Rapid Fire 2010-09-15: Funding Iraq’s Defense

• Lies, Damn Lies, Statistics: As Congress consider the Obama administration’s $2 billion FY 2011 request for Iraqi security forces, the GAO says [PDF] that Iraq has a budget surplus of $52.1 billion and should pay more for its own defense; the Pentagon disputes the numbers.

• The Pentagon releases new defense acquisition and procurement guidelines designed to improve efficiency; among the proposals, increased competition for defense contracts, simpler paperwork requirements, and measures to discourage frivolous contract protests.

• U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus rules that military contractors can be sued by soldiers who allege they were harmed by improper waste disposal while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

$503.8M for New Medical Center at Fort Hood

Carl R. Darnall
medical center

The Balfour-Beatty/Mccarthy joint venture in Dallas, TX received a $503.8 million firm-fixed-price contract to design and build the Fort Hood replacement hospital in Fort Hood, TX. The estimated completion date is Jan 20/14, with work to be performed at Fort Hood, TX. Bids were solicited on the Web with 8 bids received by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District in Fort Worth, TX (W9126G-10C-0087). The existing hospital has a shortage of operating rooms and, despite improvements, the Army believes that it does not thoroughly meet the behavioral health care and other needs of Soldiers injured in the Global War on Terrorism.