Boats for Landlocked Afghanistan Sit in Warehouse??

[JJ_BPK]

Lucy, splain somt'n 2 me??

Do RIB's cost 375K??

Stars and Stripes | Jun 13, 2014 | by Jon Harper

WASHINGTON -- Eight patrol boats purchased for the Afghan government four years ago are marooned in a warehouse in Virginia, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, a watchdog group that monitors U.S. government expenditures.

The vessels, intended for the Afghan National Police, cost American taxpayers about $3 million. But their delivery was canceled without explanation in July 2011, nine months after they were ordered. They sit unused in a Navy warehouse at Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown, Va., according to SIGAR.

Afghanistan is a land-locked country in Central Asia, but does share a long river -- the Amu Darya -- with Uzbekistan. Plans called for the ANP to use the eight rigid-hulled inflatable boats to patrol the waterway.

The U.S. military's record-keeping in this affair was found to be shoddy by SIGAR. In response to a SIGAR inquiry, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan was unable find the following records:

• A concept of operations for employment of the boats was developed.
• Whether a feasibility review of the operational requirement was conducted.
• Documentation that the operational requirement was approved in 2010.
• Justification for including these boats on the list of the ANP's organizational needs in 2010.
• The extent of involvement, if any, of the Afghan Ministry of Interior in the procurement process and the decision to cancel the delivery.
• The reasons and justification for canceling the delivery.

"The list of unanswered questions is particularly troubling given the fact -- which CSTC-A acknowledges -- that this program had been an important national security priority for the Afghan National Security Forces prior to its cancellation," SIGAR wrote in a June 6 letter to commanders in Afghanistan.

Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Colt, deputy commander for support of United States Forces-Afghanistan, said the lack of records makes it difficult to assess the situation.

"It is not clear, given the documentation at hand, that proper procedures to halt production and delivery of the boats were followed, but I have no evidence that CSTC-A's Security Assistance Office predecessors did not follow procedures," he wrote in a memorandum dated May 25.

The eight unused vessels will remain at Yorktown until the Navy decides what to do with them, according to CSTC-A.

[Richard]

"...the United States provided boats to Uzbekistan to patrol the same river — the Amu Darya — years earlier."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...217_story.html

And so it goes...

Richard

[SF_BHT]

Originally Posted by Richard

"...the United States provided boats to Uzbekistan to patrol the same river — the Amu Darya — years earlier."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...217_story.html

And so it goes...

Richard

well if they eventually get them they will have someone to sell their spare parts package to......

[CSB]

1 - Let's see, $3,000,000 for eight boats equals $375,000 per boat!? I'm assuming, from the Washington Post photograph, that the price includes some up dollar electronics and the weapons.

2 - This is a priceless quote:

In response to his questions, Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey N. Colt wrote that it was not clear “given the documentation at hand that proper procedures to halt production and delivery of the boats were followed.” But he also said there was no indication of wrongdoing.

Uh, Major General Jeffrey Colt, let me clue you in:

Failure to properly document a $3,000,000 government purchase IS wrongdoing.

[MR2]

Looks like somebody found a black diversion program. Where are these boats? Norfolk - hmmmm....

[Joker]

With the prime mover (truck), trailer, comms package, weapons, and motors, $350K is about right (total package). Do they need them (?), no. I'm glad the IG caught them.

[Oldrotorhead]

Please keep us updated, when they auction these off I'm sure someone hereis interested. ( If they go cheap enough)

[Golf1echo]

Originally Posted by Oldrotorhead

Please keep us updated, when they auction these off I'm sure someone hereis interested. ( If they go cheap enough)

I Concur, there are a lot of rivers right here in this beautiful country. It would be a shame to send them over there.
http://seattletimes.com/html/nationw...urplusxml.html

[Dean Jarvis]

Originally Posted by CSB

1 - Let's see, $3,000,000 for eight boats equals $375,000 per boat!? I'm assuming, from the Washington Post photograph, that the price includes some up dollar electronics and the weapons.

My heads going to explode!

[JJ_BPK]

Originally Posted by Oldrotorhead

Please keep us updated, when they auction these off I'm sure someone here is interested. ( If they go cheap enough)

What do you wanna bet,,

berry adds them to the FREE LEO give-a-way program to protect the populist from internal terrorist??

[Joker]

Originally Posted by Oldrotorhead

Please keep us updated, when they auction these off I'm sure someone hereis interested. ( If they go cheap enough)

If these are the 11 meter RIBs none of us could afford the maintenance and fuel those things consume. However, these appear to be 7 meter RIBs, from the one photo, and we could afford the fuel. The other maintenance could get tricky.

[MtnGoat]

Follow the money.. Vote these idiots out.

If you're military, vote in the state that you're stationed in!