Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
June 10, 2008
Pg. 4
Pentagon plans to sell night-vision equipment to Iraq
By Peter Eisler, USA Today
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to sell up to 4,000 sets of high-tech night-vision goggles to Iraq, despite U.S. government audits showing that the deal could leave a critical U.S. military asset vulnerable to theft or diversion to insurgents fighting U.S. forces.
The previously unpublicized sale is sparking concern from members of Congress.
The goggles are part of a major, $1.4 billion proposed sale of weapons and other military gear for Iraqi forces, which have been faulted along with their Pentagon supervisors for being unable to account for thousands of firearms and other battlefield equipment provided by the United States in recent years.
The sale also would send Humvees, rifles, grenade launchers and cargo trucks to Iraq, which has become a leading foreign buyer of U.S. weaponry.
The night-vision goggles, which have capabilities far beyond commercial versions, are particularly sensitive because they give troops such an advantage that the military often launches its most dangerous missions after dark.
"The night-vision goggles are an absolute treasure — it's imperative that not one set gets into the wrong hands," says Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., top Republican on the House oversight subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs. After learning of the sale from USA TODAY, Shays requested a hearing to examine it.
The Iraqis need the goggles to become a capable force in nighttime operations and take over security duties, Shays says, but "we have to have a real sense of confidence that they can keep track of them. … We haven't done a good job of keeping track in the past, so we need to learn those lessons."
A series of audits by various federal agencies have detailed how Iraq's military has failed to account for weapons provided by the United States. A November 2007 audit by the Pentagon's inspector general said the military couldn't account for 12,000 weapons sold to Iraq, and a July 2007 Government Accountability Office report said 190,000 assault rifles provided to Iraqi forces could not be tracked.
Insurgents and terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda, covet night-vision goggles as a way to nullify the edge U.S. troops enjoy after dark, says Charles Beardall, the Pentagon's deputy inspector general for investigations. His office is part of a federal task force set up last year to crack down on thefts and illegal exports of military technology. Night-vision gear has accounted for more cases than any other technology.
Selling night-vision goggles to Iraq is a concern "because they are extremely attractive to the kinds of forces we're fighting" in that country, says Rachel Stohl, senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information, a non-partisan think tank. "A few (sets) in the hands of the right people can make all the difference."
Accounting for equipment provided to Iraqi forces has been spotty, acknowledges Army Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman, spokesman for the Multi-National Transition Command-Iraq, which oversees training and equipping of Iraqi forces.
However, Wellman says, the Pentagon and the Iraqis have "taken the audits to heart, (and) there's been a lot of improvement." He notes that Iraqi troops undergo retinal scans and fingerprinting when they are assigned weapons, and each piece of equipment is registered — and accountable — to a specific soldier.
The new weapons deal is the latest in a string with Iraq, which has committed at least $3 billion in the past year to buying equipment from the Pentagon. Congress got a routine notification of the proposed sale in March and took no immediate action to block it. To date, none of the items has been paid for or delivered; the Pentagon issued a notice this week seeking contractors to supply the first 200 pairs of goggles.
Iraqi forces "have reached the maturity level which justifies equipping them to the same level as (U.S.) forces … particularly because the Iraqi government is paying for this equipment," says Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie. "We are fighting the same enemy and are exposed to the same dangers and should not be any less protected or empowered."
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who sits on the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee, wants more accountability. "We've had testimony … of serious corruption in the Iraq Defense Ministry," he says. "Sending highly advanced equipment into a ministry that has been accused of being corrupt is dangerous to our own troops."
Edge in the dark
The battery-operated AN/PVS-7D night-vision goggles use an infrared light source to amplify existing light.
Some distinguishing features:
•Heat-sensing capability. Goggles can switch from amplifying light to sensing heat, for use in smoky conditions.
•Ability to identify U.S. troops. Infrared technology can pick up special uniform tabs.
•Range. A human-size target is visible 328 yards away in the moonlight (almost three football fields).
June 10, 2008
Pg. 4
Pentagon plans to sell night-vision equipment to Iraq
By Peter Eisler, USA Today
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to sell up to 4,000 sets of high-tech night-vision goggles to Iraq, despite U.S. government audits showing that the deal could leave a critical U.S. military asset vulnerable to theft or diversion to insurgents fighting U.S. forces.
The previously unpublicized sale is sparking concern from members of Congress.
The goggles are part of a major, $1.4 billion proposed sale of weapons and other military gear for Iraqi forces, which have been faulted along with their Pentagon supervisors for being unable to account for thousands of firearms and other battlefield equipment provided by the United States in recent years.
The sale also would send Humvees, rifles, grenade launchers and cargo trucks to Iraq, which has become a leading foreign buyer of U.S. weaponry.
The night-vision goggles, which have capabilities far beyond commercial versions, are particularly sensitive because they give troops such an advantage that the military often launches its most dangerous missions after dark.
"The night-vision goggles are an absolute treasure — it's imperative that not one set gets into the wrong hands," says Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., top Republican on the House oversight subcommittee on national security and foreign affairs. After learning of the sale from USA TODAY, Shays requested a hearing to examine it.
The Iraqis need the goggles to become a capable force in nighttime operations and take over security duties, Shays says, but "we have to have a real sense of confidence that they can keep track of them. … We haven't done a good job of keeping track in the past, so we need to learn those lessons."
A series of audits by various federal agencies have detailed how Iraq's military has failed to account for weapons provided by the United States. A November 2007 audit by the Pentagon's inspector general said the military couldn't account for 12,000 weapons sold to Iraq, and a July 2007 Government Accountability Office report said 190,000 assault rifles provided to Iraqi forces could not be tracked.
Insurgents and terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda, covet night-vision goggles as a way to nullify the edge U.S. troops enjoy after dark, says Charles Beardall, the Pentagon's deputy inspector general for investigations. His office is part of a federal task force set up last year to crack down on thefts and illegal exports of military technology. Night-vision gear has accounted for more cases than any other technology.
Selling night-vision goggles to Iraq is a concern "because they are extremely attractive to the kinds of forces we're fighting" in that country, says Rachel Stohl, senior analyst at the Center for Defense Information, a non-partisan think tank. "A few (sets) in the hands of the right people can make all the difference."
Accounting for equipment provided to Iraqi forces has been spotty, acknowledges Army Lt. Col. Frederick Wellman, spokesman for the Multi-National Transition Command-Iraq, which oversees training and equipping of Iraqi forces.
However, Wellman says, the Pentagon and the Iraqis have "taken the audits to heart, (and) there's been a lot of improvement." He notes that Iraqi troops undergo retinal scans and fingerprinting when they are assigned weapons, and each piece of equipment is registered — and accountable — to a specific soldier.
The new weapons deal is the latest in a string with Iraq, which has committed at least $3 billion in the past year to buying equipment from the Pentagon. Congress got a routine notification of the proposed sale in March and took no immediate action to block it. To date, none of the items has been paid for or delivered; the Pentagon issued a notice this week seeking contractors to supply the first 200 pairs of goggles.
Iraqi forces "have reached the maturity level which justifies equipping them to the same level as (U.S.) forces … particularly because the Iraqi government is paying for this equipment," says Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaida'ie. "We are fighting the same enemy and are exposed to the same dangers and should not be any less protected or empowered."
Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who sits on the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee, wants more accountability. "We've had testimony … of serious corruption in the Iraq Defense Ministry," he says. "Sending highly advanced equipment into a ministry that has been accused of being corrupt is dangerous to our own troops."
Edge in the dark
The battery-operated AN/PVS-7D night-vision goggles use an infrared light source to amplify existing light.
Some distinguishing features:
•Heat-sensing capability. Goggles can switch from amplifying light to sensing heat, for use in smoky conditions.
•Ability to identify U.S. troops. Infrared technology can pick up special uniform tabs.
•Range. A human-size target is visible 328 yards away in the moonlight (almost three football fields).