Oshkosh Corp. has now become the object of envy from every major defense contractor in the United States, as it will sign a $1.06 billion dollar contract with the Pentagon to produce mine-resistant trucks for military use in Afghanistan. The contract is one of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plans to improve the military’s effectiveness in the fight against insurgents.
 
There may be little time to celebrate for Oshkosh, though, as Pentagon leaders encourage the company to hurry their production of the vehicles. The contract supposedly stipulates that Oshkosh will quickly produce these mine-resistant trucks because they are gravely needed in Afghanistan …read more

This being an election year in the US, some big companies can get away with almost anything.
After losing a $35 billion deal to build the next generation of U.S. Air Force tanker planes to European competitor EADS (refer to previous post), Boeing called “foul-play” and Congress forced the Air Force to re-open the bidding process. Boeing has now publicly stated that they will not participate in the bidding unless it is extended by an additional four months. Boeing needs the extra time to include a different plane in the bid. Well sure, the first plane they offered lost the bid.
Remember, …read more

The days of the rallying cry “Buy American” are gone. The Pentagon has decided to purchase the next generation of tanker aircraft from the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS) instead of from Boeing and, this being an election year, politicians are fuming.
Just a quick scratch at the surface, however, shows how pervasive international business is these days. In reality, there are very few truly “American” or “100 % European” companies any more. If this U.S. Air Force contract for $35 billion goes to EADS, some jobs will be created in Europe, but the majority of jobs, about …read more