More Failure to Support the Troops
Sun May 04, 2008 at 05:51:02 AM PDT
The New York Times today has a story telling a sorry tale of failure in Iraq. A 2004 bulletin issued to Army commanders across Iraq offers a warning.
Because of flawed electrical work by contractors, the bulletin stated, soldiers at American bases in Iraq had received severe electrical shocks, and some had even been electrocuted.
The story continues to tell the tale of faulty oversight of contractors as more troops have been injured or even killed since the original warning was issued.
American electricians who worked for KBR, the Houston-based defense contractor that is responsible for maintaining American bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, said they repeatedly warned company managers and military officials about unsafe electrical work, which was often performed by poorly trained Iraqis and Afghans paid just a few dollars a day.
KBR is one of several companies which have garnered billions of dollars of contract work since the beginning of the war.
Outsourcing has become the state of war in Iraq to the detriment of our troops in some instances as is the case in this story of electrical wiring. Even when KBR admitted there was trouble
KBR itself told the Pentagon in early 2007 about unsafe electrical wiring at a base near the Baghdad airport, but no repairs were made.
the situation went without correction. Less than a year later a soldier was electrocuted while showering.
The Defense Contract Management Agency
is the Department of Defense (DoD) contract manager, ensuring acquisition programs are delivered on time, within cost, and meet performance requirements.
Keith Ernst, who stepped down as director of DCMA this past week, describes the personnel responsible for insuring the adequacy of contract work in Iraq.
DCMA maintains a cadre of approximately 83 military and civilian personnel in
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait to support LOGCAP.
With a combined total of only 83 people to insure the adequacy of performance in two war theaters should we be surprised at the failures? In his remarks, Ernst said
"We don’t have the technical capability for overseeing life support systems.
such as electrical wiring. How very sad for our troops.
The Bush administration leads the way in allowing industries and corporations to supervise themselves to the continued detriment of both our troops and the American public at large. One DCMA official admitted
All the contract officers can do is check the paperwork.
That process allows the fabrication of reports to cover up faulty work.
How much longer will the American public stand for this egregious abuse of tax dollars? When will we come to our senses and begin to demand accountability and responsibility from our government? Can we correct this course or are we already too late?
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Peace.
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