Sen. Tom Coburn has no love for the Pentagon’s “Iron Man” suit project, which Special Operations Command spearheaded earlier this year.
The Oklahoma Republican included the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) in his 2014 “Wastebook,” which highlights federal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.
“The world increasingly appears to be in disarray with the chaos, confusion and uncertainty growing ever closer. All the while, the leadership in our nation’s capital is ever more distant, disconnected, and absent,” Mr. Coburn wrote, Defense News reported Wednesday. The 2014 edition includes 100 programs that the senator wants scrapped.
In February, the former head of SOCOM, Adm. William McRaven, told an audience at the National Defense Industrial Association symposium in Washington that he expected TALOS to be ready by 2018.
“That suit, if done correctly, will yield a revolutionary improvement in survivability and capability for special operators,” Adm. McRaven said, Stars and Stripes reported on Feb. 11. “If we do TALOS right, it will be a huge comparative advantage over our enemies and give the warriors the protection they need in a very demanding environment.”
The senator’s report says TALOS is estimated to cost $80 million, but will likely cost much more. An unnamed defense industry official told him that $1 billion is a more accurate estimate of the project’s cost.
SEE ALSO: Adm. McRaven: Expect special forces ‘Iron Man’ suits by 2018
“Like most things in Washington, the cost of producing even the simplest of things often cost many times what it would elsewhere, as one observer unwittingly noted,” said Mr. Coburn, Defense News reported.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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