![\"trnasformer\"](\"https:\/\/hcsblogdotorg.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/trnasformer.jpg?w=620\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
FORT BLISS, Texas \u2014 Army\u00a02nd Lt. James Patterson is facing court-martial after refusing to sign for his platoon\u2019s four experimental powered exoskeletons, totalling $2.3 billion in value.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just assumed I\u2019d take responsibility for this gear I can\u2019t afford to replace,\u201d Patterson complained. \u201cWe took inventory and couldn\u2019t even find one of the power suits at first. Luckily Pvt. Rico remembered seeing it in a bathroom stall in Charlie Company\u2019s barracks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patterson\u2019s commander, Capt. John Blackstone, claims that the war machines are just like any other gear.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou get your basic issue items and fourteen-hundred-page manual, then you maintain the suit like a vehicle,\u201d said Blackstone. \u201cA vehicle that runs on cold fusion, costs more than an F-16, and takes a week to inspect, but a vehicle nonetheless. I signed for weapons and stuff when I was a lieutenant, and I don\u2019t see the difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Part of the problem, according to Patterson, is that the power armor is a dangerous and wasteful expense from the start.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast week, Rico forgot his fusion\u00a0reactor on range day,\u201d Patterson contested. \u201cHe couldn\u2019t use his armor, so we all had to carry our power suits to the range instead of wearing them. One of my guys rolled an ankle, and another was crushed to death by two tons of steel.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Patterson is also being charged for manslaughter in the court-martial.<\/p>\n Rico points to other problems as well.<\/p>\n \u201cSupply was out of large regular armor, so they gave me a medium long,\u201d said Rico. \u201cI can\u2019t fit inside, and half of the components are still missing.\u201d The suit is missing\u00a0a laser cannon, an electro katana, and two ASIP radios.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Patterson concurred. \u201cMy joes spend most of their time cleaning out the star chambers on plasma blasters that don\u2019t work, and all the replacement parts are ACU, not OCP. First sergeant won\u2019t stand for mixed uniforms.\u201d<\/p>\n Blackstone has not budged. \u201cOur exoskeletons are cutting-edge tech, built to seek cover and call in air support from the F-35. We\u2019re only a few trillion dollars away from these babies dominating the battlefield.\u201d<\/p>\n In the meantime, Patterson has been transferred to S-2 so he can avoid taking on too much responsibility. He remains hopeful, as his court-martial is set to begin after everyone in the battalion\u00a0gets green on dental, sometime next decade.<\/p>\n