Pentagon Admits Billions In US Funds Disappeared in Afghanistan To “Fraud, Waste And Abuse”

A new report from the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General (DoD IG) exposes even more fraud, waste and/or corruption in America’s ongoing war in Afghanistan. This latest report reveals that more than $3.1 billion of U.S. taxpayer funds provided to the Afghan Armed Forces from 2014 through 2017 was grossly mismanaged.

According to the DoD IG, U.S. military leaders overseeing operations in Afghanistan "failed to accurately record" some 95,000 vehicles transferred to Afghan Armed Forces, along with fuel expenses and maintenance costs to keep the vehicles operational. The report issued last Wednesday was the last in a series of DoD IG audits that examined the Pentagon for “systemic challenges” in how senior officials oversee U.S. direct funding to the Afghan Armed Forces said the Military Times.

The DoD IG warned the lack of accountability via military leaders overseeing Afghanistan leaves U.S. taxpayer funds vulnerable to "fraud, waste, and abuse."

“Combined Security Transition Command–Afghanistan (CSTC-A) officials did not effectively manage and oversee the U.S. direct funding provided to the Ministries of Defense and Interior, which oversee Afghanistan’s Army and National Police, respectively,” the report stated.

“CSTC-A management and oversight of the direct funding is intended to increase [Afghan security forces] effectiveness and capabilities so the [forces] can become more professional and increasingly self-sustaining.”

Stars and Stripes, an American military newspaper, said military officials blame, what else, “inadequate staffing and security concerns” for any financial discrepancies. However, the DoD IG audit determined systemic issues are to blame.

CSTC-A officials established unrealistic and unattainable goals for the Afghans to improve their own capabilities toward achieving independence in supplying their own troops, the IG also found.

Instead, the Afghan government has remained reliant on the United States to furnish its supplies because American officials have not provided adequate training, according to the report.

Additionally, the report stated CSTC-A officials have not enforced penalties within U.S. agreements with the Afghan government. Penalties include levying fines when terms and conditions of contracts are not met, such as providing detailed logs of vehicle maintenance and fuel consumption data.

Stars and Stripes provides a summary of the latest findings from the DoD IG report:

For example, Afghan officials only provided CSTC-A fuel consumption reports for the Afghan army when directly requested by the United States, though contracts require biweekly reports. The IG concluded the United States cannot be certain that at least $174 million worth of fuel was properly used.

CSTC-A also cannot properly track the status of some 95,000 vehicles that the United States has given the Afghans because officials did not properly inventory the types and quantities of vehicles provided.

Furthermore, the IG blamed CSTC-A officials for failing to properly train the Afghans to maintain those vehicles, leaving the U.S. military to spend about $21 million to replace engines and transmissions that should have been the Afghans responsibility.

The IG report was the eighth and final report in a series of oversight investigations into CSTC-A functions since 2015. The reports have uncovered widespread issues within the command, including the commands’ inability to account for more than $700 million of ammunition provided to the Afghan security forces between 2015 and 2017.

As a result of the Pentagon’s lousy accounting practices, if not outright fraud and embezzlement, the audit notes that CSTC-A officials did not have the assurance that “$3.1 billion in U.S. direct funding was used entirely for the intended purposes.”

In other words, just over $3 billion may have been stolen.

And lastly, we will leave you with David Stockman, the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan, who recently appeared on Fox Business — calling out Trump’s record-setting defense spending for fiscal year 2018/19 as absolutely “crazy.” To that, all we can add is that with all the “fraud, waste, and abuse” via the Pentagon in America’s endless wars, the next war would leave the country even more insolvent than it is already.

Comments

Justin Case Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:07 Permalink

They can cut pensions and other socialist programs in murica, b/c they are not affordable. Being socialist is a crime.

Money pissed away by Gov't is acceptable. So is handing tax payers money to banks and corporations, but money for the people? Sorry we don't do that, you ain't part of the corporatocracy. Where did that 2 trillion disappear to? Ah never mind we can be bothered to look for it.

Check the accounts at Carlisle Group, might find some interesting deposits. That will never happen though, it's the oligarchs private bank.

Baron von Bud Bes Wed, 03/28/2018 - 21:31 Permalink

I for one am willing to give my all - my money - whatever it takes to assure the goals of our nation. I have trust in the leadership to act in our best common interest and to shun any advantage in a time of crisis.

In reply to by Bes

junction Justin Case Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:17 Permalink

"Good enough for government work." $3 billion is the tip of the iceberg.  Senator Feinstein's family made $250 million from the Iraq military construction projects she approved as chair of the Senate MilCon subcommittee.  9/11 drone attacks at the Pentagon and One World Trade Center (directed at Cantor Fitzgerald) killed scores of auditors and destroyed records of $7 billion previously looted from the Pentagon budget by Bush and Rumsfeld.  

In reply to by Justin Case

Justin Case junction Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:57 Permalink

Bush also stole $280 million of Philippine's gold with Marcos. The case was under investigation by the FBI. But one of the planes hit the 21st floor and that was the FBI offices and all the gathered information on Bush perished in the fire.

Also as you might recall the computers failed for the stock exchange and were not able to record the days trans actions. But the market was told to keep open and trading to prevent a financial collapse. So Bush sold the gold that day and there is no record of that transaction. I also wonder what happened on all the short positions taken on the 2 airlines stocks? There were massive short positions on 2 of them. Never heard squat.

In reply to by junction

bruno_the Masher1 Wed, 03/28/2018 - 20:27 Permalink

Rebuild the infrastructure...

The EU Commission has published a plan to use the infrastructure in Europe for military purposes.

The EU Commission is making plans to improve the mobility of the military in Europe. The goal of a comprehensive military union by 2025 made it necessary to be able to move troops and military material quickly, said Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc. The action plan falls into the context of growing tensions with Russia. As in the case of goods and passenger transport, tanks, troops and ammunition are supposed to circulate easier and faster within Europe, according to the will of the European Commission. 

In reply to by Masher1

Chupacabra-322 Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:13 Permalink

Bullshit.  Those stolen funds disappeared into the Pentagram’s War Dept. Black Budget.  Tack onto it the 2.3 Trillion War Criminal Treasonous Psychopath Donald Rumsfeld declared missing the day before the 911 False Flag.

 

“No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.” ~ Article I, Section 9, Clause 7, U.S. Constitution

 

The Solari Report has been covering the missing money since 2000 when Catherine Austin Fitts began to warn Americans and global investors about mortgage fraud at the US Department of Housing and Development (HUD) and the engineering of the housing bubble that lead to trillions more dollars in bailouts.

 

The Pentagon Black Budget: $21 Trillion Dollars Gone Missing

That Is $65,000 for Every Person in America. More than our entire national debt!

 

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-black-budget-21-trillion-dollars-gone-missing/5623553

zoo Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:20 Permalink

These damn american deep state idiots really piss me of sometimes. They complain about 3.1 billion missing and blame the Afghanis, while they lose trillions to black ops, corruption and buying politicians all over the world.

MusicIsYou Wed, 03/28/2018 - 19:20 Permalink

Well heck, I'd say in my own home the equivalent ratio goes into waste, fraud, and abuse. Let's see, what kind of waste, fraud, and abuse do I have going on in my own home? Well, entertainment I don't really need, snacks I don't really need, beer I don't really need. Sometimes I just go for a drive just to do it because I can, and that's still waste, fraud, and abuse.

spieslikeus MusicIsYou Wed, 03/28/2018 - 20:17 Permalink

OK, I'll bite. The difference is that it is YOUR fucking money you're talking about in your analogy, not someone else's who has entrusted you with it to not be a dick and spend it on hookers and blow. Do what you want with your money, I couldn't give a fuck; I'd like to keep more of mine instead of funding nefarious bullshit, rich politicians new summer home and LaQuisha's 8th child.

In reply to by MusicIsYou