Dispensable expenses

The United States Air Force got taken to the cleaners by wildly overpaying for soap dispensers and other aircraft parts, according to an Oct. 29 inspector general’s report. The report detailed how the Air Force allegedly overpaid defense contractor Boeing by $149,072 for soap dispensers that were part of a larger spare parts order for the branch’s C-17 cargo jets. While the total number of soap dispensers ordered from Boeing is redacted from the report, the review indicates the Air Force paid nearly 80 times more than the cost of a commercially available substitute. According to the Department of Defense, the overpayments on spare parts for the C-17 cost the government nearly $1 million.