Don't choke on your coffee: US Air Force in hot water over $1,220 mugs

Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/10/25/20181025_us.jpg"/><figcaption>In this file photo taken on May 31, 2007, a US soldier from the 4th Batalion Combat Team 2-321 Field Artilery 82 Airborne Division drinks a mug of coffee next to his ammunition at an undisclosed location in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, some 200 km southwest of Kabul. The US Air Force has found itself in a brewing scandal after it emerged that the service has been spending more than $1,000 to replace high tech coffee cups with fragile handles. <em>Agence France-Presse</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>WASHINGTON - The US Air Force has found itself in a brewing scandal after it emerged that the service has been spending more than $1,000 to replace high tech coffee cups with fragile handles.</p><p>The mugs in question aren&#x27;t your usual porcelain caffeine containers, rather a special copper-and-chrome plated beaker that can plug into aircraft electrical systems to keep the cherished contents nice and warm.</p><p>According to Travis Air Force Base in California, which has &quot;poured&quot; over the numbers, the cups have risen in cost from $693 each in 2016 to $1,220 in 2018, due to a lack of replacement plastic handles.</p><p>&quot;Unfortunately, when dropped, the handle breaks easily leading to the expenditure of several thousand dollars to replace the cup as replacement parts are not available,&quot; Technical Sergeant James Hodgman, a spokesman for Travis&#x27;s 60th Air Mobility Wing, wrote in a release.</p><p>The costly cups have become grounds for a grumble for at least one influential lawmaker, namely senior Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.</p><p>The stirred-up senator wrote to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson this month demanding answers about &quot;yet another&quot; report of wasteful Pentagon spending that he considered &quot;reckless spending of taxpayer dollars.&quot;</p><p>Wilson last week responded, saying it is &quot;simply irresponsible&quot; to spend so much money on such matters, and blaming the price tag on many suppliers having either gone out of business or stopped producing certain parts.</p><p>She said the Air Force is working to remedy the issue by exploring several ways of making its own parts and carrying out in-house repairs.</p><p>&quot;We recently demonstrated capability to 3-D print replacement handles for this item at a cost of about 50 cents each,&quot; Wilson wrote.</p><p>US lawmakers have passed large increases in US defense spending under President Donald Trump, but have also bemoaned exorbitant costs of some items -- including toilet seat covers for the C-17 cargo plane that cost $10,000 apiece.</p><div><strong>wat/ia</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>WASHINGTON - The US Air Force has found itself in a brewing scandal after it emerged that the service has been spending more than $1,000 to replace high tech coffee cups with fragile handles.</p>

WASHINGTON - The US Air Force has found itself in a brewing scandal after it emerged that the service has been spending more than $1,000 to replace high tech coffee cups with fragile handles.

Don't choke on your coffee: US Air Force in hot water over $1,220 mugs | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Lifestyle

Sports

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Overseas

Don't choke on your coffee: US Air Force in hot water over $1,220 mugs

Don't choke on your coffee: US Air Force in hot water over $1,220 mugs

Agence France-Presse

Published Oct 25, 2018 11:46 AM PHT

Read More:

coffee cup

coffee mug

air force

us air force

Travis Air Force Base

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.