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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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Conflicts of Interest Rampant in Pentagon Travel: Study

Foreign governments, private firms back officials' trips

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(Newser) – Pentagon officials have taken some 22,000 trips whose $26 million tab was picked up by non-governmental sources like private firms and foreign governments, a study finds. The travel is “riddled with conflicts of interest,” said the head of a group behind the study. The medical industry was the top source, he said, paying for $10 million in jaunts for military doctors and pharmacists, the Washington Post reports.

For example, a medical firm funded 15 trips for an Army doctor who later exaggerated the advantages of a drug the firm sold; a Saudi prince paid for a journey by an official from a department dealing with his government. “When we visit other countries at their invitation, it is common for the host country to pay” for various needs, said a Pentagon spokesman, noting that the US does the same for foreign dignitaries.

The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One after take off from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, on May 29, 2007.
The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One after take off from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, on May 29, 2007.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, right, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.   (AP Photo)
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The Pentagon itself should be paying for these trips. - Bill Buzenberg, Center for Public Integrity

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JonmarkP
Jun 11, 09 11:44 AM CDT
Oh noooooooooo! The Pentagon is corrupt? I would never have guessed that! Then again, we're dealing with grown men who wear little lightning bolts on their hats. Reply
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SBS
Jun 11, 09 3:12 PM CDT
No doubt they'll have a ton of excuses of why this is necessary. Then they will purchase the product being sold for three times what it is worth. It is not their (the military) money and they don't care how much they spend. Reply
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