Secret Iraqi Arms Deal With Serbia Exposes Corruption, Inefficiency

An $833 million Iraqi arms deal secretly negotiated with Serbia has underscored Iraq's continuing problems equipping its armed forces, a process that has long been plagued by corruption and inefficiency.

The deal was struck in September without competitive bidding and it sidestepped anticorruption safeguards, including the approval of senior uniformed Iraqi Army officers and an Iraqi contract approval committee. Instead, it was negotiated by a delegation of 22 high-ranking Iraqi officials, without the knowledge of American commanders or many senior Iraqi leaders.

The deal drew enough criticism that Iraqi officials later limited the purchase to $236 million. And much of that equipment, American commanders said, turned out to be either shoddy or inappropriate for the military's mission.

An anatomy of the purchase highlights how the Iraqi Army's administrative abilities -- already hampered by sectarian rifts and corruption -- are woefully underdeveloped, hindering it in procuring weapons and other essentials in a systematic way. It also shows how an American procurement process set up to help foreign countries navigate the complexity of buying weapons was too slow and unwieldy for wartime needs like Iraq's, prompting the Iraqis to strike out on their own.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[PatCroft]

Think Differently!

At one time weapons armed a military to protect its borders from aggressive neighbors. In the 21st Century this has become a remote likelihood. Now they are used mostly for containment of civil discourse and to further threaten the population. The more sophisticated governments do not take valuable resource away from the improvement of their population. The less valued governments are weak and need weapons to further their cause and to help the government get some sort of further recognition.

In an aside, how many carbons are release into our environment with the discharge of any single weapon. How much air will you not be able to breath as a result. And how much more do we need to destroy this environment in a speedfast fashion.

Iraq is very broken and would it not be better to try and fix it than to add further fuel into this fire. Would it not be better to try to provide basic electricity to the population at levels of 80% per day for each house hold, which was what it was before the invasion rather then todays 10%.

Would it not be interesting to co-op Iran in providing for some of their electrical needs. Same thing apply to their drinking water.

[notMcNuts]

They learned from the best: the American military !

[CountryBeforeParty]

Maybe I missed it, but why is Iraq buying weapons from Serbia? Shouldn't they be getting them from us?

I'm just sayin'....

[Barbarossa03]

A "sovereign" country has a right to buy weapons from any country they want as long as it fits their needs but in the case for Iraq, this was part of the deal in invading Iraq, plenty of oil contracts and defense contracts to US companies.

[CountryBeforeParty]

Well it is nice to see that Iraq can buy their own weaponry. I hear they have a $50 billion surplus.

If they have all this money laying around shouldn't they be using it to fund their reconstruction,

[Barbarossa03]

"Under the sales program, used by more than 100 allied nations, Pentagon officials serve as intermediaries for government-to-government defense procurements, handling administrative issues, logistics, delivery, maintenance and training. Clients sometimes get the benefit of American economies of scale, American expertise regarding weapons systems and quality control and built-in transparency and corruption safeguards. Defense contractors also benefit to some extent, because the program often channels clients to American companies that produce arms and other equipment."

The key here is that the US wants the Iraqis to by from US corporations. On the contrary from the above line, defense contractors benefit immensely. When a country equipment they by the whole package, the whole package is the equipment, spare parts, and training to use the equipment. Then they add on standardization so in the long run, the country may not need additional training, but they will always need spare parts and additional equipment. So I can see why they are calling this corruption, look how much our US Defense contractors are looking to lose. Damn them for trying to buy equipment more reliable than the M-16.

[gakabani]

This is part of the whole plan. Inflict corruption all over and you will control the whole country.
A corrupt nation is easy to control, it is part of Bush strategy.
Corrupt nations tend to sell their natural resources for pennies to the dollar.
Iraq has ceased to exists as a nation, Bush wants to control it as a territory no matter the fate of the population.

[CintiBlue]

Reads to me as if they are joining the spin that makes the world go around. Arms sales.

[Abroad]

This should be the headline story today, not Hilary Jones/Calimity Clinton.

[Jennysaypa]

Agreed

[Oldbuck]

This war is like a tar baby and we can't get loose from it. This is what we get for electing a not to bright President. I didn't elect him. Some day when we look back wonder if we well ever be able to figure what this has cost us in money and lives.

[CC1]

You are right. We will look back and wonder, just as my parents did after the Vietnam war.

[Barbarossa03]

"Under the sales program, used by more than 100 allied nations, Pentagon officials serve as intermediaries for government-to-government defense procurements, handling administrative issues, logistics, delivery, maintenance and training. Clients sometimes get the benefit of American economies of scale, American expertise regarding weapons systems and quality control and built-in transparency and corruption safeguards. Defense contractors also benefit to some extent, because the program often channels clients to American companies that produce arms and other equipment."

The key here is that the US wants the money to go back to US corporations. It's funny that it mentions that Defense contractors benefit to some extent, no they get the biggest benefits from the Foreign Military Sales program. After all this is what this Administration promised all these big corporations, big profits. For the Iraqis to go out an purchase weapons from another country is pure corruption, even if these weapons are more reliable than the M-16!

[VivaZapata]

that's interesting: the country we bombed in the 90's is secretly conspiring with the country we bombed in the aughts. our mother must be so proud.

[elbzee]

Indeed! Provides a graphic glimpse at how successful our endeavors in the region have been OF late. What pisses me off is, who is really surprised that the US would make billions available to a culture known to involve many layers of widespread corruption and be simply shocked when it"s squandered/lost/missing/unaccounted for¦? Let's just waive these green American tax dollars and see how well they manage them? HULLOOOooo??

(Remember exactly WHOSE hard earned millions we're talking aboout!)

[HeadScratcher]

There was no indication the deal was "secret" in the article. The criticism is more about the appearance and probability of corruption of Iraqi officials in the manner that they order and account for purchases. Nearly every country conducts the sale of arms and military equipment.

[VivaZapata]

the "indication" is stated in the headline and the topic sentence of the first paragraph. why you would quibble with the part of my brief comment that was the least important part and merely an allusion to what was stated is a head scratcher. that most countries engage in weapons sales is not even part of what i had to say and not something with which i'd disagree. i was simply making an observation about two of the countries we bombed extensively.

[DickTater]

well into our trillions.....not just 100s of billions....trillions
money from our taxes to buy sand that just slips thru our fingers. Weapons disappear. We pay tribes that later attack us. Even the oil we may eventually win out of the region will only go to GUT us more, spoil the planet. IF TheCheney and his ilk get the oil, do you think they will share with us? The Oil? THe profits? Even tho they used our money and our boys to get it?

If it weren't so tragic, it would be the biggest joke ever perpetrated on a people. The whole thing appears to be the most perfectly planned way to piss away americans money into Halliburton and Blakkwater pockets, and the rest just disappears and is unaccounted for. Oops!

[mimsnpips]

So true. The current administration thinks that throwing money at something solves the problem. Typical super wealthy thinking.

And, no Cheney and his cohorts will not share a penny of oil profits or the oil itself with anyone. Greed runs deep. All

in the name of god and oil.

[HumeSkeptic]

I find it funny that we are talking about possible corruption in Iraqi military and government after having no clue as to where $9 billion disappeared during Bremmer's rein.

[HumeSkeptic]

Were NYT to look as closely at Pentagon purchases, this Iraqi-Serbia deal would look like business as usual.

[kellygrrrl]

yup! but we can't expect the MSM to do get on this story ... Britney Spears was in a traffic incident last night and all press is required to cover 24/7

[mimsnpips]

Britney and all her friends should serve in the military. See the real world. In the tradition of Jimmy Stewart, even Elvis, etc. You go girl.

[kellygrrrl]

good thing Americans are not BITTER ... or this would really piss us off