Military Budget About Half a Trillion and the Army is Broke

Wreck the nation game.. That is what the chimpster has done to this country....

A WSJ story noticed by Stehpen Pizzo over at the Smirking Chimp.
Yesterday the WSJ's defense correspondent, Gregg Jaffe, reported that US Army officials have told the White House they are broke. Worse than broke actually. The Army, despite its $168 billion budget, is out of money and being forced to cannibalize operations, here and in the war zone, just to keep the lights on.

Here are just a few of the grim facts from Jaffe's exclusive:

According to Maj. Gen Stephen Speakes, the Army was sent to war in Iraq $56 billion short of essential equipment.

Army officials told the White House that it needs at least an additional $24 billion, not in the 2007 budget, just to pay its current bills.

Cash shortfalls have forced the Army to lay off janitorial staff, close base swimming pools, and even stop mowing lawns on Army bases.

But cuts have also hit soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army officials had to cut $3 billion for replacement of weapons in heavy use in Iraq, such as armored Humvees, two-way radios, remote control surveillance aircraft and trucks.

National Guard units now lack 40% of their critical readiness gear because it's been sent to Iraq, and the Army lacks the funds to replace it.

This budget crunch comes at a time when running the US Army never cost more, Jaffe reported.

To stem the flow of soldiers leaving the Army because of repeated deployments to Iraq the Army was forced to spend $773 million on “retention bonus' this year compared with just $85 million three years ago.