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| Obama's 24 Hour Visit To Brussels 900 People and 4 Dozen Vehicles |
| 2014-03-25 |
| As Belgium's capital and host to the EU and Nato, Brussels is used to deploying heavy security when big names pop by. But US President Barack Obama's visit on Tuesday will strain the city like never before with €10m (8.4m) of Belgian money being spent to cover his 24 hours in the country. The president will arrive on Tuesday night with a 900-strong entourage, including 45 vehicles and three cargo planes. Advance security teams orchestrating every last detail have combed Brussels already, checking the sewers and the major hospitals, while American military helicopters were last week given the green light for overflights. The city hosts at least four EU summits a year, with each of these gatherings costing €500,000 in extra police, military and transport expenses. "But this time round, you can multiply that figure by 20," said Brussels mayor, Yvan Mayeur. Beyond any doubt trying to deplete the treasury. Make your rep's life miserable with constant calls. |
| Posted by:Omavising Ebbemp9815 |
| #11 I took some flak the other day for estimating the FLOTUS trip to China might cost $ 10m USD. You didn't take flak for the 10 million dollar cost. You took flak from me for comparing it to the the 1.2 million dollar aircraft search cost. My opinion was that we didn't need to be spending a lot. Apparently I missed the point. Apologies. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-03-25 22:10 |
| #10 Not to mention what increased demand does to the price of |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-03-25 18:30 |
| #9 "The U.S. Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing operates two Boeing 747 jets, also called VC-25s (designated "Air Force One" for Presidential trip" Oh - I forgot to add. Anytime POTUS travels overseas, they bring the second AF-1 as a back-up in case the other one gets a flat. It takes about 100 AF folks to fly, maintain, and secure those planes. So that's another 100 hotels rooms and per diem PLUS $360K/hour to operate. |
| Posted by: Bangkok Billy 2014-03-25 18:27 |
| #8 Thanks Double-A. Unbelievable. Little wonder we're bankrupt. :-( |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-25 18:26 |
| #7 Besoeker: Please See Up in the Air: A Study of Presidential Travel and its Uncertain Costs June 26, 2013 By Michael Tasselmyer A study published in the National Taxpayers Union Foundation - excerpt: "The U.S. Air Force’s 89th Airlift Wing operates two Boeing 747 jets, also called VC-25s (designated “Air Force One” for Presidential trips). Air Force officials reported to CRS in 2012 that the cost per hour associated with these planes’ operation is $179,750, which includes “fuel, flight consumables, depot repairs, aircraft overhaul and engine overhaul.” |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2014-03-25 18:06 |
| #6 I took some flak the other day for estimating the FLOTUS trip to China might cost $ 10m USD. Glad to see your expert comments on the absolutely staggering cost of these foreign junkets. Thanks Billy. BTW, C-17 operating costs per hour: $42,000. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-25 17:34 |
| #5 Multiply everything by 4. He's making 4 stops on the trip (Hague/Brussels/Vatican/Magic Kingdom) so EACH one of those places get all the cars, guns, and comms. The USSS does not jump cars and comms to the next site. Each site gets their own set up. This article is BS. You can't get 45 vehicles on 3 planes. On my last POTUS adventure, it took 21 C-17 sorties to bring in everything for an overnight trip. This does not take into account the travel cost of about 500 USSS personnel. The taxpaying public would be outraged if they knew the actual cost. Oh - he's doing another 4 country trip next month. |
| Posted by: Bangkok Billy 2014-03-25 17:23 |
| #4 ..just what you would expect when you give someone a gold EBT with unlimited funding.. |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2014-03-25 12:39 |
| #3 Who knows, maybe a member of the Russian diplomatic corps might stop by to patch things up. Of course, they will have to go through his Social Secretary. |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2014-03-25 11:52 |
#2 He might even get a chance to play some golf. |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2014-03-25 11:48 |
#1 Lets hope "The Champ" doesn't have a "Jerry Ford Moment" - right  |
| Posted by: Au Auric 2014-03-25 11:43 |