Air Force's No. 2 weapons buyer found dead

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force's No. 2 acquisition official, facing scrutiny for a temporary job arranged by the service while he awaited Senate confirmation, was found dead at his home in an apparent suicide, according to an internal Air Force memo obtained by Reuters on Monday.

"Mr. Riechers was found deceased in his home, cause of death appears to be suicide, time of death is unknown," said the memo, which was issued late Sunday.

Charles Riechers, principal deputy assistant secretary for acquisition, was working on the Air Force's highest priority weapons programs, including a $40 billion aerial refueling tanker that is due to be awarded late this year or early next, and a $15 billion combat search and rescue helicopter.

His death comes against the backdrop of heightened concerns about Air Force weapons programs, but the service said it was not expected to affect any contract awards.

"While Mr. Riechers was an integral part of these programs, the Air Force does not foresee any delays to these acquisition program schedules," said spokeswoman Jennifer Bentley.

She said the Air Force was deeply saddened by Riechers' death, but gave no details about his death.

The Washington Post reported on October 1 that Riechers was hired for two months by defense contractor Commonwealth Research Institute at the request of the Air Force while Riechers was out of work and awaiting Senate confirmation for his new position. The job paid $13,400 a month.

Commonwealth has close ties to the Pentagon and has received hundreds of millions of dollars in military grants and contracts in recent years, according to the Post report.

"I really didn't do anything for CRI," Riechers told the newspaper. "I got a paycheck from them."

At the time, the Air Force downplayed the report, saying the temporary job was a common arrangement to help the service under an existing contract. A spokeswoman also said Riechers had been quoted out of context.

But Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, criticized the deal and asked the Air Force to explain the arrangement.

New questions arose on Friday about Commonwealth when Pemco Aviation Group amended its protest of a $1.2 billion contract to Boeing Co for maintenance of the existing fleet of KC-135 refueling tankers.

Pemco raised questions about Riechers' possible conflict of interest because of ties between Commonwealth, its parent Concurrent Technologies, and Boeing.

SETBACK SEEN

One defense analyst said Riechers' death was yet another setback for the Air Force's weapons-buying office.

"Whatever the reason for the suicide, this is going to contribute to a widespread perception that something is not right about the Air Force acquisition system," said Loren Thompson at the Virginia-based Lexington Institute.

"Riechers was under some suspicion because of an expose in the press, but it certainly didn't rise to the level of a serious scandal, so his apparent suicide is hard to explain," Thompson added.

Riechers' predecessor, Darleen Druyun, served nine months in jail in 2005 for violating federal conflict of interest laws by taking a job with Boeing while still overseeing billions of dollars of its work for the Air Force.

That scandal prompted Congress to scrap a $23.5 billion tanker deal with Boeing. The service is poised to announce a new contract award in the next few months.

Congressional auditors this year twice upheld protests about the $15 billion Air Force search and rescue helicopter deal that initially went to Boeing.

Riechers was on active duty with the Air Force for 20 years until 2002, when he joined SRI International, a nonprofit scientific research institute, according to a biography published on the Air Force Web site.

From 2002 until November 2006 he worked at various Pentagon offices, including as chief of operations for the Advanced Concept and Technology Demonstration program.

In November, Riechers started work as a senior technical adviser for Commonwealth, "with assignment to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition," the biography said.

Riechers's body was discovered by a friend at his home in Loudoun County, Virginia near Washington, D.C. around 8 p.m. on Sunday, according to the local sheriff's office.

The medical examiner in neighboring Fairfax County is to release results of an autopsy on Tuesday.