By D. Cupples | Every dollar that pays for lost or stolen military equipment is one less dollar for our troops. Just a few months ago, we learned that 190,000 US-owned AK-47s and pistols had been lost in 2004-05, when General David Petraeus was in charge with arming Iraqi security forces. Gen. Petraeus chalked it up to clerical errors.
Yesterday, CBS News reported that $1 billion worth of all sorts of US-funded equipment is unaccounted for:
"Tractor trailers, tank recovery vehicles, crates of machine guns and rocket propelled grenades are just a sampling of more than $1 billion in unaccounted for military equipment and services provided to the Iraqi security forces, according to a new report issued today by the Pentagon Inspector General and obtained exclusively by the CBS News investigative unit. Auditors for the Inspector General reviewed equipment contracts totaling $643 million but could only find an audit trail for $83 million.
"The report details a massive failure in government procurement revealing little accountability for the billions of dollars spent purchasing military hardware for the Iraqi security forces. For example, according to the report, the military could not account for 12,712 out of 13,508 weapons, including pistols, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and machine guns." (CBS)
The big questions: 1) how much equipment has ended up "in enemy hands"; and, 2) how much was sold on the black market to provide funding for insurgents?
Not only have we taxpayers spent $450+ billion on the Iraq war, but now President Bush wants nearly $200 billion more.
This latest report from CBS is not news to any federal official who has been paying even 50% attention since the Iraq war started. Beyond that, for decades, we've seen evidence of corruption in our nation's procurement systems and fraud on the part of many government contractors.
How the Bush Administration could allow our procurement systems to remain broken for so long is beyond understanding. Fortunately, various congressional committees are looking into the problems. Perhaps Rep. Henry Waxman can help the Administration sort this out.
See Memeorandum for other bloggers' reactions.
Related BN-Politics' Posts:
* Under the Rug: Whatever happened to the 190,000 Missing Weapons?
* Army investigating Contractor Bribes & Shouldn't Stop There
* More confusing Statements about Iraq War
* How Defense Dept. Flushes Tax Dollars down Latrine
* Car Bombs Kill 25, Gates in Iraq for News Conference
* Defense Secretary Says Military Can't Protect U.S. Interests Worldwide
* White House Whines about Congressional Oversight....
* Govt. Contractors: Driving up War Costs?
THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS THE CROOKIEST BUNCH YET LIES COVER UPS THEPARDENING OF CROOKS. GET RID OF ALL THE REPUBLICANS THAT HAVE HELPED HIM IN THE CRIME WAVE
Posted by: JIM DAVIDSON | February 22, 2008 at 09:39 AM