Foreign, private sources paid for Pentagon travel

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON, June 10 (Reuters) - Pentagon employees have received millions of dollars in travel expenses from foreign countries and private industry, raising conflict of interest concerns, according to a study released on Wednesday.

The Center for Public Integrity study found that outside benefactors paid for more than 22,000 trips worth at least $26 million for U.S. military personnel and Pentagon civilian employees from 1998 to 2007.

The U.S. medical industry, manufacturing sector and the Chinese and Russian governments were among those who paid for the trips, often to popular vacation spots like Paris, Rome and Honolulu, according to the study.

"This is riddled with conflicts of interest and it is creating relationships that are worth an awful lot of money to these companies for relatively little spending," said Bill Buzenberg, executive director of the Washington-based interest group.

The Pentagon said the trips appeared to have been vetted through legal counsel to ensure compliance with travel and ethics regulations designed to avoid conflict of interest for defense employees who oversee billions of dollars in programs.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N10444408.htm

[Tx4obama]

1. A different link with more info...

http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/pentagon_travel/articles/entry/1408/

[EFerrari]

2. LOL

[No Elephants]

3. I have no idea why Americans all over the country are not rioting in the streets.

[Octafish]

4. Lots of officers should be cashiered at once.

If a cadet or midshipmen steals or lies or otherwise break the Code, they get the boot.
It should also hold true for all on active duty.

And bounce the legal counsel who said it was "OK," too.

[PufPuf23]

5. Oh Hell ... What next?

Our country needs to bring the military spending and ambition under control.

Far too many career military and contractors at the public teat, conunter productive to sustainable national interests.

Drain the pond. We are scammed suckers.

War is a senseless use of lives and resources.

Imagine the difference in the World if we cut military spending by 50%, use 20% of the current militery spending for a 21sr century Peace Corp, and use the remaining 30% for a WPA like organization bbuilding infrastructure and arts and socialized medicine for all.