Report: Navy has billions in surplus

[unhappycamper]

Report: Navy has billions in surplus
By Matt Kelley - USA TODAY
Posted : Wednesday Dec 17, 2008 15:17:21 EST

WASHINGTON — The Navy keeps an average of $7.5 billion worth of spare parts and other goods it doesn’t need every year because of poor planning and management, congressional investigators say in a report to be released today.

The Government Accountability Office report says the Navy hasn’t heeded repeated warnings since 2001 about longstanding problems with the military’s inventory management. The report from the GAO, Congress’ non-partisan investigative agency, says the Navy’s failure to keep track of changing requirements and a lack of communication among the proper officials led to surpluses of spare parts ranging from submarine sonar sets to engine fan blades for fighter jets.

The GAO found “incredible waste,” says Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., one of the lawmakers who commissioned the report.

“The idea we are spending many billions of dollars every single year for parts that are not needed or not used by the Navy is absolutely unacceptable,” says Sanders, a member of the Senate Budget Committee.

In the Pentagon’s response to the report, Defense Department logistics manager Jack Bell acknowledged the problems and said the Navy is working to fix the management shortfalls identified by the GAO.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/12/navy_surplus_121708w/%2e

[williesgirl]

1. Our tax dollars at work - NOT. rec'd

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Go Bernie!

[we can do it]

3. How Many Taxpayer Dollars Were Wasted To Bring Snow To California Bases?

Unbelievable, the troops don't have proper equipment - but we waste billions on excess shit

[Wwagsthedog]

4. Abolish the military industrial complex

Apply the funds to universal health care and national infrastructure such as a modern rail system, etc.

[NYVet]

5. We can also save a lot of cash

by taking away most of the earmarks that are inserted in bills by Congress for things that the states and the military didn't ask for or don't want, removing redundant offices and positions in many government offices, eliminating outdated technologies for record storage and management that are still being used when cheaper and more efficient ways are available, and the like.

Here is a story about one thing that can be cut to save money in the military budget.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008478150_favor07.html

Edited to add a link