Rapid Fire Oct. 18, 2013: Pentagon Back in Business, Slowly | France in Mali

Pentagon Back in Business

• US Senator Kelly Ayotte [R-NH] lifted her hold on Deborah Lee James’ nomination [PDF] as Air Force Secretary, which now looks ready to be confirmed by the Senate at the end of the month. Ayotte had blocked James’ nomination last month because the USAF was considering retiring its A-10s.

• The GAO denied [PDF] a protest filed by Grant Thornton, LLP challenging the source selection scheme chosen by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to help assess its audit readiness. DLA evaluated bidders through lowest-price, technically acceptable criteria and used an online reverse auction, mechanisms that the accounting firm thought unworthy of its highly complex services.