DOD plays at expense of combat troops

[kentmitchell]

How much body armor could DOD have bought with the money wasted on that robot dune buggy experiment in Baha?
I can't see voting for Kerry, but some of the Bush admin. treatment of the military sure makes it hard to vote for him.

[usmc4669]

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
is the central research and development organization for the Department of Defense (DoD). It manages and directs selected basic and applied research and development projects for DoD, and pursues research and technology where risk and payoff are both very high and where success may provide dramatic advances for traditional military roles and missions.


Thirteen robot vehicles set out on a 140-mile race across California's Mojave desert on Saturday with the goal of one day running missions in war zones without risking the lives of U.S. soldiers.

The race, sponsored by the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), had offered a prize of $1 million for any vehicle that could complete the course.

How much body armor could it buy? Look at it this way how many Marines lives could it save



Two Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) oriented Unmanned Ground Vehicle projects were undertaken at the Naval Ocean Systems Center (NOSC) in the early 1980s under the auspices of the U.S. Marine Corps' Exploratory Development (6.2) Surveillance Program: The Ground Surveillance Robot (GSR) at NOSC in San Diego, and the Advanced Teleoperator Technology (ATT) Teleoperated Dune Buggy at NOSC's Hawaii detachment. A third element of this 6.2 program was the Airborn Remotely Operated Device (AROD), a small ducted-fan UAV whose successor, the Air-Mobile Ground Security Surveillance System (AMGSSS), is a ducted-fan vehicle deployed for ground-based RSTA.

http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/...innovators.pdf

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-5173052.html

[kentmitchell]

Well, I tried to fight through that stuff, but the question is still "How much body armor could it buy?"
The troops need protection, not toy cars.
How many lives would toy cars save? Who knows?
How many lives would the latest body armor save if some group of Marines were wearing it? More than a toy car.

[usmc4669]

Well, I tried to fight through that stuff, but the question is still "How much body armor could it buy?"
The troops need protection, not toy cars.
How many lives would toy cars save? Who knows?
How many lives would the latest body armor save if some group of Marines were wearing it? More than a toy car.

No doubt it could buy a lot of Body Armor for the troops, then how much Body Armor could have beem bought with the money that has been wasted on some of the other programs that were scraped before they were ever finished. DOD uses money for difference programs some good and then some that never gets off of the ground; what more can I say.

I'm not so sure letting them compete is such a crime. It's not like they have agreed to a multimillion dollar contract with some company that can't produce. If the designs suck they won't win, no money out of DARPA's pocket.

[Dragon Air]

Once a Roman General had the crazy idea of using chariots in battle. "But they are expensive!" cried some. "Just think of how many breastplates and sandals we could equip our troops with for the price of a chariot."

The fact is, the military must continue to develop new weapons and this costs money. I sure as hell don't want to go back to swords and spears just because it is cheaper than rifles and grenades.

[kentmitchell]

I'm not against development, but not at the expense of the troops.
And the idea of having business pay for R&D and then competing for contracts is excellent. Beats the cost overrun game.
Having said that, I still can't understand why DOD throws money at all kinds of projects while the troops are lacking the gear they need to increase their survival rate in combat.
They could probably pay for all of it with money saved by not adding a speedometer to an F-22 this year. Or equip two more divisions by dumping the F-22 and upgrading what we have . . . which is still better than anything else in the world.
We're still building weapons to fight the Cold War, which we've already won just because the Air Force has to have new toys.

[usmc4669]

kentmitchell stop and think, how much did the DOD spend to develop Body armor, what if someone said it would have bought more rifles for the troops. Anyway I found out that this is run by the Air Force, it's their money.

[kentmitchell]

It's OUR money

[usmc4669]

kentmitchell
No it's the Air Force money given to them by the DOD (not you or me,) to spend, we give to our Government, our government gives to the DOD they give to the Air Force.

[namgrunt]

I want a 70 watt pulse laser weapons system. When are they going to issue those?

[usmc4669]

namgrunt
If you get one I want one too.

[namgrunt]

They've got big ones, but the smallest only barely fit on the back of trucks. Too much atmosphere (air) to really be useful except at closest ranges. There have been tests using them as anti-missile systems, but they draw too much power, and take too long to incapacitate the rising or falling missile warheads.

I want a hand carry "Star Trek" special.

[usmc4669]

namgrunt
Me too.

[kentmitchell]

wrong, usmc4669

The Govt. TAKES it from us, then Congress distributeds it.
I don't think anyone in the U.S. would go running to the Govt. and hand over the first four month's paychecks voluntarily.

[usmc4669]

kentmitchell
Tell you what, don't pay your income taxes if you feel that the Government will waist it on the DOD. Call President Bush and tell him that you are against all wars and will not support the DOD with your taxes. Join the VVAW and protest, you don't have to pay taxes, they can't force you to, then they can lock you up if you don't then that your choice isn't it?