Lott appointed to board of EADS North America

EADS North America has appointed former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) to its board of directors. 

The American subsidiary of European defense conglomerate EADS — which is also Airbus’s parent company — has been vying for a lucrative contract to provide the Air Force with midair refueling tankers. EADS North America teamed with Northrop Grumman to compete against Boeing for that contract.

{mosads}“Trent Lott brings unparalleled experience and perspective to the EADS North America Board of Directors following a distinguished career of public service,” said EADS North America Chairman and CEO Ralph D. Crosby Jr.  “He will provide invaluable expertise as our company expands its presence in the U.S. defense and homeland security sectors.”

After he left the Senate in December 2007, Lott started his own lobbying firm with former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.). The Breaux Lott Leadership Group has been representing Northrop Grumman since April as part of an intense lobbying war over the $35 billion tanker contract.

Now, with Lott on the board of directors, EADS can also strengthen its influence in the power play.

Northrop Grumman and EADS initially won the contract at the end of February. However, Boeing, the rival for the award, protested with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and won.

A bitter and politically charged debate over how to proceed with awarding a contract to replace the Eisenhower-era tankers ensued after the GAO upheld Boeing’s protest this summer. Ultimately, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in September punted that decision to a new administration and suspended any deliberations over the tanker competition.

Northrop Grumman so far has paid Lott’s lobbying shop $200,000. While in the Senate, Lott was one of the top recipients of campaign money from Northrop Grumman, which has a large shipbuilding yard in Lott’s hometown of Pascagoula, Miss.

EADS has several operations in Mississippi, including an assembly plant for the Army’s Light Utility helicopter.