Defense Logistics Agency to fix loophole
Chief Tango sends us a link to Federal News Radio which reports that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) promised congress that they’re working on plugging holes in their Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO) which supplies law enforcement with surplus from Defense Department stocks. Apparently there is big hole in the system;
GAO showed that it was able to pose as a federal agency that does not exist to get hold of $1.2 million in military gear that’s not available to the general public.
In an audit released last week, the office said its investigators, posing as employees of the fake federal agency, sought and gained approval to participate in the program by corresponding with DLA solely via email. Later, the undercover GAO employees were able to pick up more than 100 pieces of controlled property from DLA warehouses — and in two of the three cases, did so without being asked to show any form of identification.
I know you probably think there might be an easy fix to the whole problem, but you’re not in the government;
But Zina Merritt, GAO’s director of defense capabilities and management, said the equipment the office procured from DoD could have been turned into lethal weaponry with commercial items that are easily obtainable off-the-shelf.
“While DLA has taken some steps to address identified deficiencies in the program, it lacks a comprehensive framework for instituting fraud prevention and mitigation measures at all stages of the process,” she said. “DLA officials acknowledge that they have not conducted a fraud risk assessment.”
The National Archives publishes a manual every year that lists every single government agency, it’s called the US Government Manual. You’d think the folks at DLA would have a copy of the manual, or they could bookmark the link I helpfully posted, so they could check if an agency exists, but I guess not.
Category: Big Pentagon
The Commercial And Government Entity (CAGE) Code is a five-character ID number used extensively within the federal government, assigned by the Department of Defense’s Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). The CAGE code is used to support a variety of mechanized systems throughout the government and provides a standardized method of identifying a given legal entity at a specific location.
Government organizations have CAGE Codes as well.
It would seem step one would be to validate the CAGE Code and address associated with it.
As DLA is the keeper of the CAGE Code database you’d think that they would know this.
Doesn’ cover many corrupt, lying, thieving employees that are quick to line their pockets when the opportunity arises!!
A governmental agency is, by definition, inefficient, cumbersome, inept, and wasteful.
I say that as a petty bureaucrat in a governmental agency with some decades of experience.
Funny, the article says they were not able to acquire real weaponry. The original articles said they got things like night-vision goggles, and plastic training guns. If someone figures out how to turn a blue plastic trainer into an M4 easily, please let the rest of us know how.
Are you serious? Why should I care that this test did not result in the acquisition of “real weaponry?” The test showed how easy it is to obtain real weaponry. Government oversight is yet again shown to fail.
Not comforting at all. Maybe they can create another bureaucracy to fix it. Any volunteers to work on that grant to study the best solutions?
“DLA says the policies it had in place at the time of the sting would have required additional steps if the fake agency had been asking for operational firearms or aircraft” in the original article.
Shit, if I had known that I just needed to bullshit my way through a phone call or two to get my hands on a couple of .50-cals, ammo, and the truck to transport them…
Or maybe a howitzer. Or a TOW launcher! I bet that would cool as all hell on the back of my F-150! Shit, are they handing out any Strykers?
Some of the materiel I was able to get through DRMO many years ago would get me in trouble today. Yesterday not so much.
Base closings were the best as they wanted the stuff out the door and would “pad” the load with extra unknown paperwork stuff just to get rid of it.
I love my asbestos lined 4 drawer filing cabinet with combination lock top drawer and TEMPEST certification. I even have the “closed”
cardboard sign for thr top drawer.
Gate security just waved me through.
What a great country.
I wonder how hard it is to create a business that gets government contracts because they are women-owned when they’re not really owned by a woman at all? Just hypothetical…
That Government Manual link points to an INFECTED WEBSITE. My anti-virus says it’s a LoadLib exploit. Bad news!
I can’t obtain NIMA maps or training fills, let alone any hard-copy manuals, anymore. I’m not surprised the DLA didn’t have copies of the US Government Manual just sitting around. Especially not a current one.
So this means that one of my cats could apply for and get a Humvee? That is too cool for words!
Just come up with the correct but meaningless acronym, fill out the forms, show up with the electronic not-paperwork and scanstuff, and Kitty is on her way.