Air Force Said to Waste $1M on Equipment

[Rose Siding]

SALT LAKE CITY -- A Defense Department report says the Air Force wasted $1 million on unreliable hand-held chemical agent detectors that could have put at risk any airmen who depended on the equipment, a newspaper reported Sunday.

Air Force officials may have violated federal laws and military rules when they bought 100 commercial versions of the detectors and supplied them to commanders in the Middle East while knowing that the manufacturer's tests showed the detectors did not work well in hot areas or under battle conditions, the Deseret Morning News reported.

Moreover, officials did not wait for other necessary tests, including some at Utah's Dugway Proving Ground, according to a Defense Department Inspector General report the newspaper obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Pentagon has ordered the Air Force to stop using the 100 detectors that were purchased and to send them to military testers who are working to improve them.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-air-force-waste,0,1274383.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

here's the Deseret article
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600115016,00.html

[Zynx]

1. Only wasted $1M? That's a rounding error.

Either that or they're cutting down on waste. This should have more zeros.

[peacetalksforall]

2. Rumsfeld, he's our boy...can't be trusted. So we had to pay his friend

or someone's friend, but can't use them?

Here is an topic for investigation - were any soldiers killed or were there casualties from this 'toy'?

[Benhurst]

3. Chicken Feed. The Pentagon has misplaced One Trillion Dollars. NT

[cosmicdot]

4. and, this malappropriation benefitted British Aerospace?

at our risk?

assuming so, and assuming that the Buy American Act was either met under this procurement/contract award or else Republican DoD-Rumsfeld-Bu$h-Cheney used one of the loose waivers/loopholes which have somehow come about to circumvent the Act ... if so, was it done in order to give Poodle Blair some kick back as part of the White House-No. 10 Downing war-for-oil-and-profits wheeling-and-dealing ...

the Buy American Act was enacted in 1933 ... another New Deal law benefitting American workers the Republicans obviously hate ...

~snip~

"...BAE Systems can always rely on Tony Blair."

"Ever since Blair arrived in government in 1997 it has been apparent that he has supported BAE Systems against all comers and all rational argument. He pushed through controversial sales to Zimbabwe and Tanzania and lobbied, amongst others, the South Korean and South African Presidents on behalf of BAE Systems."

"Striking confirmation of the relationship was provided by Robin Cook in his book 'The Point of Departure'. He states 'In my time I came to learn that the Chairman of British Aerospace appeared to have the key to the garden door to Number 10. Certainly I never once knew Number 10 to come up with any decision that would be incommoding to British Aerospace'."

~snip~


http://www.caat.org.uk/information/publications/companies/baes.php

From a floor speech given by Senator Russ Feingold on the Buy American Act, on July 29, 2003. He talks about the purpose of the Act, and the waivers which he hopes to end.

~snip~

"Much of this can be blamed on flawed trade agreements that the United States has entered into in recent years. The trade policy of this country over the past several years has been appalling. The trade agreements into which we have entered have contributed to the loss of key employers, ravaging entire communities. But despite that clear evidence, we continue to see trade agreements being reached that will only aggravate this problem."

~snip~

"Some argue that the Buy American Act has outlived its usefulness in today's global economy. I argue that it is as relevant today as it was when it was enacted in 1933. The passage of 70 years has not diminished the importance of this Act for American manufacturing companies or for those who are employed in this crucial sector of our economy. In fact, a strong argument can be made that this Act is even more necessary today than it was 70 years ago. With American jobs heading overseas at an alarming rate, the Government should be doing all it can to make sure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent to support American jobs."

~snip~

"The legislation that I introduce today, the Buy American Improvement Act, would strengthen the existing Act by tightening existing waivers and would require that information be provided to Congress and to the American people about how often the provisions of this Act are waived by Federal departments and agencies."

http://feingold.senate.gov/speeches/03/07/2003820902.html

[NYC]

6. I agree with Feingold.

I wish more people did.

[Massachusetts]

5. Only 1M...they should be commended.

[bluestateguy]

7. When a welfare agency wastes $100,000 conservatives blow their cork

we could cut the military budget by 50% and still have the most powerful, well funded military in the world.

[Rex]

8. 1 million is like a drop in a bucket

What...no one remembers the 100 dollar hammers under Reagan's terms? How quickly people forget.