A news item put out by MSNBC this morning, "U.S. buys Russian choppers for Afghan military", has got to be the absolute summit of government insanity... at least for this week.
According to the report, the Pentagon has spent $648 million to buy or refurbish 31 Russian built Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan National Army Air Corps. The Defense Department is seeking to buy 10 more Mi-17s next year and dozens more over the next decade. Some legislators say the Pentagon never considered alternatives to the Mi-17 and, that a lack of competition has enabled Russian defense contractors to gouge on prices. (say it isn't so)
The U.S. has purchased Mi-17s for other allies as well. The Pentagon bought 8 for the Iraqi air force and has purchased or leased 14 for Pakistan, although Islamabad recently returned some after a crash raised questions about their safety. Pentagon officials say the newer Mi-17s retail for about $15 million.
So, let me get this straight; The U.S. once supplied Stinger Missiles to Afghan rebels to shoot down Soviet helicopters, back when the Russians invaded Afghanistan. Now, the U.S. is supplying Afghanistan with Russian made helicopters? And (AND) at the same time, the U.S. government would rather prop up the Russian economy than pump our tax dollars into our own economy and possibly create some jobs, right here in the U.S., in the process.
What ever happened to that motto, "America First."
MikeH.
According to the report, the Pentagon has spent $648 million to buy or refurbish 31 Russian built Mi-17 transport helicopters for the Afghan National Army Air Corps. The Defense Department is seeking to buy 10 more Mi-17s next year and dozens more over the next decade. Some legislators say the Pentagon never considered alternatives to the Mi-17 and, that a lack of competition has enabled Russian defense contractors to gouge on prices. (say it isn't so)
The U.S. has purchased Mi-17s for other allies as well. The Pentagon bought 8 for the Iraqi air force and has purchased or leased 14 for Pakistan, although Islamabad recently returned some after a crash raised questions about their safety. Pentagon officials say the newer Mi-17s retail for about $15 million.
So, let me get this straight; The U.S. once supplied Stinger Missiles to Afghan rebels to shoot down Soviet helicopters, back when the Russians invaded Afghanistan. Now, the U.S. is supplying Afghanistan with Russian made helicopters? And (AND) at the same time, the U.S. government would rather prop up the Russian economy than pump our tax dollars into our own economy and possibly create some jobs, right here in the U.S., in the process.
What ever happened to that motto, "America First."
MikeH.
This is how I see it if we give these other nations supplies to fight that are far less superior then what we are using, with any hope they will kill off the obvious enemy and with any stroke of luck maybe themselves.
ReplyDeleteHowever, without some kind of vital instruments of war (like helo's) these third world countries would not stand a chance to fight for their causes, and that would keep our military forces there and under fire.
Second the only reason why, that makes any sense to me, we are buying outdated Russian equipment instead of our own built in the United States helo's is obvious, never give a SUSPECTED allies tools of destruction that are in anyway as good as your own (you never know when it will be used against you)
As I understand it the Russian choppers are cheap. The state of the art American choppers are considered too capable to supply them to a nation who may share them with our enemies. This superior capability also brings a huge price tag making them too expensive to give away. SO perhaps it is the right decision to give them these cheap Russian choppers.
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