Pentagon “Loses Track” Of Equipment From $750mm Bomb-Spotting Program, Finds On eBay & Craigslist

Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,

The Pentagon lost track of sensitive equipment from a $750 million program to help U.S. soldiers spot roadside bombs — and some of it wound up for sale on eBay, Craigslist and other websites, according to a Navy intelligence document obtained by The Intercept.

The report went on to state that “more than 32,000 pieces of equipment were issued” under the program, and the items “are NOT for civilian use and are controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.” The devices went missing because the military units had poor control over equipment distributed to them, according to the intelligence brief.

JIEDDO has been heavily criticized over the years for expending large sums of money without attaining clear results. According to a 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office, JIEDDO had spent over $18 billion yet lacked an effective way to oversee its programs.

– From the Intercept article: Sensitive Military Gear Ended Up on eBay, Craigslist

Another day, another example of the inconceivable incompetence of the U.S. government.

Just yesterday, I published a post titled, Can’t Make This Up – U.S. Providing Aid in Fight Against ISIS in Iraq Alongside Iranian Troops. Here’s an excerpt in case you missed it:

The U.S. has started providing Iraq with aerial intelligence in the stalled battle to oust Islamic State from Tikrit, drawing the American military into closer coordination with Iranian-backed militias spearheading the offensive.

Military officials said they aren’t working directly with Iran. But the intelligence will be used to help some 20,000 Iranian-backed Shiite militia fighters who make up the bulk of the force that has been struggling for weeks to retake the strategic city.

Quite interesting, since last I checked Iran was the most evil, horrific existential threat to humanity on planet earth.

However, it appears providing aid to Iran in Iraq and losing $500 millions in weapons to al-Qaeda in Yemen wasn’t bad enough. America had to put a cherry on top of it all by losing military equipment from a $750 million program, some of which ended up for sale on eBay and Craigslist. Can’t make this up indeed.

From the Intercept:

The Pentagon lost track of sensitive equipment from a $750 million program to help U.S. soldiers spot roadside bombs — and some of it wound up for sale on eBay, Craigslist and other websites, according to a Navy intelligence document obtained by The Intercept.

The March 12, 2014 document is titled “Diversion and Illegal Sales of Restricted USG Optical Systems” and is marked “For Official Use Only.” It lists 13 websites where the military equipment was listed for sale, including Craigslist, eBay, texasguntalk.com and sportfishermen.com, among others. “Items have been marketed as sporting goods; hunting equipment; bird-watching equipment and camping supplies,” the report notes.

The report went on to state that “more than 32,000 pieces of equipment were issued” under the program, and the items “are NOT for civilian use and are controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.” The devices went missing because the military units had poor control over equipment distributed to them, according to the intelligence brief.

The bomb-detecting equipment was provided as part of a larger program called RCOS/Keyhole, which was funded by the Pentagon’s bomb fighting agency, known as the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), and administered by the U.S. Navy.

JIEDDO has been heavily criticized over the years for expending large sums of money without attaining clear results. According to a 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office, JIEDDO had spent over $18 billion yet lacked an effective way to oversee its programs.

The Intercept found an eBay listing from Dec. 2014 for one of the pieces of equipment listed in the the NCIS document — the OASYS-BAE Systems Universal Thermal Monocular; it was listed for sale in Dec. 2014 for $6,000, with free standard shipping. Another item, currently listed for sale, is a CNVD-T Clip-On Night Vision Device Thermal System; it is advertised for $16,599.00 in “new condition!”

NCIS did not respond to email queries or a phone message requesting comment on the report.

Naturally.