Gates to meet on tanker program

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to meet Wednesday with Pentagon and Air Force acquisition leaders to decide on how to move forward with the controversial tanker contract Boeing and Northrop Grumman are fighting over.

Defense Undersecretary John Young also will be present at the meeting. Young is the top official at the Pentagon in charge of purchases.

{mosads}The high-level meeting comes in the aftermath of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) ruling that found the Air Force had made “a number of significant errors” in awarding a $35 billion contract to build aerial refueling tankers to Northrop Grumman and EADS North America.

Boeing was on the losing end, but filed a protest with the GAO that was upheld last week.

The Air Force and the Pentagon now have to figure out how to address the GAO’s seven recommendations. Wednesday’s meeting is expected to set the path forward.