Air Force Stalling on Beginning Work on Contract - Further Delay Could Cost Jobs
In Personal Call to Top Defense Official, Casey Urges the Administration to End Delays and Begin Work
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that he has personally called Frank Kendall, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics, to urge the Air Force to end delays on a contract that could cost Chester Township workers their jobs.
Layoffs at Alloy Surfaces in Chester Township could come soon if the Air Force doesn’t soon contract for specialty flares. The contract calls for the production of the MJU-64 flares, which protect aircrafts from incoming missiles by providing a decoy with the same heat signature as the plane’s engine.
The Air Force has been aware for months that Alloy Surfaces would have to close production lines and layoff additional employees if the solicitation was delayed.
In his call with Under Secretary Kendall, Senator Casey urged the department to fast track work on the MJU-64s so that the specter of job loss is removed, and the price of flares does not increase for the U.S. government and our allies.
“It’s time for the Air Force to cut through the red tape and move forward on this contract before workers are laid off,” Senator Casey said. “Worker’s at Alloy’s Chester Township plant are producing essential equipment for our men and women on the battlefield, and their jobs shouldn’t be imperiled by unnecessary delays.”
Alloy Surfaces Corporation is the nation’s only producer of the Defense Department’s Special Material Decoys also known as specialty flares. Although the requirement for the MJU-64 flares has been known for months, the Air Force has delayed the solicitation of the contract. If the Air Force doesn’t soon move forward on the project, Alloy will be forced to lay off workers.
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