Military Gear At $2 Billion A Month: What A Return On Investment!

[dbt]

From USA Today:

WASHINGTON — About $2 billion worth of Army and Marine Corps equipment — from rifles to tanks — is wearing out or being destroyed every month in Iraq and Afghanistan, military leaders and outside experts say. <snip> (Note: this works out to roughly 25 per cent of the $8 billion that this little adventure costs each month.)

On Monday, the Pentagon said it had issued more than $1.7 billion in equipment repair and replacement contracts during November alone. This summer, the leaders of the Army and Marine Corps said their services rack up a combined $23 billion a year in repair costs. <snip>

Vehicles and other equipment are far more complex now than they were in previous conflicts such as Vietnam, making repairs and replacements even more expensive, Wheeler says. The Congressional Research Service says the entire Vietnam War cost an estimated $650 billion in today's money, while the global war on terrorism, including Iraq, has cost more than $500 billion so far.

The Army and Marines have reported using about 40% of their ground combat equipment in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Units departing Iraq leave much of their heavy equipment behind, which further delays major maintenance and leaves holes in training for future missions, the report says. <snip>

What a model of Corporate Efficiency! Only 140,000 troops in Iraq (plus those in Afghanistan) and they're yielding up a TWO-BILLION-DOLLAR-A-MONTH opportunity for repairs and/or replacement! Erections all around at GE, Lockheed Martin, Halliburton and the few others who get to divide the pie! Party time for the shareholders!

USA!
USA!
USA!

:freak:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

[jody]

1. More critical is the dire consequences on programs for new weapon systems. * has borrowed

against future DoD budgets to fight a war that should never have been and he can't end gracefully.

[MsLeopard]

2. That's $14,285 per soldier

$2 billion divided by 140,000 troops = $14,285.71! That means annually they're spending $171,428 per year on equipment for a troop they pay - what? $25,000 a year? (I really have no idea, but I'm sure someone here does). War profiteering in all its blazing glory.

Impeach, indict, imprison!

[Ravy]

3. I read somewhere that there is like a quarter million bullets fired

for each combat casualty.

[1932]

4. Yeah. Invest a few million in Republican politicians and get billions in

defense contracts.

[Red Zelda]

5. What an absolutely pathetic country

"...build me some more tanks, daddy!"

[Mendocino]

6. Remember $100 hammers and $500 toilet seats...

...now we have $10,000 waterboards.

[htuttle]

7. They ought to set $100K aside...

...to construct a bronze statue of Milo Minderbinder in the lobby of the Pentagon.