procurement news stories on Newser

Don't Let 'Waste' Taunts Prompt More Waste

Matt Cantor — Thu, 14 May 2009 09:01:27 CDT

Fearful of appearing wasteful, the Defense Department wants to dump a contract for new presidential helicopters and start fresh—but that means losing $4 billion already spent on the project. It’s the same old story when it comes to “wasteful procurement,” writes Gail Collins in the New York Times : contracts...

Contractors Targeted in Pentagon Cuts

Rob Quinn — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 04:53:31 CDT

The Pentagon's new budget proposal cuts the role of private contractors by a third—back to pre-9/11 levels—the Washington Post reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to replace tens of thousands of contracted workers with people employed directly by the Pentagon, especially among the vast workforce tasked with buying...

Gates Axes F-22 in Pentagon Budget Overhaul

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:54:51 CDT

Defense Secretary Robert Gates today recommended halting production of the F-22 fighter jet and scrapping a new helicopter for the president as he outlined deep cuts to many of the military's biggest weapons programs. Gates said his $534 billion budget proposal represents a "fundamental overhaul" in defense acquisition and reflects...

US Ambassador Implicated in China Arms Deal

Jason Farago — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 07:23:49 CDT

The American ambassador to Albania personally endorsed a plan to disguise the origin of munitions bought by a Pentagon contractor, according to Congressional testimony. The New York Times traveled to Albania during an earlier investigation of a shady 22-year-old arms dealer operating out of Miami Beach. But the Albanian defense...

US Supplier Arms Afghan Forces With Ancient Ammo

Jason Farago — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:13:34 CDT

The US military's main supplier for munitions to Afghanistan is an unvetted business run by a 22-year-old with no military experience and a string of domestic violence allegations, an investigation by the New York Times finds. And the tiny company's shady dealings with arms traffickers has left Afghan forces armed...

Panel Rips Army Fraud 'Crisis'

Peter Fearon — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 04:51:38 CDT

The Army is under fire for failing to train enough officers to supervise billions of dollars in contracts and allowing waste and fraud to flourish, reports the New York Times . The problems have "created a crisis," according to an independent six-member panel appointed by Army Secretary Pete Geren and charged...