A new travel style for Washington VIPs? It's SLICC

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They sound like first-rate in-flight accommodations -- leather chairs, a 37-inch (94-cm) flat-screen monitor, bed, couch, table -- all the comfort a traveling VIP could want.

But critics say the new amenities intended for top U.S. defense, military and other officials come with a price tag of $4.4 million, and counting.

That, plus the fact that some money for the facilities was requested in a bill meant to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has exposed the already scandal-hit U.S. Air Force to charges of extravagant waste.

The Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, a Washington-based non-profit group, revealed details about the accommodations known as Senior Leader In-Transit Conference Capsules, or SLICCs, in a letter this week to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

"In a time of war, it is critical for senior officials to visibly prioritize the needs of the men and women on the front line," POGO told Gates.

"Yet an egregious failure of leadership has come to our attention that involves breathtaking extravagance when every dollar needs to be wisely spent in a time of war."

SLICCs are two connected chambers with chairs, couch, bed and other amenities on a pallet that can be loaded onto a cargo aircraft such as a C-17 Globemaster or C-130 Hercules.

Air Force officials said the allegations of waste mischaracterize an effort to meet heightened demand for travel to trouble spots including Iraq and Afghanistan by military commanders, Defense and State Department officials, White House staff and members of Congress.  Continued...