Yes S.A.M. India is so socially conscious, plentu of military spending, sounds just like what you accuse the U.S. of doing; By Sarath Kumara 6 March 2006
E3R i was lissioning to an artical on ABC radio the other day about some achademics which are TRYING to do an audit of the defence spending so that everyone has a clear idea of where the money is actually spent (by everyone i mean the generals and congress as well). They were finding it almost impossable because the books were so convoluted and money just disapeared from places that they had no idea if people were being corupt or if it was being spent legitimatly. They also reported on the frustration coming from the junor officers as well as the pollies (on both sides) involved in bugeting that defence was so inept at managing money. So i would say that its more than just a policy concern but an administration concern as well. You need some good beurocrats from tresury to audit defence and set procidures in place so that at the very least the GOVERMENT knows where the money is going and so the generals can actually ask for what they need and put a case as to why they need it. If this was any other goverment department this sort of ineptitude wouldnt be tolerated
The supply system and procurement process is truly an insurmountable mess, and I pity anyone who attempts to disentangle it all. I'm not sure if the bureaucratic maze is necessarily any more convoluted within the DOD than it is in other organs of government, but it is far from what the customer needs.
possably not in the US, treasury in australia is the best at organising the books unless you go directly to the inspector general. Infact its party policy on both sides of politics that all election promises are costed by tresury and the department of finance BEFORE they are releaced and the costings go with them. There for treasury has to know where every dollor of not only THIS years budget but the predicted future budgets is currently going so that if the oposition says we are going to take money from this project to put into that one they can say if there is enough money to do it. The inspector general on the other hand is responcable for auditing EVERY department of goverment to make sure money is going where its surposed to be as efficently as possable. So they have access to ALL the books
Attempts to do that have met stiff opposition from the tools and tool makers. Kind of a tail wagging the dog situation, from one point of view. A military industrial complex that needs its gravy train is only to be expected, from another. If we learned anything from WWII, it's that you allow a governemnt to build up its military at your peril of war. As long as you're sure. I think we might be much better off now if Rumsfeld had had fewer soldiers, a smaller Navy, and less air force power, at his instant command and disposal.
