DefenceTalkPresident-elect Donald Trump called Tuesday for the cancellation of a multi-billion dollar Boeing contract to build the next Air Force One, calling the ballooning costs “ridiculous.” “Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!” Trump tweeted. Converting a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/trump-says-new-air-force-one-too-costly-cancel-order-68642/

DefenceTalkBoeing warned Thursday that second-quarter earnings will be hit by $2.1 billion in unexpected after tax costs, including its third charge in a year on a large Air Force tanker contract. Boeing said its quarterly earnings release on July 27 will recognize $393 million in costs associated with the KC-46 tanker program, a next-generation military […]https://www.defencetalk.com/boeing-hit-by-2-1-bn-in-tanker-production-costs-67888/

DefenceTalkA recent report from the Congressional Research Service, which examines the cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and other global “War on Terror” operations since 9/11, calculates a cumulative (fiscal year 2001 through fiscal year 2014) nominal price tag of $1.6 trillion. Adding the war funding for fiscal year 2015 that was passed in December pushes the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/wars-in-the-middle-east-have-cost-taxpayers-almost-1-7-trillion-62208/

DefenceTalkRecently, the Project On Government Oversight reported on the unaffordability of the Navy’s long-term shipbuilding budget and on the fact that its acquisition plans will actually cost much more than the service expects. According to the Congressional Budget Office, which uses a more realistic way of evaluating long-term acquisition plans, the Navy will need $76 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-navy-tries-to-cover-up-new-carriers-exploding-cost-61169/

DefenceTalkWith the recent collapse of the Iraqi state and its armed forces, the American taxpayer might correctly question how effective U.S. security assistance to Afghanistan has been over the past decade and whether the Afghan security state might similarly falter after the bulk of U.S. and NATO forces redeploy from the country at the end […]https://www.defencetalk.com/c-27a-shining-example-of-the-billions-wasted-in-afghanistan-60038/

DefenceTalkPresident Barack Obama recently announced that, following the end of major combat operations in Afghanistan this year, the United States will retain a residual force of 9,800 troops to continue to train local security forces and conduct counterterrorism operations. Under this new plan, the number of troops in Afghanistan will continue to decline until Fiscal […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-afghan-war-plan-announced-but-how-much-will-it-cost-59746/

DefenceTalkThis time it is the head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Dr. Arati Prabhakar, making the same observation as virtually every other senior uniform and civilian leader in the Department of Defense: U.S. weapons systems cost too much. In an interview for the Defense News with Vago Muradian television show, Dr. Prabhakar […]https://www.defencetalk.com/technology-is-not-the-solution-to-the-high-cost-of-weapons-systems-59667/

DefenceTalkDespite incessant technical problems and delays, the US military has no plans to cancel the new F-35 fighter jet, the costliest weapons program in Pentagon history. The Joint Strike Fighter has been touted as a technological wonder that will dominate the skies but it has suffered one setback after another, putting the project seven years […]https://www.defencetalk.com/why-is-the-us-spending-so-much-on-the-f-35-fighter-58842/

DefenceTalkBoeing and the U.S. Air Force Sustainment Center (AFSC) have entered into an overarching public-private partnership that will streamline supply chain contracting, saving money and speeding up execution by as much as 10 months. The partnership – the first of its kind – allows the three Air Force logistics complexes that are under the AFSC […]https://www.defencetalk.com/boeing-partners-with-us-air-force-to-reduce-supply-chain-costs-49620/

DefenceTalkThe price tag for the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers is set to top more than £6 billion as the Government prepares to announce further cost overruns, according to reports. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond is expected to announce the projected cost of the two carriers – which will not enter service until the end of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cost-of-uk-aircraft-carriers-passes-6-billion-49568/