military itself, but also to improving the allied Afghan, Iraqi, and neighboring Middle Eastern security forces. This was, according to Hartung, the “biggest Pentagon spending buildup in history since World War II.” This spending has not only gone into strengthening the U.S. The taxpayer tab for the war totals about $5 trillion, or $16,000 per person, according to Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies. How did we get to this point? In the years following the 9/11 attacks, the United States and its allies have fought a continuous war on terror. They destroy ammunition that is still functional, and they retire things early.” “They’re doing things like destroying perfectly useful items,” he explained. In an interview with the HPR, William Hartung, the Center for International Policy’s Arms and Security Project Director, stated that there is an “excess of usable military equipment relative to any possible need.” In addition to unused aircrafts and helicopters rusting on tarmacs in Afghanistan, parts ripped from working equipment and sold at junkyards, and about 410 tons of functional equipment incinerated in burn pits daily, Hartung said that authorities and contractors have been reckless with their own products. Air Force’s analytical teams that assists in choosing equipment for the AAF highlighted the C-130’s cost and complexity as reasons why the aircraft would not be appropriate for the AAF, calling it an “empty asset” for the Afghans.įurther investigations into military spending in the Middle East shed light on similar stories that underscore the depth of the waste that permeates the system. Now that the United States is once again becoming more involved in the Middle East in order to combat the threat of ISIS, it is unclear when or if the leaky contracting system will be plugged in the near future.Īlthough Department of Defense officials provided some documents to show that the Department consulted experts and performed analyses to identify the aircraft best suited for medium airlift operations, they provided no documentation to Sopko to explain why they chose the C-130. Of the billions that have been poured into bolstering the United States and allied militaries, much has gone towards a broken military contracting system that is riddled with fraud and authoritative negligence.

The narrative of mass waste and a misallocation of American taxpayer dollars runs deep throughout post-9/11 military spending. There’s only one problem: according to the Special Inspector for Afghan Reconstruction, General John Sopko, the planes are underutilized and ridden with support problems due to lack of training, spare parts, and maintenance. The company boasts that “there is no aircraft in aviation history … that can match the flexibility, versatility and relevance of the C-130J Super Hercules.” Four of these $30 million planes have been gifted to the Afghan Air Force (AAF) with Pentagon dollars to aid the Americans in protecting the region. The spacious transport plane can accommodate utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles and can airdrop up to 42,000 pounds. Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules aircraft has been used by the U.S.

Us military budget