The product of a protest before GAO -
our legal decision - does not address
broad programmatic issues such as
whether or not a weapons program is
being managed effectively or consistent
with best practices."
Implicit in that statement is the fact
that the agency is so empowered,
providing one method of Congressional
oversight on safety practices in the
military. Nevertheless, the 1996
recommendation for replacement
tankers was based on economic, not
safety concerns, as the GAO projected
that the MRO costs for the KC-135 fleet
would increase significantly with age.
The GAO (and the armed services
themselves) also can report findings of
conflicts of "reduced resources and
increased demand" to appropriate
committees. Such reports typically
trigger a Congressional investigation
and, if warranted, remedial action.
THE CONGRESSIONAL RESEARCH
SERVICE
A division of the Library of Congress,
the Congressional Research Service
(CRS) provides research assistance for all
issues that play a role in legislative
initiatives. With 450 policy analysts and
other experts among its staff of 700, the
CRS can - under its own initiative, as
directed by a committee, or at the
request of legislators or their staffs -
provide research, reports, and
Congressional testimony. It also may
conduct workshops for committee
members and individual legislators on
matters before them.
If a legislator, staffer, or CRS policy
analyst became concerned about the
safety of aerial refueling operations,
about questionable MRO practices
related to military aircraft, or another
potential deficiency that might have a
legislative remedy, the CRS likely would
be involved in researching the issue.
Because the issue of aerial tanker
procurement is a legislative matter
AIRCRAFT REFUELING
(Congress must approve funding of any
such program), the CRS has issued indepth
general reports on aerial
refueling to inform legislators on the
topic. The CRS has not issued any
reports on the safety, maintenance, or
operation of current systems.
THE ARMED SERVICES
COMMITTEES
The Senate's Committee on Armed
Services (CAS) and the House Armed
Services Committee have primary
responsibility for legislative oversight of
the U.S. armed forces and the safety of
military operations. In addition to
ongoing oversight, both committees
can convene hearings and issue
subpoenas to seek information about
matters that the committees deem
within their mandate.
Many committee members and
staffers have military backgrounds. They
make frequent visits to military bases,
U.S. Navy shipyards, U.S. Army and
Navy depots, and the plants of defense
contractors that build the hardware. In
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Photo Courtesy Spanish Air Force