[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 19 (Monday, February 28, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 28, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                            MORNING BUSINESS

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   HONORING MAJ. GEN. JOHN D. SLINKARD, USAF, ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 
                               RETIREMENT

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to recognize Maj. Gen. 
John D. Slinkard, the Director of Contracting for the Air Force 
Materiel Command, on the occasion of his retirement. Throughout his 33 
years of service, General Slinkard has dedicated himself to the 
thankless effort of making our procurement system work. Over the last 8 
years, he has served as one of the top acquisition officials for the 
Air Force; before that, he served as DOD's Federal Acquisition 
Regulation Program Manager, helping produce the Governmentwide 
regulation that serves as the basis for Government contracting to this 
day.
  Most recently, General Slinkard served as a member of the advisory 
panel on streamlining the acquisition laws--the so-called section 800 
panel--playing an important role in stimulating the comprehensive 
acquisition reform effort that is now underway in the Congress. It is 
worth noting that many of the most significant recommendations of the 
section 800 panel emerged from the subgroup on contract formation, on 
which General Slinkard served as the Government representative.
  In addition, General Slinkard, as chairman of the Corporate 
Information Management [CIM] Procurement Council, was responsible for 
the activities of the recently completed Process Action Team on 
Electronic Commerce/Electronic Data Interchange [EC/EDI] in 
Contracting. This team has developed a plan that should allow over 80 
percent of DOD's contracting actions to be performed electronically, 
allowing vendors to register at a single site and access all DOD small 
purchase requirements. General Slinkard's contribution to this effort 
was critical to the adoption of a plan that is likely to serve as the 
basis for DOD contracting practice well into the next century.
  General Slinkard's extensive contracting experience, reputation for 
forthrightness, and superior judgment have earned him justifiable trust 
and respect throughout the Government procurement community. In recent 
years, he has testified on important issues of acquisition policy 
before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on which I serve, as well 
as other House and Senate committees. He has also proved a valuable 
resource to my staff and the staffs of other Members of Congress as 
they have worked to understand and improve the Federal acquisition 
system.
  General Slinkard leaves a legacy that will not soon be forgotten by 
his fellow officers, civilian colleagues, or Members of Congress. His 
hard work and dedication are, and will continue to be, an inspiration 
for all who know him. My colleagues and I join in thanking General 
Slinkard for his service and wishing him and his wife, Donna, continued 
success and good health.

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