Found via the ever wonderful Ethel the Blog:
- At al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the service bought a $2,200 coffee table.
- At Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, it bought a $24,000 loveseat and arm chair and $9,800 worth of Halloween decorations.
- At al Jaber Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the questionable spending included an $1,800 “executive high-back” pillow, a $3,000 computer tutorial titled “The Intelligent Investor” and $19,000 worth of decorative “river rock.”
- At various Air Force installations in the Persian Gulf region, the service bought a $35,000 golf cart, a $16,000 corporate golf membership and $5,333 in golf passes.
In a just-released report, the General Accounting Office informed Congress that its auditors found a number of “seemingly unneeded expenditures” made by the Air Force and Army in 2000 and 2001.
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The Air Force was also criticized for an array of what the GAO deemed unjustified and excessive spending, including:
Military experts claim that such recreational items can be a useful tool for building good relations with officials of a host country, whom base officers can invite for, say, a friendly round or two of golf.
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