Bush names two for top Navy, Air Force posts

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Tuesday nominated Northrop Grumman Corp. executive Donald Winter to become Navy Secretary, and Pentagon official Michael Wynne to head the Air Force, the White House said. Both nominations must be approved by the Senate.

Winter, a vice president of Los Angeles-based Northrop and president of the company's missile system division, was the president and chief executive officer of TRW Systems before Northrop acquired the company in 2002.
Northrop plays a leading role in developing the DD(X), a new warship that has come under scrutiny by Congress for staggering cost growth, a program whose fate Winter would help decide if confirmed for the Navy job.
...
Wynne, who also has a background in private industry, served briefly this year under a recess appointment as the Pentagon's acquisition chief until he was replaced by Ken Krieg in June. He served as "acting" acquisitions chief for nearly 18 months while his nomination languished in the Senate.

The Senate Armed Services Committee held up his confirmation because the Pentagon had refused to turn over documents linked to the scandal, which has led to the conviction and jailing of a retired top Air Force official and a former chief financial officer at Boeing.

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=9393040&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

[stepnw1f]

1. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb! (nt)

[Massacure]

2. What the hell? Doesn't Northrop Grumman make airplanes?

Shouldn't Winter be head of the Air Force rather than Navy Secretary?

[brentspeak]

3. Let me guess:

And both just happen to be huge proponents of the utterly useless mega-billion missile defense system.