5 ms·

I am more surprised we are paying for soldiers to ship their vehicles around the world.

esseph 1y ago
Troops have families. Home goods get shipped too, of course.
netsharc 1y ago
Free healthcare for the rest of your life. Help with college costs.. Funny how one of the biggest budget items in the country is used for a socialist system...
- Alupis 1y ago
  By dollars spent, the US operates the largest health and human services system in the world. YTD, the US has spent approximately $4.5T[1] on health and human services, of which approximately $1.9T are health-related alone. In 2024, the US Government's total revenue was approximately $4.9T[2]. [1] https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/ https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/feder... [2] https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61185 https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61185
  - actionfromafar 1y ago
    Thank god most of that money goes to good capitalist middle men, or it would look like some kind of socialized welfare.
- wkat4242 1y ago
  Most jobs don't get you shot at though. I mean shooting at my colleagues is frowned upon by HR in my office.
  - kaikai 1y ago
    Shooting at your colleagues is frowned upon in the military, too.
    - wkat4242 1y ago
      Oh yeah true but in my job my colleagues are the enemies lol
  - jerlam 1y ago
    Most jobs in the US military don't involve shooting, or being shot at, either. Last major war, only 11% were combat forces. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio
- ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
  high school understanding of "socialist system"
- toast0 1y ago
  From quick reading, seems like if you serve at least 2 years (or leave from a service connected injury) and get an honorable discharge, you get VA healthcare, although lower priority levels have to pay copays, so not entirely free? Looks like signing up for the military is an 8 year commitment, which is often at least 3 years of active duty and the remainder on reserves. Kind of a lot of commitment for health care, and kind of a lot of risk on the job. If you can manage to stay in for 20 years though, the pension seems pretty nice; I live near a navy base and a lot of parents of my kid's sports team are approaching 20 years, getting paid a pension while having a second career is pretty neat.
Alupis 1y ago
You are ordered where to go, and have little input into that decision. The military will typically ship one vehicle free of charge to your new duty station.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
reaperducer 1y ago
I am more surprised we are paying for soldiers to ship their vehicles around the world. When you drive near a military base, it's a great time to play license plate bingo. I've seen both Hawaii and Guam in Arizona.
hollerith 1y ago
The Army needs to be able to move military hardware around the world quickly. Maybe they consider this good practice.
- Jtsummers 1y ago
  Unless things have changed, these are typically shipped on commercial vessels with the DOD covering the cost.
  - hollerith 1y ago
    OK, but maybe they plan to use the same group of commercial shippers for the miltary hardware. (Now you are going to tell me that most of these shippers are Chinese, completely demolishing my conjecture.)
    - seanmcdirmid 1y ago
      If its an American to American port, the Jones act would mean an American shipper. I'm guessing they would use Chinese if it wasn't though.
  - pigbearpig 1y ago
    Yes, that's likely much cheaper than loading up an aircraft carrier with a bunch of Mustangs and Silverados. They're still likely bound to some sort of lowest bidder for contracts. It's also likely to be more economical than having the person find their own transport and reimbursing them.
    - detaro 1y ago
      There are some pictures of aircraft carriers loaded with civilian crew cars, but that's when the carriers home port changes, so it does the trip anyways.
pigbearpig 1y ago
It's a pretty robust logistics system. The tour lengths are 2-3 years. If your job demanded that you relocate to another continent for 3 years I think we'd all expect some relocation assistance.
- wkat4242 1y ago
  True but providing a local vehicle pool might be a lot more sensible. That way vehicles are more innocuous and also meet the local requirements better. Think of the UK for example where they drive on the left. I've driven my Dutch car there and while it was possible with some stickers on the headlamps, it was a real PITA when trying to enter a parking garage because the ticket machine is on the other side.
Qem 1y ago
Wait until you discover if they run people over abroad diplomatic immunity can be claimed: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Harry_Dunn https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Harry_Dunn

Troops have families. Home goods get shipped too, of course.

Free healthcare for the rest of your life. Help with college costs.. Funny how one of the biggest budget items in the country is used for a socialist system...

Alupis 1y ago
By dollars spent, the US operates the largest health and human services system in the world. YTD, the US has spent approximately $4.5T[1] on health and human services, of which approximately $1.9T are health-related alone. In 2024, the US Government's total revenue was approximately $4.9T[2]. [1] https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/federal-spending/ https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/feder... [2] https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61185 https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61185
- actionfromafar 1y ago
  Thank god most of that money goes to good capitalist middle men, or it would look like some kind of socialized welfare.
wkat4242 1y ago
Most jobs don't get you shot at though. I mean shooting at my colleagues is frowned upon by HR in my office.
- kaikai 1y ago
  Shooting at your colleagues is frowned upon in the military, too.
  - wkat4242 1y ago
    Oh yeah true but in my job my colleagues are the enemies lol
- jerlam 1y ago
  Most jobs in the US military don't involve shooting, or being shot at, either. Last major war, only 11% were combat forces. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tooth-to-tail_ratio
ahmeneeroe-v2 1y ago
high school understanding of "socialist system"
toast0 1y ago
From quick reading, seems like if you serve at least 2 years (or leave from a service connected injury) and get an honorable discharge, you get VA healthcare, although lower priority levels have to pay copays, so not entirely free? Looks like signing up for the military is an 8 year commitment, which is often at least 3 years of active duty and the remainder on reserves. Kind of a lot of commitment for health care, and kind of a lot of risk on the job. If you can manage to stay in for 20 years though, the pension seems pretty nice; I live near a navy base and a lot of parents of my kid's sports team are approaching 20 years, getting paid a pension while having a second career is pretty neat.

Alupis 1y ago

You are ordered where to go, and have little input into that decision. The military will typically ship one vehicle free of charge to your new duty station.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

reaperducer 1y ago

I am more surprised we are paying for soldiers to ship their vehicles around the world. When you drive near a military base, it's a great time to play license plate bingo. I've seen both Hawaii and Guam in Arizona.

hollerith 1y ago

The Army needs to be able to move military hardware around the world quickly. Maybe they consider this good practice.

Jtsummers 1y ago
Unless things have changed, these are typically shipped on commercial vessels with the DOD covering the cost.
- hollerith 1y ago
  OK, but maybe they plan to use the same group of commercial shippers for the miltary hardware. (Now you are going to tell me that most of these shippers are Chinese, completely demolishing my conjecture.)
  - seanmcdirmid 1y ago
    If its an American to American port, the Jones act would mean an American shipper. I'm guessing they would use Chinese if it wasn't though.
- pigbearpig 1y ago
  Yes, that's likely much cheaper than loading up an aircraft carrier with a bunch of Mustangs and Silverados. They're still likely bound to some sort of lowest bidder for contracts. It's also likely to be more economical than having the person find their own transport and reimbursing them.
  - detaro 1y ago
    There are some pictures of aircraft carriers loaded with civilian crew cars, but that's when the carriers home port changes, so it does the trip anyways.

pigbearpig 1y ago

It's a pretty robust logistics system. The tour lengths are 2-3 years. If your job demanded that you relocate to another continent for 3 years I think we'd all expect some relocation assistance.

wkat4242 1y ago
True but providing a local vehicle pool might be a lot more sensible. That way vehicles are more innocuous and also meet the local requirements better. Think of the UK for example where they drive on the left. I've driven my Dutch car there and while it was possible with some stickers on the headlamps, it was a real PITA when trying to enter a parking garage because the ticket machine is on the other side.

Qem 1y ago

Wait until you discover if they run people over abroad diplomatic immunity can be claimed: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Harry_Dunn https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Harry_Dunn