The office of the Inspector General has submitted a report of missing military equipment in Afghanistan. The supplies missing are worth an estimated $420 million and include weapons systems, communication equipment, and encryption technology. The missing supplies represent 1.5% of the total number of equipment that is currently in Afghanistan. The report has concluded that the missing equipment was due to lack of accounting and general oversight on the part of the Army officials who were based on the main American bases – Bagram and Kandahar – in Afghanistan.
The report does not indicate if the aforementioned missing supplies went into the wrong hands. Additionally, the report also said that 133,557 pieces of military equipment has been lost as well, with its value amounting to $238.4 million from 2006 – 2010. Because the military failed to report on these losses right away, it is highly unlikely that these supplies could ever be recovered.
This report could present a further challenge on the government’s military spending as it winds down its operations in Afghanistan. It has been reported that the Pentagon will still need an additional $7 billion in order to withdraw the US troops and conclude its operations in Afghanistan by the end of this year. Although around 10,000 soldiers are expected to stay behind after December.
