US Army unprepared for war contracting

The US Army has been overwhelmed by a more than six-fold increase in contracting activity stemming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, creating conditions for waste and fraud, an independent commission warned Thursday.

The commission said the army contracting staff was overworked, poorly trained and unprepared to manage the billions of dollars in contracts that have been generated by the wars.

“We think what we’re seeing is a wake up call. It’s a tipping point, if you will, for the army to make these changes,” said Jacques Gansler, who headed the commission.

Washington, Friday, AFP