U.S. Equipment Worth Millions Lost in Gulf Exit

RALEIGH, N.C. —  Millions of dollars worth of equipment and supplies were misplaced in the Persian Gulf War because troops were sent home so quickly, a newspaper reported Saturday.

An internal Army audit said $36 million worth of items ranging from Humvees to night-vision goggles, radiators to spare tires could not be accounted for.

Also lost were 455 trucks and four-wheel-drive vehicles that were donated by the Japanese, according to the Army audit. They were worth more than $11 million.

Half of 255 computers donated by the Japanese, worth $2.9 million, were missing until they were traced through a time-consuming and costly search.

A copy of the audit was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the News & Observer of Raleigh. Army auditors spent more than a year compiling the report, which was completed in August.

The Army audit cited the haste to send home the 540,000 Americans in the Persian Gulf region at the end of the war as a major reason for equipment loss.

It also cited poor accountability. “Command hadn’t established adequate accountability over equipment, ammunition, repair parts, donated equipment and rations at the time of our review,” the audit said.

In response to its audit, the Army said that much of the missing equipment had been found and that many of its problems were corrected. But, it acknowledged, some theft was suspected and searches continue.