meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
To the Point

Financial (Mis)management at the Pentagon

To the Point

KCRW

News

4.4583 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2006

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On September 10, 2001, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress that waste in the Pentagon is "a matter of life and death." He said some estimates show "we cannot trace $2.3 trillion." Then came September 11. Though Pentagon waste is hardly news, a new study has business leaders dropping their jaws. They say the Defense Department's financial management would put any civilian company out of business. "No one is accountable"... and nobody cares. The US spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined, but nobody knows if GI's in Iraq receive the equipment they need or whether it's ever been paid for. Has the War on Terror replaced the war on waste? We hear from experts in international relations, a former national security advisor and two members of the House Government Reform Committee. Making News: Bodies of Two Abducted American Soldiers RecoveredThe remains of two kidnapped American soldiers are being returned to the United States after Iraqi authorities said they showed signs of "barbaric" torture. Major General William Caldwell told reporters the area where they were found was booby-trapped. Rod Nordland, Newsweek magazine's chief foreign correspondent, joins us from Baghdad.Reporter's Notebook: Why Would North Korea Launch a Long-Range Missile?Satellite photos reportedly show that, for the first time since 1998, North Korea has fueled a ballistic missile system in the eastern part of North Korea. There's disagreement about whether it will have to be fired within a day or two or up to a month from now. The Taepodong-2 is thought to have the capability of reaching American shores. Daniel Pinkston directs the East Asia Program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute in California.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

0:07.7

Has the War on Terror replaced the War on Waste?

0:14.9

Hello again, I'm Arminolny, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International.

0:18.9

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most. It's hardly news that there's waste in the Pentagon, but a new study has business

0:25.6

leaders dropping their jaws. They say the Defense Department's financial management would put

0:30.7

any civilian company out of business. No one is accountable, and nobody cares. On to the point,

0:37.2

the U.S. spends more on defense than the rest of the world combined,

0:41.1

but nobody knows if GIs in Iraq receive the equipment they need or whether it's ever been

0:45.8

paid for.

0:46.8

Today we'll hear that's just the tip of the iceberg.

0:50.1

On reporter's notebook later on, why would North Korea test fire a ballistic missile now?

0:56.4

First, here's the news.

0:59.8

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica

1:04.3

and from the Public Radio International Program Fund,

1:07.4

whose contributors include the Ford Foundation

1:09.7

and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

1:11.8

Foundation. Hello, again, I'm only back with To the Poet. Donald Rumsfeld once said the Pentagon

1:16.2

couldn't account for $2.3 trillion. A new study by business leaders says no one is accountable,

1:23.1

and nobody cares. On To the Point, whatever happened to the war on waste, what's the impact on the war in

1:29.0

Iraq? On reporter's notebook, North Korea appears ready to test fire a missile despite warnings

1:34.5

from South Korea, Japan, France, the UN, and the United States. Why now? First, this news update,

1:41.1

the remains of two kidnapped American soldiers are being returned to the United States after Iraqi authorities said they show signs of barbaric torture.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from KCRW, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of KCRW and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.