http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/02/27000-work-in-p.html
By Noah Shachtman
February 05, 2009
Forget the drone stuff. Here is your eye-popping statistic of the
day: "This year, the Pentagon will employ 27,000 people just for
recruitment, advertising and public relations almost as many as the
total 30,000-person work force in the State Department."
That's from an Associated Press investigation, "which found that over
the past five years, the money the military spends on winning hearts
and minds at home and abroad has grown by 63 percent, to at least
$4.7 billion this year."
Staff costs take up most of the money, more than $2 billion. Another
$1.6 billion goes into recruiting. About a half-billion goes towards
"psychological operations, which targets foreign audiences." And,
finally, "$547 million goes into public affairs, which reaches
American audiences."
That last one may be the most amazing figure of 'em all. Because
getting a straightforward answer out of most military public affairs
shops is still a root-canal-painful procedure. You'd think it'd be
easier, with all those resources brought to bear.
.
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