"The Air Force first estimated that the Expeditionary Combat Support System would cost $5.2 billion. On Nov. 14, 2012, it said it was canceling ECSS after spending up to $1.03 billion. The system “has not yielded any significant military capability,” according to an Air Force statement e-mailed to reporters. The Air Force estimated it would need $1.1 billion more to complete one-quarter of the originally designed program. Even so, it would not be ready until 2020.
Was there outrage? On Dec. 5, 2012, Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and member John McCain (R-Ariz.) of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta saying they had heard that ECSS had been canceled and that “usable hardware and software with a value of less than $150 million” remained from the program.
They called the situation “one of the most egregious examples of mismanagement in recent memory,” and added, “We believe that the public and the taxpayers deserve a clear explanation.” Among the questions they asked were “who will be held accountable, and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that this will not happen again?”"
Was there outrage? On Dec. 5, 2012, Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and member John McCain (R-Ariz.) of the Senate Armed Services Committee sent a letter to then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta saying they had heard that ECSS had been canceled and that “usable hardware and software with a value of less than $150 million” remained from the program.
They called the situation “one of the most egregious examples of mismanagement in recent memory,” and added, “We believe that the public and the taxpayers deserve a clear explanation.” Among the questions they asked were “who will be held accountable, and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that this will not happen again?”"
