The U.S. military has erected a 64,000-square-foot headquarters building on the dusty moonscape of southwestern Afghanistan that comes with all the tools to wage a modern war. A vast operations center with tiered seating. A briefing theater. Spacious offices. Fancy chairs. Powerful air conditioning.
Everything, that is, except troops.
The windowless, two-story structure, which is larger than a football field, was completed this year at a cost of $34 million. But the military has no plans to ever use it. Commanders in the area, who insisted three years ago that they did not need the building, now are in the process of withdrawing forces and see no reason to move into the new facility.
For many senior officers, the unused headquarters has come to symbolize the staggering cost of Pentagon mismanagement: As American troops pack up to return home, U.S.-funded contractors are placing the finishing touches on projects that are no longer required or pulling the plug after investing millions of dollars.
A major southern California highway was shut down for a U.S. Marine Corps demonstration on Oct....
A former U.S. Marine Corps colonel and combat veteran of 24 years resigned in late September,...
Amid escalating tensions with Venezuela and US military strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean,...
Roughly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown despite President...
