Buying the C-17: A Case Study.
Abstract
On April 29, 1993, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin fired three Air Force general officers and one senior civilian for mismanagement of the C- 17 cargo aircraft program in 1990. The basis of his decision was a Department of Defense Inspector General Report which alleged management improprieties and criminal wrong doing. Although an Air Force legal review found the 10 charges to be without merit and not supported in fact, Mr Aspin rejected those findings. This case examines the issues and environment surrounding those decisions and explores the politics behind them. It also highlights the history of the C-17, the roles a changing world order and senior OSD policy makers played in its dramatic struggle for survival, and the challenges military program officials faced during the fall of 1990 as they struggled to balance the overwhelming political, economic, and operational constraints driving the design, development and fielding of the nation's newest strategic airlifter.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA294085
Entities
People
- Robert K. Saxer
Organizations
- Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy