$1,300 coffee cups, 8,000% overpay for soap dispensers show waste as DOGE locks in on Pentagon

Nithavela said:

Still seems like an overcomplicated solution. I would suggest either a thermos or going without coffee for a while.

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It’s more multipurpose than just coffee. It’s sort of serves the purpose of a microwave.

If this were a 3-hour recreational flight taken a couple times a year, I would agree that folks could do without. But it’s a military tanker that’s the workplace of the flight crew, who could be loitering above a space for 8+ hours at a time. I think it’s kind of crappy to expect guys on that assignment to basically never have a hot lunch at work because some senator (or now, billionaire) thinks their thermos is too expensive.

Friedrich Rubinstein said:

I'm just a foreigner looking at it from the outside, but isn't the expiring budget the underlying issue here? As long as the Use-It-or-Lose-It budget rules are in place, every agency is incentivized to spend every last dollar they have, even if not needed for anything useful.
I don't think the Pentagon pays $150,000 for soap dispensers because they're too stupid to find cheaper ones, but because they are unable to transfer leftover funding into the next fiscal year.

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Exactly. You've nailed it.

One of my former bosses worked for Donald Rumsfeld and spent most of his time at the Pentagon. He often mentioned that the "use it or lose it" policy often lead to the failure of a project or the misuse of funds.

Sometimes the $150,000 for a soup dispenser is allocated for next year's work, which actually costs $150,000. However, on paper, it has to be marked as an expense for a soup dispenser to meet the budget requirements for the current fiscal year.

This practice is frequently observed in the private sector. In my current company, the fiscal year commences in September. My supervisor allocates any remaining funds at the end of August for the upcoming year, but records it in the current fiscal year to balance the budget. This process is not an improper use of funds, but rather a reallocation of resources without undergoing the three-month budget approval process.

iluvatar5150 said:

It’s more multipurpose than just coffee. It’s sort of serves the purpose of a microwave.

If this were a 3-hour recreational flight taken a couple times a year, I would agree that folks could do without. But it’s a military tanker that’s the workplace of the flight crew, who could be loitering above a space for 8+ hours at a time. I think it’s kind of crappy to expect guys on that assignment to basically never have a hot lunch at work because some senator (or now, billionaire) thinks their thermos is too expensive.

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Really?
Can it do solid foods, too? Or just stews and stuff?

Nithavela said:

Really?
Can it do solid foods, too? Or just stews and stuff?

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I had assumed just liquid-y stuff like stews, ramen, etc, but now that you mention it, who knows - it's a heating element in what looks to be a stainless steel cup. You could probably throw whatever you want in there.

iluvatar5150 said:

I had assumed just liquid-y stuff like stews, ramen, etc, but now that you mention it, who knows - it's a heating element in what looks to be a stainless steel cup. You could probably throw whatever you want in there.

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That's pretty neat. Not neat enough to sell on the civilian market, but I can see where the price tag comes from.

This shows how dishonest people can be, to call those things "coffee cups".

essentialsaltes said:

Finally, we'll get those cuts to the defense budget I've wanted.

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Now we're talkin'! That's how to make a dent in the deficit.

Defense stocks drop after Trump says Pentagon spending could be halved​

“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military ... and I’m going to say we can spend this on other things,” Trump said.

“When we straighten it all out, then one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” he added.

essentialsaltes said:

Now we're talkin'! That's how to make a dent in the deficit.

Defense stocks drop after Trump says Pentagon spending could be halved​

“At some point, when things settle down, I’m going to meet with China and I’m going to meet with Russia, in particular those two, and I’m going to say there’s no reason for us to be spending almost $1 trillion on the military ... and I’m going to say we can spend this on other things,” Trump said.

“When we straighten it all out, then one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China and President Putin of Russia, and I want to say let’s cut our military budget in half. And we can do that, and I think we’ll be able to do that,” he added.

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Is he seriously suggesting a gentleman's agreement between russia, the USA and china for everyone to halve their defense budget?

Nithavela said:

Is he seriously suggesting a gentleman's agreement between russia, the USA and china for everyone to halve their defense budget?

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I know NATO will have our back when China and Russia attack.

Aryeh Jay said:

I know NATO will have our back when China and Russia attack.

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Unless the NATO countries are spending 5% of their GDP, I don't want their feeble help.

My question is when will they start firing and/or prosecuting the military officers who have responsibility for overseeing purchasing of, and therefore the cost of, this overpriced and frequently subpar equipment and other wasteful spending? Heads need to roll......starting with those who wear 4 stars on their shoulders. Maybe then the message will be sent down the line that this sort of crap is over and done with.

civilwarbuff said:

My question is when will they start firing and/or prosecuting the military officers who have responsibility for overseeing purchasing of, and therefore the cost of, this overpriced and frequently subpar equipment and other wasteful spending? Heads need to roll......starting with those who wear 4 stars on their shoulders. Maybe then the message will be sent down the line that this sort of crap is over and done with.

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I can't speak for the Army or Air Force, but the sea going services don't have any 4 stars involved with procurement. That stops at 2 stars. And even they don't sign off on every purchase order. The majority of approving officials have gold or silver oak leaves, with the occasional lowly lieutenant thrown in. Also, for items not in "the system" you have to get at least three bids and go with the lowest bidder. In the case the item is only manufactured by one supplier (single source) then you pay their price. Also, everything should be US made but it doesn't always happen.

essentialsaltes said:

Finally, we'll get those cuts to the defense budget I've wanted.

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Oh rats, it's just to shuffle more already-appropriated money around to Trump's ridiculous priorities.

Trump administration orders Pentagon to plan for sweeping budget cuts​

A senior Pentagon official said that money saved through the cuts could be “realigned” to other defense priorities that President Donald Trump has.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered senior leaders at the Pentagon and throughout the U.S. military to develop plans for cutting 8 percent from the defense budget in each of the next five years, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post and officials familiar with the matter — a striking proposal certain to face internal resistance and strident bipartisan opposition in Congress.

[If that really is a cumulative effort, that would cut the defense budget down to two-thirds its current size by the 5th year. Except that Trump wants to spend the 'saved' money on something else.]

Robert G. Salesses, a senior Pentagon official, said in a statement that the money saved could be “realigned” to pay for new priorities in the Trump administration, including the “Iron Dome for America,” President Donald Trump’s catchphrase for an expansive missile defense system.

[The memo also has a list of items that are to be exempt from cuts.]

The list is notable, too, for what it omits. While it explicitly endorses “support agency funding” for Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command, which oversees homeland defense, it does not extend similar significance to several other major geographic commands. Those include European Command, which has had a major role in overseeing U.S. support for Ukraine during its three-year war with Russia; Central Command, which manages operations across the Middle East; and Africa Command, which directs a force of several thousand U.S. troops spread out across that continent.