JJ_BPK
02-26-2016, 08:12
Disturbing,,
Is this a problem of:
1)An across the board supply chain failure
2)Is it a "you dumb shiites waited until the last minute" to mission plan??
3)You want toys that are not and may never be "in the system"
:munchin
My feeble understanding is that teams get a chunk of money to cover the non-supply chain items, until they become available,, or are unique mission specific, one-shot deals??
Batteries,, does not compute????
Lacking Basic Gear, Special Operators Stuck Buying Their Own Equipment
WASHINGTON -- Sean Matson, who recently left active duty as a Navy SEAL, said the military measured his head four times -- each time before deployment -- with plans to provide him a more advanced ballistic helmet.
But the new helmet never materialized. During a deployment in Africa, Matson and six of his fellow SEALs each shelled out about $900 for updated helmets that held the lights, communications devices and batteries needed for their missions.
"There was never a clear solution to it, so guys were going out spending $800-$900 on their own ballistic helmet," said Matson, who is now CEO of the military supply company Matbock.
Elite troops such as the SEALs are more and more forced to dip into their own pockets to purchase basic military gear such as helmets, global positioning devices and medical supplies, according to Matson and others involved in the military's unofficial civilian-side supply network who came to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
House lawmakers have taken notice and said they will request an explanation from Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
"These are the guys we assume have the best gear all the time," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, a Marine Corps combat veteran.
Hunter said special operations troops have been approaching him in his California district complaining about the inability to get needed materials and he has been investigating the issue.
Numerous individual instances point to a systemic problem in the military's supply chain, but a blind spot exists between Defense Department vendors and the troops who need the gear and supplies, Hunter said.
"It's been impossible for me to find out how the money is getting stopped and why it is not going down to where it's supposed to be," he said.
Aaron Negherbon is the executive director of the nonprofit group Troops Direct, which ships needed and requested supplies -- from boot laces to tablet devices -- to service members who cannot get it through their commands.
Less than two days after the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, Negherbon said he was contacted by the commander of a Marine Corps Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team that was being deployed there.
The commander told him the team lacked a variety of crucial equipment, including sniper supplies, he said.
"They came to us for ... batteries because they didn't have any of those. ... It is kind of like, 'What the heck is going on?' " Negherbon said.[/COLOR]
He said troops often have to buy their own medical equipment such as tourniquets, and shell out about $1,000 each for their own helmets or $500 for a GPS device that they need for duty during a deployment.
"The question is, why can't you get this?" Negherbon said.
Often the answer seems to be a higher command does not have the money budgeted or the equipment was approved but not available from vendors.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/26/lacking-basic-gear-special-operators-stuck-buying-own-equipment.html?ESRC=eb.nl
Is this a problem of:
1)An across the board supply chain failure
2)Is it a "you dumb shiites waited until the last minute" to mission plan??
3)You want toys that are not and may never be "in the system"
:munchin
My feeble understanding is that teams get a chunk of money to cover the non-supply chain items, until they become available,, or are unique mission specific, one-shot deals??
Batteries,, does not compute????
Lacking Basic Gear, Special Operators Stuck Buying Their Own Equipment
WASHINGTON -- Sean Matson, who recently left active duty as a Navy SEAL, said the military measured his head four times -- each time before deployment -- with plans to provide him a more advanced ballistic helmet.
But the new helmet never materialized. During a deployment in Africa, Matson and six of his fellow SEALs each shelled out about $900 for updated helmets that held the lights, communications devices and batteries needed for their missions.
"There was never a clear solution to it, so guys were going out spending $800-$900 on their own ballistic helmet," said Matson, who is now CEO of the military supply company Matbock.
Elite troops such as the SEALs are more and more forced to dip into their own pockets to purchase basic military gear such as helmets, global positioning devices and medical supplies, according to Matson and others involved in the military's unofficial civilian-side supply network who came to Capitol Hill on Thursday.
House lawmakers have taken notice and said they will request an explanation from Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
"These are the guys we assume have the best gear all the time," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, a Marine Corps combat veteran.
Hunter said special operations troops have been approaching him in his California district complaining about the inability to get needed materials and he has been investigating the issue.
Numerous individual instances point to a systemic problem in the military's supply chain, but a blind spot exists between Defense Department vendors and the troops who need the gear and supplies, Hunter said.
"It's been impossible for me to find out how the money is getting stopped and why it is not going down to where it's supposed to be," he said.
Aaron Negherbon is the executive director of the nonprofit group Troops Direct, which ships needed and requested supplies -- from boot laces to tablet devices -- to service members who cannot get it through their commands.
Less than two days after the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, Negherbon said he was contacted by the commander of a Marine Corps Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team that was being deployed there.
The commander told him the team lacked a variety of crucial equipment, including sniper supplies, he said.
"They came to us for ... batteries because they didn't have any of those. ... It is kind of like, 'What the heck is going on?' " Negherbon said.[/COLOR]
He said troops often have to buy their own medical equipment such as tourniquets, and shell out about $1,000 each for their own helmets or $500 for a GPS device that they need for duty during a deployment.
"The question is, why can't you get this?" Negherbon said.
Often the answer seems to be a higher command does not have the money budgeted or the equipment was approved but not available from vendors.
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/02/26/lacking-basic-gear-special-operators-stuck-buying-own-equipment.html?ESRC=eb.nl