Pentagon plans to sell goggles to Iraq

[unhappycamper]

Pentagon plans to sell goggles to Iraq
Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, June 11, 2007

The Pentagon plans to sell up to 4,000 sets of high-tech night vision goggles to Iraq, despite U.S. government audits showing the deal could leave a critical U.S. military asset vulnerable to theft or diversion to insurgents, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The goggles are part of a major, $1.4 billion proposed sale of weapons and other military gear for Iraqi forces, which have been faulted along with their Pentagon supervisors for being unable to account for thousands of firearms and other battlefield equipment provided by the United States, the newspaper noted.

The sale also would send Humvees, rifles, grenade launchers and cargo trucks to Iraq, which has become a leading foreign buyer of U.S. weaponry, USA Today wrote.

The night-vision goggles, which have capabilities far beyond commercial versions, are particularly sensitive, according to USA Today, because they give troops such an advantage that the military often launches its most dangerous missions after dark.

"The night-vision goggles are an absolute treasure — it’s imperative that not one set gets into the wrong hands," Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., top Republican on the House oversight subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs, told the paper.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55444



uhc comment: The folks who OKed this musta had their beer goggles on -->

[wtmusic]

1. Plan: sell crap to the Iraqis before Obama pulls our troops out

then let them use it to massacre each other.

[DrDan]

2. there is no doubt these will be used against us within a week of their delivery

we never learn.

And - "selling" to Iraq right now probably means payment through US taxpayers through long-term "loans" (to be forgiven at a later date).

[Chipper Chat]

3. What's all this talk about selling g00gles to Iraq?

I thought googles was an American invention - let the Iraqis develop their own internets. And who knows, they may even give our googles to Iran.........what?...that's GOGGLES, not googles?.....
....
.......(grin) Nevermind!