Budget office: Surge short of money, troops | Report: U.S. aid in Iraq lost to poor oversight

[bigtree]

The supplemental appropriations measure won't include money for the 21,500 new troops en route to Iraq

WASHINGTON - February 2, 2007 - President Bush's decision to send more troops to Iraq could cost as much as $10 billion this year, nearly triple the initial $3.2 billion price tag that Bush aides placed on the surge, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday,

If the additional troops remain in Iraq for more than a year, the CBO said, the cost could rise as high as $29 billion. And under traditional staging formulas, the added combat troops could require up to 28,000 support personnel, at a cost of an additional $12 billion through next year.

"Thus far, the Department of Defense has identified only combat units for deployment," the CBO said. "However, U.S. military operations also require substantial support forces, including personnel to staff headquarters, serve as military police and provide communications, contracting, engineering, intelligence, medical and other services."

The Pentagon says it can undertake the surge with a smaller support contingent.

"CBO's report concludes that the cost of the president's plan to surge troops will be higher than previously indicated, both in dollar terms and in the burdens it places on our military," said Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., the House Budget Committee chairman.


U.S. aid in Iraq lost to poor oversight: report

Wed Jan 31, 12:12 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of dollars in U.S. aid intended for Iraqi police training programs may have been lost because of poor contract oversight, a State Department watchdog agency said in a report.

The State Department paid about $43.8 million dollars for a residential camp to house police trainers that was never used, including $4.2 million for work that was not authorized under a contract awarded to DynCorp International Inc., said the review issued on Tuesday.

The unauthorized work included relocating the camp to the Adnan Palace in Baghdad, the addition of 20 VIP trailers and the construction of an Olympic size swimming pool on the palace grounds, the audit said.

The agency recommended that the government seek reimbursement from DynCorp for the $4.2 million payment for the unauthorized work, which it said was requested by the Iraqi Ministry of Interior.

The audit cited "weak and sometimes nonexistent contract administration" as the root cause of the problems found in the review of DynCorp's $1.8 billion contract.

In addition, it found that the U.S. government may have spent another $36.4 million for weapons and equipment, including armored vehicles, body armor and communications equipment, that cannot be accounted for.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070131/wl_nm/iraq_usa_aid_dc



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[babylonsister]

1. No mas, Congress! This has already reached beyond the absurd. nt