An important story you didn't see - the Army is broke - as in $$$

[Holly_Hobby]

I have no idea why this story was not on the front page of every newspaper and at the top of every newscast yesterday, but it wasn't. The story ran on only one front page, that I'm aware of. And that was on the paper that broke the story, the Wall Street Journal.

...

Yesterday the WSJ's defense correspondent, Gregg Jaffe, reported that US Army officials have told the White House they are broke. Worse than broke actually. The Army, despite its $168 billion budget, is out of money and being forced to cannibalize operations, here and in the war zone, just to keep the lights on.

Here are just a few of the grim facts from Jaffe's exclusive:

According to Maj. Gen Stephen Speakes, the Army was sent to war in Iraq $56 billion short of essential equipment.

Army officials told the White House that it needs at least an additional $24 billion, not in the 2007 budget, just to pay its current bills.

Cash shortfalls have forced the Army to lay off janitorial staff, close base swimming pools, and even stop mowing lawns on Army bases.

But cuts have also hit soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army officials had to cut $3 billion for replacement of weapons in heavy use in Iraq, such as armored Humvees, two-way radios, remote control surveillance aircraft and trucks.

National Guard units now lack 40% of their critical readiness gear because it's been sent to Iraq, and the Army lacks the funds to replace it.

...

The cost of equipping an infantry soldier tripled, from $7000 in 1999 to $24,000 today.

The cost of Humvee's went from $32,000 in 2001 to a breathtaking $225,000 each today.

The cost of training, feeding and housing Army recruits went from $75,000 per soldier in 2001 to $120,000 today. (The Army uses private contractors, largely Halliburton's Kellogg, Root & Brown, to provide most non-training services, such as food service and base maintenance.)

...

more -
http://www.newsforreal.com/

I tried to find the original WSJ article, but it's a pay site. I only found a preview of the article here -
http://online.wsj.com/google_login.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB116580493391846169.html%3Fmod%3Dgooglenews_wsj

[mike_c]

1. the I side of the MIC is getting rich-- "my god how the money flows in...."

eom

[Richard Steele]

2. "Humvee's went from $32,000 in 2001 to a breathtaking $225,000 each today"

Sounds like SOMEBODY is making assloads of money
off of this war.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. Meanwhile, the arms industry is booming.

Not in the least surprised "Army officials" want more dough. They want to guarantee they get new furniture when they go to work for General Dynamics, Raytheon, Boeing, etc, as "advisers".

[Holly_Hobby]

4. Graph of Federal budget expeditures