Wait! Something's wrong with that 87 billion figure!

[grasswire]

The breakdown reportedly is $20 billion for reconstruction and $67 for troop salaries and support.

But wait!

Aren't those soldiers already getting paid? Isn't that a constant expense in the Pentagon's budget? And we know the troops are under-supplied, too. Not enough food, not enough water, not enough body armor, etc. etc. etc. And it isn't being spent in munitions, because the major offensives are over.

Where is this money going??

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

1. Mercenaries / Iraqi troops wages / Halliburton ? nt

[FlashHarry]

2. Apparently, $9bn is for Rummy's 'unspecified' slush fund.

Bribes, etc.

[Submariner]

3. Keep track of procurements

at this contractor bid link

http://www.cpa-iraq.org/business/index.html

that is linked off this CPA link:

http://www.cpa-iraq.org/

I'm in a position to know that just the wastewater treatment element of the Iraq restoration program is being put out for bid at $20 billion all by itself.

I'm getting the feeling this is a Bush jobs program to keep the employment figures from tanking.

[alcuno]

4. Kellogg, Brown, and Root - a Halliburton subsidiary,

has the contract for troop support.

[punpirate]

5. As for salaries...

... I'd have to see the specific line item in the request to know for sure, but it's possible that this is a combination of two things--additional expenditures for special family separation allowance and for combat pay, and unexpensed salaries for guard and reserves called to active duty.

Even so, the additional amount in allowances and combat pay is less than $750 million per year (assuming current levels of compensation). Even if we assume that 50,000 of the 140,000 troops are activated guard and reserve and that their normal full-time salaries and benefits average $40,000 per year, that would amount to $2 billion per year.

So, at best, unplanned-for salaries and allowances are about $3 billion of that $67 billion. A _lot_ going for support, I would guess.

Even if there was a complete re-outfitting of chest armor, this would amount to ~ $125 million (at $900 ea.).

Sounds like some considerable padding of the figures.

[FloridaPat]

6. You got it right!

I watched CSPAN the other night. Salaries are covered ffrom the $400 billion defense budget. But, since Bush gave supplies to Halliburton, it basically comes down to everything is for Halliburton/Root Brown etc. NONE FOR THE TROOPS! In fact, the DOD is asking COngress if they can cut back the premium pay for the troops.

Then, the next stop after Halliburton's pocket is Bush/republican pocket just in time for the next election.

[morebunk]

7. Grasswire, PRESS the issue.

Let's hit the talk shows and Congress with these questions.

[maggrwaggr]

8. I've had the pleasure of working in a military procurement office

and you have to realize the sheer amount of stuff we're talking about here.

Basically everything a pretty big city would need, the military has to acquire, transport, and pay for. It boggles the mind.

Food. Transporting the food. Cooking equipment. Tents. Clothes. Laundry. People to do the laundry. Medical equipment. Everything you would possibly need to maintain everything from huge airplanes to helicopters to cars and trucks.

Gasoling. Diesel fuel. Tires. Tanks get gallons per mile, not miles per gallon.

Transporting the fuel to where it's needed. Storing it once it gets there. It just goes on and on.

When I worked in the procurement office, we even ordered Playboy and Penthouse for the barracks.

[Zan_of_Texas]

9. three thoughts

1. Best guess is that 25% of the entire "defense" budget is untrackable. Not even counting overcharges and waste -- we're talking MISSING. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/printable325985.shtml
If that holds true for the Iraq $87 billion, then $22 billion is just evaporation money -- who knows where it went.

2. One report on the defense contractors had them overcharging by at least 400% for regular stuff to do things like rebuild bridges, etc. Plywood is readily available, as are experienced local engineers etc. in Iraq, but they are skipped over for stuff and people air freighted in at way higher prices by Halliburton and Bechtel.

3. One observer guesses that the excess will be used to fund an invasion of Syria.