The Pentagon is set to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition, some of which might still be viable.
The Defense Department’s inventory systems share data ineffectively, so it’s unclear how much of the ammunition could still be useful, according to a Government Accountability Office report obtained by USA Today. The Army and Pentagon acknowledged the inefficient process in a statement, and said an automated process will be a priority in future budgets.
Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman, told USA Today a better system could save millions, and even billions, of dollars.
“Despite years of effort, the Army, Navy and Air Force still don’t have an efficient process for doing something as basic as sharing excess bullets,” Carper said. “This Government Accountability Office (GAO) report clearly shows that our military’s antiquated systems lead to millions of dollars in wasteful ammunition purchases.”
The Pentagon manages $70 billion worth of ammunition.