Audit: Pentagon mishandled surplus equipment

[unhappycamper]

Audit: Pentagon mishandled surplus equipment
By Lara Jakes - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Feb 19, 2009 19:00:10 EST

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon may have mishandled or even lost track of thousands of surplus machine guns, armored vehicles and other pieces of demilitarized equipment sold or provided to foreign governments, according to an internal audit.

Some of the equipment was given to unauthorized nations, jeopardizing U.S. national security, according to the report by the Defense Department’s inspector general.

The lax control over surplus items “increased the risk of providing foreign governments unauthorized property that could be used to threaten our national security,” the Feb. 13 report concluded. A copy of it was obtained Thursday.

Defense Logistics Agency spokesman Douglas Ide did not immediately know whether the items at issue were sold or given to the foreign governments.

“We take the nature of the IG’s findings seriously,” Ide said in a statement. “We’re reviewing the report in light of the IG’s recent comments and will respond to the IG’s concerns.


Rest of article at: http://armytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_surplus_military_equipment_021909/%2e