Throwback Thursday: Army Spent $38M for Gas Masks with No Improvements

Between 1969 and 1982, the U.S. Army spent $38 million – $111 million in 2022 dollars – to make improvements to gas masks, all for a final product that was no better than what they started with.

Sen. William Proxmire, a Democrat from Wisconsin, gave the U.S. Army his Golden Fleece Award for this bureaucratic ineptitude.

In 1969, the Army’s Material Development and Readiness Command (DARCOM) began work on a new type of gas mask to protect soldiers, as well as pilots and tank commanders, from deadly poisonous gasses and biological weapons.

Thirteen years later, operational testing revealed only one improvement from the previous model: enhanced visibility. The tradeoff for this enhanced visibility was a shorter average time until failure (46 hours as opposed to a previous 1617 hours). Other issues included more fragile lenses, a silicon frame that would deform in hot climates, and filters that were no better than the ones used thirteen years prior.

When it was revealed at an “In Process Review” to military leaders, most objected to its use, including the Marine Corps and the Army Logistics Evaluation Agency. Unfortunately, despite poor reviews, DARCOM insisted that production continue.

Sen. Proxmire also points out that while most examples of government waste are humorous, it’s important to recognize that in many cases, there are real consequences to abject mismanagement. In this case, troops were forced to enter combat situations with outdated technology. If resources had been diverted from this failing project earlier on, perhaps there could have been improvements in other equipment that could have kept our troops safer.

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