...spares capability for decades to come...
Winning the last war is typical military thinking. The UAVs are successful right now, and I haven't heard of them needing aerial refueling. Where's the present and future need for aerial refueling?
USAF says the KC-10A is too large. If true, then so is the A330.
Likewise, hauling cargo is a capability looking for a need. The USAF doesn't want any more C-17 - they have enough - and the airlines like Atlas, Evergreen and Omni are doing the job at far lower cost than the USAF could do it, even with dedicated fleets, let alone a dual use plane.
The used airliner market is the place to get additional refuelers - if there's a need. The cost would be about 10% of the cost of this new program, and the planes would come on line much quicker.
Airbus and Boeing need to wean themselves from the Military-Industrial complex, and its fraud, waste and abuse.
GB