Billions in Wasted Supplies

The Defense Department spent $400 million on brand new boots, tents, and other supplies. But at the same time, it was dumping tons of the exact same stuff -- that had never been used.

The Government Accountability Office found the Pentagon unloaded $33 billion worth of stuff it deemed as "excess" in just two years. The GAO Report says:

Of $33 billion in excess commodity disposals in fiscal years 2002 through 2004, $4 billion were reported to be in new, unused, and excellent condition. DOD units reutilized only $495 million (12 percent) of these items. The remaining $3.5 billion (88 percent) includes significant waste and inefficiency because new, unused, and excellent condition items were transferred and donated outside of DOD, sold for pennies on the dollar, or destroyed.

The GAO says some of the stuff the Pentagon unloaded at bargin basement prices included "sensitive military technology." And other items were not properly stored outdoors -- leading to weather damage from "wind, rain, and hurricanes." (WashPost)