Article

2025-02-15 Government Corruption

$151 Million Taken from Soldiers' Paychecks for Food Costs Spent Elsewhere

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Bobby 2025-02-15 09:23|| || Front Page|| [11140 views ] Top

#1 Someone needs to be court-martialed and jailed for that.

Posted by Silentbrick 2025-02-15 09:39|| 2025-02-15 09:39|| Front Page Top

#2 This happened in boot camp and later. The money was to,pay for food and uniforms. (1962…..)

Posted by Old Salty 2025-02-15 10:13|| 2025-02-15 10:13|| Front Page Top

#3 If they simply calculated number of personnel x BAS per installation, it is bogus. Married enlisted and officers get their BAS directly in their pay check. Single junior enlisted who live in the barracks get a meal card for the consolidated dining facilities and don't even see BAS. BAS and quarters allowance are not part of basic pay. GAO for generations has argued that it should be, but Congress bulks because it would then be calculated into the pay and subsequently in to the retirement pay. Same goes for special pay for qualifications.

Posted by Procopius2k 2025-02-15 10:19|| 2025-02-15 10:19|| Front Page Top

#4 This makes no sense to me. When a soldier gets BAS he is expected to pay for his meals. Soldiers that live in the barracks do not get BAS, so how is it now deducted from their pay? Either this is fake, or they are really bad at explaining how funds are allocated for dining facilities.

Posted by 49 Pan 2025-02-15 11:41|| 2025-02-15 11:41|| Front Page Top

#5 BTW, back in the 80s-90s, the number crunchers wanted more teeth less tail in force structure. So they cut the old mess hall personnel (cooks, etc), and contracted it out. Well contractors try to pay the minimum, so if you leave the house for any reason, you see all the fast food outlets with "Now Hiring" signs out front. Add in that most military installations are not adjacent to major metro areas (the boonies for things that go bang and boom a lot), and your pool of available manpower is in the micro level. Those people have to have a place to stay and get their class 1 supply too. Contracting personnel play the lowest bidder game rather than best bidder and consider the additional costs of getting local civilian labor that can sustain operations. Hint - its obviously not what the local fast food establishments offer.

Posted by Procopius2k 2025-02-15 12:18|| 2025-02-15 12:18|| Front Page Top

#6 To #3 - I thought the original Red State article had more details than what I posted from the Miltary.com article. But what I scanned there went over my head.

Maybe it should be a target for DOGE.

Posted by Bobby 2025-02-15 14:53|| 2025-02-15 14:53|| Front Page Top

#7 Ref #5: Closing the mess halls was a slippery slope.

Posted by Besoeker 2025-02-15 14:57|| 2025-02-15 14:57|| Front Page Top

#8 Slippery Slope was what they were serving in the mess halls.

Posted by Super Hose 2025-02-15 15:04|| 2025-02-15 15:04|| Front Page Top

#9 How... communist

Posted by DarthVader 2025-02-15 17:06|| 2025-02-15 17:06|| Front Page Top

#10 "You woulda just misspent it on things you want, instead of what we determine you need"

Posted by Frank G 2025-02-15 17:22|| 2025-02-15 17:22|| Front Page Top

#11 One of the last acts of any regime is to embezzle the soldier's food supply. one of 2 possible ends:

1) Invasion, as the army is too busy surviving.

2) Coup.

Posted by Nguard 2025-02-15 19:43|| 2025-02-15 19:43|| Front Page Top

22:43 crazyhorse
22:36 Seeking Cure For Ignorance
21:29 Frank G
20:52 swksvolFF
20:49 swksvolFF
20:38 ed in texas
20:35 ed in texas
20:24 alanc
19:43 Nguard
19:09 Black Bart Unoluque3651
17:46 Narwal
17:22 Frank G
17:06 DarthVader
17:04 Elmerert Hupens2660
16:47 Crusader
16:41 Crusader
16:33 European Conservative
15:29 Elmerert Hupens2660
15:04 Super Hose
15:02 Super Hose
14:58 Elmerert Hupens2660
14:57 Besoeker
14:53 Regular joe
14:53 Bobby