Agencies Rapped Over Untracked Weapons

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Agencies Rapped Over Untracked Weapons
February 20, 2009
Associated Press

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 report raps the Defense Logistics Agency and the Navy and Air Force transport offices with failing to vigorously track the equipment. It did not find similar weaknesses within the Army.

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.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/agencies-rapped-over-untracked-weapons.html?col=1186032310810