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Military spends more to air condition tents than NASA’s entire budget

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n2doc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 03:27 PM
Original message
Military spends more to air condition tents than NASA’s entire budget
BY JESS ZIMMERMAN
17 JUN 2011 1:15 PM
Steve Anderson, a retired brigadier general who was Petraeus' chief logistician in Iraq, says that the Pentagon spends $20 billion a year just to air condition tents and temporary buildings in Iraq and Afghanistan. That's more than NASA's entire annual budget.

There's an easy fix, says Anderson: Spray tents with polyurethane foam. An existing $95 million contract to spray-insulate tents is providing $1 billion in cost-avoidance, Anderson says. But insulating tends instead of air conditioning them is still not official military policy.

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-06-17-military-spends-more-on-air-conditioning-than-nasas-entire-budge
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cognoscere Donating Member (381 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 03:43 PM
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1. Aha! I've always wondered how the hell it could cost a million dollars
per soldier for the troops there - looks like this is part of the answer, along with thirty dollar Haliburgers.
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n2doc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 03:44 PM
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2. and $700/gallon gasoline n/t
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The_Casual_Observer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 03:44 PM
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3. I have an easier fix.
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indepat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 04:05 PM
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4. Americans surely are willing to give up much of their earned/paid for entitlements so
we can continue perpetual wars in the desert requiring $20 billion per year to air condition tents, et al. Now, is this not some kind of great country or what? :patriot:
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malmapus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-17-11 06:07 PM
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5. Wow, so no more rolling up the sides of the GP Medium or ARFAB
It's funny how much has changed since the 90s. I used to hear those guys about to retire when I was in talking about how much it changed in their time. Freaking crazy.
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snot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jun-18-11 09:55 AM
Response to Original message
6. K&R'd.
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Fumesucker Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-19-11 03:50 AM
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7. K&R
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somone Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-19-11 08:40 AM
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8. Recommended
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OwnedByFerrets Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-19-11 08:46 AM
Response to Original message
9. Blah, blah, blah...lets cut medicare.
:sarcasm:
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jmowreader Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-19-11 05:42 PM
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10. Spraying PUR foam on a tent would be a stupid thing to do
For one thing, it would completely destroy the tents' ability to be folded up and reused.

It would be cheaper and better to convert 20-foot shipping containers into four-man barracks rooms, which could be heavily insulated. When the war's over, put a layer of stucco on them to make them look not-like-containers and sell 'em as mother-in-law cottages.
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daleo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-19-11 08:54 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. Or, have fewer wars.
That would be even cheaper.
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