The TFX decision : political dilution of military effectiveness

Abstract

This thesis explores the political and economic factors that were present when the TFX aircraft contract was awarded. The primary sources used in the study area The official transcript of the Senate investigation of the TFX and the financial reports of the two main competitors, Boeing and General Dynamics.The thesis traces the Air Force's and Navy's roles in picking a contractor and the reasons given by the Secretary of Defense for going against the service's advice. The paper explores these reasons and attempts to show their inadequacy. The thesis then shows that economic considerations played a large role in the decision and that Congress was powerless to stop the administration without ending the whole project. Some suggestions for changing Congressional control over large military contracts to more effectively monitor spending are made at the conclusion of the paper.