DoD: $500m in weapons and equipment disappears in Yemen
The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has lost track of about five hundred million bucks worth of weapons and equipment that they supplied to the Yemeni government in their fight against al Qaeda and Iran-backed rebels.
With Yemen in turmoil and its government splintering, the Defense Department has lost its ability to monitor the whereabouts of small arms, ammunition, night-vision goggles, patrol boats, vehicles and other supplies donated by the United States. The situation has grown worse since the United States closed its embassy in Sanaa, the capital, last month and withdrew many of its military advisers.
[…]
“We have to assume it’s completely compromised and gone,” said a legislative aide on Capitol Hill who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The Post provides this helpful inventory;
The Pentagon is on top of it, though. They claim that they’ve halted shipments and aid to the nonexistent Yemeni government. The article says that the lost hardware won’t shift the balance of power in the country since everyone there has guns and there is a pretty extensive weapons bazaar system. If it won’t help, then why were we providing it in the first place? That’s a stupid conclusion.
“The administration really wanted to stick with this narrative that Yemen was different from Iraq, that we were going to do it with fewer people, that we were going to do it on the cheap,” said Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. “They were trying to do with a minimalist approach because it needed to fit with this narrative .?.?. that we’re not going to have a repeat of Iraq.”
Yeah, well, Iraq is a repeat of Iraq at this point. I guess we know now where our $770 million Tricare surplus went.
Category: Terror War
Why is this NOT a surprise?
Does that doofus in the Oval Office think that it’s all just like a paintball game or something?
Half a billion in tax money that could have gone to something else, like pay raises for the enlisted pukes – WASTED.
And Yemen was Barry’s poster child for his success in the War on Terror.
How’s that working for ya, Barry?
The Glorious Leader likes the idea of disarming We The People, yet he’s perfectly willing to give away tons of hardware to a 3rd-world anarchy. I’m trying to make sense of this.
Trying.
Trying.
Shit, I give up. There is no rational explanation.
“Fast ‘n Furious +++”
On steroids.
Bahahaha….. They Meth….
The latest reason to not allow us to have any M885 “because the government needs to send it to Yemen.”
Conversation…”You *lost* a CN-235-300 Tactical Transport Aircraft?!?!? You LOST A CN-235-300 Tactical Transport Aircraft?!?!? HOW THE FLYING MONKEY FUCK DO YOU “LOSE” a CN-235-300 Tactical Transport Aircraft?!?!?!?”
Is this the movie STRIPES?!?!?!?!??!
“In my defense, sir, I would just like to say…uh…oops…?”
Those two Coastal Patrol Boats aren’t exactly dinghies….
+35
I think the federal debt just got explained in microcosm.
A couple of soldiers just took it to get it washed.
Realax guys…it had an RFID chip affixed to the landing gear strut with zip ties.
While I agree with Rep. Thornberry, the phrase “on the cheap” really grates my nerves.
Just my .02
+1
Well, at least he didn’t say ‘YOLO’. That makes me want to punch my monitor every time.
Don’t even get me started on those people who use ‘literally’ as a synonym for ‘figuratively’. GAAAAAH!!!
And somewhere at Camp Swampy a PFC is being Art 15’d and having to pay for a lost NVG (or PT Belt, or sheets, …)
Yep, this sounds like a good job for CSA Odierno before he retires.
Investigating Officer for the 500M Report of Survey.
The packing list for a Yemeni summer deployment should include a CONEX full of blank forms.
I’m actually attaching the article and image to a subordinate’s missing gear statement. Not sure how a service member can be required to reimburse the government, when the DOD loses $500M…including weapons and NVGs.
Not holding my breath….but the point will be made.
I’m thinking that’s going to go over like a lead balloon. BUT would love to hear about how that works out..
I lost my bayonet during the Gulf War and $12.00 was deducted from my pay statement after we returned home… the unwritten but very real policy of the 1/3 ACR was, “No Field Loss for E-4 And Below”
I noticed that they also “lost” four UH-1 helicopters. Those were first class birds in RVN, 1969. At least they didn’t “lose” a Blackhawk.
FWIW, I am more worried about the NVGs than the rifles and handguns.
Richard, Hueys are still first class birds.
When the very last Blackhawk is deleted from the inventory, it will be sling loaded to the boneyard by a Huey.
Signed: Old former Huey Crewchief.
We use lots of Hueys for firefighting, both government-owned (local, county, state, and federal) and private contract. Apart from the National Guard, you’ll almost never see a Blackhawk on a fire.
They’re more expensive, more complex, break more often, are more expensive to fix, and require a much larger LZ. Hueys, on the other hand, get the job done just fine, they can get a pretty large load of personnel or cargo into a small midslope helispot in heavy timber, and are still very maneuverable with a slingloaded bucket or a belly tank. Hell, I hear the UH-1Y model actually has MORE slingload capability than a Blackhawk, due to having the same engines on a lighter airframe.
Not saying the Blackhawk is not a great aircraft for what it does (or that it’s not better for its primary military role), just that the good ol’ Huey does more things better in general, and for less money to boot.
Roger That !!
Hueys have, and always will have, the Right Stuff.
+67
I thought I saw one fly overhead the other day, and stood staring at it thinking, ‘Didn’t they retire those about twenty years ago?’
From what you are saying…I guess not. 🙂
The USAF and USMC still use them. I assume the USN does as well then.
USAF uses the UH-1N, USMC uses the UH-1Y.
The UH-1Y is a brand-new variant with a slightly-lengthened airframe, more advanced avionics, the engines of a Blackhawk, and superior performance. It’s designed to operate alongside the Osprey for the next 30+ years, and it still breaks less often than a Blackhawk.
While I normally engage in optimism, in this case, I can’t. However, I can hope and pray that whoever is trying to fly any of those aircraft crashes and burns. Big time.
No,No, not all. Only the fixed wing aircraft.
Don’t be crashing and burning my beloved Hueys.
Oh, the humanity !!
Seconded. The Huey is as American as the Stars and Stripes, baseball, and the 1911.
CLAW131, as much as I appreciate your love for your iron bird, the damage from spinning rotors when one of those things crashes, and the shrapnel it ejects on impact, will do enough damage to onlookers to make me extremely happy.
I just cannot believe anyone does something this incredibly moronic, and then I find out whose bright idea it was. That explains everything.
The Yemeni government stopped existing some four months ago, and maybe even earlier if you really dig into it. I can actually believe it now when bodaprez the dumbass says he gets his reports from the media.
When aid goes to a foreign government, it’s the State Dept. that handles it all, and probably oversaw what they were giving away, so it falls on Lurch, over at State.
He’s so smart, I’m surprised he didn’t send more.
He’s too busy making the news show circuit, shaking his finger at Sen. Cotton
Obama’s hands have never been within a hundred miles of any cotton.
/*ducks and runs*
Thats not 100% accurate as its a shared responsibility with State and DOD and to a certain extent depends on the color of the money.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (through the Combatant Commands) has responsibility for the lions share of end use monitoring, which “knowing where the stuff is” certainly is part off. While State can be considered an unindicted co-conspirator, DOD should get the blame.
Also, when we “give” stuff to a foreign country it is actually a lease/loan with the US retaining title until the items life span is expended.
Yet another way in which “The Last Centurion” is turning out to be eerily prophetic.
Thank you, TOW. You are personally responsible for me having to buy ANOTHER book. Like I don’t have enough, already.
😀
Hey, don’t blame me! Blame the guy who wrote it! I’m pretty sure he posts here…
Anyway, I’ve already read it six times, plus I’m jonesing pretty hard for the next volume of the “Kildar” series by the same guy. I’m thinking I’ll probably go for round seven in a few months. I’ve currently got a couple of historical nonfiction books, plus the whole “Destroyermen” WWII/scifi series lined up, in between work, house/yardwork projects, range time, weapons tweaking, daily viewing sessions of “Harry the Bunny” with my daughter (best and most important part of the day), devising new and ingenious ways to make eager young firefighters hate me, and generally keeping Mrs. Whitey happy. What can I say? I’m a busy man.
Anyway, it’s one of the top three best books I ever read. Other two are the Bible and “Last of the Breed” by Louis L’Amour.
‘Last of the Breed’ – pure adventure, best of l’Amour.
Are we going to maybe have a ‘best books I’ve ever read’ thread some day?
better subdivide that a bit… that’s kinda like saying “what’s the best movie ever?” Have to narrow it down (comedy, war movie, Western, etc.) Unless of course you are willing to accept the only REAL answer – “Casablanca”.
Don’t forget to include a “Picture Book” category for some of us…
Good point about categories. I just finished “Killing Patton” by Bill O’Reilly. That was an excellent book! Other great nonfiction works (that category includes the Bible, though I know some will disagree. I still love you guys anyway) include “Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors,” “Into the Fire” (about Ploesti), “The Last Stand of Fox Company,” “A Higher Call” (about Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown–not THAT one, the B-17 pilot), and “The Esperanza Fire” (about an incident very near and dear to my heart). The best one, however, was “Strong Men, Armed” by Robert Leckie. That dude had a way with words that could make paint drying into a page-turner.
Well, if the leader of the DRC is flying it, you can take it to the bank that it will crash!
🙂
And we can’t supply the Kurd again why? You know the people actually fighting ISIS???
I don’t know what you guys are whining about. We ALWAYS find that lost equipment…when we recapture it from the enemy.
Although, I will confess that, for once, it would be nice to get it back in the condition we last saw it in. 🙁
/heavy sarc
What. The. Fuck.
Seriously, how do you lose track of something that huge?
Am I the only one who sees this as old Sotero giving aid and comfort to the enemy?
You thought Carter was bad? At least Carter was a Veteran!
I say, IMPEACH THE BUM! Impeach and convict this bum for incompetence and malfeasance. Throw him out on a rail, then give him a one-way airplane ride to Havana. He’d like it there.
Goodbye, Sotero. January 20th 2017 cannot come soon enough!
I just hope that the first Black president being a worthless bum won’t make life tougher on future Black Presidential candidates. Sure, Barry was a bum, but Herman Cain is Black enough to make Barry look Whiter than Paris Hilton, and he’d do a much better job than Sotero ever could.
Semper Idem…I agree. Lose track? With all our satellite and drone surveillance, surely we can locate the aircraft and Humvees and take them out and maybe even the caches of weapons.
Yet another “Arab Spring” success story – courtesy of the current US Administration.
(I do hope the sarcasm above is blindingly obvious.)
I can’t see!!! I’m blind from the obvios sarcasm!!!
🙂
Hope and change ! ! ! Ahhhh nothing to see here move on…. Bahahaha ! ! ! !
Incompetence in the White Hosed runs all the way through the entire government proving the adage is true…
“A fish rots from the head down…”
And yes, the White Hosed…
I’m actually waiting for the current pResident to rename the White House. You know, something a little more…imperial. Like “The White Imperial Summer Palace.” I’m also watching for the large bronze statue of the One to appear on the front lawn.
I once “owned” an airfield complete with two new C-12s, first class fire trucks, hangers, ops building, et al. Report of Survey during change of command inventory found two pair of lineman’s gloves missing (I was deemed not responsible, btw) so I’m sure this ROS is gonna be a big one. Poor Lurch. regards, Alemaster
Much as I decry the waste of the money, and the loss of all that FINE, BEAUTIFUL equipment (sigh. . .sob),
I’m not worried about it showing up over here to be used against us . . . unless we go back over there to attempt to recover it (stupidity on steroids).
As all of you who have been over to the ME in any way, shape, form or capacity can attest, those camel jockeys over there can’t take care of and maintain anything more complex than a straight stick. And I worry about the stick’s straightness.
There does appear to be rather strong evidence as to why there is so little modern manufacturing on that continent.
There’s at least one of them who can fix things. And he’s sorta-kinda on our side.
I’m sure that since the following article has come out, his days are numbered though….
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/03/18/skilled-gunsmith-helps-kurds-turn-isis-guns-on-terrorists/?intcmp=HPBucket
“The Pentagon is on top of it, though. They claim that they’ve halted shipments and aid to the nonexistent Yemeni government.” They’ve HALTED shipments? Indicating they were STILL sending them Christmas gifts until this little faux pas? The only thing the Pentagon is on top of is unmerited ARCOMs, PT belts and screwing over AD and retired personnel. I can see and hear it now.
Commander “Okay who can fly this?”
Akmed lifts hand, “I watch Apocalypse Now Redux” ten times.”
“Okay Akmed you are now first piloter of machine. So take us all for ride, yes?”
So Akmed manages to crank her up and with a much difficulty, due to the overload of 18 guys and the commander farting around with the copilot controls, goes straight up to 800 feet. Then it happens. He tries to go forward…too quickly…and then, guess what it’s called kids, “Mast Bump”!!! Yea that’s right! Big time! The guys all feel and watch as their two main rotors head off into the wild blue yonder and the are descending at the expected rate of fall. All are praying to Allah by now. Some think they will jump off the skids for a better chance. Nope. It all ends in a wonderful and colorful flashing ball of fuel fire and Huey parts going off like the biggest hand grenade you ever saw. Akmed, on the way down, can only look through his fear at the commander and smile that pained, well I tried smile.
So I say, please by all means, as much as I love those Hueys, you guys go ahead try to fly them.
By the way Mast Bump on the ground can happen, and it is a REAL crowd please for all those cheering, AK-47 shooting, happy brothers, standing close and watching. Hope all the birds parked close together then!
Yep, pretty tough lesson to learn.
Autorotation is impossible when the main rotor blades are not attached to the aircraft.
You mean using the Jesus-Nut from a UH1 is frowned upon?
That SHOULD HAVE said “using the Jesus-Nut for an ash tray…”
Where’s my dang editor!
nbcguy54ACTUAL…ROTFLMAO! Haven’t heard that in a while! You bet, the “Jesus-Nut” belongs in one place and ONE place only!
I was wondering about that.
I first thought you meant to say “losing” the Jesus-Nut is frowned upon.
But on second thought, Hell No, a frown would not be my first facial expression if that occurred, especially in flight.
Claw131 – being the old CE that you are, I’m sure that you or an acquaintance has at least once, while in flight, tapped that new WO1 on the shoulder, produced a Jesus-Nut, and innocently asked: “sir, where does this go?”
Remember that old 80s movie “The Beast” about the Russian tanker in Afghanistan joining up with the muj to take out his own tank? George Dzundza from “Law & Order” was the tank commander and the “T-72” was a refurbed T-55 the Israelis captured from the Syrians.
The muj find a (not really) Russian chopper parked next to what the crew didn’t know was a poisoned water hole. The tribe leader says, “Hussein! You know how to drive. Fly this thing!”
The Other Whitey…LMAO! Yes I remember that one. Same mentality.
Well, after spending some quality time with the geese at a nearby wetland area, I took into consideration the very simple thing that ever goose knows: ya gotta know how to fly that thing!
Unless I miss my guess, the only people on the Saudi peninsula who DO know how to fly that thing (e.g., the CN-35) are over at whichever Saudi facility US peeps are on duty. If any of the aviation stuff can be located, they could be nicely disable with a well-aimed spray of Warthog 52mm stuff.
Don’t they have beacons kind of like lo-jac for locating downed or parked aircraft?
If so, then nuke ’em!
Once upon a time as a E5,I signed for a piece of equipment without sighting it. 3 years later I was asked to produce this piece of equipment (a drawing of a refrigerating unit on a 4×8 sheet of plywood). Of course I did not even know what I had signed for let alone know what it was. It had been declared a training something or other but I was on the hook for it. I remembered that we needed a table for a beer party and that we had used a sheet of plywood. Yup, this was it but we had cut it into smaller pieces. The Navy was ready to call out ONI.
A LT buddy of mine at Bragg signed for a BUILDING that could not be found when he PCS’d and had to sign over the hand receipts. After a lot of anguish it was found that Post Engineers had assigned building numbers based on an aerial photo. This was in the mid 60’s so we’re not talking Google Earth resolution.
Turns out the building he signed for was actually a big ass shop van that got a Post Eng Building number…it had moved.
Was on a operation in which our corpsman dropped his M9 after we got off the bird. Of course he didn’t say anything until we were well into it. What did we do? Back tracked our entire movement and spent the whole damn night looking for that M9. We eventually found it, but holy shit.
Then I read fucking stories like this where higher practically just gives away serialized military gear to the enemy.
Fuck.
My first unit in Germany had a missing deuce – every IG visit, we would “borrow” a deuce from the unit next door with the same bumper number, paint a little section to turn 328 into 326, and when the IG asked, point to the vehicle an say “it’s there but it’s deadlined.” It wasn’t till the unit was deactivated years later that they finally figured out the vehicle was never originally there and that everyone had been pencilwhipping the IG for almost 20 years.
pfffft …
This is nothing!
There is $1B in missing hardware in Iraq
Another $400+M in lost gear in Afganisfuck
And what do you suppose the value was of all the UH’s we de-mil’d off the aircraft carriers in ‘Nam.
But let some poor E-4 lose his rife …
Don Rumsfeld on Sept 10 2001 testified to the HASC that the Pentagon couldn’t account for over $2 trillion. This matter appears to have been pretty much brushed under some humongous rug somewhere. Back then you didn’t hear the word “trillion” tossed around that much.
500 mil?
I thought that’d be like, 2 hammers and a zero gee flush toilet?
This is why we cant have nice things(gear).
Well, this should account for some of the missing stuff in Yemen.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/death-toll-rises-to-126-in-yemen-mosque-bombings-medical-source/ar-BBiucmr