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| Obama to crack down on costly military programmes |
| 2009-02-25 |
| US President Barack Obama vowed on Monday to crack down on costly military programmes, citing a project to build a new presidential helicopter fleet as an example of the procurement process "gone amok." Lockheed Martin Corp's helicopter programme is now more expensive than Air Force One, the high-tech Boeing 747 that ferries the president, former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain told a summit convened to look at ways of curbing the United States' $1.3 trillion deficit. Lockheed shares closed down nearly 5 percent on Monday, a day when Wall Street shares hit 13-year lows. McCain and Democratic Senator Carl Levin, head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will introduce a bill this week to rein in military weapons programmes which now routinely run billions of dollars over budget, Levin said. "This is going to be one of our highest priorities," Obama assured McCain when the senator told him at the summit that the government had to act to curb the "excesses of procurement." With the United States facing the worst economic crisis in decades, Obama has pledged to review major defense programmes. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #14 Yeah, everyone wants to cut defense spending...until it hits in their back yard. See traditional attempts at base closings and the current let's-buy-some-of-each tanker debacle for examples. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2009-02-25 20:55 |
| #13 would have never thought it, and yall can say what you want where is a good sniper when needed and no thats not a threat |
| Posted by: rabid whitetail 2009-02-25 17:20 |
| #12 There is a whole lot that can be done to improve the procurement process. This helicopter example is a very good one. My guess is that there was an incredible amount of requirment creep during the process. My guess is also that a lot of the requirements were just friggin nuts...too far reaching/all encompassing to be effectively achievable. This can and should be improved. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2009-02-25 13:53 |
| #11 BTW, the Army is buying the latest and greatest Blackhawks for $12 million each. Hopefully the VIP mods can be kept under $388 million for each helicopter. |
| Posted by: ed 2009-02-25 12:39 |
| #10 To be fair it is 28 Presidential helicopters for $11.2 billion or only $400 million each. Blame it on Bush scratching Tony Blair's back. The Marines already fly VIP Blackhawks. Is it really necessary for the White House to stuff more than a dozen staffers in with the president? |
| Posted by: ed 2009-02-25 12:35 |
| #9 Like bullets? |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2009-02-25 12:16 |
| #8 “…candidate Senator John McCain told a summit convened to look at ways of curbing the United States…” What pathetic display of political Vaudeville that exchange was. [Que up the laugh track] Johnny Mac played Bambi’s straight man like fucking Abbot and Costesello routine. [Que up the talking heads and bold headlines with that end with a question mark] The media stooges then (predictably) furrowed their collective brow and wondered aloud if McCain was simply a sore loser taking a childish potshot. [Que up the Breaking News headline] With a stern look and his trademark glasses at the end of his nose, Levin declares this will be a “Top Priority”. Tune in next week folks for the Juggling Act from The Amazing Geitner and Summers followed by Hillary the Dancing She-Bear. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2009-02-25 10:08 |
| #7 #5 ..And yet President Obama promised to up-size the Armed Forces during his term in office. Everyone is a member of the Obama Corps and our numbers will grow! A "People's Army" of unpaid volunteers, |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-02-25 09:15 |
| #6 Pro, can I just have 500 rounds for my current weapons and they can keep the M16? |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-02-25 09:12 |
| #5 ..And yet President Obama promised to up-size the Armed Forces during his term in office. Draft. Slaves are cheaper than freemen. or [Don't count on it] Like the Swiss, issue each able bodied member of the unorganized militia, without a criminal record, a standard M16/4 and two hundred rounds of ammo, then count them towards the increase. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-02-25 08:59 |
| #4 Ridiculously costly weapons programs are at least as effective a stimulus for the economy as virtually anything in the so-called stimulus bill, and in the end usually have at least some redeeming value. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-02-25 08:04 |
| #3 And yet President Obama promised to up-size the Armed Forces during his term in office. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-02-25 05:52 |
| #2 ...Well, clearly the man ain't stupid - he's picked a program that was going to run ELEVEN BILLION DOLLARS to deliver just six helicopters. People will see that and figure whatever comes next was just as bad. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2009-02-25 05:24 |
| #1 It begins... |
| Posted by: gromky 2009-02-25 02:36 |