Testifying to the House Armed Services Committee, Pentagon officials say they have high hopes to come up with some sort of plan that will allow them to stop paying the salaries of “ghost troops” in Afghanistan by year’s end.
Though talk of corruption within the Afghan military and “ghost troops” has been ongoing for years, last month it was revealed that the problem was far bigger than imagined, and that some 40% of the Afghan military exists only on paper.
And in the payroll. The US is on the hook for most of the huge Afghan military’s funding, at about $5 billion a year, and a good chunk of that is salaries for fictional troops, embezzled by various highly positioned officials. Embezzlement of military wages is common at any rate in corrupt countries like Afghanistan, but so much the better when the troops don’t exist in the first place and can’t really complain about not getting paid.
The Pentagon suggests that some sort of “integrated pay system” might ensure that only real troops get paid, though elaborate US-introduced systems in Afghanistan tend to cost many millions of dollars themselves, and rarely are ever implemented.
Don´t worry Jason, the Pentagon will save face by paying the retirement checks for all of those “Ghost Troops” in Afghanistan years to come. The US has no intention of leaving Afghanistan, therefore those fortunate “troops” will be able to count on an equally generous retirement package, paid by US taxpayers.
I know how to fix this…lower the flag, pack the bags and get the hell out of Dodge. Leave them to themselves. We had no business going there in the first place.They could have taken care of bin Laden (if they really wanted to, of course) and without taking over the country. Then we wouldn’t be sending American taxpayer $$$$ to Afghanistan instead of using the money to “make America great again!!”