F-35 chief Bogdan to execute, not cheerlead

[unhappycamper]

http://australianaviation.com.au/2013/02/f-35-chief-bogdan-to-execute-not-cheerlead/



The $243+ million dollar F-35B.

F-35 chief Bogdan to execute, not cheerlead
Item by australianaviation.com.au at 3:55 pm, Wednesday February 27 2013

New program executive officer for the US Department of Defense’s F-35 program, Lieutenant General Chris Bogdan has told Avalon Airshow media that the aircraft’s development program should be judged on where it is heading rather than where it has been.

“The first point I’d like to make overall is: don’t expect me to be a cheerleader for the F-35 program. That’s not my job. My job is to execute this program. If I start becoming an advocate or a zealot for this program, I lose my credibility,” he said.

“One of the biggest problems I have is an awful lot of people with opinions on this program and not a lot of people with the facts. And those opinions are based on what I would call the tragic history of this program. This program is getting better and is better than what it was a few years ago.”

Outlining a range of past problems, Lt Gen Bogdan said it was easy to see how and why the program’s past led many people to be cynical. “Since we rebaselined in 2010-2011, this is a different program and it is getting better. It is not getting better nearly as fast as I would like it to, but … since 2011, we have fundamentally met every milestone. We are stable and on-track to meet that new plan.”