Alert Letter: Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) Cold Weather Gear

Abstract

I am writing to alert you to a potential critical shortage of cold-weather clothing for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). SIGAR is currently conducting an audit examining the procurement and supply of organizational clothing and individual equipment (OCIE) for the ANDSF. Based on our preliminary review, it appears that the ANDSF will not have enough cold-weather clothing for 2015 and 2016. A lack of cold-weather clothing could adversely impact the overall effectiveness of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP), and degrade their operational capabilities. We recently learned that there have been shortages of cold-weather clothing for the ANDSF since 2011. Between August 2011 and August 2013, the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) did not order any cold-weather clothing through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. CSTC-A did not order cold-weather clothing for the ANDSF during that time because in July 2011, CSTC-A transferred responsibility for OCIE procurements, including those for cold-weather gear, to the Afghan Ministries of Defense (MOD) and Interior (MOI). As a result, during 2012 and 2013, Afghan-awarded, but U.S.-funded, contracts were the main source of OCIE for the ANDSF. However, beginning in April 2013, CSTC-A raised concerns that some of those clothing contracts did not fully comply with U.S. law and informed the MOD and the MOI that the command would not reimburse the ministries for purchases made under these contracts. According to CSTC-A and coalition advisors, both ministries subsequently cancelled all clothing contracts awarded after January 2013, and have not awarded any clothing contracts since. Coalition advisors subsequently determined in 2013 and 2014 that clothing shortages had developed across the ANDSF.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 16, 2015
Accession Number
AD1140117

Entities

People

  • John Sopko

Organizations

  • Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Afghanistan
  • Clothing
  • Contracts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Foreign Military Sales
  • Governments
  • National Security
  • Procurement
  • Security
  • Transitions
  • United States Central Command

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.