Inspector General Robert P. Storch announced today that the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General released a summary of the previously-released report of the OIG’s “Audit of Enhanced End-Use Monitoring of Sensitive Equipment Given to the Government of Iraq.” The audit examined the extent to which the DoD conducted enhanced end-use monitoring (EEUM) for sensitive equipment provided to the Government of Iraq in accordance with the DoD Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) and the transfer agreement terms and conditions.
A full version of this report was previously issued to the Secretary of Defense and Congress on August 31, 2023. Due to the extent of the controlled unclassified information identified by DoD in the original audit report, it could not be publicly released.
“In light of the public interest in the accountability of sensitive U.S. equipment provided to foreign partner nations, we are releasing this unclassified summary to be as transparent as possible with American taxpayers about our findings and recommendations in this report,” said IG Storch.
Since 2014, the U.S. Government has provided the Government of Iraq more than $22.5 billion in training and equipment, including sensitive equipment such as F 16 aircraft, Stinger missiles, M1A1 Abrams tanks, and night vision devices, to support Operation Inherent Resolve, the overseas contingency operation launched by the United States in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
As the summary explains, the DoD OIG concluded that, from early 2019 through mid-2022, the DoD did not conduct EEUM as required for sensitive equipment provided to the Government of Iraq. For example, for certain sensitive equipment, the Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq (OSC-I), which is responsible for EEUM activities in Iraq, did not fully meet EEUM inventory and physical security inspection requirements. This occurred because, according to OSC-I officials, it did not have sufficient personnel, and the short rotation period for the program manager created additional challenges, as did travel restrictions and the lack of guidance for virtual inspections.
“This summary highlights that substantial work remains to be done to ensure full accountability of sensitive equipment provided to the Government of Iraq,” said IG Storch. “While this summary is exclusive to weapons provided to Iraq, the insights gleaned here have proved helpful in our current oversight and accountability for U.S. assistance in other areas of operation.”
As the DoD OIG conducted this audit, DoD officials removed from the end-use monitoring database night vision devices provided to Iraq that did not require enhanced monitoring. The audit identified additional steps that the DoD should take to ensure that sensitive equipment provided to the Government of Iraq is subject to appropriate monitoring. These included recommendations that USCENTCOM develop guidance for conducting virtual EEUM inspections and provide minimum requirements for conducting quarterly end-use monitoring database reviews. Additionally, the DoD OIG recommended that the OSC–I develop plans to obtain and maintain 100 percent accountability of sensitive equipment and to maintain continuity in the end-use monitoring program manager position.