Paying too much, getting too little

"Right now, Elon Musk and his DOGE team are just scratching the surface of what needs to be fixed in our government. What is in the future for DOGE? Stay tuned - the Pentagon's time is coming up."     

I hate to blame this on Joe Biden, so let me just say this one of those wild coincidences. What is that? This feeling really started to manifest itself during the past four years. It reminds me of that old cigarette commercial from yesteryear - "Are you smoking more and enjoying it less?" Only today it would be "Are you paying more, but getting less?" We are paying more and getting less, and so is the government.

I remember during the final months of Trump's first term. A new Air Force One was needed. So, Trump asked Boeing for a quote to build a new one. Trump was flabbergasted when he saw the price. Trump, being the master of the deal, told Boeing to go sharpen their pencils and try again. If Boeing could not do better, Trump told them he would find a different solution. All of a sudden, the price to build this new plane came way down.

I think of that story every time I hear of how much we are spending to build a new F-22, F-35, B-21, Virginia Class submarine, or a new carrier. First the good news. We have the best military equipment in the world. Now the bad news. (My opinion) - we pay way, way too much per unit for each new piece of military equipment.

When the contract for F-35 fighter jets was first released, it was estimated the price per unit would be about $40M. However, the reality is different. The price now ranges between $80M and $110M, depending upon variant. The price of a B-21 bomber is also outrageous. It is grown to $700M per plane. And the price of a single Virginia Class sub is an unbelievable $3.8B!

Now again, our subs are the best in the world. The only reason we are building the Virginia Class instead of the Seawolf, is it was determined the Seawolf was too expensive. More expensive than $3.9B per sub? Good grief!

Our Minnesota boy, the new Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has his hands full with these prices. There simply has to be a way to not have defense contractors bleed dollars on these contracts and also give the taxpayers a fair deal. Where can DOGE make an impact? Right here, right now, at the Pentagon.

I was a defense contractor for years. On some of this, I know of which I speak. Is there waste in the way we do government contracting? Yes. Is it efficient? No. Can it be improved? It must be. 

Right now, Elon Musk and his DOGE team are just scratching the surface of what needs to be fixed in our government. What is in the future for DOGE? Stay tuned - the Pentagon's time is coming up.