World | USA
Pentagon trashes millions in gear and aircraft parts
Millions of dollars' worth of gear, including combat boots, helmets, vests and aircraft parts, is being junked by the Pentagon rather than stored or sold as surplus to suppliers who sometimes sell it back to the military.
- AP
- Published: 00:06 July 24, 2007
Washington: Millions of dollars' worth of gear, including combat boots, helmets, vests and aircraft parts, is being junked by the Pentagon rather than stored or sold as surplus to suppliers who sometimes sell it back to the military.
Of roughly $1.8 billion (Dh6.6 billion) worth of equipment the Defence Department downgraded to scrap from January through June, at least $330 million worth came from categories of gear the Pentagon most frequently buys back from surplus dealers, according to the National Association of Aircraft and Communication Suppliers.
Parts for aircraft, weapons and communications systems have all been junked, the group said.
Broader effort
The association, a lobbying group for surplus dealers, is worried the military's recent decision to shred retired F-14 Tomcat fighter jets is the start of a broader effort to destroy Pentagon leftovers that surplus dealers once bought routinely.
Iran is aggressively seeking F-14 components for its own ageing Tomcat fleet.
In a new lobbying campaign, association members and other surplus buyers are urging Congress to force the Pentagon to do a better job separating sensitive surplus from items considered safe to sell, rather than lumping both types of surplus together and destroying them.
The association's allegations of Pentagon waste during the war is hitting a nerve with some lawmakers.
Representative John Shadegg, a Republican, wrote to Lieutenant General Robert Dail, director of the Defence Logistics Agency, asking whether surplus equipment is being scrapped, including new items such as Camelbak backpack-style hydration packs.
"I have received reports that usable items such as sleeping bags and gloves, and auto parts such as mufflers, are being scrapped because the Defence Reutilisation and Marketing Service (DRMS) has stated that it is unable to identify them," Shadegg wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The DRMS is a Pentagon department.
Loss of revenue
Shadegg said he also was concerned about the loss of government revenue from surplus sales and about harm to small businesses in the surplus industry.
The $1.8 billion in equipment the Pentagon scrap-ped during the first six months of 2007 represents the amount the Pentagon originally paid for the items.
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