Eisenhower warned us....history is proving him right.
The now cancelled EFV....an armored amphibious tractor that was to scoot across the water at 25MPH....at a unit cost of just over 22 Million USD ...and a program cost of 10, 000 Million USD....encountered some "burps" according to a Marine Officer involved in the program.
Some expensive burping!
What could the Marines have bought they really needed with that wasted money?
The replacement cost of an M-1 Abrams Tank is billed as being 4.3 Million USD as a comparison.
Current issue AAV's the EFV was to replace cost 2.3-2.5 Million USD. Roughly one tenth of the EFV price.
The USS America, the new LHA(R) that has been modified to support the V-22 (the size of the 22 was the reason for the change) at a cost of 2,300 Million USD does not even have a well deck anymore as it's predecessor did.
Again...more expense...less capability....does this seem a pattern here?