thedrifter
05-24-07, 07:29 PM
Urgent gear requests not met, document says
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 24, 2007 18:33:00 EDT
The system for delivering badly needed gear to Marines in Iraq has failed to meet a large number of urgent calls for equipment submitted by troops in the field, according to an internal document obtained by The Associated Press.
Of more than 100 requests for critically needed items submitted by deployed Marine units between February 2006 and February 2007, less than 10 percent have been met, the document states. It blamed excessive bureaucracy and a “risk-averse” approach by acquisition authorities.
“Process worship cripples operating forces,” according to the document. “Civilian middle management lacks technical and operational currency.”
The 32-page “For Official Use Only” document was prepared by the staff of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. It was to be presented in March to senior officials in the Pentagon’s defense research and engineering office. The presentation was canceled by top Marine Corps leaders because its contents were deemed too contentious, according to a defense official familiar with the document.
The document’s claims run counter to the public description of a process intended to cut through the layers of red tape that frequently slow the military’s procurement process.
The Marine Corps had no immediate comment on the document.
In a briefing Wednesday, Marine Corps officials hailed their “Urgent Universal Need Statement” system as a way to give Marines in combat a greater say in weapons-buying decisions.
“What we all liked about [the urgent requests] is they came from the operators out on the ground and there was always a perceived better way of doing things,” said Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, who was a commander in Iraq from June 2004 to February 2005.
Ellie
By Richard Lardner - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday May 24, 2007 18:33:00 EDT
The system for delivering badly needed gear to Marines in Iraq has failed to meet a large number of urgent calls for equipment submitted by troops in the field, according to an internal document obtained by The Associated Press.
Of more than 100 requests for critically needed items submitted by deployed Marine units between February 2006 and February 2007, less than 10 percent have been met, the document states. It blamed excessive bureaucracy and a “risk-averse” approach by acquisition authorities.
“Process worship cripples operating forces,” according to the document. “Civilian middle management lacks technical and operational currency.”
The 32-page “For Official Use Only” document was prepared by the staff of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. It was to be presented in March to senior officials in the Pentagon’s defense research and engineering office. The presentation was canceled by top Marine Corps leaders because its contents were deemed too contentious, according to a defense official familiar with the document.
The document’s claims run counter to the public description of a process intended to cut through the layers of red tape that frequently slow the military’s procurement process.
The Marine Corps had no immediate comment on the document.
In a briefing Wednesday, Marine Corps officials hailed their “Urgent Universal Need Statement” system as a way to give Marines in combat a greater say in weapons-buying decisions.
“What we all liked about [the urgent requests] is they came from the operators out on the ground and there was always a perceived better way of doing things,” said Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, who was a commander in Iraq from June 2004 to February 2005.
Ellie