Air Force One, which carries the President of the United States, is getting two new refrigerators. These two new chillers will cost taxpayers a grand total of $23,657,671. This high cost includes the cost of testing and certification, as Air Force One has very specific requirements, and contractors must have high-level security clearances. The previous refrigerators were installed in 1990. They were designed for short term food storage; however, Air Force One reportedly needs storage room for 3,000 meals to cover passengers and personnel. They want to be able to refrigerate enough food for a long enough time so that there is no need to buy food at their destination.
In December 2016, President Trump had criticized the $4 billion plan to replace VC-25As. The plane the president has been riding in has been operating for over 20 years now. I do not object to the replacement of the chillers, as they must be a bit out of date and worn out after such a long time in use. However, even though it is the president they are serving who is bound to have a ton of personnel aboard, I do believe the requirements are a bit lavish and unnecessary. If these new chillers can last another 20 years it may be more worth it, but it might just outlast the plane.
What are your thoughts?
Do you think $24 million is a reasonable price to pay the two chillers for Air Force One?
Is this a good investment?
Sources:
Business Insider
Washington Post
3 comments:
I don't think there is anything wrong with getting a new refrigerator on the president's plane. I'm not sure how they will each cost 12 million dollars, even with the extensive security process. I would say this is probably a good investment, but it might have been a better investment to just replace the whole plane as the current model is getting old and Boeing is phasing out the 747 anyway.
Yes, I think the one issue is whether or not the fridges will remain relevant in the near future. Another is the exuberant cost; $24 million is a pretty steep price for a set of fridges, and until I see some logical and worthwhile reason behind the cost, I will deem it a huge waste of spending.
Over 23 million dollars spent on just two refrigerators seems like an absurd waste of money, even with the cost of testing and such. If the refrigerators do end up lasting for around 20 years, that's still $500,000 spent on each fridge per year. I don't know if the stated cost includes maintenance, but I'm no fridge expert. Maybe the technology behind safe long-term food storage requires more resources than one would expect.
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