$1,888.27
— The cost of a single turbine blade for the Marines' AV-8B jump jet, according to a Rolls Royce contract, here, announced Tuesday for $8,081,795 for 4,280 "high pressure turbine blades" for the engines that power the corps' Harriers.
“There’s just not enough dollars available at any moment in the history of this nation to have zero risk.”
— Army Secretary John McHugh on Tuesday, speaking about the balance that must be struck between risk and military spending. That, in a nutshell, sums up the debate now underway over future levels of U.S. defense budgets. Many Americans want zero risk – or as close to zero as they can get – without heed to the costs incurred.
As the Insurrection Feebly Continues, Odierno Takes a Budget Bullet
Earlier this month, we took note of Rep. Austin Scott’s frustration with the uniformed leaders of the U.S. military who aren’t complaining loudly enough about the Obama Administration’s military budget proposals.
“I’m …
Can This Alliance Be Saved? Salvaging the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship
As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan looms ever nearer, opponents of “abandoning Afghanistan” continue to rehearse the ostensible lessons from the U.S. exeunt from the region in 1990.
They warn that the U.S. failure to …
B-ing Strong
BOSTON — Shortly after the Boston bombings I posted a note here about the mental health effects of mass violence, which often go on for years and even decades.
I had the wonderful opportunity last weekend to visit Boston to …
101st Airbark Division
Military Working Dog Staff Sergeant Alex of the 101st on a nighttime resupply mission in Kunar province, April 18.
“I'm pleased with the Joint Chiefs' decision to deploy a THAAD missile-defense battery to Guam to address the North Korean missile threat situation. It was encouraging, especially to my constituents, to have the added defense capability.”
— Delegate Madeleine Bordallo, D-Guam, at an armed services committee hearing April 25.
52%
— The share of U.S. military mental-health workers who are civilians.
Connecting the Dots…
Last week a top Pentagon soothsayer peered into the future and found the Defense Department running out of money. Arati Prabhakar, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said the problem is deeper, and likely …
The Ultimate Cost of Poor Decisions
Watching Afghanistan and Iraq developments unfold, failing to meet our original expectations, is depressing enough.
But it’s made worse when I think how I felt when the American public grew tired of the
The Pentagon’s New Math
The Defense Department’s abacuses are falling apart as their beads are whipped up and down trying to keep up with the impact of sequestration.
It’s driving the bean-counters crazy.
But dollars apparently aren’t the …
Night Flight
An Army CH-47 supplies troops at Forward Operating Base Bostic in Nuristan province, April 18.
Sequestration: The Unintelligence Choice
We are now over a month into sequestration, the across-the-board budget cuts mandated by Congress when it and the White House failed to reach a budget agreement.
The predictions for what would happen should sequestration go …