A boondoggle in Afghanistan, where did the money go?

2015-11-02T14:51:42-05:00

http://www.armytimes.com/story/news/nation/2015/11/02/pentagon-afghanistan-gas-station-boondoggle/75037032/

Think any heads will face the chopping block?

WASHINGTON — U.S. taxpayers footed the bill for a $43 million natural-gas filling station in Afghanistan, a boondoggle that should have cost $500,000 and has virtually no value to average Afghans, the government watchdog for reconstruction in Afghanistan announced Monday.

A Pentagon task force awarded a $3 million contract to build the station in Sheberghan, Afghanistan, but ended up spending $12 million in construction costs and $30 million in "overhead" between 2011 and 2014, the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found. Meanwhile, similar gas station was built in neighboring Pakistan cost $500,000.

"It's hard to imagine a more outrageous waste of money than building an alternative fuel station in a war-torn country that costs 8,000% more than it should, and is too dangerous for a watchdog to verify whether it is even operational," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said in a statement. "Perhaps equally outrageous however, is that the Pentagon has apparently shirked its responsibility to fully account for the taxpayer money that's been wasted — an unacceptable lack of transparency that I'll be thoroughly investigating."

The compressed-natural gas station was designed to show the viability of tapping the country's natural gas reserves. But the inspector general determined that Pentagon's Task Force for Stability and Business Operations failed to conduct a feasibility study before launching the project.

If they had, the inspector general noted in his report, the Pentagon would have found that it would have little value for most Afghans. The Pentagon's own contractor stated that conversion to compressed natural gas costs $700 per car in Afghanistan. The average annual income there is $690.

In a letter to the inspector general, the Pentagon noted that it had shuttered the task force earlier this year and would try to find officials to answer questions. The task force had been given $800 million to help foster private investment in Afghanistan.

"As recently as October 13, 2015, SIGAR contacted (the Department of Defense) to speak to these unnamed employees, but DoD again failed to identify anyone," according to the inspector general's report.

Watchdog: Military blew $43M on useless gas station

WASHINGTON – U.S. taxpayers footed the bill for a $42 million natural-gas filling station in Afghanistan a boondoggle that should have cost $500,000 and has virtually no value to average Afghans, the

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 2 at 2015 2:53 PM

2015-11-02T14:53:35-05:00

Probably not.

Response by SFC Everett Oliver made Nov 2 at 2015 2:55 PM

2015-11-02T14:55:11-05:00

Only if they can find a good scapegoat that isn't connected in any way to politics.....

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Nov 2 at 2015 3:57 PM

2015-11-02T15:57:21-05:00

Yet we get our retirement and benefits cut and raises! WOW!

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Nov 2 at 2015 6:01 PM

2015-11-02T18:01:49-05:00

The spoils of war for somebody here in the US...

Response by Sgt Spencer Sikder made Nov 2 at 2015 6:16 PM

2015-11-02T18:16:41-05:00

Beyond belief. This puts the contracts for $500.00 hammers to shame. DOD procurement regulations have had exclusions due to the sensitivity of their mission. A few years back one of the responses from an 0-8/0-9 responded to a DOD OIG report on the use of the government wide purchase card at a strip club as "classified." Nothing more was said or done. It's just that easy for them, but not as easy when the restructure of military pay, healthcare (Tricare) or other related benefits are reduced.

What's the definition of crazy, doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different outcome? Or something like that. http://www.stripes.com/news/sigar-major-investments-in-afghan-security-at-risk-1.318395

SIGAR: Major investments in Afghan security at risk

A new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction raises questions about whether Afghans can maintain the fight against the Taliban as U.S. and NATO troops leave the country.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 2 at 2015 7:56 PM

2015-11-02T19:56:30-05:00

Why did the Contract Representative and the Comptroller not fly a red flag?

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Nov 2 at 2015 7:57 PM

2015-11-02T19:57:20-05:00

What else is new?

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 3 at 2015 7:32 AM

2015-11-03T07:32:08-05:00

someone is getting uber rich out of this ....