Budget Buster: Pentagon Unable to Account for “Trillions,” Glain Says

Yahoo Daily Ticker ^ | Fri, Aug 12, 2011 | Peter Gorenstein

[Errant]

The United States military budget accounts for over 40% of the world's annual military expenditures and, at around $700 billion per year, more than 20% of the federal budget. The Federal government wants to curb that spending as part of deficit reduction.

[Errant]

The Pentagon's liability for civilian employees is currently $60 billion and the "rate of growth is enormous," says Glain. The figure was $15 billion a decade ago.

I wish someone would report entitlement costs for entitlements where no one has ever paid a penney into such as HUD, Section 8 housing, food assistance and etc.

[WOBBLY BOB]

“Obama Will Spend More on Welfare in the Next Year Than Bush Spent on Entire Iraq War, Study Reveals”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2346507/posts

that being said, it’s a lie to say we cannot find anywhere in the DOD budget to make any cuts.

[Steamburg]

If we could fire 90% of the general staff a 40% reduction in military funding would never even be noticed except in political campaigns.

[oldbill]

"Since first submitting financial accounts in 1991, the Pentagon "has been unable to account for trillions of dollars, well over almost $10 trillion by my own account," says Glain. Conspiracy theorists suggest this is CIA money being laundered through the Pentagon, a claim Glain has some sympathy for."

This guy can't back this up. The first step is determine what is waste, then who is responsible for it.

Pensions are not waste. Other Departments do not have federal pensions applied to their budgets - Defense does.

Wars require a certain over-purchase because you must address worst cases. Does one really suggest that you must only buy one bullet for each enemy because that's all it takes to kill him? Does one keep air cover on the ground, rather than orbiting overhead, because it might not be used and would waste fuel? Does the DoD have to fund non-combat stuff like breast cancer research and diversity awareness programs? Are the politicians willing to stop the nonsensical, over-regulated procurement rules that demand long and costly procurement procedures, like the $600 hammer because the rules say that you must put it up for bids, and that you must address minority firms, and that the minimum order is one gross, and that if you go down to Sears to buy just one you will go to jail?

Wasted trillions? If the other departments and agencies like HUD and DHS and Medicaid went through the same procurement restrictions the Pentagon does, there would be quadrillions in savings.

[glorgau]

Doesn’t anybody think that “wasted” military spending is part of the budget for “black” projects?

[oldbill]

If we could fire 90% of the general staff a 40% reduction in military funding would never even be noticed except in political campaigns.

You need the same remedial training that Lou Dobbs needs.

There is no such thing as a "General Staff" in the US Armed Forces. All the rest of your comment is thus meaningless.

[Errant]

Thanks for the link. I knew it had to be a tremendous amount. My beef is not with those receiving benefits from a system they've paid into (e.g. SS, Medicare) or a system such as federal, military retirement as condition of employment (though we need less government and and less government employees).

My beef is with taxing the income of hard working Americans and in reality, using other peoples money to buy the votes of the lower class through programs that only increase their dependency to the government. What a scam...

In the end, it will destroy the golden goose, the government and sadly those who have become dependent.

[Hunton Peck]

The military should be way over half of the Federal budget, seeing how it's one of the few constitutionally legitimate Fed expenditures, and by far the most important.

The fact that there's tons of waste that could be cut just means it's a goivernment agency, and cutting it would be a lot easier if the accountants didn't also have trillions of dollars of spending on other, illegitimate agencies to keep track of, too.

[Venturer]

Obama has wasted millions in flying around campaigning on Air Force One, in Helicopter flights, In vacations for his wife -—and himself.

You want to stop waste give Obama two vacations a year in the United States, and one abroad and make the DNC pay for transportation costs involved in campaigning.

[Errant]

I agree with most of what you've said. I don't agree that the DOD has a handle on spending or waste. I'm pretty confident that I could get you twice the military at half the cost. I've been on the inside and seen it with my own eyes...

Not knocking DOD only; corruption in government is rampant and monkey see, monkey do.

[Paladin2]

Maybe the Feds should follow GAAP and let Ron Paul nose around where ever he wants.

[Errant]

Certainly Dr. Paul would be great to head up the U.S. Treasury/GOA and give him real power and FBI assistance to reign in the corruption.

[cherry]

the military/defense spending must be cleansed just like the rest of the federal budget...

and there is no way, no way at all that the govt can keep granting "pensions" to people that are relatively young who start collecting it immediately...it is not sustainable...

perhaps the way to go is to NOT have so many lifers, not to encourage it, but encourage people to do their 2-4 yrs and to then join the reserves/guard.....they can collect a pension after that at age 60....

[oldbill]

I’ve been on the inside, too, for 40 years, in the uniform services and the contracting and the civilian employ, and you are dreaming if you think that you can get twice the military for half the price.

When people like Glain say there is trillions in waste, they refer to legitimate, high risk pprograms like the F-35.

I’ve been in wars with obsolete worn-out equipment. People die. Lots of them - our people. Give me that F-35 to cover my butt when the bullets fly. Give me that missle shield that protects my family. Give me that GPS targeting package that means I don’t have to go into that building with a Taliban behind every door. Give me that IED sniffer and jammer that keeps me and my buddies from getting blown up. And if it cost a million dollars more, 1/100th of what ACORN gets, too bad for the taxpayers who are at home shopping at the malls.

[USNBandit]

...... there would be quadrillions in savings.

Are you out of your freaking mind, using the word quadrillion?! The last thing we need is for Obama to find out what comes after a trillion. :)

[REPANDPROUDOFIT]

I am so sick and tired of hearing politicians on both sides bemoaning the cost of entitlements. They always talk about Social Security and Medicare. I have never once heard any of them mention WELFARE, or FOOD STAMPS, or HOUSING ASSISTANCE, or; well, I could go on and on.

What separates the two kinds of entitlement? The people who are getting SS and Medicaid have paid into them throughout their careers. They continue by paying taxes on some of their SS and the deductions from their SS check for Medicaid premiums. The people on WELFARE, etc. never pay anything, not even taxes for most of them!

[Errant]

Give me that F-35 to cover my butt when the bullets fly. Give me that missle shield that protects my family. Give me that GPS targeting package that means I don’t have to go into that building with a Taliban behind every door. Give me that IED sniffer and jammer that keeps me and my buddies from getting blown up. And if it cost a million dollars more, 1/100th of what ACORN gets, too bad for the taxpayers who are at home shopping at the malls.

Thanks for your service but herein lies the problem. The F35 is an overpriced, not very well thought out weapon system that most likely will never serve. Money and time wasted when the world situation worsens. Our entire F22 fleet is grounded (according to news reports) because of human support system doesn't work and may have caused the loss of the pilot and plane. How many federal people have expensive windows systems loaded with everything you can get on the highest end PCs? Can we afford a 2 million man professional military while paying the room and board of 2 million men in prison? We have DARPA, so why are agencies like Army paying ASP 1 billion dollars a year for an accounting system that doesn't meet the needs? Why are we in Libya??? Why do we have more admirals in the Navy than we have ships? Do we really need the number of military bases we maintain worldwide (especially Germany, Korea, Japan)? I could go on and on and on, but I hope you get the picture!

Like I said, I'm pretty damn confident that I could give you a military with twice the war fighting capability at half the cost...

The possibilities of other government savings are even more substantial.

[Errant]

The last thing we need is for Obama to find out what comes after a trillion.

LOL, Great line!

[TheOldLady]

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[proudtobeanamerican1]

“The Federal government wants to curb that spending as part of deficit reduction.”

Hahahahaha......we just need to curb the spending of money we don’t know what we spend it on! Spending just one or two trillion on who knows what would be more acceptable!

Seriously though.....does anyone condsider this money is spent on sources of information, payoffs and bribes that are not to be discussed. Right or wrong, there is some need for it.