WASHINGTON (AP) – The Navy secretary has spent more than a full year of his five-year tenure on overseas travel, racking up more than 930,000 miles on trips that cost the taxpayer more than $4.7 million.
Ray Mabus, the former Mississippi governor, has taken at least 40 trips outside the U.S as of July 2014, meeting officials and visiting sailors and Marines in more than 100 countries – travel he said is critical to his job in furthering U.S. and Navy interests abroad.
The inspector general investigated after receiving a complaint about his travel and cleared him of any wrongdoing, Mabus said, but his 373 days on the road contrast with those of Army Secretary John McHugh, who took fewer than half the trips at less than half the cost over the same time period.
According to data obtained and compiled by The Associated Press, Mabus’ flights cost $4.6 million for fuel, maintenance and crew. Mabus also spent about $116,000 on hotels, meals and other costs. The Army leader’s trips totaled 126 days and cost about $2 million for the flights. He spent under $33,000 for hotels, meals and other personal expenses on his 18 trips.
Mabus’ entourage includes a security officer, military assistant, policy advisers and a public affairs officer – about seven people in all. Their per diem travel costs would approximate Mabus’ and could add as much as $700,000 to the total costs of the travel. McHugh travels with up to 10 staff, so the per diem expenses could total more than $300,000.