GAO slams Air Force for sloppy parts distribution management
A U.S. General Accounting Office report released Aug. 28 criticized the Air Force’s foreign military sales program for inadequate control over classified and controlled spare parts.
The GAO said the Air Force’s parts were at risk of being shipped to countries not authorized to use them.
“The Air Force’s system has erroneously approved foreign country requisitions for classified and controlled spare parts based on incorrect federal supply classes,” the GAO said.
The GAO report also pointed out that the Air Force has no written policies or procedures for recovering items that have been shipped in error.
The Air Force has not tested modifications to its Security Assistance Management Information System that restrict parts availability to certain countries since 1998 to make sure it works properly, the GAO said.
Military parts sales are big business for the U.S. government. From 1990 to 2001, the Defense Department delivered more than $138 billion in services and defense goods to overseas governments through its foreign military sales programs.