Security Assistance; and Logistics - Federation of American Scientists

These actions met the intent of recommendations D.1 and D.2. We closed theserecommendations.Recommendation EWe recommended that the Commander, MNSTC-I advise and assist MoD and MoI in thepreparation and promulgation of formal policies and procedures for military and policenational arms and ammunition depots and other storage facilities that address theaccountability and control of U.S.-supplied or Iraqi-procured arms and ammunition.Management Comments to Recommendation EMNF-I concurred, noting that the Iraqi procedures for accountability of equipment,including arms and ammunition, were stated in the “Iraqi Supply Handbook,” Chapter 3,Property Accountability Guide. The Handbook outlined accountability through the use ofthe Iraqi Army Form 102 and it detailed the procedures. Rather than recommending thecreation of an additional policy, MNF-I and MNSTC-I recommended that efforts befocused on assisting in enforcing policies already in place.The Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at the Iraqi Army Joint Headquarters hadestablished a committee that would develop procedures for the accountability of bothU.S.-supplied and Iraqi-procured arms and ammunition. The initial report of thecommittee detailed current and future issues related to the tracking of arms andammunition from their arrival at Umm Qasr or Baghdad International Airport. Theprocedure involved the Coalition-contracted movement of arms and ammunition fromUmm Qasr or Baghdad International Airport to the National Ammunition Depot at Bayji.Contractor personnel conducted receipt inspections of all ammunition and updated theNational Ammunition Depot master inventory. When arms and ammunition wererequired at one of the five existing Ammunition Supply Points, the MNSTC-I logisticssection coordinated movement of the ammunition to the requesting Ammunition SupplyPoint through Coalition-contracted movement. Inventories at existing AmmunitionSupply Points were managed by Iraqi forces with MiTT oversight. Regular inventoryreports were submitted to the MNSTC-I logistics section. The procedures for futureammunition accountability of arms and ammunition by MoD were being developed by acommittee chaired by the Ammunition Section of Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics.The MoI issued a memorandum signed by the Assistant Deputy Minister forAdministration and Financial Affairs on December 18, 2007, directing that weapons andammunition be secured with three locks, each with a key maintained by an officer with aminimum of four years of service experience. Monthly inventories were to be conducted.MoI Memorandum #47, January 12, 2008, signed by the Deputy Minister ofAdministration and Financial Affairs, established rigid fines for the loss of any weapon orammunition. Fines ranged from 100,000 Iraqi dinars for a bayonet, to 5,000,000 Iraqidinars for a pistol, to 15,000,000 Iraqi dinars for a machinegun.11