Post by Frenchie on Aug 20, 2009 16:06:57 GMT 1
Some 6.6 billion pounds worth of military hardware, some used by frontline troops in Afghanistan, cannot be traced, the National Audit Office (NAO) said on Thursday in its annual report on UK defence spending.
Accountants for the NAO examining 2008-2009 military expenditure criticised the Military of Defence (MoD) for being unable to verify the whereabouts of the equipment.
The report comes as a political debate over the adequate resourcing of troops continues to rage and as casualties mount in Afghanistan.
A lack of sufficient Chinook transport helicopters and armoured vehicles for troops in Afghanistan has drawn criticism from commanders on the ground and politicians back home.
The NAO said equipment that had been ordered but is unaccounted for includes Bowman radios, used by troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, guns and ammunition, night-vision goggles and batches of body armour.
"We couldn't find the evidence trail for the whereabouts for (this) 6.6 billion pounds worth of assets or what condition it's in," an NAO spokesman said.
"That is not to say it's lost or they don't exist; it's to say there isn't the trail to say where they (the assets) are," he said.
Conservative shadow defence secretary Liam Fox called the NAO findings extremely worrying and a "sorry tale of failure at the MoD" when troops already lacked vital kit.
Continued >>
Accountants for the NAO examining 2008-2009 military expenditure criticised the Military of Defence (MoD) for being unable to verify the whereabouts of the equipment.
The report comes as a political debate over the adequate resourcing of troops continues to rage and as casualties mount in Afghanistan.
A lack of sufficient Chinook transport helicopters and armoured vehicles for troops in Afghanistan has drawn criticism from commanders on the ground and politicians back home.
The NAO said equipment that had been ordered but is unaccounted for includes Bowman radios, used by troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, guns and ammunition, night-vision goggles and batches of body armour.
"We couldn't find the evidence trail for the whereabouts for (this) 6.6 billion pounds worth of assets or what condition it's in," an NAO spokesman said.
"That is not to say it's lost or they don't exist; it's to say there isn't the trail to say where they (the assets) are," he said.
Conservative shadow defence secretary Liam Fox called the NAO findings extremely worrying and a "sorry tale of failure at the MoD" when troops already lacked vital kit.
Continued >>