There's an old saying that where your treasure is, you'll also find your heart. That seems to apply to the U.S. Air Force's KC-X Tanker Program and the new Department of Defense (DoD) fiscal 2011 budget.

Earlier this week the President released the document outlining the Pentagon's defense priorities and the replacement of the Eisenhower-era KC-135 tanker fleet was specifically called out as an important effort.

According to media reports, the DoD plans on spending approximately $12 billion over the next five years for their newest tanker fleet. That will come from an overall $708 billion requested for the entire defense budget.

That financial commitment sends a strong signal to the defense industry that our military customer is serious about moving forward in this acquisition effort. And we're only weeks away from the release of the final Request for Proposal (RFP) which triggers the submittal of proposals and eventually contract award later this year.

While it may interest some that our competitor is still unsure about whether they want to participate, it is very clear that the Department of Defense will proceed in replacing the critical enabler in our nation's national security with our without them. Read more in this Bloomberg piece.

We are eager to build a new generation of tankers for a new generation of tanker aircrews and maintainers. If we're fortunate enough to receive this contract, we'll be ready immediately to begin building an American designed and built combat-ready air refueling fleet at the lowest cost to own and operate.

Bottom line: it's time to answer the military's call to action and Boeing is ready!