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"Total Failure": Pentagon Spends $41 Million Training "Four Or Five" Syrian Fighters
Earlier today, US Central Command Gen. Lloyd Austin III seemed to suggest that US SpecOps were fighting alongside YPG in Syria. As we noted when the news hit, if true that won't go over well with Turkey's Erdogan, Washington's brand new coalition partner against ISIS who has made no secret of his distrust for the YPG.
Four hours later, the Pentagon claimed that Austin's words were taken out of context and that in fact, US forces had not (yet) played a combat role. But just in case Washington does finally decide to admit that US boots are indeed on the ground along with Russian boots, it can always simply point to its own miserable operational failure as justification for why the previous arrangement just wasn't going to cut it when it comes to "degrading" militant capabilities. Read on.
As you may recall, earlier this year the Pentagon decided to try its hand at training an “appropriately vetted [group] of Syrian opposition recruits” whose mission would be to “degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL.”
There are two immediately amusing things about the effort: 1) the notion of “appropriate vetting,” and 2) this effectively represented the DoD training a new group of Syrian fighters in an effort to destroy another group of Syrian fighters that were trained by the CIA but who ended up adding “establish medieval caliphate” to a list of operational objectives that was only supposed to include “destabilize and ultimately remove Bashar al-Assad.”
As we reported around three months after the new initiative was launched, things weren’t going particularly well.
As of July, only 54 fighters had been trained and towards the end of the month - on the 30th to be specific - the group suffered its most embarrassing setback to date when its commander and deputy commander were captured by none other than al-Qaeda (who is rapidly becoming a terrorist also-ran) near the Syrian-Turkish border.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out just how ridiculous that turn of events truly was. Effectively, the newest group of US-trained Syrian fighters was on their way to fight ISIS, another group of US-trained Syrian fighters, when their leaders were captured by al-Nusra, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, whose founder and allies received US support during the Soviet-Afghan war.
Let’s just call that “blowback squared” or maybe “blowback cubed.”
Of course that wasn’t the first time al-Nusra had succeeded in disrupting a US effort to train a contingent of Syrian “freedom fighters.” As The New York Times reminded us in July, last year the group “dealt a more serious blow to the CIA program, attacking and dismantling its main groups, the Syrian Revolutionaries Front and Harakat Hazm, and seizing some of their American-supplied, sophisticated antitank missiles.”
If you thought this story couldn’t possibly get any more ridiculous, you’d have been wrong because on Wednesday, Gen. Lloyd Austin, head of the U.S. Central Command (mentioned above) and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth gave an update on the latest Pentagon effort to train and arm Syrian fighters and conceded that it was highly unlikely the DoD would hit its target of fielding a contingent that numbers more than 5,000 by the end of the year.
What are they basing their pessimistic outlook on, you ask? This (via Foreign Policy):
Only about “four or five” U.S.-trained Syrian rebels remain on the battlefield to take on the Islamic State.
That’s right. “Four or five.”

So the only thing that the DoD’s estimate of the actual number of fighters currently on the ground has in common with the Pentagon’s original goal of recruiting 5,400 by the end of the year, is that both figures have a "4" and a "5" in them.
And how much taxpayer money was spent to train and arm this anti-ISIS “force”, you ask?
Around $41 million.
We'll leave you with following assessment from Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.):
“Let’s not kid ourselves, that’s a joke. This is just a total failure.”
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WINNING!
Er, not.
just give them a mini nuke for 1 million and blow up Assad, much more cost effective
Can't we go back to the $7,000 coffee maker and the $600 toilet seat?
Please?
Well, at least them was the good olde days when the stuff cost so much because it was really made in America by American citizens making stuff to protect America before they shipped all our Jobs Overseas to Protect America for American Citizens.
You buy the holes, the stars and stripes are free
4 or 5 remain in the battlefield?
They have taken their newly honed Western skills and headed straight to this place http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/
No shit. Hey uncle Sam could I get a little advance on my next pay check.
I'm fucking headed to Germany!!!!!! WooHoo!!
Now that's some “money” well spent. The “invincible” empire that commands a premium for its paper can't even muster a dozen mercenaries for one black ops. Buy away, you bond hoarding muppets... buy away...
They must've run though a shit ton of ammo at the firing range...
Yes. But you must understand that the starting point for these recruits is that 'the bullet will hit the target only if Allah wills it'. Allah directs the bullet, it has nothing to do with where the shooter aims. In fact, aiming is a totally foreign concept because it implies personal empowerment and personal responsibility. Neither of those concepts exist in hardcore communist Islam.
Now, consider the countless youtube videos showing the fighting 'prowess' of Alan's snackbar brigade. How often do you see them hiding behind a wall with their AK47 held at a 45 degree angle blasting clip after clip away? and those are the trained ones....
Sooo... they spent $10mm a man teaching the 'Spray and Pray' technique? I gotta get in on that scam. Hell, I'd do it for the bargain price of only $1mm/man!
I sure someone's Cayman Island bank account regards this exercise as a magnificent success.
10s of thousands trained in Jordan.
Armed and equipped by NATO, Israel, Saudi.
10s of billions spent.
at least they're using russian/chinese arms by the look of it :)
Allah Akbar!
$1mm a man? You rip off merchant. lol. I'll do it for $750k per man. I'll purchase 30 PS4's and start them off on Call of Duty, for 3 months. Theyll at least understand the concept of aim.
That might have something to do with the fact that Communism views religion as "the opium of the masses" and is well known for being a dogmatic atheistic anti-religious ideology. I haven't logged in for years, but this comment was so fucking stupid that it REQUIRED me to correct it. The right wing brainwashing is so complete that people don't even bother to look into the core concepts of the idiocy the regurgitate after watching Fox News.
Also this whole article just goes to show how it's Corporate Welfare, MIC spending and Bank Bailouts/FED theft that is the problem. This one little mission could have paid for ~94,000 single mom's horrific "Entitlement" program of TANF. Yes, clearly the welfare queens are killing this country and not the fucktard stupidity of the MIC, FED/BANKS and Corporate Welfare. For the record I think TANF is a failed program, but I sure would rather spend money on poor Americans than the kind of idiocy this article outlines. Training third worlders "4 to 5" how to kill other third worlders for Geo-politics at approximately $8,500,000 a pop GENIUS!!!
Islam and communism are not all that different if you can muster the intellect to look past the symptoms and look at the hardcore reality.
"You must do as you are commanded or die." ~ Fits both to a tee.
Well I'm glad I got you logged on. Looks like you had some things to get off your chest.
The hiding behind a wall part betrays their faith in Allah to guide the bullets aimed at them safely away doesn't it?
Communist Islam? I thought it was supposed to be Fascist Islam. There is only one group that plays both sides of the fence simultaneously and it ain't the Islamists.
Well islam is internationalist, so it has that in common with communism. And it dictates a hell of a lot of daily activity, which makes it super bossy. Also bad = fascist for a lot of folks, which makes it fascist too.
Yea, but, who won that proffeshional ball game? When my team wins, I am a winner too!
I just want that PKM in the lead-in photo.
Meh, the Pentagon could just buy a $15 hammer (and contractors do indeed procure them for that amount), but the Military insists that the $15 hammer undergo MIL-SPEC testing and proofing, generating a two-foot high stack of paper proving to Congress that the $15 hammer is adequate for our fighting (wo)men. Guess where that extra $685 of charges from the contractor come from.
If a coffee maker was 7000 and a toilet seat was 600 in 1986 we can only imagine was the cost is now, maybe 70,000 and 6000
Hey, can YOUR coffee maker withstand getting hit with 6 or 7 rounds from an AK-47? How about endure a sandstorm for 2 hours? Submersion in Artic-cold seawater for 12 hours? I think NOT!
i use a (stailess steel) French press. pretty sturdy stuff....
What a disgrace. I knew from the start this was all a scam, but this is as full retard as it gets. I have been out of the Air Force for 18 years, and I can't believe what I am about to say. But I implore my former brothers (and sisters) in arms to lay down your arms and come home. You are not defending the Constitution (it has been shredded and is DOA), and my freedom (what little is left of it) will be fine even if Bashaar Assad stays in power in Syria. You no longer need to obey orders. The orders are criminal and go against your Oath. Lay down your arms and come home.
If you stay in, you are part of the problem... My respect for you is immense, and I say this as a brother who has your interest at heart. If you stay in through all this disgraceful and unnecessary perpetual war, you are part of the problem.
Especially anyone holding the rank of Captain or higher, you should be ashamed to be part of this shit show. The generals going along with all this crap are traitors to their nation, their oath, and their troops. The corruption is beyond belief and it breaks the heart of this once-proud fellow warrior.
The US went to great pains at Nuremburg to ensure the 'just following orders' excuse was not acceptable for the military.
Jeez, for $10 million I'll go there and pretend to fight. They don't have to bother training me either. I figure for no more than $1mil. I can hire 10 guys to do some fighting and protect me for a year. That should fit in with their average cost per freedom fighter in Syria and they'll get 11 for the price of one.
Calm down keyb warrior.
$8,200,000 per fighter. That's more than Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man cost. And he was cancelled after a few seasons.
Edit: Never mind. I didn't adjust for inflation since 1978. Today Steve Austin would cost $17,353,106.80 The Pentagon got a bargain.
Its the same dumbass group, remember..."Jobs saved or created!" ;-)
Small change was spent on training these "fighters". The amount of corruption and clear theft now in the militiary and covert costs must be getting not only huge but so prevelent that it is out in the open and common. With no fear of punishment. A group of people are getting richer of the wars.
My nephew told me that these Syrian fighters were trained by Sly Rocky Rambo Stallone and Arnold The Terminator. Once these Dogs of War are unleashed ISIS, Assad and the Russian commie bastards will be burning in HELL! USA USA USA.
Then again my 10 year old nephew could be wrong?
The adamantium injection and radioactive spiders tend to be budget busters. And they got scammed when they tried to buy the original Iron Man suit off craigslist in Virginia Beach.
remain calm, just what do you propose doing in Syria after Assad is blown up by your mini nuke? What kind of government will get put in? Same kind as Iraq and Libya? Because they have been oh so successful.
Err... after spending this:
https://www.nationalpriorities.org/cost-of/
So.. that's about 1.5 B$ per militant.
WOW!! Nearly the same cost as B2 Stealth bomber..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_B-2_Spirit
Do you really believe the Pentagon spends $500 on a toilet seat and $200 on a hammer.
Toilet seat? No. But if you look at some of the tools the military uses, you'd see why they are so expensive. A craftsman tool costs $10, the snap-on version costs $70. They both have lifetime warranties. What's the difference? You never have to worry about using the warranty with the snap-on; it doesn't break. And when you can't afford to shuffle over to the mall to switch out rathets, the premium is well worth it.
Now imagine a snap-on tool that is specially designed for one piece of specialty equipment, and is treated to operate at -100F to 150F, and be resistant to chemical agents.
Then add another 20% because the pentagon sucks. BOOM. There's your $200 hammer.
And don't forget the $76,382,973 of R&D amortized over 550 hammers.
There's no column for "Bribes".
The rest is the skimmed for black ops that we may or may not be engaging in. File those taxes early, citizen!
I worked for a gov contractor. I needed some 'grain-of-wheat' light bulbs for our data recorders. ( Hey - this was back in 1981) I ordered 25 bulbs. No price info was listed. The bulbs should have cost about $8.00 for 25. The gov vendor was charging $112.00 for each 'data recorder indicator assembly'! The order went through because of the time lag in the accounting procedures. I caught hell for that order.
I worked a contract for the government where they spent (after I quit in protest at the outrageous waste) $105 million expanding an application system that nobody actually used.
You should read the MIL-SPEC for 2X4 lumber (It has to actually be 2" by 4" [NOT the 1-3/4" by 3-3/4" found in the lumberyard!])
41 Million ? Crime pays certainly.
DUDES
it's just digital money.
You submit a request to Yellen and the money appears in your account pronto.
The hopium is wearing off, and no drug is strong enough to obliterate the nightmare that is the Barry/Jarrett regime.
Well, Pentagon only counted the "moderate" beheaders, rapists and cannibals.
They did not count the Al Qaeda affiliated terror groups that were created and are being created with US money, assistance, arms and training.
They are trying to make it look that USA has failed to train terrorists, but people are looking in the wrong direction. People should not look at the "moderate" rapists, they should rather look at the terrorists hordes of Al Qaeda / ISIS / Al Nusra and so on...
...because there is where the US money (and the money and assistance of the US allies) is going
Sign me up. 41\4 = 10.25 $USD per person
I'll play the Syrian Lottery.
<sarc/>
Overhead.
Just wait until Trump gets the presidency. He will build a wall over ALL of Syria and make ISIL pay for it!
If he make ISIL pay for it that means the USSA is really paying for it
What's your problem? Someone's got to make a buck or two for a good life. May as well a Pentagon buddy.
America has grown into a "can't do nation". The type of people we promote to high positions, the people we give decision power, those who spend our tax dollars, and control government operations. They are all failures! The more they fail, the more they are promoted. No failure or fuck up goes punished, or accounted for. They just move on to the next wasted effort. Look around at the failures in War, unable to occupy conquered lands. Look at the budget, uncontrollable. But those in charge are re-elected at over 90%. Military high command wastes untold money, and just moves up the line, promoting eachother in a cycle of corruption.
When ever a big problem faces America, a thousands voices chime in about what "We can't do". And the problems get swept under the rug. That is how 18 trillion in debt was run up.
No matter what. Wages are falling. We are told "They have to". The streets in my town and the freeway running by are both crumbling. All government says is "We can't fix it." Face it, look at all major operations of government and even the private sector, mostly we are now a "Can't do nation".
Unlike our forefathers, who were a "Can do nation". We must disgust them in their graves, looking at failures. Just one AQir Force Fighter Plane takes 20 years to develop, and it doesn't work! In WWII, we took a British engine and a US airframe and turned it into the best fighter in the world in a couple weeks! Not today! Not with all the failures wwe promote to run things.
It seems these human failures recognize each other and realize that only by criminal means will any of them get rich. They therefore support and reward each other to keep the fraud of failures scam alive
Shows how you you really understand. The right people in USA are making literally billions. The problem is that's YOUR money they are taking away from you. No wonder you are pisssed off, you understand you are being robbed but not much else. .
It's called the "Peter Principle", which means you only get promoted if you're a total dick.
The pentagon much like the administration has been compromised by the Muslim brotherhood. Anything is now possible with this mess.
come on...this was bride to someone or someone stole the money.
Thanks God I don't pay any taxes at all so I cannot say that my money was wasted there.
I am glad we found some money back.
Report Reveals $8.5 Trillion Missing From Pentagon Budget http://www.globalresearch.ca/report-reveals-8-5-trillion-missing-from-pentagon-budget-2/5453618
The 41 million has a 4 in it too. That makes it O.K. I think.
WND article says $500 million.
Hey, if you're going to endlessly shovel money into a bottomless-pit, you may as well think big. $500 mil sounds just as plausible to me.
http://www.wnd.com/2015/09/obamas-syrian-fighter-plan-implodes/
Maybe they'll come to America and get Yellen to go up their FAFSAs.
"A third group of fighters broke off from the main group to follow a leader who had chosen to fight Assad regime forces instead of ISIS." General Austin
Who might that leader be ? Zarqawi ? Baghdadi ?
Hey, they had to break off from the main group to launch bombz into the heat exhaust port of the DeathStar!
Five star fighters (pay grade higher than joint chief)!
$41 million - that is a whole lot of soap on a rope.
Disinfo or noinfo...There seems to be little to no oversight on much of what the government does, but this is total confirmation bias pablum for the anti-military mouthbreathers. Doesn't past the spaghetti-o's smell test.
Semantics. This figure would be much higher if they counted all of the ISIS members they trained, equiped, armed, and funded.
These are the same people who brought us the F-35 and F-22. What's $40 million when we are talking trillions?
By publishing this we will probably see a flood of (Syrian Iraqi Pakistani African) Generic refugees flock to Syria to join the (dash for cash) fight against IS.
Pffft! That's only 1/1000 of the past monthly POMO. Chicken feed I say! Rounding numbers. M u s t s p e n d m o r e !
There may be only 5, but they're X-MEN! Bwa hahahah........
Why fight when you get everything for free in the EU?
Idiots! They could have bought all new toilet seats for Air Farce One for that kind of coin.
What the fuck are we doing over there?
What? Only 41 mil?? Put things into perspective. How many seconds does it take to rack up 41 million on the debt clock? Not many. Surely the feds can do better when it comes to throwing money down a rat hole
You mean the other two deserted already? Does the mentioned battlefield still have a poolside?
You mean the other two deserted already? Does the mentioned battlefield still have a poolside?
A $41 million dollar boondoggle for some DC well connected militrary contracting firms.
Many of the CEOs have multi-million dollar toys in their 15,000 sq ft homes.
And the Fed financed 20,000 terrorists:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=red+pill+report+november+14...
4 or 5?
Mahahahahahaha!
I thought Jason Bourne is a myth.
You all should look at the bright side that it is still a COST and has not yet become an EXPENSE.
Why didnt they spend this money on already trained Syrian soldeirs...could have easily bought thousands....
This is beginning to look like the Bay of Pigs disaster, cubed.
Aha.
If this doesn't sum up 'war' today, I don't know what does.
Come on! We've all seen the Jihadi videos. They'll crawl under some barbed wire and do a front-roll with an AK-47 in there hand. I must seriously question U.S training methods here. As General Smedley Butler famously said. "War Is A Racket"