Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

[Vrede too]

US Spent $43 Million on Afghanistan Gas Station: Watchdog Report

This is America's new $13 billion warship

[rstrong]

This is America's new $13 billion warship

When you compare it with the cost of a major airport plus the cost of a nuclear power plant, it doesn't sound so bad.

[Wneglia]

This is America's new $13 billion warship

When you compare it with the cost of a major airport plus the cost of a nuclear power plant, it doesn't sound so bad.

[Vrede too]

Yeah, but it's 303 Afghan gas stations, more if there's a volume discount.

[Vrede too]

USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) is to be the third and final ship of the Zumwalt-class destroyer.

Not a good omen.

[O Really]

New ship get towed in. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/this-i ... &ocid=iehp

[Vrede too]

Shoulda done the "break-in" oil filter change.

[Vrede too]

The new nuclear arms race

... The United States and Russia are acting with increasing belligerence toward each other while actively pursuing monstrous weapons. As Joe Cirincione described in the Huffington Post, the Pentagon plans to spend $1 trillion over 30 years on “an entire new generation of nuclear bombs, bombers, missiles and submarines,” including a dozen submarines carrying more than 1,000 warheads, capable of decimating any country anywhere. In the meantime, President Obama has ordered 200 new nuclear bombs deployed in Europe.

... This escalation has been a long time coming, and the U.S. owns much of the blame for the way it has accelerated....

During the George W. Bush administration, there were more missteps, especially the U.S. walking away from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, causing irreparable harm to the countries’ fragile relationship. And during the Obama administration, the president seems to have gone out of his way to denigrate Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, publicly describing him as “like a bored child in the back of the classroom.” The Obama administration sent arms into Ukraine, reminiscent of Cold War proxy wars that the United States fought on nearly every continent. This time, the game is even more dangerous, playing out on Russia’s border instead of thousands of miles away. And though we are more than a quarter century removed from the fall of the Berlin Wall, the United States still has nuclear weapons pointed at Russia on hair-trigger alert, sending a daily signal of aggression.

As Perry noted, one of the great dangers of nuclear proliferation is accidental war. This is not paranoia. In May 2013, the Air Force suspended 17 officers from controlling nuclear weapons after an inspection found a “breakdown in overall discipline.” Seven months later, an Air Force general who oversaw bases with 450 ICBM missiles was fired for what The Washington Post described as a “drunken Moscow bender.” The next month, 34 nuclear officers were caught cheating on their proficiency exams. According to ABC News, investigators learned about the scandal during “another investigation that has already implicated 11 junior officers in using illegal recreational drugs.”

But the increased tension between the U.S. and Russia will have dire global consequences even if neither side launches a weapon. Defeating the Islamic State is likely impossible without Russia as part of a broad coalition. Not only does Russia bring advanced military capabilities and general resources to the fight, it also brings intelligence, diplomatic and political ties in the Middle East that the United States simply does not have. And beyond the fight against the Islamic State, there are a number of vital geopolitical issues where a partnership with Russia can be profoundly powerful. Without Russia, the United States would never have reached a nuclear deal with Iran. Without Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would still have chemical weapons.

“In a strange turn of history,” Obama said during a 2009 speech in Prague, “the threat of global nuclear war has gone down, but the risk of a nuclear attack as gone up.” In yet a stranger turn of history, it is the United States that is contributing to the increased risk of both. Whether Hillary Clinton would follow a similar path remains to be seen. On the campaign trail in 2015, the former secretary of state’s comments have not been encouraging. The day after Russia started bombing Islamic State targets in Syria, for example, she called for a no-fly zone, a policy that would not just risk confrontation with the Russians, it would require it....

[Vrede too]

Behind the Pentagon’s doctored ledgers, a running tally of epic waste

... Because of its persistent inability to tally its accounts, the Pentagon is the only federal agency that has not complied with a law that requires annual audits of all government departments. That means that the $8.5 trillion in taxpayer money doled out by Congress to the Pentagon since 1996, the first year it was supposed to be audited, has never been accounted for....

Opps, does that make me a "pacifist", Seth?

[Seth Milner]

Opps, does that make me a "pacifist", Seth?

I don't know; what are you afraid of?

[Vrede too]

Air Force withheld nuclear mishap from Pentagon review team

Even internal reviewers are kept in the dark when things go wrong. Not much reason to think things will get better.

Still Three Minutes to Midnight

[JTA]

Air Force withheld nuclear mishap from Pentagon review team

Even internal reviewers are kept in the dark when things go wrong. Not much reason to think things will get better.

Still Three Minutes to Midnight

[Vrede too]

It's a 6+ minute song.

From Global Zero:

Join us in Greenville, South Carolina

Call on GOP candidates to take a stance on the elimination of nuclear weapons. Join Global Zero on Saturday, February 13 in Greenville, SC.

From Reagan to Obama, American presidents have agreed that all nuclear weapons worldwide must be eliminated. Every American president for the last four decades has worked toward that goal.

The next U.S. president will have the opportunity -- and the responsibility -- to pull the world back from the brink and set our course to a global zero future. Join us on February 13th as we rally ahead of the GOP debate to tell the candidates: Say 'no' to nukes!

We'll be holding a rally agianst nuclear weapons with speakers, free t-shirts, and a march to the GOP debate venue. After all this action, we'll be gathering at a nearby cafe to celebrate and watch the debate -- and we want you to join us.

When: Saturday, February 13th, 5-7 PM

Where: Falls Park on the Reedy, the Bowater Amphitheater (near the cafe Spill the Beans and the western entrance to the Liberty Bridge)

RSVP here to let us know if you're coming.

And don’t forget to invite your friends on Facebook!

[O Really]

"From Reagan to Obama, American presidents have agreed that all nuclear weapons worldwide must be eliminated. Every American president for the last four decades has worked toward that goal."

Seriously? More like agreed that other people's weapons must be eliminated. Since when did Reagan, Elder or Younger Bush, or even Clinton or Obama support US disarmament?

[Vrede too]

Complete disarmament, never, though senile Reagan once came close (in Iceland if I recall correctly) before his militaristic aides freaked out. That said, each has presided over some reduction in the numbers of US nuclear weapons.

[JTA]

Complete disarmament, never, though senile Reagan once came close (in Iceland if I recall correctly) before his militaristic aides freaked out. That said, each has presided over some reduction in the numbers of US nuclear weapons.

Perhaps we should arm every nation with nuclear weapons to forever deter war from ever happening again.

[O Really]

I have noticed that many who strongly support disarmament of other countries are also the ones who insist restriction on US firearm would be useless. When you outlaw nukes, only outlaws will have nukes, right?

[Vrede too]

This just happened:

As Republican presidential hopefuls gathered tonight inside the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, Global Zero activists projected a strong anti-nuke message for the candidates onto the face of the building outside.



President Ronald Reagan -- a man many of the candidates participating in tonight's debate revere as a conservative icon -- took tough action to move us closer to a world without nuclear weapons. So we want the GOP presidential candidates to know: the American people deserve more than just tough talk. It’s time to get real about eliminating nukes.

We’re working to remind candidates and voters alike that since Ronald Reagan, cutting nuclear weapons has been the responsibility of the American president. And we need your help to spread that message.

Tweet the photo of tonight’s projection action and help us spread the word: The next president, Republican or Democrat, must commit to move us closer to zero.

Fight on,

Meredith Horowski
Global Campaign Director
Global Zero

[Seth Milner]

This just happened:

As Republican presidential hopefuls gathered tonight inside the Peace Center in Greenville, SC, Global Zero activists projected a strong anti-nuke message for the candidates onto the face of the building outside.

I would call this a prime example of one of your famous lines: "Projection much?"

[Vrede too]

Tell your member of Congress:

“Co-sponsor Rep. Barbara Lee’s Audit the Pentagon Act. Defense and military spending deserve the same scrutiny as other government programs.”