Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Professional-Can1385 t1_j9sei8l wrote

It’s difficult to keep up with that much money.

41

DevoidHT t1_j9sjkr9 wrote

The US military is almost a shadow government. Not in the sense that they’re clandestinely manipulating events or whatever but they have a bigger budget(gdp) than many countries and very little oversight(compared to the civilian budget).

82

gofundyourself007 t1_j9t7nkw wrote

Yeah they have black budgets, underground SCIFs (where high ranking officials can learn of certain secrets they are cleared for), and incredibly compartmentalized to facilitate secrecy. The MIC is obsessed with compartments and modules. From their weapons platforms to their bunkers and especially with their hierarchy. I read one year (2016 I believe) that 6.5 trillion (with a T!) went “missing” into black budget projects. That’s not corruption, it’s way too much. It’s likely them spending on things they don’t want any record of. It’s very shady and needs to be thoroughly audited imo.

Edit: corrected misspelling

22

Iztac_xocoatl t1_j9thvyb wrote

SCIF not skiff. A skiff is a little boat you use to get to a bigger one on a mooring. I guess the military probably has skiff too though so technically correct

23

Cruxion t1_j9ufv94 wrote

Maybe they have underground rivers they navigate to get between all the top-secret underground military bases?

/S because you know someone's gonna take it seriously and suggest it's our first line of defense against the reptilians.

4

[deleted] t1_j9ths80 wrote

[deleted]

17

gofundyourself007 t1_j9vogzs wrote

No wonder we have a debt of over 27 trillion if we just accept that the Pentagon’s black budget is larger than their actual budget.

−2

insan3guy t1_j9v5fnc wrote

> underground skiffs where high ranking officials can learn of certain secrets they are cleared for

No you don’t understand, the navy uses skiffs, the army uses dinghies

> I read one year (2016 I believe) that 6.5 trillion went “missing” into black budget projects

I’d ask for a source but it’s probably the same place you thought you learned what a scif is for

8

gofundyourself007 t1_j9vo210 wrote

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/pentagon-audit-budget-fraud/

There’s a source that you didn’t ask for. It’s not the original it just references the original article. The 6.5 trillion was more than the Pentagon’s entire budget that year by A LOT. If it is corruption then we have a serious leak in our budget.

Also I learned about SCIFs from Congressmen who have repeatedly described being allowed into these sites (not boats). Some may even be located in the aforementioned bunkers but that’s just an educated guess.

−2

insan3guy t1_j9vul5f wrote

Good article, thanks. As you said, there's no way that amount of money is 100% corruption. On the other hand, there's no way it's all being used for things outside the scope of national defense. Sometimes secrets must be kept - the titanium procurement for the SR-71 is one such example. Yes, it's absolutely shady, but that doesn't automatically mean it's improper.

And a scif (sensitive compartmented information facility) is a place that's secure enough to store/transmit/work with certain types of documents/information. It's just a type of room built or modified to a certain certification to allow the handling of classified stuff. Less nuclear bunker and more windowless room with a faraday cage.

I've been inside a few as a lowly navy e4, they're nowhere near as exciting as people seem to think. Including congressmen who don't know what they're talking about, or who had to take the GED 3 times before passing. It's a low bar.

3

Hip_Hop_Hippos t1_j9w2xw9 wrote

Dude, a SCIF is just a room where you're allowed to store, view and discuss classified information. You're wildly overblowing these things, they aren't secret lairs (edit: typo). They're windowless rooms with a door that you can't kick in.

>The 6.5 trillion was more than the Pentagon’s entire budget that year by A LOT. If it is corruption then we have a serious leak in our budget.

And the first sentence here should be your clue that 6.5 trillion dollars didn't get spent on classified projects in a single year.

3

Hypertension123456 t1_j9t69bv wrote

Exactly. Its always been like this, everywhere. Any large scale human project has to deal with corruption and malfeasance. I'm sure when the Egyptians built the pyramids someone skimmed something for themselves. The genius is getting the job done through adversity versus failing.

8