Frank Kendall changed how the Pentagon does business. Nothing makes Frank Kendall cry like the Joint Strike Fighter. Sitting in his office in the Pentagon’s E Ring, recalling his record-long tenure as the U.S. Defense Department’s acquisition czar, he still has the F-35 on his mind—his hair-pulling experience with one of the most complex, troubled and expensive weapons systems ever. As the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics (AT&L), Kendall has often been on point with the JSF. His office has been where it all meets—the public anger over costs, the frustration over Lockheed Martin’s performance and the military’s demand for a technological marvel guaranteeing U.S. air dominance for decades to come.
“When I took office, it was my biggest headache,” Kendall tells Aviation Week. “Despite the fact that we were a few years into production, we did not have a stable design. We had a lot of issues. I very seriously contemplated stopping production entirely and taking about a two-year gap in production.” Ultimately, Kendall opted to flatten production at 30 aircraft a year for two years while design problems were hammered out. He installed a new program manager on the government side, Air Force Lieutenant General Christopher Bogdan, a strong leader with an outspoken style. And Lockheed made management changes that Kendall now says were a breakthrough.
Today, the program seems to be over its worst days. Initial aircraft have been delivered to most JSF international partners. Feedback so far from operators has been positive. “The highlight of the Army-Navy game for me was not Army winning,” says Kendall, an Army veteran. He teared up, but not about football. “It was the four F-35s that flew over my head. It has been a very long, hard journey [but] well worth it.” Read More