Why John McCain called this $13 billion aircraft carrier a “spectacular” debacle

[unhappycamper]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/10/01/why-john-mccain-called-this-13-billion-aircraft-carrier-a-spectacular-debacle/



Our latest $13.9 billion dollar UNFINISHED aircraft carrier

Why John McCain called this $13 billion aircraft carrier a “spectacular” debacle
By Christian Davenport
October 1 at 2:23 PM

As the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier enters the annals of troubled acquisition programs—billions over budget, years behind schedule—it follows a familiar script, becoming yet another example of how the Pentagon struggles with buying major weapons systems.

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But one thing stands out about the Ford-class carrier program that separates it from other flawed Pentagon acquisitions: the fact that Congress’ watchdog predicted many of the exact failures now plaguing the program almost a decade ago.

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The GAO even predicted in 2007 that the cost of the first ship was in danger of going 22 percent over budget. “Fast forward to today, 2015, cost increases are 22 percent,” said Paul Francis, the GAO’s managing director of Acquisition and Sourcing Management.

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“We cannot afford another acquisition failure like the Ford-class aircraft acrrier, especially in the current fiscal environment,” McCain said.

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If only the USS Gerald R Ford were the Navy's only problem:

* $7 ~ $9 billion dollar Virginia-class submarines
* a new Ohio-class replacement submarine
* $5.6 billion dollar stealth destroyers
* $1.8 billion dollar Aegis-class destroyers
* $800 million dollar Littoral Combat Ships (were originally projected to cost $200 million dollars)