Out Of Joint

Published: Aug 22, 2005
Source: www.prospect.org



The Pentagon skimps on testing and research. The cost comes out of its own procurement budget.

In August of 1994, Congress authorized the Pentagon to begin contracting for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology program, the military’s new generation of strike fighters. Pentagon brass sold the program by stressing its affordability and timeliness, with Air Force Secretary Sheila Widnall telling the House Appropriations Committee that "the key focus of the program is affordability -- reducing the life-cycle costs of follow-on strike aircraft and production programs. We are committed, with the Navy, Marines, and our allies, to field this aircraft in a timely fashion."

Eleven years later, not a single Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) has taken flight. And thanks to large-scale, institutionalized inefficiencies, the supposedly budget-friendly program has ballooned, becoming the largest acquisition program in Pentagon history at a projected total cost of more than $244 billion.continue..