Last year, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) released a report detailing where the The Department of Defense could save $67.9 billion over ten years in “non defense” spending.
1. $9 Billion is spent each year on Pentagon-run grocery stores here in the United States.
2. The Pentagon also runs its own subsidized liquor stores on bases across the country.
Here is one in Fort Sill Oklahoma.
3. The Department of Defense (DoD) funded research examining what the behavior of fish can teach us about democracy.
4. The Department of Defense funded development of a smart phone app to alert users when to take a coffee break.
5. The Department of Defense funded research examining how to make silk production from wild cocoons in Africa and South America.
6. The Department of Defense Funded a study that concluded people in New York use different jargon on Twitter than those living in California.
7. Eight fulltime DoD employees serve on Board of Geographic Names, in charge of naming streams, mountains, hills, and plains across the United States.
8. The Department of Defense funded reality cooking show called Grill it Safe featuring two “Grill Sergeants” who performed a 46-minute cooking video.
Upon watching most of this video Buzzfeed has concluded that the Pentagon should not get into the entertainment industry.
9. The Department of Defense funded beef jerky development.
Specifically, the project aimed at making “thin, rolled up” beef jerky, as seen in the research photos below.
10. The Department of Defense funded research examining the social interaction between robots and babies.
11. The Department of Defense has spent over $1,000,000 on workshops studying interstellar space travel.
These conferences asked important national security questions, such as: “What will interstellar explorers wear?”
And (seriously): “Did Jesus die for Klingons too?”
12. The Department of Defense funded a study that determined “a man holding a gun appears more masculine than he would otherwise.”
13. The Department of Defense funded research to conclude that Petri most likely had feathers.
“Archaeopteryx, which existed 150 million years ago and long considered to be the first
bird, probably had black feathers which may have helped it fly, according to research funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR).”
14. The Department of Defense spends $10.7 billion on education programs that duplicate the work of the Department of Education and local school districts.
These special schools operate at a cost of over $50,000 per student.
In contrast, the Department of Education has found the average annual cost per student in America is $11,000 per student.
The report shows how one such military school in Dahlgren Virginia is less than one mile away from a public school.
15. The Pentagon’s overhead, or desk job budget, is more than the entire GDP of Israel.
In the face of the looming Sequestration, which will involve massive spending cuts to the Defense budget, this report should perhaps be revisited.
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Lotsofsax 3 months agoA newly enlisted soldier in the military, with no prior experience, makes more than I do as public school teacher with 8 years of experience and I still have to buy my groceries “of the economy.” I’m grateful for the service military personnel provide me and my country, and acknowledge the sacrifices made by their families, but let’s call it what it is: a perk of working for a highly funded branch if the federal government.
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heathc3 3 months agoTeacher? You would think you would be better at researching, or proofreading, for that matter. A newly enlisted soldier (under two years service) gets around 18k a year. If you are not earning more than that after 8 years you might want to look at different options…such as joining the military and earning all that dough.
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velvetknight 3 months agoA lot of these aren’t crazy at all.
-Beef jerky? Not crazy. Better and easier to pack rations are important for soldiers.
-Commissaries/liquor stores/schools for military families? Not crazy.
-Studying interstellar travel? Maybe the funding should be transfered to NASA, but not crazy. This is a lot of how new technologies that help everyone come out.
-Studying silk worms? Not crazy. Natural silk is stronger than steel. Another study that could help many different fields.
-Studying flying dinosaurs? Not crazy. Plenty of aircraft have been redesigned based on studying nature. Something that both flies and is large could be even more helpful. And once again, could ultimately be beneficial to the general public. I appreciate that a Republican is actually willing to speak up against certain types of defense spending, but taking these things out of context is doing more harm than good. -
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Peanut75 3 months agoCommissaries- A place where under-paid and overworked families go to shop because they are not paid enough to shop “off the economy”. Many of these families still have to use FOOD STAMPS and WIC. Department of Defense Schools- teachers are specially trained to help children of active duty military members. Their lives are not easy. Many times, one or both parents are deployed or away for extended periods of time. They also deal with loss of a parent, extended illness, war injuries and the outcomes of living with a person suffering from TBI or PTSD. There is waste, but don’t pick on family support program, Buzzfeed. You have no idea…
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shoesarelove 3 months ago
Agree. Also in many instances, the schools directly off base (at which the kids living on base would have to attend) are in rough neighborhoods. DOD schools give military kids a safe environment to learn. Additionally, DOD schools provide education to military children living overseas instead of having them attend expensive foreign schools.
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Bareobservation 3 months agoLiving in Hawaii our food bill every 2 weeks is about 150 for a family of 4. If I shopped out in town at a “local” grocery store for the same merchandise; I’d spend more than DOUBLE that. F-U buzzfeed. Commissaries are a privilege to active duty military, their immediate family (dependents) and retired military. DOD or govt contractors do not shop at commissaries/exchanges.
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Boardatwerk 3 months ago
Every single one of these is a viable and needed expense… This is what happens when you try too hard to look witty by taking things out of context. Thin rollable beef jerky!?!? WTF!? (try packing a ruck one time and we’ll talk).
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rlerma 3 months ago
If you wan to go and attack the government go ahead. But don’t go on the attack on military personeel and families. They have enough to worry about to deal with crap like this. Commissaries are there to help out and yeah sometimes to indulge, but I don’t see anything wrong in that with all that they are risking and giving up just so buzzfeed can put crap like this up. Shameful!
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lauras56 3 months ago
Wtf is wrong with you buzzfeed? It’s wrong to provide military families a place to shop for food and necessities? And if those grocery stores happen to sell alcohol, they are liquor stores? You are WAY off on this one! As a member of the United States Air Force I am appalled and offended! These aren’t just random government owned
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