# I Pit the US Airforce Supply Organization **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 3, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198 "2008-07-03T16:04:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/1 "2008-07-03T16:04:15Z")
As a product manager for a smallish electronics component mfg., i have a pretty busy schedule. Every six months some moron at a US airforce base in Turkey, sends me a list of parts to quote on. I dutifully check the list, and provide a detailed quotation. There are NEVER any orders, so i figure the supply officer must have nothing to do. So the last time, i let it slide…all of a sudden, I get a frantic phone call: “WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR QUOTATION, IT IS DUE IN 24 HOURS!”…and this guy is babbling. So i drop everything, and put aside profitable business to prepare a quote for this drone. It is signed and submitted…2 months later, I follow up…the reply is “We really don’t need these parts, the manual says to request a quote every 6 months!” Stupid waste of time…I’m not surprised to see the Secretary and COS of the AF resigning, that organization is totally incompetent! ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/2 "2008-07-03T16:07:23Z")
That’s why they call it the “Error Farce.” (ducks&runs) (geese&jogs) (don’t hit me, **Doors!** ) ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/3 "2008-07-03T16:23:05Z")
[QUOTE=Argent Towers] (don’t hit me, **Doors!** ) [/QUOTE] Why would I hit you? Bureaucracies are all alike, bloated and ineffective, with lots of regulations that don’t make any sense. Next time tell them that lack of preparation on their part does not constitute an emergency on your part. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/4 "2008-07-03T16:35:27Z")
Why don’t you just stop responding? Waiting for that fateful day when they order a million series resistors or something? ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/5 "2008-07-03T16:36:35Z")
[QUOTE=Airman Doors, USAF] Why would I hit you? Bureaucracies are all alike, bloated and ineffective, with lots of regulations that don’t make any sense. Next time tell them that lack of preparation on their part does not constitute an emergency on your part. [/QUOTE] As said in AFI-26837167. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/6 "2008-07-03T17:03:37Z")
I remember reading that the air Force was ordering stuff (displays, cockpit avionics) for fighter planes that it was scrapping! None of these bozos ever thought about the waste-it is just “use up the budget”-the hell with the taxpayers! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/7 "2008-07-03T17:07:23Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I remember reading that the air Force was ordering stuff (displays, cockpit avionics) for fighter planes that it was scrapping! None of these bozos ever thought about the waste-it is just “use up the budget”-the hell with the taxpayers! [/QUOTE] Not bothering to do something and not thinking about something aren’t the same. I’m sure _somebody_ thought, “wow, this is pointless” and then realized they’d have to fill out a hundred forms to cancel the order and then appear before a congressional hearing called by whatever no-name Representative was pissy because x number of jobs would be lost in his district. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/8 "2008-07-03T17:15:22Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I remember reading that the air Force was ordering stuff (displays, cockpit avionics) for fighter planes that it was scrapping! None of these bozos ever thought about the waste-it is just “use up the budget”-the hell with the taxpayers! [/QUOTE] Not exactly the same thing but I can recall in the Army a few instances when on the rifle ranges that we had to use up everything we had, even when we were all finished qualifying/training. I never did get a straight answer as to why we were expending all the extra ammunition. Making room in the armory for new ammo? Old ammo that needed gotten rid of? Just for the fuck of it? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/9 "2008-07-03T17:26:12Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] Not exactly the same thing but I can recall in the Army a few instances when on the rifle ranges that we had to use up everything we had, even when we were all finished qualifying/training. I never did get a straight answer as to why we were expending all the extra ammunition. Making room in the armory for new ammo? Old ammo that needed gotten rid of? Just for the fuck of it? [/QUOTE] My understanding – which could be very wrong – is that it’s a budget thing. If you don’t use up everything you have, then it proves that you don’t need everything you’re getting. And so your budget gets slashed accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/10 "2008-07-03T17:28:45Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] My understanding – which could be very wrong – is that it’s a budget thing. If you don’t use up everything you have, then it proves that you don’t need everything you’re getting. And so your budget gets slashed accordingly. [/QUOTE] You know what, I think I’d heard that explanation before and I think you’re correct. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/11 "2008-07-03T17:49:57Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] My understanding – which could be very wrong – is that it’s a budget thing. If you don’t use up everything you have, then it proves that you don’t need everything you’re getting. And so your budget gets slashed accordingly. [/QUOTE] It’s an old adage of government department spending that you don’t decide how much you need and ask for that - you get as much as you can and then decide what to spend it on. That’s why Army units in Iraq have a buttload of plasma TVs and not enough body armor - they guy in the quartermaster corps in charge of TV budgeting is much better at his job than the armor guy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/12 "2008-07-03T19:53:28Z")
[QUOTE=FoieGrasIsEvil] Not exactly the same thing but I can recall in the Army a few instances when on the rifle ranges that we had to use up everything we had, even when we were all finished qualifying/training. I never did get a straight answer as to why we were expending all the extra ammunition. Making room in the armory for new ammo? Old ammo that needed gotten rid of? Just for the fuck of it? [/QUOTE] No one explained it to you? Its not like it is a secret or it is something that goes up to the Pentagon. Your S4, supply SGT or 3/5 Platoon SGT signs the allocated ammo out of the ASP (ammo supply point). The ammo is broken out of the boxes and split up for use. Any unused ammo has to be turned in and accounted for. It is a major pain in the ass. The ASP does not want ammo that has been uncrated. Your supply doesn’t want to take it back to them because it takes forever. They would rather be home drinking a beer after a long day at the range. The easy answer? Get it to the troops and let them have some fun shooting it up. It is the only time I get to shoot on three round burst or auto in the old days. Not much of a mystery. > [@](#): > > That’s why Army units in Iraq have a buttload of plasma TVs and not enough body armor - they guy in the quartermaster corps in charge of TV budgeting is much better at his job than the armor guy. Or body armor is more of a specialty item that they can’t order off the shelf in that quantity and may take a while to make. And if you are interested in facts, I am not in Iraq yet and I have the newest version of body armor. Every soldier going to Iraq has body armor. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/13 "2008-07-03T20:28:28Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Or body armor is more of a specialty item that they can’t order off the shelf in that quantity and may take a while to make. And if you are interested in facts, I am not in Iraq yet and I have the newest version of body armor. Every soldier going to Iraq has body armor. [/QUOTE] Now, perhaps. In case you missed the [memo](http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usarm124584554jan12,0,5263685.story), it wasn’t that way until quite recently. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/14 "2008-07-03T20:52:37Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] Now, perhaps. In case you missed the [memo](http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usarm124584554jan12,0,5263685.story), it wasn’t that way until quite recently. [/QUOTE] I thought your post was from today and written in the present tense. Sorry, my mistake. And did you read your site? (From 2 1/2 years ago) It is not about troops not having body armor. It is about side plates. You have to have the armor first before you can worry about the side plates. The armor is a Kevlar-like vest covering the entire upper body. Two inch wide plates are inserted into the front and rear covering the chest and back. The side plates are about four inches square and are on the sides under the arms. There is legitimate concern about the weight of the armor. It is very heavy and turns the infantry soldier into a pillbox. Not a good thing when someone is shooting at you and you are trying to take cover. And also your own site contradicts your post and agrees with mine when it comes to the body armor/plasma TV comment. > [@](#): > > The delay in the Army program, Pentagon officials say, resulted from shortages of some materials needed to produce the ceramic armor plating and the lack of a single large contractor who can produce mass orders. The Pentagon has also been sensitive to concerns that soldiers, already burdened by 75 pounds of battle gear in a desert war, would refuse to don additional armor. Not really the same situation as with plasma TVs. Which I am hoping are as widespread as you claim. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/15 "2008-07-03T21:02:06Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] Not really the same situation as with plasma TVs. Which I am hoping are as widespread as you claim. [/QUOTE] The plasma TV thing was from an article I read about a year ago, which inconveniently I can’t find. The crux of it was that each unit needed X number of TVs to watch video briefings and instructional videos and the like, and for some reason they were receiving dozens of (extra) large plasma TVs, which promptly crapped out as soon as they got sand in them anyway. I retract my assertion regarding body armor; I had assumed the plates were standard issue and that the vest itself was “incomplete” without them. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/16 "2008-07-03T21:04:05Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] No one explained it to you? Its not like it is a secret or it is something that goes up to the Pentagon. Your S4, supply SGT or 3/5 Platoon SGT signs the allocated ammo out of the ASP (ammo supply point). The ammo is broken out of the boxes and split up for use. Any unused ammo has to be turned in and accounted for. It is a major pain in the ass. The ASP does not want ammo that has been uncrated. Your supply doesn’t want to take it back to them because it takes forever. They would rather be home drinking a beer after a long day at the range. The easy answer? Get it to the troops and let them have some fun shooting it up. It is the only time I get to shoot on three round burst or auto in the old days. Not much of a mystery. Or body armor is more of a specialty item that they can’t order off the shelf in that quantity and may take a while to make. And if you are interested in facts, I am not in Iraq yet and I have the newest version of body armor. Every soldier going to Iraq has body armor. [/QUOTE] I had just asked a couple of my fellow shitheads. I never bothered to ask the armory SGT because he and I didn’t get along very well. That and the fact that it only happened a couple times and I just kinda forgot about it because it didn’t seem all that important at the time. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/17 "2008-07-03T21:40:38Z")
Not to continue this hijack, but couldn’t that ammo been put to better use than letting a bunch of guys whoop it up and go full auto? Y’know, something like aiming and improving ones scores above what was needed to qualify? (weighing the merits of marginally improving ones skills and whooping it up and going full auto) And the bastards didn’t even give you some beer to wash down all those cordite fumes? ---
**Author:** ![shellofmyformerself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@shellofmyformerself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shellofmyformerself)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/18 "2008-07-03T22:14:11Z")
Back to the OP, it’s possible they were trying to buy something from an outside source and needed three quotes before they could proceed. We used to have to do that all the time but we didn’t normally call people freaking out if we didn’t get a response, we just asked someone else. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/19 "2008-07-03T22:47:03Z")
You freak out if it’s due tomorrow, your boss will get real mad if you don’t have three quotes, and you only bothered asking three vendors for quotes because that was all you needed. I think we can imagine the Air Force is like General Motors with flogging. No, that’d be the Navy, wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198/20 "2008-07-03T23:59:29Z")
[QUOTE=dropzone] You freak out if it’s due tomorrow, your boss will get real mad if you don’t have three quotes, and you only bothered asking three vendors for quotes because that was all you needed. [/QUOTE] Oh, civilians can fully relate to that scenario, but they kinda expect the military to operate with more, um, like, military precision – and to not wait until within the last 24 hours to ask what happened to a piece of paperwork they’ve known is due since 6 months. It’s a quaint illusion they have, who have never been on the inside… [smartass aside hijack] [QUOTE=dropzone] is like General Motors with flogging. No, that’d be the Navy, wouldn’t it? [/QUOTE] Actually, as they’ve done away with two out of three of “rum, sodomy and the lash” – and the remaining one you can neither ask nor tell about, but I’m sure GM also has it – we’re left with General Motors with nukes. If they remember where they put them :eek: [/smartass aside hijack] [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-us-airforce-supply-organization/455198.md?page=2)