A U.S.-led program to support Afghanistan has been wasting millions of dollars buying unneeded spare vehicle parts, a watchdog warned.
“The Combined Security Transition Command (CSTC-A) is placing orders for vehicle spare parts without accurate information on what parts are needed or are already in stock,” said a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the top U.S. watchdog for that nation.
Federal investigators found warehouses with boxes of spare parts stacked up to the ceiling. Since 2011, CSTC-A has reduced on paper the number of parts it needed from 3,843 to 576. But the office still spent $130 million purchasing thousands of parts inspectors said likely weren’t needed.
Worse, U.S. officials couldn’t be sure the parts were going to help their intended target. They could only confirm that 10 percent of the parts were being transferred to the Afghan National Army.
“CSTC-A cannot provide documentation confirming delivery or title transfer to the ANA for vehicle spare parts delivered during 2010 through 2012,” investigators said.
And the Afghan army itself is doing a poor job of tracking what parts it has in its inventory, where they are and what additional supplies might be needed, SIGAR said.
CSTC-A officials said they would stop purchasing all nonessential vehicle parts until a comprehensive inventory can be completed. CSTC-A is a U.S.-led international coalition, the job of which is to help train Afghanistan security forces. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Kenneth Tovo is the current commander.
Since the beginning of combat operations in 2002, the U.S. has spent close to $100 billion on aid for rebuilding Afghanistan. But SIGAR, headed by Inspector General John Sopko, repeatedly has found examples of waste in the war-torn nation, including $1 billion on fees and taxes imposed by the local government and $190 million lost to a corrupt health system.
“The Combined Security Transition Command (CSTC-A) is placing orders for vehicle spare parts without accurate information on what parts are needed or are already in stock,” said a report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the top U.S. watchdog for that nation.
Federal investigators found warehouses with boxes of spare parts stacked up to the ceiling. Since 2011, CSTC-A has reduced on paper the number of parts it needed from 3,843 to 576. But the office still spent $130 million purchasing thousands of parts inspectors said likely weren’t needed.
Worse, U.S. officials couldn’t be sure the parts were going to help their intended target. They could only confirm that 10 percent of the parts were being transferred to the Afghan National Army.
“CSTC-A cannot provide documentation confirming delivery or title transfer to the ANA for vehicle spare parts delivered during 2010 through 2012,” investigators said.
And the Afghan army itself is doing a poor job of tracking what parts it has in its inventory, where they are and what additional supplies might be needed, SIGAR said.
CSTC-A officials said they would stop purchasing all nonessential vehicle parts until a comprehensive inventory can be completed. CSTC-A is a U.S.-led international coalition, the job of which is to help train Afghanistan security forces. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Kenneth Tovo is the current commander.
Since the beginning of combat operations in 2002, the U.S. has spent close to $100 billion on aid for rebuilding Afghanistan. But SIGAR, headed by Inspector General John Sopko, repeatedly has found examples of waste in the war-torn nation, including $1 billion on fees and taxes imposed by the local government and $190 million lost to a corrupt health system.
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