Moseley tied to steering of Thunderbirds contract

By Robert Anglen
The Arizona Republic

The highest-ranking officer in the Air Force pushed a $49 million publicity project for the Thunderbirds air show that is now being investigated by federal regulators.

Documents obtained by The Arizona Republic show that Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley and other high-ranking officials were involved in steering the contract toward a Pennsylvania company whose senior partners included a recently retired four-star Air Force general.Strategic Message Solutions won the contract through a public bidding process, although its bid was $25 million higher than a competing proposal.