I can do math better than Rummy
Sep. 25th, 2006 02:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
danalwynAlso possibly better than Schoomaker,
Consider this:
1) Wikipedia claims that a full set of Interceptor Body Armor costs $1,585.
2) Therefore, to equip, say, 150,000 soldiers would take about $237,750,000.
3) The Army Budget for FY 2003 was about $91,000,000,000.
4) The budget for the now-cancelled Comanche helicopter for FY 2003 was listed as $910,200,000 (on top of another $900 million for the Apache Longbow).
So why do we still not have enough body armor to equip our soldiers? I know that there are important purchases to be made, like killer robots and UV helmets and lasers that try and blind people, but shouldn't we at least give the people who do the fighting and the dying a better chance?
Of course, that's just me. It's probably unpatriotic to think this way.
Consider this:
1) Wikipedia claims that a full set of Interceptor Body Armor costs $1,585.
2) Therefore, to equip, say, 150,000 soldiers would take about $237,750,000.
3) The Army Budget for FY 2003 was about $91,000,000,000.
4) The budget for the now-cancelled Comanche helicopter for FY 2003 was listed as $910,200,000 (on top of another $900 million for the Apache Longbow).
So why do we still not have enough body armor to equip our soldiers? I know that there are important purchases to be made, like killer robots and UV helmets and lasers that try and blind people, but shouldn't we at least give the people who do the fighting and the dying a better chance?
Of course, that's just me. It's probably unpatriotic to think this way.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-09-26 03:05 am (UTC)Current top R&D priorities:
Future Combat Systems ($3.4 billion)
Stryker Combat Brigade System ($905 million)
Patriot Upgrade ($872 million)
UH-60 Blackhawk ($691 million)
CH-47 Cargo Modifications ($688.3 million)
Maybe I should explain what all this stuff is used for...