Conservatives support the troops -- unless it means paying for medical care like Viagra

Conservatives are outraged over reports that the Pentagon spent more than $500,000 on Viagra last year, but science shows critics don’t really know what they’re talking about.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that the U.S. Department of Defense issued 60 contracts, which were filed under “troop support,” for the drug to Cardinal Health, Inc., an Ohio-based pharmaceutical company.

The Pentagon also ordered nearly $20,000 worth of other drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, the website reported.

“At $25 a pill, the amount of Viagra purchased by the Pentagon could have led to up to 80,770 hours, 33 minutes, and 36 seconds of sexual enhancement, assuming that no erection lasted more than the medically advised 4 hour maximum,” the website reported, borrowing language from the drugs’ advertisements.

The Pentagon has offered Viagra, as well as other treatments for erectile dysfunction, through its TRICARE insurance coverage since 1998, when the drug cost $10 a pill.

A recent study found that male military service members under 40 suffer from erectile dysfunction at a far higher rate than other men in the same age group – with one-third of male troops reporting they experience the condition, versus about 7 percent for non-military men.

The University of Southern California study, which was published last year, found that conditions associated with military service – such as relocation, deployment, and combat – may have contributed to erectile dysfunction.

More than 360 service members took part in the study, which found that about 46 percent of the troops who experience combat likely had post-traumatic stress disorder.

About 80 percent of service members who suffered from PTSD also reported sexual functioning problems, the researchers found.

The Pentagon is continuing to research the findings to help improve service members’ health, fitness, and morale.