quote:

‘A Dumb Decision’: Afghan Official Selects Wrong Camo Pattern, Costs U.S. $28 Million

Here’s an opportunity to learn from someone else’s expensive mistake.

According to a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Pentagon apparently spent millions of dollars more than necessary to correct a pretty stupid mistake made by an Afghan official, who chose a camouflage pattern designed for lush forests instead of the desert, which covers about 98 percent of Afghanistan’s terrain.

“They picked the pattern based on a fashion preference, not by experts, but by the minister of defense,” said John F. Sopko, the special inspector general. “That was a dumb decision.”

According to the NY Times, the forest pattern that was selected was designed and owned by HyperStealth Biotechnology Corporation, a Canadian company that has designed camouflage for the Jordan, Chile and the United Arab Emirates military.

Basically, the Afghan military was running around the brown desert wearing a camo pattern that might as well have been green Realtree camo. That’s like trying to hammer a square block through a round hole – it simply won’t work.

So next time you catch yourself wondering what your tax dollars are paying for – voilà!