If You're An American Taxpayer, These Are Your Most Recent Defense Purchases

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/weekly-united-states-defense-contracts-spending-2012-7

Not even the Fourth of July could stop the Pentagon from an absolutely massive week of defense spending.
Stuck indoors due to the oppressive heatwave sweeping the nation, the Department of Defense spent more than $9.2 billion in a mere four days. That's up from $4 billion the week before.


$6 billion spent on commercial shipping
A big chunk — nearly $6 billion — paid for a year's worth of commercial shipping from eleven companies.


$500 million to Boeing for the C-17 transition
The Department of Defense decided that they're probably not going to need too many more of Boeing's C-17 jets. So to make sure that the transition from "making C-17s" to "not making C-17s" goes as smoothly as possible, they awarded Boeing a half-billion dollar contract.



Another $213 million is for the ship-to-shore connector landing craft
The Navy is looking for the replacement to their current fleet of ship-to-shore landing craft. Currently, the Navy has hovercrafts — "air cushioned vehicles" — that ferry troops to shore, and they're evidently nearing the end of their shelf life.



***more at link

[LunaSea]

1. 636 million for "Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle"

Raytheon has been awarded a $636 million development and sustainment contract to provide the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle to The Boeing Company, which is the prime contractor for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program. Raytheon booked the award during its second quarter. EKV represents the centerpiece for the Missile Defense Agency's GMD as the intercept component of the Ground Based Interceptor, also known as GBI, which is designed to engage high-speed ballistic missile warheads in space.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Raytheon_awarded_636_million_for_Exoatmospheric_Kill_Vehicle_999.html

[choie]

2. but we don't have the money

to extend programs like food stamps...

[Huey P. Long]

3. And there are many here who will defend this obscenity. We are fucked. The collapse comes.-eom

[spanone]

4. there are always stacks of money for killing machines

[Iggy]

5. This is WHY

I don't buy the nonsense "we're broke", "Social Security is running out of money" and the rest
of the bullcrap.

clownservatives are selectively fiscally conservative-- they want to crush spending for the social safety net and
crucial services like police and firemen, but it's OK to continue to spend Billions on our bloated defense

Weak.

[KG]

6. but national healthcare is 'too expensive'

[Gregorian]

7. Don't forget the carbon footprint. You also got massive CO2 into the environment. And much more.

I had a dream last night. It was about where we're headed, and what is going to happen first. But that's another topic.

[permatex]

8. Where can I go to get my C-17?

I mean, after all, we're paying for them.
It would look so cool in my back yard.