Boeing Statement on Pentagon Acquisition and Procurement Initiative

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2010 — Ashton Carter, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, announced June 28 that the Department of Defense is launching an initiative to reduce overhead costs by approximately $100 billion over the next five years, and transfer the savings to modernization programs and to ensure the readiness of the current force. The Boeing Company today issued the following statement:

“Boeing supports the Department of Defense in its initiative to maximize affordability and improve productivity in defense spending. We appreciate the invitation to industry to participate in this important dialogue and the emphasis on open lines of communication between all stakeholders in this critical endeavor. As Undersecretary Carter noted, a healthy, vibrant and financially viable defense industrial base is in the nation’s best interest and critical to the military’s ability to meet its mission requirements.

“We fully understand the need to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely, especially during these times of economic challenge and defense budgets that have been stretched by the needs of a nation at war. At Boeing, we always look for opportunities to reduce costs while delivering the highest quality products to this nation’s warfighters. We will continue to implement productivity improvements and reduce costs on all of our programs, similar to the savings we have achieved for U.S. taxpayers on programs such as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Model programs like this serve as a daily benchmark for all the men and women of Boeing to deliver the best value to the warfighter and the taxpayer. We look forward to meeting with our military customers and others in the industry to share ways we can work together to meet this ambitious goal.”

CEOs of Boeing, Xerox Pledge Support to Obama for Passage of Korea-US Free Trade Agreement

CHICAGO, June 29 — Jim McNerney, chairman, president and CEO of Boeing (NYSE: BA), and Ursula Burns, chairman and CEO of Xerox, issued the following statement regarding the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement. President Obama recently named McNerney chairman, and Burns vice-chairman, of the President’s Export Council.

“We applaud President Obama’s decision to move the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement closer to ratification.  Implementing this agreement will provide a powerful boost to U.S. exports to one of the world’s most dynamic economies, and it will drive job creation across many sectors of the U.S. economy.  We offer our full support to the administration as it works with the U.S. Congress and Korean officials to address any outstanding issues and move this agreement forward for congressional approval at the earliest possible opportunity.”

NASA Issues Broad Agency Announcement For Heavy Lift Studies

WASHINGTON — NASA has issued a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking proposals and industry input on heavy-lift system concepts and propulsion technology.

NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration that strengthens its capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. The information also may help lay the groundwork for humans to safely reach multiple potential destinations, including asteroids, Lagrange points, the moon and Mars.

The total funding available under this announcement is approximately $8 million; maximum individual contract award is $625,000. The deadline for submitting proposals is July 29, 2010.

Submissions should include assessments of a variety of heavy-lift launch craft and in-space vehicle architectures using various propulsion combinations. The submissions also should explain how the architectures can be employed to meet mission objectives. Proposals should capture potential system architectures and identify technology gaps, including propellant tanks, main propulsion elements and rocket health management.

A variety of in-space architectural elements may be included, such as propellant depots, and space transfer stages and vehicles. The focus will be on developing affordable system concepts that may be used by multiple entities, such as the Department of Defense, commercial corporations and international space agencies.