Pentagon wants $99 Billion more...

[Martin]

Just the thought of this is aggravating enough...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20061221/D8M4TKH00.html

AP: Pentagon Wants $99.7B More for Wars

Dec 20, 7:49 PM (ET)
By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon wants the White House to seek an additional $99.7 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to information provided to The Associated Press.

The military's request, if embraced by President Bush and approved by Congress, would boost this year's budget for those wars to about $170 billion.

Military planners assembled the proposal at a time when Bush is developing new strategies for Iraq, such as sending thousands of more U.S. troops there, although it was put together before the president said the troop surge was under consideration.

Overall, the war in Iraq has cost about $350 billion. Combined with the conflict in Afghanistan and operations against terrorism elsewhere, the cost has topped $500 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.

The additional funds, if approved, would push this year's cost of the war in Iraq to about $50 billion over last year's record. In September, Congress approved an initial $70 billion for the current budget year, which began Oct. 1.

A description of the Pentagon request was provided by a person familiar with the proposal who asked for anonymity because the person was not authorized to release the information.

The cost of the war has risen dramatically as the security situation has deteriorated and more equipment is destroyed or worn out in harsh conditions. The Army, which has borne the brunt of the fighting, would receive about half of the request, a reflection of the wear and tear that the war has had on soldiers and their equipment.

An additional $9.8 billion is being sought for training and equipping Iraq's and Afghanistan's security forces.

The administration's request for more Iraq money will be submitted along with Bush's budget in February for the 2008 budget year, which starts next Oct. 1. The White House can add or subtract from the Pentagon request as it sees fit, and the total could grow if money is added for reconstruction costs.

In a memo several weeks ago, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England encouraged the services to include in their budget requests projects connected to the broader fight against terrorism, as opposed to costs strictly limited to Iraq and Afghanistan. Critics have said that could be interpreted to cover almost anything.

Earlier requests submitted by service branches to Pentagon brass were considerably higher, but were trimmed back after meeting resistance at the White House and from key lawmakers.

The budget request includes:

_$41.5 billion to cover the costs of ongoing military operations.

_$26.7 billion for replacing and repairing equipment damaged or destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

_$10 billion for body armor and other equipment to protect U.S. troops from attack.

_$2.5 billion to combat roadside bombs and other improvised explosive devices.

_$2.7 billion for intelligence activities.

Whatever request emerges from the Bush administration will go to a new Congress controlled by Democrats highly critical of the Iraq war and Bush's handling of it.

Even so, there is much sentiment among Democrats to protect troops and much fear about being portrayed as unsympathetic to men and women in uniform. These factors probably would overwhelm any efforts by anti-war Democrats to use the debate over the Iraq money to take on Bush's conduct of the war.

Democrats have promised, however, to give the upcoming request greater scrutiny than Republicans did when considering Bush's previous requests.

"Democrats are committed to ensuring our troops have all that they need, but we're going to return oversight to spending on the war," said Jim Manley, spokesman for incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "Our troops must have everything they need, but Halliburton shouldn't get everything it wants."

Halliburton Co. (HAL) is a Texas-based oil services conglomerate once led by Vice President **** Cheney. Bush administration officials have come under fire since the beginning of the war in Iraq for awarding more than $10 billion to the company and its subsidiaries in 2003 and 2004, some of it in a no-bid contract. There have been allegations of fraud, poor work, overpricing and other abuse, which the company has denied.

Democrats such as incoming Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota have grown increasingly critical of the fact that Iraq spending is kept on a set of books separate from the rest of government operations.

The Vietnam War cost an inflation-adjusted $121 billion at its height in 1968, according to the Congressional Research Service. The overall tally for Vietnam is $663 billion, adjusted for inflation, and Iraq costs are rapidly catching up.

[Big Red 11]

Meanwhile, the education system goes to hell! Huzzah!

[RadioactiveMan]

But Big Red, you can't kill with education!

Maybe they should use some of the money to clean up the Walter Reed Army Hospital...

Pentagon Promises Walter Reed Investigation
February 22, 2007 - Caught red faced by reports in the Washington Post of squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, senior Defense Department officials now say that they take full responsibility for substandard performance and have launched a full investigation into the matter.

"Several matters reported ... are serious matters. They deserve immediate attention, and they are getting immediate attention," Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant defense secretary for health affairs, said at a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday. "They are problems that need (to be) fixed and fixed immediately." Winkenwerder emphasized to reporters that none of the reported complaints cited the medical care of the wounded servicemembers or the treatment of their families by the medical staff at Walter Reed. Instead, the issue concerned were those of how the facility housed and treated armed service members and their families in the outpatient process.

On Wednesday, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey and Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody visited Building 18, one of the buildings mentioned in the Post report. Cody said he was dismayed by what he saw. "We were absolutely disappointed in the status of the rooms and found the delays and lack of attention to detail to the building's repairs inexcusable," he said. It didn't help that he learned about the Building 18 conditions through the Post story, he said.

Building 18 is where many soldiers discharged from the psychiatric ward are sent to recover, sometimes for months. The story described patient quarters there where parts of the walls are torn and weighted down with black mold. A staffer told reporters she brought Roach bombs to work. There was a mice infestation. And families described what they saw as a never-ending maze of bureaucratic entanglements as they sought care and support for their loved ones. "Despite frequent visits to Walter Reed facilities, informal and formal discussions with patients and their families and the medical staff, I have never been made aware of Building 18, its condition or complaints by any of our wounded warriors over the last five years," Cody said.

More http://www.nbc5i.com/news/11083215/detail.html

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Top Hospital officials knew of neglect at Walter Reed
28 Feb. 2007 - Complaints about medical center were voiced for years

Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years.

A procession of Pentagon and Walter Reed officials expressed surprise last week about the living conditions and bureaucratic nightmares faced by wounded soldiers staying at the D.C. medical facility. But as far back as 2003, the commander of Walter Reed, Lt. Gen. Kevin C. Kiley, who is now the Army's top medical officer, was told that soldiers who were wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were languishing and lost on the grounds, according to interviews.

Steve Robinson, director of veterans affairs at Veterans for America, said he ran into Kiley in the foyer of the command headquarters at Walter Reed shortly after the Iraq war began and told him that "there are people in the barracks who are drinking themselves to death and people who are sharing drugs and people not getting the care they need." "I met guys who weren't going to appointments because the hospital didn't even know they were there," Robinson said. Kiley told him to speak to a sergeant major, a top enlisted officer.

More http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17372118/

General in charge of Walter Reed hospital has been relieved of command
3/1/2007 — The Army said Thursday that the two-star general in charge of Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been relieved of command following disclosures about inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers.

The firing of Maj. Gen. George Weightman, who was commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command as well as Walter Reed hospital, was announced by Army Secretary Francis Harvey. In a brief announcement, the Army said service leaders had "lost trust and confidence" in Weightman's leadership abilities "to address needed solutions for soldier outpatient care." He had headed Walter Reed since Aug. 25, 2006.

The Army and the Defense Department launched a series of investigations after The Washington Post published a series of stories last week that documented problems in soldiers' housing and in the medical bureaucracy at Walter Reed, which has been called the Army's premier caregiver for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. After a visit to the hospital compound last Friday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said those found to have been responsible for the problems at Walter Reed would be "held accountable."

On Thursday he issued a brief statement endorsing Harvey's action. "The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government," Gates said. "When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command."

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The heads are starting to roll...

Army Secretary Steps Down Over Walter Reed Scandal
March 02, 2007 - One day after firing the general in charge of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center following reports of appalling conditions and inadequate treatment of wounded soldiers, Army Secretary Francis Harvey resigned, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Friday.

=snip=

"I am disappointed that some in the Army have not adequately appreciated the seriousness of the situation pertaining to outpatient care at Walter Reed," Gates said Friday. "Some have shown too much defensiveness and have not shown enough focus on digging into and addressing the problems." In a statement Thursday, Gates said he endorsed Harvey's decision to fire Weightman.

"The care and welfare of our wounded men and women in uniform demand the highest standard of excellence and commitment that we can muster as a government," Gates said. "When this standard is not met, I will insist on swift and direct corrective action and, where appropriate, accountability up the chain of command." Among the concerns were infestations of mice and cockroaches, mold and rot in parts of the hospital complex.

The Pentagon ordered an investigation after media reports drew attention to the conditions in the Washington D.C.-based facility. Meanwhile, President Bush plans to name a commission to investigate the quality of care that soldiers receive at veterans hospitals.

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Senate gonna investigate...

Senators Vow Quick Action on Walter Reed
Mar 4, 2007 -- Lawmakers promised a quick response and sought an independent commission as they expressed outrage Sunday over the poor conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center for soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I'm worried about if it's this bad at the outpatient facilities at Walter Reed, how is it in the rest of the country? Because Walter Reed is our crown jewel," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. In a letter Sunday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Sunday, Schumer asked for an independent commission, possibly headed by former Secretary of State Colin Powell, to investigate all post-combat medical facilities and recommend changes.

"To think that men and women are serving their country in the most honorable and courageous way possible and all we give them is a dilapidated, rat-infested, run-down building to recover is a disgrace," Schumer wrote. "My fear is that Walter Reed is just the tip of the iceberg, and merely highlights the pervasive and systemic mistreatment of our service members." President Bush last week ordered a comprehensive review of conditions at the nation's network of military and veteran hospitals. They have been overwhelmed by injured troops from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The White House said the president would name a bipartisan commission to assess whether the problems at Walter Reed exist at other facilities. Last week, Gates created an outside panel to review the situation at Walter Reed and the other major military hospital in the Washington area, the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md. Gates also dismissed Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, who had fired the medical center's previous commander, Maj. Gen. George Weightman, and replaced him with Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, the Army's surgeon general and a former commander of Walter Reed. Gates said that Harvey's response was not aggressive enough.

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Compassionate W gonna take names an' kick butt...

Bush orders 'wounded warrior' investigation
March 07, 2007 - US President George W. Bush has ordered the creation of a panel to study ways to fix flawed medical care for US troops wounded in conflicts like Iraq or Afghanistan.

Mr Bush has picked Republican former senator Bob Dole and Democratic former secretary of health and human services Donna Shalala to lead the commission, which must report back by June 30, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. The president will meet at the White House on Wednesday with the co-chairs of the nine-member panel, dubbed the "wounded warrior" group, she said.

While the commission undertakes a "comprehensive review" amid a growing scandal over flawed care for wounded soldiers, a separate interagency task force will look at "what can be done immediately", she said. Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson will head that group, which will meet for the first time at the White House on Thursday (Friday AEDT).

The Washington Post broke news of serious problems at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, a renowned specialty hospital that has treated thousands of amputees and other war wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan. In a series of grim stories, the Post found that wounded soldiers were living in a building with mold-covered walls, infestations of mice and cockroaches, and holes in the ceiling.

More http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-23109,00.html

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Pentagon says surge not enough...

Pentagon Official Says 30,000 US Troops Needed in Iraq, Not 21,500
Tue Mar 6, 2007 - The U.S. military needs to send 30,000 troops, not 21,500, to Iraq to carry out President Bush's troop surge plan, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.

In testimony to the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England said U.S. military commanders in Iraq were requesting varying numbers of support troops to augment the additional 21,500 soldiers Bush has ordered into combat. "At this point, our expectation is the number of ... troops could go above 21,500 by about 4,000, maybe as many as 7,000," England said.

There are nearly 140,000 U.S. troops already fighting in Iraq, where sectarian violence has thwarted American efforts to bring the 4-year-old war to a close. In a speech to the American Legion veterans organization, Bush insisted the new Iraq security plan he announced was making gradual progress, despite new violence.

The new estimate of the rising number of troops being committed to the war came as House Democrats continued wrangling over how to end America's combat role in Iraq.

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Another head rolls...

Army surgeon general ousted amid Walter Reed scandal
March 12, 2007 • Army sought Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley's retirement • Kiley was in charge of Walter Reed from 2000 to 2004

Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley has lost his job as Army surgeon general, another casualty of the care scandal at Walter Reed Medical Center. Acting Army Secretary Pete Geren asked for Kiley's resignation, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates approved the action, a senior Pentagon official said. In its official announcement, the Army said Kiley had requested retirement.

Kiley had been made temporary head of Walter Reed, the Army's top hospital, after Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman was ousted in the wake of a series in The Washington Post that found soldiers living in deplorable conditions. However, he was quickly replaced by Gen. Eric Schoomaker amid criticism that Kiley, who was head of Walter Reed from 2000 to 2004, had been aware of the problems at the facility.

Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey, who had placed Kiley in temporary command of Walter Reed, resigned March 2 in wake of the scandal. Kiley, who was also commanding general of Army Medical Command, submitted his request to retire on Sunday, the Army said in a news release. Geren announced Kiley's request to retire and said Maj. Gen. Gale Pollock, current deputy surgeon general, will take over Kiley's duties until a permanent replacement can be named. That selection requires the approval of the president and confirmation in the Senate.

More http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/03/12...ire/index.html

Fearless W shakin' things up at the VA...

Bush promises vets a better Walter Reed
30 Mar. 2007 — President Bush apologized Friday for the shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and promised during a visit to the facility for war veterans that "we're going to fix the problem."

Critics questioned the timing of Bush's visit six weeks after poor conditions and neglect of veterans were exposed there. Bush toured the main hospital and Abrams Hall, where soldiers were transferred after they were vacated from the facility's Building 18, the site of moldy walls, rodent infestation and other problems that went unchecked until reported by the media. He said his conversations with those who had been in Building 18 left him "disturbed by their accounts."

"The problems at Walter Reed were caused by bureaucratic and administrative failures," the president told about 100 medical workers and patients at the hospital. "The system failed you and it failed our troops and we're going to fix it." Among the areas of the hospital that Bush toured were a typical — but empty — patient room in Abrams Hall that featured a large wide-screen television and a Macintosh computer, and the physical therapy unit of the main hospital. Along the way, he awarded 10 Purple Hearts to soldiers recovering from serious wounds suffered in Afghanistan and Iraq.

"It is not right to have someone volunteer to wear the uniform and not get the best possible care," the president said at the end of his more than two-hour visit, cut short from its planned length by almost an hour. "I apologize for what they went through and we're going to fix the problem." He said important steps, including the replacement of military leadership in charge of the hospital and the establishment of several commissions to study the facility and the broader military health care system, have been taken already.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...tm?csp=24]MORE