Ultimately, we are to blame.  Congress appropriates, Exec disburses.  Great article Ms Downey.  Many bean counters throughout the DOD have been pulling rabbits out of hats for over a decade, at least.  There has been no federal budget for the last....what is it ?  12-14 years?  Maybe longer?  All continuing resolutions.  No lie, many of my colleagues and I have had to choose to budget copier toner - vs - paper, binder clips - vs - paper clips (and don't you dare throw them away!  you can reuse!)  It's kinda hilarious after a while, but really very sad, too.  What's unfortunate, too, is that the general public is still told that most of the waste re: spending is from DOD.  Most people are surprised when I tell them that the 2nd largest budgeted cabinet dept is the VA.  Talk about waste!  Maybe if we could recoup some of the monies from Solyndra, ACA website contractors, etc. or am I just dreaming?  Our state needs to reprioritize spending, too.  Big time.