My last of the day will be an update on things happening within our military…..most of this did not make national news but I feel that it is important none the less…..
I have written much about a “flying brick” the F-35 which was suppose to replace the very successful A-10 Warthog…..this is an expensive and unreliable airplane that billions have been spent on its development and sadly has had more problems than successes…..finally some rational conclusions…..
This is one of my fave pics of this “brick”…….
Officials are finally admitting the F-35 fighter has turned into a nightmare—but it’s too late to stop the $400 billion program now.
Source: Military Admits Billion-Dollar War Toy F-35 Is F**ked – The Daily Beast
Too late to stop? So instead of pulling the plug they will continue to waste taxpayer money…is that about it?
We are told by all players in government that there is nothing too good for our troops, right? They get the best equipment, best training and the best health care…..well that may not be too accurate…….
Incredible waste is, of course, natural to Washington, particularly in the trillion dollar national security budget—which includes nuclear bombs, intelligence, and veterans’ costs. Three years ago, when I suggested “16 Ways to Cut Defense Spending,” one of the cost savings I wrote about was duplicative hospital costs, this from a system of separate Army, Navy, and Air Force medical services. They should be combined into a single system, but imagine the screaming about lost jobs.
Source: Why Military Hospitals Are Unhealthy and Inefficient | The American Conservative
What can we expect when each service is in competition with every other service……just another way to spend the taxpayer’s money that does not have to be so complicated.
I have written in the past about the Draft……I have said that if we continue all this interventionism then maybe it should be considered once again……but it seems that the Pentagon does not agree with me……
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Thursday appeared to favor abolishing the draft, amid the debate over whether women should be forced to register.
“It stands to reason that you will reconsider the Selective Service System and its treatment of females in view of the Department of Defense policies and practices with respect to women,” Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “But the second thing I’d like to say about the Selective Service System and the draft generally is this: We want to pick our people. We don’t want people forced to serve us.”
Source: Pentagon chief: ‘We don’t want a draft’ | TheHill
There is your round-up of military situations…..you know more now than when you began reading…..go and enjoy your weekend.
One more thing. Some of these planes could be updated and refurbished. There’s a new version of the F-15 called the Silent Eagle, which has some stealth capability.
Why not update and modify all those older F-15s to Silent Eagle specs? Could save a lot of money. Just a thought…
Agreed…the one that should be upgraded is the A-10…they can do it for the B-52 then the A-10 is a good candidate.
Jefferson, and others of his time, warned us about the use of professional soldiers; it is a big part of why the US is supposed to have its own people serve as the military. It is our best protection. But, of course, the military doesn’t agree, even though it is expressly stated in both the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, that the army of this country is composed of citizens, not professionals….
Simple question, if one considers the Constitution….
But, none of those in government, or the military, give a shit about it….
gigoid, the dubious
Under (thankfully defeated) PM Stevie Herpes, Canuckistan was a gnat’s testicle away from slapping down $6+ billion on these turkeys. As costs ballooned, that number went up. At one point, the estimated overall cost (purchases & maintenance) went well over the $100 billion mark.
The whole thing was illogical. Canada’s fighter jets are a little long in the tooth. But what the fuck do we need them for? Nobody is going to invade us. We’re an American colony and it’s #1 source of oil & gas! If anybody invades our/their airspace, American jets will be scrambled a lot faster than on 9/11. The only invasion we have to fear is a US one. And we can’t do jack shit about that, even if we had 20,000 F-35s. Besides, that particular jet was total overkill for what we “needed” anyway. It would blow the budget to shreds and would all but turn Canada’s military into a jet maintenance garage. Unlike America, Canada has to pay its bills.
The only reason Harper wanted them was so that he could look tough domestically by joining the US Empire in its perpetual global war. Thankfully, this jet failed to fly before Herr Harper’s government crashed & burned.
The same with the F-22…it was a waste of money…the F-16 or 15 could have provided all the plane they needed but it was a special interest deak…