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"Shocking And Incredible": IG Slams DOD For "Having No Knowledge" About $800 Million Program
By now most have heard of the infamous gas station in Sheberghan, northern Afghanistan which "cost" the U.S. Department of Defense nearly $43 million to build, even though its real cost was only $500,000. This "world's most expensive gas station" has promptly become the latest example of waste and budgetary abuse which comes courtesy of a debt ceiling which is increased by over $1 trillion every year and a government whose only purpose is to spend every dollar budgeted to it or else risk losing future fund allocations.
This was revealed in a report released by John Sopko, head of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a congressional body, which was released yesterday.
However the biggest stunner in the report is not the gas station, which costs almost as much as a luxury New York duplex meant to be sold to Chinese money laundering oligarchs, but something else namely that the task force behind the project had closed operations in March and for that reason the Department of Defense said it did not possess "the personnel expertise to address these questions."
The result: a stunned IG exclaims it is "shocking and incredible that DOD says it has no knowledge about an $800 million program."
Shocking & incredible that DOD says it has no knowledge about an $800 million program https://t.co/SZPqjuznqY
— SIGAR (@SIGARHQ) November 2, 2015
Actually, it is perfectly normal and par for the course for any government program to waste funds (and to syphon some off the top and bottom) whenever it is given nearly $1 billion in appropriated funds without any supervision.
Thank you taxpayers.
Sopko concludes by saying that he intend "to continue our inquiry into TFBSO activities to shed additional light on how this program operated, what it achieved, how this enormous amount of money was spent, and whether any conduct by TFBSO staff or contractors was criminal in nature."
He will find nothing, because the corruption captured in just this one instance is endemic to the US, and every other, government across the globe, and if he were to dig deeper he would find a trail of "criminal" money spending that goes to the very top.
* * *
Here is the full letter from John Sopko to Ashton Carter that shows just how "careful" the U.S. government is when abusing your money:
Dear Secretary Carter:
The attached report discusses SIGAR’s review of the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO) Downstream Gas Utilization project.
According to a TFBSO study, the Task Force spent nearly $43 million to construct a compressed natural gas (CNG) automobile filling station in the city of Sheberghan, Afghanistan. The main purpose of the project was to demonstrate the commercial viability of CNG for automobiles in Afghanistan as part of a broader effort to take advantage of Afghanistan’s domestic natural gas reserves and reduce the country’s reliance on energy imports.
Although TFBSO achieved its immediate objective of building the CNG filling station, it apparently did so at an exorbitant cost to U.S. taxpayers. In comparison, SIGAR found that a CNG station in Pakistan costs no more than $500,000 to construct. Furthermore, there is no indication that TFBSO considered the feasibility of achieving the station’s broader objectives or considered any of the potentially considerable obstacles to the project’s success before beginning construction.
One of the most troubling aspects of this project is that the Department of Defense claims that it is unable to provide an explanation for the high cost of the project or to answer any other questions concerning its planning, implementation, or outcome. In fact, in response to my request for information, the Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy stated in June 2015 that the March 2015 closure of TFBSO resulted in the Office of the Secretary “no longer possessing the personnel expertise to address these questions or to assess properly the TFBSO information and documentation retained by WHS in the OSD Executive Archive” (see Appendix I).
In written comments on a draft of this report, the Principal Under Secretary of Defense for Policy did not dispute our facts or findings, or provide any new information. Instead, his comments reiterated his earlier position that because TFBSO closed in March 2015, the Department no longer has the expertise to answer any of SIGAR’s questions about this project or about any other TFBSO activities (see Appendix II).
Frankly, I find it both shocking and incredible that DOD asserts that it no longer has any knowledge about TFBSO, an $800 million program that reported directly to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and only shut down a little over six months ago. Nevertheless, I intend to continue our inquiry into TFBSO activities to shed additional light on how this program operated, what it achieved, how this enormous amount of money was spent, and whether any conduct by TFBSO staff or contractors was criminal in nature.
* * *
Full letter below (link)
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You mean there is waste under the most transparent administration in the history of the world?
Shocked. We are freakn' shocked
Only $800 million? Spit in the ocean compared how much they have 'lost' in total.
<<< No one will go to jail
<<< Someone will go to jail
Looney
sopko xmas wishlist item:
staple remover
Does it service just 4 or 5 vehicles, from an originally planned 5000 vehicles?
“Nevertheless, I intend to continue our inquiry into TFBSO activities to shed additional light on how this program operated, what it achieved, how this enormous amount of money was spent, and whether any conduct by TFBSO staff or contractors was criminal in nature”
That story again: Man to be found dead of 138-stab-wound-and-fell-up-the-stairs suicide in a few weeks.
SIGAR? really. This guy needs to go to work for the Special Unlimited Graft Acquisition Regime.
This is one of Uncle's most popular postings once you spin through the revolving door to the "private" sector.
The station cost what any ordinary gas station would cost. The rest of the kazillion went into some black project, just like they used to do in the 70's.
Pocket change. Rumsfeld is still looking for that 2.3 trillion
That's nothing compared to what the Government has spent on the Benghazi Hearings (according to the Liberals).
Someone tells/teach this Sheep Inspector how really things work in govt
Obviously this guy is naive and in the dark
It's really too bad that no inquiry into the missing $2.3T ever came about. Rumsfeld alone could not have lost that much, since the Bush administration was only 8 months old at that time and was operating under a Clinton budget. Or maybe Don was projecting into the future, and really meant that "we will have" lost track of that much money by, say, 2005. But after all, what difference, at this point, does it make? We all know that USA Corp. is there to extract money from taxpayers, regardless of the team selected to lead it.
Bitcoin is skyrocketing because of increasing capital controls in China, and when the same thing happens here and elsewhere (in a vain attempt to prevent capital flight), Bitcoin will enter escape velocity.
Ay! Are you calling the Under-Secretary a liar? And anyway, it was supposed to service 50,000 moderate vehicles.
Here we see the all new "Burning of Rome". Now that the congress has upped the debt ceiling, the Nero's of Washington can spend like drunken sailors, and pappa Yellen will buy all the debt. There is no happy ending to this story.
Depends who you are. For us rank and file, yes, no happy ending. But for the folks on the receiving end of
these contracts, they might as well move their office into a Korean massage parlor. We pay them our taxes long time.
Wonder how much of that "orders of magniture greater than the Russians" MIC spending is just this - pocket-padding for the better connected.
There is also the problem of the Services being happily used to the ability to waste, rather than conserve. Not a very good mindset should the supply lines be disrupted as a result of "unforeseen accidents".
Halliburton sells those to the military for $666, along with $300 hammers. and $700 toilet seats. What a deal.
In the Banana, no one goes to jail
I know you meant well but that was the stupidest poll ever.
FINALLY! It looks like someone's painted big crosshairs on Paul Brinkley's ass (then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense who ran TFBSO at the time).
Can't wait to see where it leads.
Before you complain, you should at lease try the sushi at that gas station.
Not to mention lotto...and cigarettes at Caliphate minimum prices.
Funny name for a town ... Jack Benny was from there, wasn't he?
Is it grown locally?
When I read about large amounts of government money disappearing I assume it was syphoned off into the black budget or secret off the books operations of the CIA and other hidden government departments. It usually turns out I am right, although it takes years for the truth to come out. These secret agencies got the upper hand over congress, the president, police, and everyone else a long time ago and are accountable to no one. They can do whatever they like, and have been for over 50 years.
when I was in the army (1988-1993) we were buying hammers for $120
It only matters if you have a video of Obama talking about transparency. Oh shit...
Flashback: Obama: Transparency and the rule of law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgTydr4gAaIObvioously this is Bush fault...right Obamaphones?
Or we've just had 14 years of the same Deep State policies and red team vs blue team is for idiots. Not to mention the fact the Deep State has been doing this on one level or another since 1947 creation of CIA, Pentagon. By all means though keep playing partisan politics.
All presidents get to buy parts of South America. It is part of the contract.
SOMEONE knew exactly what was going on, and got very rich from this. Sounds more like "free stuff" than "waste".
CIA slush fund.
Exactly. All of these shenanigans are to fund black projects.
Black projects has a new meaning under Obama
Not to mention all the Milo Minderbinders out there.
So THAT is why you get a free bag of chocolate covered cotton with a fill up.
Nice!
Expected more ZHers to pick up what you're layin down, here...
Black projects also now fund the government. It would be very amusing as each set of criminal critters stumbles over the other set.
Only as we have seen countless times in D.C., once everyone engages in illegal behavior, there are no groups remaining that are able to bring an investigation to fruition.
You got it! How else can they pay for the daily mischief on a global scale?
The nature and extent of these black projects would probably make Orwell laugh himself into a coma.
Any idiot who believes that all $43million went towards building that gas station is beyond help.
My very first thought. But it will be spun as $800 hammers and $1,200 toilet seats, as always. Government waste! Boo!! Scary!!!
Look the other way, is what they want.
People are kinda dumb. And, they want to be lied to. So they eat it up, get all angry and distracted.
Yup. That money was purposely missing, which means it really wasn't missing.
DOD stands for Disappearance Of Dollars?
You hope those dollars disappeared. That would be the least bad outcome. Probably those dollars went to fund something that if you didn't already "know" it was a gas station you would lose your mind, and all last shred of faith that your government does not operate as a criminal enterprise.
Because it is and it does.
Nothing at all to do with, for example, Russian body parts strewn across the Sinai.
Nothing......nooooooothhhhhinnnngk!
More strudel!!!!! Mmmmmm strudel.
Maybe $800 million went towards bribes, kickbacks, pay-offs, "one for you, one for me", and black-ops.
Nah...
Them head choppin' ISIS boys don't work for nothin', ya know?
1. Build 43 million dollar gas station.
2. ???
3. Profit!
Lotta gravy to be skimmed. Lotta gravy.
'The US is like a great big pussy just waiting to be fucked."
-Tony Montana
the empire's getting a little long in the tooth though.
it's like Patrice O'Neal [RIP] said - pussy isnt like wine..it doesn't get better as it ages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUYYX13uB4E
We've been in fucking ugly territory for quite a while, if you will...
apparently still a larger roi, by orders of magnitude, than the program to train and equip "moderate" rebels, eh?
It's all about government transferring wealth. And while a certain class of right winger becomes apoplectic over evil "socialists" who they fear wish to redistribute their comic book collection and pair of gold bars - it is very much the bankers, the capitalists and John Galts of the weapons manufacturers who have been absolutely pummeling their colons since 9/11
You will come to love The One Bank before the end, citizen.
http://thecreditunionmarketer.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/April-26-of...
Not being hostile...but that just reads like you prefer a nice big penis with left bend in the middle as opposed to getting tooled with one bent towards the right. If that's your thing, cool.
Wouldn't it be better to just say you'd rather not get humped by anyone, regardless of their party registration?
Americans take no notice of these things. They are content to be taxed, to see wages fall, to lose health insurance, and to watch CNBC hype the economy.
No matter how much money the Pentagon blows, it can all be justified as support for the troops. In fact, this one phrase "Support the Troops" has made countless Americans ,with an inside track to military spending, very rich indeed.
When I tarvel, and see the wealth some Americans throw around, on their Ski Cottages, Beach Cottages, LA Homes, NYC pent houses, swanky London hotels, etc., I often do a mental exercise and try to envisage how much of that wealth really came from American taxpyers and military spending. When 1 trillion a year is thrown around, if you can even pick up the scraps, you are talking billions!
I remember famous lyrics by Zach de la Rocha of RATM, "Yellow RIBBON, instead of a SWASTIKA"
Making the point that if every one who had a yellow ribbon, on their car, for e.g., instead had a swastika, we would be at least a little closer to the truth of the matter.
you're not gonna die for your country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN4m6nWI5XI
you're gonna die for your government.
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151103/1029553161/us-syria-troops-mi...
The behaviour you describe is not exclusively American. The arrogance and elitism of most of the super-rich is displayed by said parties from all over the globe.
I'm neither shocked or surprised anymore by the US government's rampant criminality. The US government is organized crime by and for the elites.
US government biggest organized crime gang of all times. US defence department is simply assists some of "unsavory" business practices:
1) welfare fraud (with welfare defrauders like Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, etc.)
2) money laundering (as this article topic)
3) extortions and protection rackets
4) murders for hire
If you work there stay away from the outside ring or do not work above the 3rd floor.
Afghanistan??? Ahh, too easy it's heroin money so check the offshore accounts of Daddy Bush, George, and Jeb.
Move along, nothing to see here, just America being 'exceptional'.
Why can't we just pack everyone who voted for the latest budget fiasco into a cargo plane and drop them over Islamic territory to enjoy the fruits of their labor?
I wonder what the ticket comes to for all the lost or abanonded equipment and material following a US military action of scale? Gotta be billions.
It's gotta not matter in the least. Chump change. The Pentagon loses tanks and jets in the sofa cushions.
hmm Ahmed Chalabi died
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3301562/Chalabi-key-lobbyist-US-...
rot in hell, asshole.
Is this the country that most of the russian hater live?
Shocking...
That's Nothing ! Notice the Date 9/10/2001
Rumsfeld Buries Admission of Missing 2+ Trillion Dollars in 9/10/01 Press Conference
On September 10, 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld held a press conference to disclose that over $2,000,000,000,000 in Pentagon funds could not be accounted for. Rumsfeld stated: "According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions." According to a report by the Inspector General, the Pentagon cannot account for 25 percent of what it spends. 1 2
Hah...somebody gave you a down vote for telling the truth samsara...probably the same person who gave me a down vote when I posted that it snows in Alaska and the death valley is hot during summer
Perhaps 9/11 was very expensive to set up and cover up...
Hah...somebody gave you a down vote for telling the truth samsara...probably the same person who gave me a down vote when I posted that it snows in Alaska and the death valley is hot during summer
And the American public just shrugged it off.
You'll get no traction. At all. Ever.
As I pointed out elsewhere in these comments, Bush/Rumsfeld could not possibly have lost track of all that money in eight short months in office. They were, in fact, still operating under the last Clinton budget. Undoubtedly no one in either party wanted to find out the truth, as it would have pointed fingers at both Ds and Rs, although I seriously doubt Rumsfeld would have been one of the guilty parties.
How much is the station insured for? Maybe they just forgot they paid 800m for a years insurance.
This makes me want to send in my taxes early. What a fraud, and no one's hear will roll.
We're in the money/ We're in the money/ Let's LEND IT/ SPEND IT/ KEEP ROLLIN' RIGHT ALONG!!!!!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJOjTNuuEVw
Grab what you can!!!
They won't find a list of contractors or suppliers either.
After reading this, the Chinese "Ghost Capitol Building" doesn't look quite so bad.
I am now convinced the lost spending is way to flood the world with $'s and keep in demand and from crisis. This works in parallel with destablizing other countries so $ is demand as local currency goes into crisis.
Big fucking deal it's just "money" (Currency).
Why cant all of you think this is one way to give these money to the democrats by siphoning these money to the people who worked on these projects and then they in return donate to the democrat party. This is corruption of the highest order promoted by the democrats. That is why the democrats love to tax and spend ( to pay the democrats)
This money likely ended up paying for heroine transports to some other god-forsaken hell hole for processing then on to the USA for distribution/consumption. The tax payers pay for the logistics, the CIA and keeps the profits. And they get to jail the people they use to sell and use their shit. I'm sure they get a nice kick-back for keeping the prisons full of petty drug offenders.
Was it a self serve or full service gas station? Did they pump the gas for you? Clean the windshields and check the oil in the toyota truck? Bonus rewards? Gas for heroin? Was there a mini mart inside selling beer, potato chip, ammo and assault weapons? Many unanswered questions ????
Tax and waste and corruption are all part of the democrat's machinery and tactics. When u vote for democrats you vote for corruption
As a center-right voter I was watching a news channel the other day that gives reasonable time and consideration to conservative viewpoints. I liked it when a conservative pundit in regard to this story said (paraphrase), ...and Republicans don't think there's room to cut the Defense Budget?" Implying...'give me a break.'
I agree with the sentiment.
Surprise, surprise. Congress views the US public as little more than an ATM, pumping out limitless amount of money for continuing Wall St bank bailouts and endless wars across the Middle East. So where did this $800 million go? For more information, check out- War Is A Racket By Major General Smedley Butler; Link: www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html
Siphoned off to the ISIS petty cash box?
Perhaps we really do live in the largest banana republic on the planet.
And all most of us get is the banana peel.
Welfare moms still outclass the DOD when it comes to ripping us off.
I smell money flowing into the CIA in order to support terrorist programs.
It's ELECTION DAY, remember to.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...vote.
The Pentagon has become a cancer and a parasite.
800 million is a shitload of American taxpayer work product.
Until these monkeys are prosecuted and lose their pensions, this will continue.
NOTE TO ASH CARTER:
This one gets sent to my senator, who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Yea,,, I'll bet he'll be s h o c k e d!!!
This one gets sent to my senator, who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Good idea. As soon as that letter hits the senator's desk you can bet the responsible parties will be held fully accountable and that this kind of waste will never ever happen again!
$800,000,000???? That's nothing! I heard about a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy that made almost $500 on a food stamp for cigarettes scam! We gotta crack down on poor people fraud. That's the REAL threat.
A government that has grown way beyond the original intent of the Founding Fathers: that's the REAL threat.
Moar Government theft and misuse of funds.... yawn...
What do you expect folks?
They sure as hell don't hide what they are these days. If no one intends to do anything about it then just STFU.
Oh,,, don't forgot to file your taxes soon,,, don't want to end up chained to a bed dying of cancer at 87 in the land of the free, home of the brave do ya?
This movie has been playing in a non-stop loop since .... remember the $100,000 toilet seat? wtf
Shocking and incredible it was only $800M.
"whether any conduct by TFBSO staff or contractors was criminal in nature". Why waste the time money and effort? DoJ won't prosecute UNLESS there's a political agenda to do so.
FINALLY! It looks like someone's painted big crosshairs on Paul Brinkley's ass (then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense who ran TFBSO at the time).
Can't wait to see where it leads.
Government contractors and their DC-employed counterparts are total scumbags, but damn...these pirates sure know how to make serious money.
I thnk SOPKO means TARGET in Greek or something. I could do that gas station for $10M but not a penny less...
Sopko better avoid any construction sites with nail guns in the forseeable future.
The U.S. spends more on war(defense, haa!) than all other countries combined. These diabolical fucks can't spend the money fast enough. Seriously ask yourself....WHO ARE OUR ENEMIES?......NO ONE, absolutely no one. You've been had folks. "The table is tilted, folks. The game is rigged." - The great George Carlin
Greatest 3 Minutes of Spoken Word
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK84hwiVJEY
Greatest 2 Minutes of Spoken Word
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0mBAsIPS1w
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/pentagon/#article/part1
Here's an interesting report on some "missing funds" that all Americans should read, the waste is EPIC!
Q: How much taxpayer money has the Defense Department spent that has never been audited since the 1996 deadline?
A: About $8.5 trillion.
So what secret ops or people's pocket did the rest of the $799,500,000 go to?
How do you think they're paying for the weapons drops into Syria?
Squid
I think we are back to the days of the Pentagon paying $500 for a toilet seat, and $75 for a hammer to rebuild the ME
Hah ha ha
<-- Satan America is now a third rate third world country
Slowly ppl will realize that American govt (the world looter) is now robbing its own people by wasting all the money it gets approved from its parliament in the name of defence and for the mirages it creates about the threats , threats which are its own creations like Al-Qaeda, ISIL.
Satan America creates terrorists in order to fool the American parliament to approve big money.
Wake up people , you are not living in a democratic country, your nation has been hijacked & is on the way to crash.
---------
They want bread, give them cake (old version)
They want marijuana, give them heroin (from afghan)
--------
Serendipity ...........enjoy
You guys are totally confused. The taxes you pay are only symbolic or haven't you noticed your running a massive continuous mountain of debt. So technically its every other nation in the world buying your debts thats paying for it. Which also goes for everything that Americans jabber on about how great their country is like their space program. Its amazing what you can achieve when you have the global reserve currency and don't actually have to pay for things.