Mythical Missile Defense or Men (and Women)?

Just when you thought that maybe, just maybe it might be safe to be a soldier/sailor/airman/marine, we find that the Administration that seems to dislike draftees also does not have a real soft spot for their volunteers either. Now they talk a good game, mind you, but this cold, hard, little fact seems to put a different spin on the Pentagon and the 1600 Crew's priorities. There is according to a report issued on September 11, 2002 (love the irony) by the CDC which points out there is not enough funding to support the manufacture and distribution of some vaccines for our troops.

Sept 11, 2002 (CIDRAP News) – The Department of Defense's (DoD's) vaccine acquisition program is poorly organized and underfunded, making it difficult for the department to obtain important vaccines and maintain the supply of existing ones, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). "Such an inefficient acquisition process puts military readiness at risk," the report states. "Some militarily important vaccines are not available, in whole or in part, because of poorly aligned acquisition processes and an inadequate commitment of financial resources rather than uncleared scientific or technological hurdles."

The numbers from the Defense Budget seem to support the building of a stoopid missile defense program, long discredited as a boondoggle for the Defense industry that is deeply entrenched with the 1600 Crew, as this op-ed piece from the Des Moines Register seems to point out

This is a problem. Iraq has admitted to making thousands of gallons of the botulinum toxin that can kill within hours. There's a vaccine available, but no money to have it made.

It's hard to make sense of this when defense spending rose from $275 billion in 1997 to $345 billion last year. The Pentagon projects it will need $408 billion by 2007. The increase will pay for everything from new missile systems to wage increases for soldiers. Isn't there a half-billion in there somewhere to ensure soldiers get the necessary shots?

So again, here we are, asking the question: Why does the 1600 Crew seem to say one thing to our troops, and support an entirely different policy?

As the 1600 Crew moves more and more troops into the Central Command Theatre of Operations, shouldn't our troops be getting the benefits of our Tax Dollars to support them with EVERYTHING they need? Why is our Tax Money going to defense contractors who produce nothing (but questionable results on the missile defense system) instead of one who produces a vaccine that will likely save our citizen-soldiers on the battlefield. I'm guessing here, but I think that if you asked the troops, they'd want anything that might bring them home alive. It's tough to appreciate whiz-bang missile defense when you are dead or dying of anthrax or botulism or some other biological agent. Grrrr.

Does the 1600 Crew really care?