The Department of Defense is under fire this week after a government watchdog group uncovered some “gratuitous” spending habits. Between 2011 and 2014 the Pentagon spent $43 million of taxpayer money to build a compressed natural gas station in Afghanistan, according to a report revealed Monday (Nov. 2).
In the report John Spoko, Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, noted that the gas station started at around $3 million, but ballooned past $40 million in what was described mostly as “overhead” expenses. Spoko says the Pentagon hasn’t been forthcoming with specifics about where the money actually went.
The station was built in Sheberghan, Afghanistan, and touted as a project to help lesson the country’s dependence on foreign oil. However, gas stations in neighboring Pakistan cost around $500,000.
“One of the most troubling aspects of this project is that the Department of Defense claims that it is unable to provide and explanation for the high cost of the project or to answer any other questions concerning its planning, implementation or outcome,” said Spoko.
The Pentagon has not publicly addressed the gas station situation.
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Photo: SIGAR
