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The U.S. spent $3 million on boats


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The United States spent more than $3 million on eight patrol boats for the Afghan police, according to an internal audit released Thursday.

That sentence is surprising for a few reasons:

1. Afghanistan is landlocked.

2. Not a single boat has arrived in Afghanistan, even though the purchase was made in 2010.

3. That works out to be more than $375,000 per boat. Similar boats in the United States are typically sold for about $50,000.

According to the report from the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the boats were meant to be used to patrol the Amu Darya River running between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. They were bought to move government supplies and “to deter smuggling and illegal entry into Afghanistan,” according to Gen. Harold Greene.

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And I always thought that the minimum requirement for a higher ranking military was the ability to read a map.....

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And I always thought that the minimum requirement for a higher ranking military was the ability to read a map.....

Boats can be used on river too. I'm fairly certain there are rivers in Afghanistan. Looking (reading) a map of Afghanistan lo and behold I see rivers.

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Well Switzerland is landlocked too but they have a Merchant Navy.

Edited by spud the mackem
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lets try deterring illegal entry into our own country!

And I hope for $375K they got the extended warranty.

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And I always thought that the minimum requirement for a higher ranking military was the ability to read a map.....

what makes you think higher ranking military has anything to do with it?? it is 99,9% bribe that was put on military tab by politicians.

Edited by aztek
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War is good for business, even the boat business. I thought everybody knew that by now.

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Boats can be used on river too. I'm fairly certain there are rivers in Afghanistan. Looking (reading) a map of Afghanistan lo and behold I see rivers.

but, as questionmark listed....

2. Not a single boat has arrived in Afghanistan, even though the purchase was made in 2010.

So in other words, it was just one more example of war PROFITEERING.

Edited by lightly
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but, as questionmark listed....

2. Not a single boat has arrived in Afghanistan, even though the purchase was made in 2010.

So in other words, it was just one more example of war PROFITEERING.

And there is only one river in 'Stan that has water all year: The Kabul River...in the center of the country....

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My father had a nice boat. He called it his hole in the water into which he shoveled money. The Afghans are lucky they never arrived.

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I am the only one having an *Independence Day* flash back with, paraphrased "what did you think they spent $380 on tiolet seats?"

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And I always thought that the minimum requirement for a higher ranking military was the ability to read a map.....

I think we can all agree that military spending is ripe for criticism, but to take that angle is a bit silly in my opinion. The 8 boats were intended for river patrols, but were never sent.

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I think we can all agree that military spending is ripe for criticism, but to take that angle is a bit silly in my opinion. The 8 boats were intended for river patrols, but were never sent.

Yes, and the $ was paid and received, rest assured.

But for whatever reason, the boats were never delivered. The military industrial complex was apparent in Vietnam when I was there, just kind of an accepted relation between private contractors and military personnel. Of course it's much easier to see, in retrospect.

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Yes, and the $ was paid and received, rest assured.

But for whatever reason, the boats were never delivered. The military industrial complex was apparent in Vietnam when I was there, just kind of an accepted relation between private contractors and military personnel. Of course it's much easier to see, in retrospect.

The boats were not delivered because the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan that asked for them canceled the request. Since the boats were almost finished they went ahead a completed them.

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Thanks Bama.

So what DID become of the tax payer dollars then? Or to the boats?

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Thanks Bama.

So what DID become of the tax payer dollars then? Or to the boats?

The boats are in storage and unless there is an invasion of a country with larger rivers will most probably end as present to an "allied government". If all that fails you will soon be able to buy them as Armed Forces Surplus (at 1% of its original cost) because it does not seem that any forces branch needs any.

Edited by questionmark
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Thanks Bama.

So what DID become of the tax payer dollars then? Or to the boats?

I don't know, but I live in Florida and I wouldn't mind having one. I'll keep an eye on government auction sites and see if I can get one.

Edited to add: The money is gone, just like much of our tax dollars, wasted by our ever so efficient government.

Edited by Bama13
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$3 million?... Chump change... You should see what the government spends on coffee... Or paper clips...

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$3 million?... Chump change... You should see what the government spends on coffee... Or paper clips...

Yep, but that coffee is at least used in quenching unproductive worker's thirst while attaching useless forms with paper clips... now that is different!

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