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Recent Military and World News
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Contracting: A Sure Bet For Veterans
July 10, 2009
If you are interested in working in contracting once you return to civilian life, the Federal Contractor Program can help you get a jump on your career.
Use Your Military Training to Become an Operations Manager
July 10, 2009
You can translate your supply chain know-how into a successful civilian career as an Operations Manager. All you need is a degree.
Build a Career in Engineering
July 10, 2009
Take your engineering skills to the next level with a bachelor's degree. It can help prepare you for a civilian job as an engineering manager.
A Civilian Career for Military Journalists
July 10, 2009
If you'd like to build a civilian writing career, you may want to look into a degree program in English, communications, or journalism.
Defense Department Contracts for 2,400 More MRAP Vehicles
October 19, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2007 - The Defense Department has let contracts for an additional 2,400 mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, bringing the total number of the vehicles ordered to 8,800.
Pakistan's Bhutto Ends 8-Year Exile with Jubilant Homecoming
October 18, 2007
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto are cheering her homecoming after eight years in self-imposed exile.
Doonesbury Creator, Military Bloggers Compile New Book
October 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 - War can inspire great writing, like a series of superlative dispatches from servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan compiled in a new book that offers an arresting glimpse of life on the front lines.
Gates Aims to Resolve Disconnect Between Military, Security Contractors
October 18, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2007 - Multinational Force Iraq and private security contractors too often are working at cross purposes, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told Pentagon reporters today.
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Department Reviews Accountability Procedures for Iraqi Weapons
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2007 - The Defense Department is reviewing policies and procedures in place to account for weapons and equipment given to Iraqi security forces, department officials said today.
The General Accountability Office, a research arm of Congress, issued a report July 31 that cited inadequate controls on weapons and other equipment such as radios passed to Iraqi army and police units.
According to the report, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq issued about 185,000 AK-47 rifles, 170,000 pistols, 215,000 items of body armor and 140,000 helmets to Iraqi security forces as of September 2005.
Command property books have records for about 75,000 AK-47 rifles, 90,000 pistols, 80,000 items of body armor and 25,000 helmets. "Thus, DOD and MNF-I cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armor, and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22, 2005," according to the report.
The report acknowledges that the command put in place accountability systems to consolidate weapons serial numbers as early as July 2006, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. "(The report) also recognizes some of the challenges of the environment and the times you are talking about."
Little government infrastructure on the national or provincial levels in Iraq led to many weapons initially distributed to Iraqi forces being taken off the battlefield and reused, Whitman said. Many of those weapons didn't even have serial numbers.
The problem was exacerbated by a shortage of people in Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.
"Just because you can't provide a strict paper trail, that doesn't mean the weapons are not being used for their intended purposes: the Iraqi security forces," Whitman said.
The GAO report made two recommendations and Defense Department officials concur with both.
The first recommendation is that the department choose an accountability system and stick with it.
The second recommendation is to ensure there are enough people and the right technology in place to effectively use the system.
"The systems that we have ought to be continuously improved upon and refined," Whitman said.
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