Thread: Congress investigates DHS ammo purchase

Congress investigates DHS ammo purchase

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
Thursday, April 11, 2013

The chairman of the key House subcommittee that controls the Homeland Security Department’s budget asked Secretary Janet Napolitano on Thursday to justify why the department has made major ammunition purchases in recent months, saying it’s time to put rumors to rest.
Republican Rep. John Carter said when he was home in Texas over the last two weeks the ammunition buy was the biggest question he got from constituents, and he said other members of Congress have had the same experience. He asked Ms. Napolitano to report back on her department’s rate of use for ammunition, and asked for a breakdown by agency and type of ammunition.
“You’re talking about both sides of the aisle, and every member of Congress is getting these questions,” Mr. Carter said.
Ms. Napolitano said her department has purchased about 150 million rounds of ammunition a year since 2009, with about 70 million of those going to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that includes the U.S. Border Patrol.
Recent reports have said the department plans to buy billions of rounds of ammunition, which would amount to more than tens of thousands of rounds for every law enforcement officer in the department.
But Ms. Napolitano the numbers have been exaggerated. She said the contracts that have been reported represent an option to buy up to a certain limit over five years, and are not a one-time mass purchase.
She said buying that way allows the department to save as much as 80 percent on the cost of each round.
She also said it’s not surprising the number of rounds per law enforcement agent in her department may be high because some of them have to re-qualify with their weapons several times a year.
In a letter to Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, earlier this year, the department laid out its purchase and use histories.
DHS officials said in fiscal year 2012 the agency purchased 103 million rounds and used 88 million rounds for training, and 28 million rounds during actual operations.
Customs and Border Protection accounted for about half of that operational use.

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Reps challenge DHS ammo buys, say agency using 1,000 more rounds per person than Army

Published April 26, 2013
FoxNews.com


Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is using roughly 1,000 rounds of ammunition more per person than the U.S. Army, as he and other lawmakers sharply questioned DHS officials on their "massive" bullet buys.

"It is entirely ... inexplicable why the Department of Homeland Security needs so much ammunition," Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a hearing.

The hearing itself was unusual, as questions about the department's ammunition purchases until recently had bubbled largely under the radar -- on blogs and in the occasional news article. But as the Department of Homeland Security found itself publicly defending the purchases, lawmakers gradually showed more interest in the issue.

Democratic Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass., at the opening of the hearing, ridiculed the concerns as "conspiracy theories" which have "no place" in the committee room.

But Republicans said the purchases raise "serious" questions about waste and accountability.

Chaffetz, who chairs one of the House oversight subcommittees holding the hearing Thursday, revealed that the department currently has more than 260 million rounds in stock. He said the department bought more than 103 million rounds in 2012 and used 116 million that same year -- among roughly 70,000 agents.

Comparing that with the small-arms purchases procured by the U.S. Army, he said the DHS is churning through between 1,300 and 1,600 rounds per officer, while the U.S. Army goes through roughly 350 rounds per soldier.

He noted that is "roughly 1,000 rounds more per person."

"Their officers use what seems to be an exorbitant amount of ammunition," he said.

Nick Nayak, chief procurement officer for the Department of Homeland Security, did not challenge Chaffetz's numbers.
However, Nayak sought to counter what he described as several misconceptions about the bullet buys.

Despite reports that the department was trying to buy up to 1.6 billion rounds over five years, he said that is not true. He later clarified that the number is closer to 750 million.

He said the department, on average, buys roughly 100 million rounds per year.

He also said claims that the department is stockpiling ammo are "simply not true." Further, he countered claims that the purchases are helping create broader ammunition shortages in the U.S.

The department has long said it needs the bullets for agents in training and on duty, and buys in bulk to save money.
While Democrats likened concerns about the purchases to conspiracy theories, Republicans raised concern about the sheer cost of the ammunition.

"This is not about conspiracy theories, this is about good government," Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who chairs the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he suspects rounds are being stockpiled, and then either "disposed of," passed to non-federal agencies, or shot "indiscriminately."
If that is the case, he said, "then shame on you."



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...#ixzz2RfVFU0zm

Comparing that with the small-arms purchases procured by the U.S. Army, he said the DHS is churning through between 1,300 and 1,600 rounds per officer, while the U.S. Army goes through roughly 350 rounds per soldier.

He noted that is "roughly 1,000 rounds more per person."

1,000 rounds per year, per agent, 52 weeks per year is less than 20 rounds per week. That could easily be used for practice or qualifying. Maybe it is ineptness in ordering, maybe someone is stealing ammo, maybe someone is practicing to much. But it think we can rule out the idea that DHS is stocking up on ammo to take over the country, or some other sinister plan, as has been suggested in other blog written articles. http://www.alipac.us/f19/dhs-prepari...-short-269752/