North Dakota Senator Conrad applauds renewed tanker solicitation Process

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) released the following statement after the Pentagon announced earlier today that it would again be ramping up the solicitation process for U.S. Air Force’s next generation of refueling tankers. The co-chairman of the Senate Tanker Caucus, Senator Conrad called the move critical to securing the long-overdue replacement to the aging KC-135 tanker.

“I am pleased by the Pentagon’s decision to begin again the process of procuring the next generation refueling tanker,” Senator Conrad said. “Given the obvious need for the KC-X tanker, I call on the Air Force to conduct a thorough, expeditious process to ensure that the men and women in uniform are charged with protecting our freedoms have the most technologically advanced equipment available anywhere.”

Senator Conrad met with the Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley earlier this month to again make the case for Grand Forks Air Force Base as home to the next generation tanker. The Senator also welcomed the base leadership from Grand Forks – including base commander Col. John E. Michel - earlier this week to map out a plan to secure future missions for the base.

The Senator noted that the current fleet of KC-135 tankers has been in service for over 50 years, and requires expensive maintenance to safely operate. Previous plans had projected that it would take decades to replace the entire KC-135 fleet, meaning that the Air Force could eventually be flying 80-year-old tankers if the replacement program is not accelerated.

This March, Senators Conrad and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) sent a letter to Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn, warning that the current fleet of KC-135 tankers requires expensive maintenance to safely operate – and that delaying plans to replace the KC-135 fleet would create serious risks. The letter urged the Defense Department to replace the tankers without any further delay.