Here Are 7 Ways That The U.S. Military Wastes Money

The Pentagon. Wikipedia

7 Absurd Ways The Military Wastes Taxpayer Dollars -- Salon

If you thought the Petraeus scandal was embarrassing, wait 'til you hear how much is spent on military golf courses.

The David Petraeus scandal has shined a light on the luxurious, subsidized lifestyle of the U.S. military’s top generals. But so far, what the media has uncovered only scratches the surface of the abuses. Here are seven absurd ways the military wastes our money — and none of them have anything to do with national defense.

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My Comment: This is my must read post for the weekend.

Worst Examples Of Waste In The Iraq And Afghan Wars

Worst Examples of Taxpayer Money Wasted in Iraq and Afghanistan -- AllGov

When the U.S. government wasted somewhere between $30 billion and $60 billion on contracts for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, it did so in a variety of ways.

For example, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in 2005 hired Supreme Foodservice of Switzerland to ship “vitally needed” food to bases in Afghanistan. Among the $4.2 billion billed to the Pentagon were hundreds of millions of dollars in possible overcharges for providing “premium airlift” of fresh fruits and vegetables from the United Arab Emirates, among other things. Still, the company got a two-year extension on its contract, while Robert Dail, the Army general who was in command of the DLA contract became president of the company’s U.S. division four months after he retired from the Army.

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My Comment: From combat to commerce .... where is the motivation to end these wars?

Waste And Fraud In War Spending Approaching $60 Billion

Taliban fighters hold their weapons at a secret base in eastern Afghanistan. The insurgents second biggest funding source is U.S. taxpayers money

America Has Wasted $60bn In Decade Of Fighting In Afghanistan And Iraq Through Poor Planning And Fraud -- Daily Mail

As much as $60billion in U.S. funds has been lost to waste and fraud in the past decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has been claimed.



The billions have been lost through lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and payoffs to warlords and insurgents, according to a panel set up by the U.S. government.



Damningly, it found that the Afghan insurgency's second biggest funding source after the trade in heroin is the diversion of money from U.S. backed projects and contracts.



The news comes at the end of the deadliest month yet for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, with 66 servicemen killed, according to an Associated Press tally.



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More News On Waste And Fraud In The Iraq/Afghan Wars

Panel: Widespread waste and fraud in war spending -- AP

Pentagon under fire over war contracts -- AFP

Independent panel says as much as $60 billion lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan -- Washington Post

Up to $60B in War Funds Said Wasted -- Time/AP

US has wasted $30bn on Iraq and Afghanistan contracts, report finds -- The Guardian

US 'wasted $30bn on Afghanistan and Iraq' over decade -- BBC

$60B wasted in Iraq, Afghanistan? -- Politico

U.S. Is Urged to Bar Wasteful War Contractors by Congressional Commission -- Bloomberg

Report: US Wasted $30 Bln. In Iraq, Afghanistan War Contracts -- RTT News

Panel: $60B was lost in Iraq, Afghanistan -- Detroit Free Press

$30 bln of US war money gone to crooks and wasters -- RT News

Commission details war-time waste ahead of report to Congress -- Stars and Stripes

Committee Finds $30B in U.S. War Contract Spending Wasted -- ExecutiveGov

Reducing waste in wartime contracts -- Christopher Shays and Michael Thibault, Washington Post



My Comment: Only $60 billion?

More On Waste And Fraud In Pentagon Contracts

Photo: Dod Buzz

Dubai Firm Overbilled Pentagon $900 for $7 Switch, Bowen Says -- Bloomberg

A U.S. contractor in Iraq overbilled the Pentagon by at least $4.4 million for spare parts and equipment, including $900 for an electronic control switch valued at $7.05, according to a new audit.

Based on the questionable costs identified in a $300 million contract with Dubai-based Anham LLC, the U.S. should review all its contracts with the company in Iraq and Afghanistan, which total about $3.9 billion, said Special Inspector General For Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen.

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My Comment: For more on this horrid story of waste and fraud, read this.

Abandoned Weapons Programs Has Cost The U.S. Army $32 Billion Since 1995

In 2000, the Comanche helicopter ranked as the most important planned buy for the Army. Four years later, the program — which had consumed close to 20 years of work and nearly $6 billion — was abruptly shuttered. Comanche helicopter. / Reuters

Army Report: Military Has Spent $32 Billion Since ’95 On Abandoned Weapons Programs -- Washington Post

The Army’s Comanche helicopter was envisioned as “the quarterback of the digital battlefield,” a technologically superior aircraft that could hide from enemies, operate at night and in bad weather, and travel farther than any other helicopter.

Gen. Richard Cody, a former vice chief of staff of the Army, called it the “most flexible, most agile” aircraft the country had ever produced.

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My Comment: This $32 billion total is for the Army. Who knows how much money has been "lost" in the Air Force, Navy, and Marines.