May 2, 2014
While the US is quick to demand the rest of the world turn its economic back on Russia – especially the Europeans, it appears they are discovering – just as Putin warned, the world is considerably more inter-dependent than they thought. Following Chuck Hagel’s orders to review the Air Force reliance on Russian rocket engines used to launch US military satellites, Bloomberg reports the Pentagon admits it “has no great solution” to reduce its dependence on the Russian-made engine.
A Russian-made RD-180 rocket.
The Pentagon has no “great solution” to reduce its dependence on a Russian-made engine that powers the rocket used to launch U.S. military satellites, the Defense Department’s top weapons buyer said.“We don’t have a great solution,” Frank Kendall, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, said yesterday after testifying before a Senate committee. “We haven’t made any decisions yet.”
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered the Air Force to review its reliance on the rocket engine after tensions over Russia’s takeover of Ukraine’s Crimea region prompted questions from lawmakers about that long-time supply connection.
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