Security problems uncovered at US bases in Iraq

[sabra]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – A commission investigating waste and fraud in wartime spending has found serious deficiencies in training and equipment for hundreds of Ugandan guards hired to protect U.S. military bases in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

The problems at Forward Operating Bases Delta and Hammer include a lack of vehicles used to properly protect the two posts, a shortage of weapons and night vision gear, and poorly trained guards. Both bases house several thousand U.S. military personnel.

Concerned the shortages leave the bases vulnerable, the Commission on Wartime Contracting alerted military officials in Iraq and at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla.

"Incidents such as this are a concern in their own right, but they are a particular concern to the commission if they prove to be indicators of broader, systemic problems that impede the delivery of critical services to American military forces in a war zone," said Bob Dickson, the commission's executive director.

Army Lt. Col. Brian Maka, a spokesman for Multi-National Force-Iraq, said contracting officials have taken the commission's findings seriously. "Security contractors at both sites have corrected or are in the process of correcting deficiencies," he said Saturday.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_base_security_2

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Someone hire people from Uganda to guard our military bases in Iraq?

I remember when the military guarded military bases, and there was a reason for that.

Sheesh.