U.S. Military Failed to Follow Security Guidelines to Protect Sensitive Equipment in Iraq
The U.S. has provided $22.5 billion in military equipment to Iraq since 2014 as a part of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), which is supposed to be an “enduring security cooperation framework” to bring stability to the troubled Middle East region.
Instead, the military’s security lapses might have resulted in sensitive military technology falling into enemy hands. This increased the threat that Iranian-backed and ISIS-affiliated militias would use U.S. technology against its own troops and allies, according to the report. Sensitive equipment provided to Iraq included Stinger missiles, F-16 aircraft, M1A1 Abrams tanks and night vision devices.
A Disturbing Trend
The year-long IG audit that led to the report explored U.S. procedures from early 2019 through mid-2022. A previous audit conducted in 2016 found that the U.S. Army failed to maintain proper controls on military equipment provided to Iraq, including body armor, navigation sets, and vehicles.
Both audits determined that military units responsible for security cooperation and equipment transfers had poor internal controls, leading to possible leaks of sensitive U.S. military technology.
COVID-19, Security Situation Posed Challenges
These practices included failing to inventory sensitive equipment and report end-use monitoring violations. During the audit, the IG interviewed U.S. security cooperation officials, who attributed the lapses to insufficient personnel and frequent program manager rotations, according to the IG.
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and decaying security situation resulted in travel restrictions, which meant military security cooperation personnel were unable to conduct sensitive equipment inventories and physical security inspections of storage sites.
Procedural Violations
U.S. procedures designed to minimize unwanted technology transfers included regular inspections and database management, as required by Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act. These procedures were relaxed in 2014 and 2020 to accommodate “ongoing conflict” and “fluid security situations” in Iraq.
However, the U.S. military did not follow their alternate procedures either. Lower-level security cooperation officials did not have access to the new rules, which allowed measures such as virtual and remote equipment inspections when in-person visits weren’t feasible.
DOD Response to IG Audit
In response to the IG audit, the DOD vowed to implement better internal controls on sensitive military equipment in Iraq. This included a written plan to the IG for how they intended to account for the equipment in the future. Maintaining 100% accountability of sensitive military equipment was one of the recommendations offered by the IG in its report.
Other recommendations by the IG remained unanswered as of March 2024, including implementing measures to decrease program manager turnover.
Report Provided to Congress
The IG provided an initial version of the report to Congress on August 31, 2023, but the full report contained information that could not be released to the public.
“In light of the public interest in the accountability of sensitive U.S. equipment provided to foreign partner nations, we are releasing this unclassified summary to be as transparent as possible with American taxpayers about our findings and recommendations in this report,” said DOD IG Robert T. Storch in a March 13 press release.
U.S. DOD Budget Request for 2025
For 2025, DOD has requested a total of $17.1 billion to fund OIR and related missions. This includes $381 million in security assistance for Iraq. The DOD’s total worldwide security cooperation budget for 2025 is $1.8 billion.
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