High Specs

"There are three ways to do any I thing: the right way, the wrong way and the Army way." That ancient wheeze is, if anything, more appropriate now than when it was drawing guffaws from G.I.s during World War II. The Army, Navy and Air Force still cannot do anything quite like anyone else; in particular, they are reluctant just to go out and buy something. First, someone has to draw up elaborate "military specifications" (mil-specs) for almost anything that the services buy, be it an aircraft carrier or a wood interdental stimulator (tooth-pick). Twenty-four pages are required to list the specs for T shirts, 15 pages for chewing gum, and 17 for Worcestershire sauce. One result: the Pentagon pays $10 a case for Worcestershire sauce, vs. $8 for a commercial brand.

Military officers say the specs prevent cheating by contractors and help fill special needs. Perhaps the Pentagon did have to design a carrying case for a Bell & Howell 16-mm camera that could withstand both arctic cold and desert heat--but one may wonder whether the case is worth eight times as much as the camera it holds. Defense Department Engineer Ralph Applegate was fired six years ago for disclosing that the services were paying $1,130 a piece for piston rings that civilian buyers could purchase for as little as $100 each. Explanations are still being sought about why the Navy spent $18,000 on a couch for the officers' wardroom of one destroyer. Asked what special features made the couch so expensive, an admiral replied that officers would "use it for a long time." This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.