Thread: Iraqi Army to Get Abrams Tanks From US (It's your Money)

Iraqi Army to Get Abrams Tanks From US

March 12, 2009
Stars and Stripes|by Joseph Giordono

In a turnaround from previous policy, the Iraqi army will acquire 140 advanced American-made battle tanks with help from the U.S. military over the next 18 months.

The deal, announced this week by U.S. military officials in Iraq, was called a "major step in the force modernization of [the Iraqi army's] armored units."

The M1A1SA Abrams tanks are expected to be acquired by the Iraqis in groups of 35 over the next 18 months. Officials with the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq did not answer questions about whether the Iraqis paid for the tanks under the Foreign Military Sales program or they were donated by the U.S. military.

Iraqi and American officials will be working on "delivery, fielding and training," Charles Campbell, a program coordinator with MNSTCI, was quoted as saying in an Army news release. "The first [Iraqi] regiment will begin full-scale training in December of 2010. From there, we would instruct and train on how to support and sustain these tanks."

Officials said the Abrams program includes training for Iraqi tank crews, spare parts logistics, and "a security agreement for sensitive weapons and communications systems featured in the M1A1SA Abrams."

The move to equip the Iraqis with the tanks is the latest effort by the American military to reshape the Iraqi force. Humvees are now widely used among Iraqi forces, as are other vehicles in use by the American military. And most symbolically, the Iraqi military has adopted the American M-16 rifle as the replacement to the ubiquitous AK-47.

According to defense officials, the Iraqi army has plans to buy around 125,000 M-16s from manufacturer Colt.

That move sparked debate about how much the new Iraqi army should be modeled after the American force. Some officials said the Iraqis should be trained to better use their own equipment, while others have argued that the American-made weapons represent an advancement that will help the nascent force mature.

When the M-16 deal was announced last year, American officials were reported to have denied Iraqi requests for advanced arms such as the Abrams tank and Apache helicopters, partly out of fear that they could fall into the hands of insurgents.

The cost of an Abrams tank is estimated at around $4 million, according to the Army.

The militaries of other nations in the region -- including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait -- also have Abrams tanks in their arsenals.

The Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein had relied on a mostly aging fleet of Russian T-72 tanks.

The Abrams' technology, "related to the gunnery and air filtration systems, helps the new tank perform much better than the previous Iraqi fleet," an official with General Dynamics -- which manufactures the Abrams tank -- was quoted as saying in the release.

http://www.military.com/news/article/Ma ... 6032307786

Officer Charged With Stealing $690,000

March 06, 2009
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. - An Army captain accused of stealing nearly $700,000 from the U.S. government while serving in Iraq pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges including theft of government property and money laundering.

Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen, 28, is accused of stealing more than $690,000 entrusted to him as the battalion civil affairs officer in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, between April 2007 and Feb. 24. A federal grand jury indictment alleges Nguyen used some of the money to buy two new vehicles, along with computers, electronics and furniture.

Prosecutors said the funds were designated for commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan for urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction needs.

The indictment said Nguyen mailed bundles of stolen $100 bills home before he returned from Iraq and that he opened bank accounts in his home state of Oregon and elsewhere. The individual deposits were less than $10,000, but he sometimes made numerous deposits on the same or consecutive days, according to the indictment.

U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut said an investigation began after Internal Revenue Service agents spotted a suspicious pattern with the deposits.

She said the charges indicate a "flagrant and reprehensible disregard" for military honor.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Papak set a May 5 trial for Nguyen, who will be tried as a civilian.

Nguyen was released to return to Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Wash., where he is stationed.

"Fort Lewis has and will continue to cooperate with the investigation in this case as necessary," said Joseph Piek, a Fort Lewis spokesman.

A federal public defender assigned to represent Nguyen at the arraignment had no comment.

http://www.military.com/news/article/of ... 6032325324

Officials with the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq did not answer questions about whether the Iraqis paid for the tanks under the Foreign Military Sales program or they were donated by the U.S. military.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't GWB announce years ago that Iraqi oil money would be used for the reconstruction of Iraq?