The Patriot Files Forums  

Go Back   The Patriot Files Forums > Military News > DoD

Post New Thread  Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 09-17-2019, 01:53 PM
Boats's Avatar
Boats Boats is offline
Senior Member
 

Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sauk Village, IL
Posts: 21,784
Arrow Ernst Says ‘Forget Area 51, Pentagon Waste is Out of This World.’ DOD, Congress Get N

Ernst Says ‘Forget Area 51, Pentagon Waste is Out of This World.’ DOD, Congress Get New ‘Squeal Award’
By: Mark Tapscott - TheEpochTimes - 9-17-19
RE: https://www.theepochtimes.com/ernst-...d_3085437.html

WASHINGTON—Department of Defense (DOD) officials could save millions of tax dollars by eliminating unneeded storage resources, so Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) did two things Tuesday to make it happen.

First, the Iowa Republican introduced a bill directing DOD to cut the waste at its many warehouses and other storage facilities. “The Defense Storage and Supply Efficiency Improvement Act of 2019” is the name of her proposal.

“When it comes to our military, it’s critical we make sure every single dollar we spend is used in the most efficient way possible,” Ernst said in a statement announcing the proposal.

“The DOD has an inventory so massive that it has proven difficult to keep track of a fire truck! Honestly folks, how do you lose a fire truck,” she continued.

Second, Ernst gave her latest Squeal Award to DOD and Congress because the Pentagon has repeatedly asked for new authority to clean up its act but Congress has said no.

Ernst regularly uses her informal award to focus media and public attention on the billions of dollars of waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending.

“For years, DOD has requested the authority to address these costly inefficiencies,” Ernst said. “However, even though Congress refuses to grant formal approval to DOD to streamline its storage and supply chain, the Pentagon could use existing authorities to close some excess storage installations … so I’d say they’re still at fault in this as well.”

“Forget Area 51, Pentagon waste is out of this world,” the Iowa Republican said. Ernst was referring to social media hub-bub about a satirical Facebook page posted earlier this year that was headlined “Storm Area 51.”

The page generated millions of clicks within a few days of its posting, but its creator, Californian Matty Roberts, said it was meant as a spoof about space aliens allegedly being held at the secretive U.S. military facility in the desolate Nevada desert.

“There’s no excuse for hundreds of millions of dollars to go to waste for keeping underused and unneeded warehouses open. The Pentagon has asked Congress for the authority to rid themselves of some of these storage facilities, but they lack the authority to do it,” she said.

The Ernst measure would give DOD the needed authority to get rid of the unneeded warehouses, and it also directs DOD to submit a detailed plan for congressional review that includes:

- An estimate of the resulting cost savings.

- An itemized description of how those savings are expected to be spent.

- A list of the specific facilities that will be subject to closure or disposal.

- An explanation of how closure or disposal of each facility will increase efficiency or enhance the functioning of the supply chain.

- A certification that the overall effectiveness of the supply chain of DOD will not be compromised or hindered by such consolidation.

Ernst believes consolidation of “these massively inefficient warehouses” would “save taxpayers in Iowa and across the country millions.”

A 2015 DOD Inspector General report estimated that the Defense Logistic Agency (DLA), which manages the Pentagon’s primary warehouse and storage resources, unnecessarily stored more than 768,000 items that “exceeded historical demand.”

Ernst also pointed to a 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that estimated DOD could save more than $500 million “by simply minimizing unnecessary overlap and duplication and more efficiently using its distribution centers.”

The inventory is located in more than 250 distribution centers, including many in close proximity to one another or even on the same military installation. Officials also sometimes use private facilities instead of available DOD resources.

Ernst previously gave her award to DOD for programs like the $208,000 joint funding from the Office of Naval Research, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation to study the “sociability” of 18 domestic breeds of dogs.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personal note: I'd be interesting to here what they have to say and will it be realistic or out of this world?

Boats
__________________
Boats

O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
sendpm.gif Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.