“If military personnel costs continue growing at the same rate as the past decade while the overall budget remains flat, personnel costs will consume the entire defense budget by FY 2039.”
Troops
A Personal War-Cost Calculator You Can Use at Home
Sure, there have always been those anti-war sites, trying to undermine support for the nation’s wars by showing us how much they cost; the dollars – which just topped $1.3 trillion, according to this calculation — flash by like a Times Square news ribbon.
Then there is this, more personal cost calculator just launched by the …
Grain-of-Salt Alert
We’re going to be hearing more in the coming weeks and months about how the Afghan army is increasingly ready to shoulder more of the burden of defending its nation from the Taliban. But there’s a Marine assessment from last fall now floating around, and it gives the ground truth a good scrub. Among the lowlights:
Afghans are
…
White House Bash for Iraq Vets
Cracking Down on Rx Abuse
It was nearly four years ago that Battleland tapped out a cover story for the magazine on the wave of prescription drugs that was helping some troops make it through their deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, or cope with their aftermath after coming home.
The Pentagon has just announced it is expanding its drug screening program …
The PTSD Hand Grenade
PTSD is another kind of explosive often brought to you by the U.S. military, especially after a decade of war by the same troops over and over again. No, the Army didn’t break due to those rigors like many thought it would, but some individual troops were not so lucky. Diagnosing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder isn’t as easy as …
The Army’s $86,000 Machine Gun
So there was this Army contract award (click on it to enlarge) last week:
Seems pretty simple: 900 240 machine guns for $77.4 million. Math was never Battleland’s strong suit, but a quick trip to the calculator says that indicates each gun costs $86,000. Must be those gold-plated barrels (actually, there’s no gold in those …
On a Cold Kabul Runway: Frères d’Armes
Kabul, Afghanistan — Roughly two weeks ago…I am home now, my peers are not. With some exceptions.
It is cold here today, and it is snowing. The tarmac is covered with a light layer of slick snow. We walk out towards the …
Super Bowl Fixins’ Afghanistan-Bound
It was Napoleon who said an army travels on its stomach, and Battleland doesn’t think the French were playing football back in those days. But the folks at the Defense Logistics Agency’s Troop Support shop know that there’s no better way to spend Super Bowl Sunday – even if it’s going to be Monday at kickoff time in Afghanistan …
Who’s Underfunded Now?
Hollow Words?
The Word Police over at the Congressional Research Service – a namby-pamby bunch of straight-shooters who apparently have no use for political rhetoric – are calling Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on his claim that the U.S. military is headed for a “hollow force” if proposed budget cuts occur:
“Sightseer Pay” Cut
Imminent Danger Pay has been a good deal for troops. They receive a tax-free $225 for every month – or part of every month – they are in war zones like Afghanistan or Iraq. Troops from headquarters outside such zones have been known to fly in for change of command ceremonies – which normally happen on the first of the month – …
Who Teaches SEAL Team 6 How to Fight?
The guys who got Osama bin Laden need boxing lessons. According to a contract solicitation issued Feb. 1, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group — that’s SEAL Team 6, to us civilians — wants former special-operations types and other flying fists to school them in “combative training.”
Who’d have thunk the gang …