(CNN) -- The Pentagon should suspend the acquisition
of four dozen aircraft for a special Afghan military team because the
unit lacks the "capacity to operate and maintain them," a government
watchdog audit said Friday.
The agency got thumbs
down from the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction
for moving forward with a $771.8 million purchase of 48 aircraft for a
newly formed entity called the Afghan Special Mission Wing, or SMW.
The audit singled out for
criticism a contract to a Russian government agency for acquisition of
30 Mi-17 helicopters, spare parts, test equipment and engineering
support "despite our recommendations."
"We maintain that moving
forward with the acquisition of these aircraft is imprudent," said
Inspector General John F. Sopko in a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck
Hagel.
The wing was established
in July 2012 to carry out counternarcotics and counterterrorism missions
in Afghanistan, but the audit pointed out a range of deficiencies in
the program's development that need to be corrected.
In essence, the program
still needs to evolve before aircraft purchases are made, the audit
said. For example, it said, there are not enough qualified personnel to
operate and maintain the crafts, and it's difficult to find literate
recruits who don't have links to insurgents or criminals.
And the audit cites examples of "inadequate" Pentagon oversight.
The acquisition and
delivery of the aircraft should be tied to development milestones, Sopko
said. Major aircraft acquisitions should be suspended until the Afghan
government "takes necessary steps to build SMW capacity," and Pentagon
oversight of "critical functions" in the program should be enhanced, he
said.
"We believe that the
purchase and delivery of the aircraft should be contingent on the SMW's
achievement of personnel and maintenance and logistics support
milestones and indications that the SMW has the capacity to execute its
mission and operate and maintain its fleet," the audit said.
"Without an effective
support structure, U.S.-funded SMW aircraft could be left sitting on
runways in Afghanistan, rather than supporting critical missions,
resulting in waste of U.S. funds."
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