Auditors cite need for equipment tracking

? The Pentagon cannot fully account for $19.2 billion worth of equipment provided to Iraqi security forces, government auditors said Tuesday.

The finding by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, comes a few days after the Pentagon acknowledged that the U.S. and its allies have delivered a little more than a third of the equipment in the pipeline for the Iraqi Army and less than half of what is destined for the Iraqi police.

Baghdad officials have long complained that the lack of equipment has made it difficult to train and equip Iraqi forces.

Since the program’s beginning, the GAO found, consistent records were not kept confirming the date of issue, what type of equipment was received and by what Iraqi unit. Before December 2005, no centralized records were kept. While the situation started improving in 2006, problems still exist, the GAO said.

In addition to the $19.2 billion used, the Defense Department recently requested another $2 billion for the program.