Iraq operations 'taking toll' on military's ability to respond to crisis, government auditor warns
 Congress's investigative arm has warned that sustained operations in Iraq are taking a toll on the military's ability to respond to conflict elsewhere in the world, RAW STORY has learned.
In the aftermath of major combat operations in Iraq, a report by the Government Accountability Office released yesterday warns that the US Army's efforts to "preposition" supplies around the world may be deepening this problem.
The GAO prepared the report for the consideration of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. In it, they note the enduring concern about the the Iraq War's effects on America's preparedness to respond to conflict situations globally.
"The Army, the Marine Corps, and the Air Force have drawn heavily from their prepositioned stocks to support Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom," they write. "These sustained military operations are taking a toll on the condition and readiness of military equipment."
The government watchdog's current report was occasioned by a review of the Army's prepositioning efforts -- that is, placing stocks of materiel in various locations around the world to be used rapidly in the event of conflict breaking out. Prepositioned stocks, the report notes, are primarily located in "at land sites in Europe, Northeast Asia, and Southwest Asia, and aboard prepositioning ships afloat near Guam and Diego Garcia."
The GAO also explained why the practice is important:
"It allows DOD to field combat-ready forces in days rather than the weeks it would take if the forces and all necessary equipment and supplies had to be brought from the United States to the location of the conflict," they wrote in Thursday's report.
But as the Defense Department is evaluating the future of prepositioning, the Army is moving ahead on its own and may be poorly managing its prepositioned stocks.
The government auditor warned in their report that "The Army’s decisions today have profound future implications for the entire department and potentially affect our ability to respond to conflict."
The GAO is critical of the Army's practices in its reports. They write that there are "pervasive management problems" in the Army's planning.
As one example, they point to major maintenance problems for materiel stored in Kuwait. The GAO warns that significant numbers of vehicles are being stored outside due to a lack of humidity controlled facilities.
The result, the government watchdog warns, is that the vehicles are "relatively unprotected from moisture, sand, and other elements...contributing to a number of maintenance problems, including corrosion."
Additionally, the GAO chides the Army for moving too far ahead of the Pentagon in setting its own prepositioning strategy, which could put it out of line from the Defense Department's military-wide plans. Finally, the Army has struggled to reliably establish what materials need to be prepositioned in a number of categories.
RAW STORY did not receive comment on the report from Rep. Skelton's office before press time.
The GAO's full report can be downloaded from its website.
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