US may be over-supplying Afghan military forces, SIGAR concerns

In a letter addressed to top U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan General John F. Campbell and Major General Todd T. Semonite, Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction John F. Sopko requests more detailed information on the transactions.

“I am concerned that we may be buying equipment and vehicles in quantities that exceed the needs of the ANDSF,” Sopko wrote in the letter, “I am also concerned that such large acquisitions could prompt the premature disposal of equipment and vehicles that have already been issued to the ANDSF and that have significant service life remaining.”

Sopko goes on to list several expenses paid for by the U.S. military on behalf of the ANDSF. These include $166 million for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), $35 million for M16A rifles for the Afghan National Police, $381 million for Medium Tactical Vehicles (MTVs), and $52 million for ammunition for the Afghan National Army.

Sopko is asking the top commanders stationed in the country for the final quantity required for the procurement, as well as more detailed information on the level of involvement in the procurement process by Afghan officials, and how the needs were determined.

The SIGAR is the leading U.S. government authority on Afghanistan reconstruction. The office regularly conducts audits, inspections and investigations to determine the effectiveness of reconstruction initiatives by the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

More than 14,000 reconstruction projects are underway in Afghanistan. The process began in 2002, following the U.S.-led Military Operation in Afghanistan.