Air Force Diverts Missile Funds To Modify Qatari 747... Money is being taken from Sentinel ICBM program, which is over budget.

• Thursday at 7:09 AM

• #2

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

12,049

US

What specifically are your issues here? Your article says excess money is being utilized and there is no effect on the program.

On a side note my grandpa was a QA engineer for the Minuteman 3 program.

 

Last edited: Thursday at 7:14 AM

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Thursday at 11:07 AM

• #3

3DDave

Aerospace

May 23, 2013

11,473

US

From the article:

"That seems to be at odds with the Air Force’s decision in March to pause some aspects of the Sentinel program because of ballooning costs. "

Seems like Air Force Secretary Troy Meink is not interested in getting fired and will say what is necessary to keep his job, especially since he was just given the job a couple of months ago. He was nominated to his previous position by Trump as well.

Any overage should have been returned to the Treasury, not set aside as a slush fund, though I expect it wasn't a slush fund, but a gutting of the Sentinel program.

The Air Force will have to dig entirely new nuclear missile silos for the LGM-35A Sentinel, creating another complication for a troubled program that is already facing future cost and schedule overruns.

The Air Force originally hoped the existing silos that have housed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles could be adapted to launch Sentinel missiles, which would be more efficient than digging entirely new silos.

But a test project at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California showed that approach would be fraught with further problems and cause the program to run even further behind and over budget, the service said.

Click to expand...

Sentinel nuclear missiles will need new silos, Air Force says

The Sentinel ICBM program is already alarmingly over budget, and trying to reuse 55-year-old Minuteman III silos would put it even further behind.

www.defensenews.com

There's no "extra" in that program.

I recall when diversion of funds in ways not set in law by Congress was a problem.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Thursday at 6:26 PM

• #4

IRstuff

Aerospace

Jun 3, 2002

44,895

US

3DDave said:

I recall when diversion of funds in ways not set in law by Congress was a problem.

Click to expand...

That's still hypothetically true, I think

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 2:20 AM

• #5

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

12,049

US

Is this money congressionally appropriated or part of the Air Force's discretionary budget? Certainly, some of the funding was allocated by Congres but not all of it. The diversion was only 0.2% of the Sentinel cost so far.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 4:00 AM

• #6

IRstuff

Aerospace

Jun 3, 2002

44,895

US

Anything that is a contract, particularly for a major weapons system, is not discretionary

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 4:54 AM

• #7

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

12,049

US

Sure, there is money that is contractually obligated. Is there zero additional funding that may not be? Not even 0.2%?

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 5:32 AM

• #8

IRstuff

Aerospace

Jun 3, 2002

44,895

US

TugboatEng said:

Is there zero additional funding that may not be?

Click to expand...

That. by definition, is discretionary, but that's not what's happening. The AF uses its discretionary and surpluses to cover overruns that it deems necessary.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 5:42 AM

• #9

3DDave

Aerospace

May 23, 2013

11,473

US

The trajectory is that it will take 1 to 2 years to rebuild the aircraft, which will leave as little as 1 year of use before it is transferred to the Trump "library."

There will also be deficiencies over the plane that is contracted for in exchange for a decrease in nuclear deterrence or a loss in some other area as funding is manipulated to complete this.

Recall the $6000 toilet seat? Wait until the bills for this come out.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 6:19 AM

• #10

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

12,049

US

I absolutely understand how a toilet seat ends up costing $6000. I've always said that everybody's understanding of supply and demand is totally backwards. Demand lowers prices! A one off toilet seat that has to go through any type of regulatory approval is going to be exceedingly expensive. I'm shocked that anybody here would use this as an gotcha. Even procurement costs money. If it takes an office person 3-4 hours to find a specific toilet seat that's already $600-800 without even buying the seat.

Boeing isn't meeting their commitment to provide an aircraft that Trump ordered in his previous presidency. Maybe this is a necessary action to get Boeing to realize that they can be bypassed.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 6:27 AM

• #11

3DDave

Aerospace

May 23, 2013

11,473

US

This relieves pressure on the only company in the country who can deliver a replacement. No need to rush now.

Maybe the original plane would have been on schedule if over 1 million Americans hadn't died because Trump failed to keep the international borders closed to Covid.

I was referring to the lies about the $6000 toilet seat that are now going to become true.

 

Upvote 0 Downvote

• Yesterday at 6:41 AM

• #12

TugboatEng

Marine/Ocean

Nov 1, 2015

12,049

US

I don't understand. This is what Trump was working against. Not a face mask in sight.

I'm not making this political. I only asked if all of the funding for Sentinel was congressionally appropriated or if some of it was discretionary. Isn't that de-escalation?

 

Upvote 0 Downvote