Gates Wants to Shift $1.2 Billion to Bolster War Surveillance

[maddezmom]

Source: NYTimes

By THOM SHANKER
Published: July 26, 2008
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has asked Congress for the authority to shift more than $1 billion in Pentagon spending to rapidly increase the ability to provide surveillance to battlefield troops, officials said Friday.

The request to reprogram $1.2 billion is the most significant step since Mr. Gates ordered the creation of a task force in May to press all of the armed services to urgently expand and improve intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the war zones.

If approved, the money would pay for more than 50 new airplanes that would be designed to watch and listen over the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, providing the ability to bring full-motion video and electronic eavesdropping to the troops.

The additional aircraft would allow the military to add 11 around-the-clock patrols to the war zones; the patrols would be for surveillance only and would not be flown by aircraft that could carry out attacks with missiles or bombs.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/26/us/26military.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

[Arctic Dave]

1. Sure, lets dump more money down this hole.

How about lets get the eff out and save that money for people who need it here.

[mmonk]

2. Lots of money to be made.