Mattis is President Trump's best cabinet pick.

I really like Mattis. Also Tillerson.

"Criminal probe opened into DoD purchase of Afghan Army camouflage that didn't blend in"

July 25

"The top government watchdog for Afghanistan reconstruction testified Tuesday that a criminal investigation has been opened into the controversial purchase of forest camouflage-patterned uniforms for Afghan National Army soldiers.

The U.S. military has been accused of wasting millions on the dark green "relish" uniforms that stand out in the desert setting. Only 2 percent of Afghanistan is covered by forests.

“These problems are serious,” Special Inspector General John Sopko told the House Armed Services Committee. “They are so serious that we started a criminal investigation related to the procurement of the ANA uniforms.”

Sopko said he also wants a review of all organizational clothing and individual equipment contracts made by the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A), which is responsible for the bulk of the training, advising and assisting of Afghan security forces.

Sopko said CSTC-A bought more than 1 million uniforms with a proprietary pattern without testing its effectiveness between 2007-2015.

The purchase came with a $93 million pricetag – of which up to $28 million could have been shaved off.

“This $93 million procurement demonstrates what happens when people in the government don’t follow the rules,” Sopko told the panel.

He highlighted 10 specific areas of concern with the CSTC-A, including that it only showed the Afghan minister of defense proprietary camouflage patterns owned by one company – Canadian manufacturer HyperStealth Biotechnology Corp.

“CSTC-A failed to consider other available camouflage patterns including those owned by the Department of Defense which would have been cheaper perhaps and equally effective,” Sopko said, faulting CSTC-A for not testing the effectiveness of the pattern.

At the time, the Afghan minister of defense reportedly liked the “woodland, urban and temperate patterns” which came at an additional cost of $28 million.

Sopko also called out U.S. commanders for buying uniforms that came with pricier features like zippers instead of buttons and 88,000 extra pairs of pants.

In a memo obtained by Fox News on Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cited Sopko’s report and criticized the Pentagon for its “cavalier” spending on uniforms for the Afghan National Army.

Mattis highlighted the overspending in a July 21 memo to the Defense Department’s acquisition, policy and finance chiefs. He called the purchase an “example of a complacent mode of thinking” and cautioned the department that the missteps are “not to recur.”

He added that “buying uniforms for our Afghan partners, and doing so in a way that may have wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars over a ten-year period, must not be seen as inconsequential in the grand scheme of the department's responsibilities and budget.”

The U.S. has been involved in the Afghanistan war for almost 16 years. Nearly $110 billion has been appropriated in Washington for reconstruction in Afghanistan."

Link

quote:

green camo

quote:

desert environment

How this didn't get caught at ten different places along the line exposes many issues.

quote:

Originally posted by jbcummings:
Wonder who the contractor was that got that contract?

ADS & Guy Cramer

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
Side note:
I wonder why ATACS AU hasn't caught on more.

Their screens and registers are inconsistent and never developed the quality control necessary for NIR prints. They also never developed their prints for fabrics beyond Cordura/ballistic nylon, webbing and NYCO fabrics. For modern prints to work, you need to be able to print on nylon, polyester, cotton along with various blends and most telling, stretch woven fabrics...soft-shells.

I worked with a friend developing a outerwear clothing company for SOF units, as one of the first to utilize MultiCam in stretch-woven materials, we got a deep, deep understanding of the camouflage 'business' and requirements.

The USDA's "School Lunch" program is another example of this kind of waste and cronyism - they might actually do something about crony bureaucrats - bad for business in Congress

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by jbcummings:
Wonder who the contractor was that got that contract?

ADS & Guy Cramer

quote:

Originally posted by vinnybass:
Side note:
I wonder why ATACS AU hasn't caught on more.

Their screens and registers are inconsistent and never developed the quality control necessary for NIR prints. They also never developed their prints for fabrics beyond Cordura/ballistic nylon, webbing and NYCO fabrics. For modern prints to work, you need to be able to print on nylon, polyester, cotton along with various blends and most telling, stretch woven fabrics...soft-shells.

I worked with a friend developing a outerwear clothing company for SOF units, as one of the first to utilize MultiCam in stretch-woven materials, we got a deep, deep understanding of the camouflage 'business' and requirements.

Thanks for the explanation. I had no idea there was so much involved. It's a shame though, that stuff really seems to fit a lot of the desert environment

It works well in urban areas too, especially in cities in arid areas of the country. Seems like several of the larger SWAT/ERT teams in the Southwest use ATACS-AU camo.