Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
Pentagon to junk millions in combat gear
Military surplus dealers are worried about trend
"I have received reports that usable items such as sleeping bags and gloves, and auto parts such as mufflers, are being scrapped because DRMS has stated that it is unable to identify them," Shadegg wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press. The DRMS is the Pentagon's Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service."
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RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
I saw a piece on this on one of the cable news channels and the possibility exists that we will be leaving far more than small items there upon departure. The report said once we decide to leave it is very time consuming and dangerous to remove all our tanks, Hummers and BF vehicles without adequate protection for the troops involved with the packing and shipping. The report thought that it was going to be a decision to just leave it in place and remove the troops. Cut our loses so to speak.
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RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
Quote:
ORIGINAL: Champlain Islander
I saw a piece on this on one of the cable news channels and the possibility exists that we will be leaving far more than small items there upon departure. The report said once we decide to leave it is very time consuming and dangerous to remove all our tanks, Hummers and BF vehicles without adequate protection for the troops involved with the packing and shipping. The report thought that it was going to be a decision to just leave it in place and remove the troops. Cut our loses so to speak.
Well at the end of Desert Storm we, being the 3rd Armor Division, Spearhead,left an entire division worth of tanks, bradleys, howitzers, etc...in the Saudi desert for future use. We have already given the Iraqi Army a good number of trucks and equipment we have obsoleted afterinitially using ourselves. I would bet we will be leaving plenty of equipment in Iraq as we downsize and eventually pull out.
Iposted the snipit/quoteabove, as I thought"not being able to identify" things like mufflersandsleeping bags is classic military/federal government!
RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
Keep in mind that a lot of gear is destroyed to prevent surplus dealers selling them overseas to unsavory characters. As far as muflers and sleeping bags? Well, can't say why they can't identify this stuff, but I sure wouldn't want to be the guy in the field to get a grab bag of stuff that may not be current issue.
RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
In 16 yrs in service, never did I have a sleeping bag that was new, or even close to new. Many personal gear items were well worn, with many being Vietnam era, such as flack vests.
RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
"Well at the end of Desert Storm we, being the 3rd Armor Division, Spearhead,left an entire division worth of tanks, bradleys, howitzers, etc...in the Saudi desert for future use."
Worked at KKMC destroying unserviceable ammunition beginning in June of 91. Saw all of that equipment neatly lined up along with the equipment of a light division, do not remember which one. All of that equipment got retrograded and shipped out of Saudi. Seems like the ungrateful Saudis did not want any equipment or ammunitionpre-positioned in the land of the two holy water coolers.
RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
Quote:
In 16 yrs in service, never did I have a sleeping bag that was new, or even close to new. Many personal gear items were well worn, with many being Vietnam era, such as flack vests.
Yeah, seems like the peacetime forces get a lot ofleftovers, but when wartime arrives and production goes back into high gear, the oldies-but-goodies get tossed out anyway. It'll only get worse as technology increases, particularly now that the issue of ill-equipped troops is in the public eye.
RE: Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
Quote:
The report said once we decide to leave it is very time consuming and dangerous to remove all our tanks, Hummers and BF vehicles without adequate protection for the troops involved with the packing and shipping.
Not unless we're at war with Kuwait.......everything comes in and out through the ports there except those items that are airlifted by C17 and C5
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Millions in Surplus Military Equipment being trashed
