Connecting the dots?

An experienced journalist tries to connect the dots between Amos involvement in USMC aviation decisions around the time of a V-22 crash years ago and the same thought process around the troubled and under-tested F-35 program.

Maybe he needs some help. Let us look at Amos involvement at the time of that V-22 mishap...

Back in 2001, everyone thought that Brig. Gen. Amos would be forced to retire after he was caught telling lies about V-22 readiness and conspiring to hide V-22 failures from civilian leaders. The Inspector General even seized his computer. Pentagon insider Franklin "Chuck" Spinney" summarized:

"The commander of the first Osprey squadron was taped ordering his maintenance crews to lie about the V-22's mission capable rates in the interests of obtaining approval for full-rate production. Last Nov. 21, Marine Brig. Gen. James Amos e-mailed a 'close hold' memo to Lt. Gen. Frederick McCorkle, stating his fear that a report of low mission capable rates of 26.7 percent for early November 'isn't going to help' in regard to the upcoming production decision. Significantly, the only non-Marines on the address list for the memo were the president of Bell Textron and a vice president of Boeing. Then, on Dec. 1, during a news conference convened expressly to explain why the V-22 was ready for full-rate production, Amos claimed that its mission capable rate for the first 13 days of November had been 73.2 percent."

Source:

Great Idea! Buy First, Then Find Out If It Flies
By Franklin C. Spinney and John J. Shanahan
Washington Post Outlook
Sunday, February 11, 2001; Page B01