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US Army Signs $471,000,000 Deal for Microsoft Software
zero_offset writes "According to this article at Yahoo, Microsoft will provide software for 494,000 Army computers during the next six years. At roughly $950 per computer this clearly involves more than just the OS, although the article unfortunately doesn't provide details, and I was unable to find any references to this on the Microsoft website." The great things about this deal: the Army is going through a reseller, when clearly they have the purchasing power to buy direct; and most of the computers they purchase are normal consumer machines which will be purchased with Windows and Office already installed, so the Army will be paying twice for each machine.
On the military in general, the USA spends more than the rest of the G7 countries combined
To me this seems completly unjustifiable when you look at the state of health care in the US which relies on inequality and people affording their own care. How about more social security for the wost off or to move up from being 22nd on the list of industrialised nations giving foreign aid donations.
I am not talking about cruise missiles. They work very well, but they were not a result of the latest stage of military procurement.
I am talking about B-1s, B-2s, F-22s etc. The stealth bombers were taken out of combat (and have not been back) after the serbs shot down a couple. Nobody knows what the hell the B-1 is supposed to be used for. The airforce is trying to get rid of it quetly.
It turns out the only useful bomber we still have is the old b-52, which was supposed to be replaced by the b1 and then by the b2.
similarly we were supposed to get 800 f22s to replace 1600 existing planes. After several cost overruns, we are going to get for the same money a 100 F22s that are so fragile and maintainance intensive, they are only used for dicovery channel documantaries.
Oh and lets not forget that weird helicopter plane crossover, that has killed about 30 marines, last time i checked, without going into a single combat mission.