Pentagon cited again for weak oversight of Iraq contractors

[The Straight Story]

Pentagon cited again for weak oversight of Iraq contractors

By Greg Grant
[e-mail]

The Pentagon has failed to provide adequate oversight of private companies that support American military operations in Iraq, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Because of a shortage of managers on the front lines to oversee contractor support, there is no accountability or assurance that the military is getting the services it has paid for, GAO found. Field commanders told GAO of problems getting needed spare parts and maintenance that private contractors failed to provide.

Oversight remains a problem despite assurances from recently retired Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that the military would comply with a series of recommendations made in earlier GAO reports.

The military's global war on terror has coincided with a massive outsourcing of jobs traditionally performed by uniformed personnel. In Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of private companies provide battlefield support to the troops, supplying them with everything from food and housing to Internet service and intelligence analysis.

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