Senators introduced an amendment to the Senate version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would give the Pentagon wartime procurement powers, allowing it to purchase more arms for Ukraine.
According to Defense News, the amendment would allow the Pentagon to purchase arms using multi-year contracting authorities, which are typically reserved for procuring naval vessels and warplanes.
It would grant the Pentagon the power to lock in contracts for the fiscal year 2023 and 2024 to buy munitions made by Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, and Raytheon, the former employer of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The weapons makers have been cashing in on the US and NATO policy of arming Ukraine, and the amendment aims to incentivize them to increase the production of certain arms. The legislation would allow the Pentagon to partner with NATO to purchase weapons for alliance members in mass quantities.
The amendment would also remove other bureaucratic barriers, including allowing the Pentagon to purchase arms for Ukraine with non-competitive contracts. It would also wave a requirement for contractors to provide certified cost and pricing data, which are meant to ensure the Pentagon is paying a fair price.
The legislation shows that Congress expects to be supporting Ukraine in its war for years to come. Politico reported last week that NATO has a 10-year plan to rebuild Ukraine’s military and arms industry to shift the country’s armed forces from using Soviet equipment to primarily using NATO weapons.
A senior congressional aid speaking with Defense News said that the amendment could also be used to purchase weapons so the US could better confront China. “Whether you want to call it wartime contracting or emergency contracting, we can’t play around anymore,” the aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“We can’t pussyfoot around with minimum-sustaining-rate buys of these munitions. It’s hard to think of something as high on everybody’s list as buying a ton of munitions for the next few years, for our operational plans against China and continuing to supply Ukraine,” the aide added.
The Senate’s NDAA also includes $10 billion in military aid for Taiwan that will be disbursed over the next five years. The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the NDAA once mid-term elections are over in November. After that happens, the House and the Senate need to negotiate the final version in a conference, where amendments could be altered or removed.
As Kurt Vonnegut would say, so it goes.
Yeah, I say that a lot too.
“Lawmakers Seek Emergency Powers for the Pentagon to Buy Arms for Ukraine An amendment to the 2023 NDAA would loosen restrictions on the Pentagon’s ability to buy weapons through long-term contracts”
“Kleptocracy (from Greek κλέπτης kléptēs, “thief”, κλέπτω kléptō, “I steal”, and -κρατία -kratía from κράτος krátos, “power, rule”) is a government whose corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) use political power to expropriate the wealth of the people and land they govern!”
So how about all those Political Action Committee donations from the defense industry? American politicians feeding at the slop trough.
Yes … donate a dollar, get back $1,000 … it’s the greatest racket in the world other than central banking.
If the US officially switches to “wartime” procedures over Ukraine, that’s barely different from and a huge step towards declaring war on Russia. Escalation has vast costs that are hard to anticipate and aren’t being accounted for.
We are great at making bitter enemies, and are eagerly searching for more. If only we spent a tenth the effort and resources building peaceful coexistence confronting humanity’s many serious problems. Alas, corporations don’t get no-bid multi-year contracts unless the effort involves blowing people up.
cha-ching
cha-ching
lets hear those cash registers ring
its all on your dime
so we dont mind
its about profit
and those who pay
arent in…
cha-ching
cha-ching
$$$$$$$$$$$$$ https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/7e996d82bfad20c801b39ba4c2ef3da3d7d37b82c11181947b968a52dbdbeeb1.jpg
Nicely presented!
thanks-i wish it wasn’t real
Ditto that, ditto that…
The War in Ukraine could last as long as the Afghan war if it`s left to the yanks.
The earth won’t last that long though, nor its inhabitants.
“Whether you want to call it wartime contracting or emergency contracting, we can’t play around anymore,” the aide said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.”
Why is this so called aide being given anonymity? This is not national sec info, just corruption writ very large. Name and shame, reporters.
These unnamed senators should be identified, have their citizenship revoked and deported to Ukraine.
https://ourfiniteworld.com/2022/10/18/why-financial-approaches-wont-fix-the-worlds-economic-problems-this-time/
Why Financial Approaches won’t fix the world’s economic problems this time. Authored by Gail Tverberg.
Next step, military dictatorship, full frontal fascism.
What a bunch of A-holes.
We get much faster action on money for weapons than for any other topic that ought to be considered in Congress.
https://geopol.pt/2022/10/18/o-super-ciclo-do-leviata-termina-lideres-ocidentais-fingem-que-nao-veem/
Leviathan’s super cycle ends; Western leaders pretend not to see. Alastair Crooke.
When was the last time we were not in a “emergency”? Just emergency funding for this, and for that, emergency funding for everyone! Everyone in the MIC that is. Never money for healthcare, the homeless, peace.
Russia is about to take all of Ukraine and bring a decisive end to this nonsense. Calling NATO’s bluff, with Russian tanks and troops right there on the Polish border, drones swarming overhead. Under Russian-occupation, the US will be hysterical, but they won’t be delivering any weapons to Ukraine.
With the onset of winter, the European people will be in open revolt.
In three weeks the GOP will take the House — possibly the Senate as well. Come January, the Dems will be neutered and Brandon’s Neocon handlers and their lackeys will be under full investigative assault.
You are watching the end of The Empire of Lies and the end of the Neocon tyranny
Interesting times.
“In three weeks the GOP will take the House — possibly the Senate as well. Come January, the Dems will be neutered and Brandon’s Neocon handlers and their lackeys will be under full investigative assault.”
That’s funny. The implication being what? Something better?
“Something better?”
No. Things will get worse. The US is at war with itself.
The Dems could have accepted their victory in 2020 with grace, but instead chose to escalate the culture war and use their power to attack all the Trump associates and supporters.
Now, the GOP is about to retake that power, and I expect they will then go after the Dems. The war will go on and things will just get worse.
“Something better?”
No. Things will get worse. The US is at war with itself.
The Dems could have accepted their victory in 2020 with grace, but instead chose to escalate the culture war and use their power to attack all the Trump associates and supporters.
Now, the GOP is about to retake that power, and I expect they will then go after the Dems. The war will go on and things will just get worse.
They make it sound like Vietnam all over again. When the truth is they are looting treasury. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4b7d86698c2a5ca145ce498d4bcad21677e87b9b70f19fc20fd02aa0827f0043.png
In real life, both of them would have had their staffers kick the stinky homeless person out of their sight and gone back to pretending they’re the beautiful people.
Death of the empire.