ANSF AMMUNITION STOCKPILE MANAGEMENT NEEDS OVERHAUL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 000682

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/FO (DAS GASTRIGHT),SCA/A (MBRADLEY)
PM/WRA (DHADRICK, EPATTERSON) NSC FOR AHARRIMAN, OSD FOR
KIMMITT
CENTCOM FOR CG, CSTC-A, CG CJTF-76 POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2017
TAGS: MASS PREL AF
SUBJECT: ANSF AMMUNITION STOCKPILE MANAGEMENT NEEDS OVERHAUL

Classified By: POLITICAL-MILITARY COUNSELOR CAROL RODLEY FOR REASONS 1.
4 (A),(B),AND (D).


1. (C/REL ISAF) SUMMARY: During a recent meeting of the
Afghan Ministry of Defense (MOD) Ammunition Working Group,
Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan (CSTC-A)
urged the MOD to destroy its stockpiles of unserviceable
ammunition. The buildup of unserviceable ammunition in MOD
depots and U.S. operates Forward Supply Depots (FSD) poses a
threat to the safety of Afghan National Security Forces
(ANSF) personnel and U.S. ammunition handlers, in terms of
both accident potential during storage/shipment and misfires
during operations. It also poses a growing logistical
problem because of the dwindling amount of adequate storage
for newly purchased and donated ammunition. In one instance,
Afghan National Army (ANA) officers reportedly prevented HALO
Trust, a State Department funded international humanitarian
demining and weapons abatement NGO from destroying some
unserviceable ammunition that was slated for ANSF in Kandahar
preparing for offensive operations. END SUMMARY


2. (C/REL ISAF) During a meeting of the Ammunition Working
Group (AWG),at the MOD, CSTC-A raised serious objections
about MOD's stockpiling of unserviceable ammunition at
storage sites around the country. CSTC-A reported that Afghan
National Army (ANA) ammunition officers do not always
properly separate serviceable and unserviceable ammunition at
the depots. CSTC-A cited a specific incident in which U.S.
Forces at Camp Phoenix recently requested some ammunition
from the ANA Khairabad depot for Afghan National Security
Forces (ANSF) deployed in Kandahar. Upon inspection at Camp
Phoenix, U.S. military personnel determined that more than
fifty percent of the ammunition was unserviceable.


3. (C/REL ISAF) CTSC-A representative requested that MOD
staff and members of the AWG urge Deputy Minister Jawhiri to
issue orders for unserviceable munitions at ANA depots to be
destroyed to ensure adequate space will be available for
current serviceable ammunition and the anticipated arrival of
new ammunition. (Note: Dyncorp International contractors
involved in weapons abatement work, as well as CSTC-A
logistical experts, report that the storage management
problem at the Khairabad depot is so bad that some
serviceable ammunition is being stored in open fields,
because of the lack of space in the facility. In such cases,
the ammunition typically is stored in tents guarded by ANA
personnel. End Note.)

ANA PREVENTS HALO TRUST FROM DESTROYING BAD AMMO


4. (SBU) The GOA deems, all ammunition recovered from caches
and unexploded ordinance discovered in the field to be GOA
property, which is true per signed decrees. Ammunition
classified as serviceable normally is transported to the
various MOD depots by the UN sponsored Afghanistan New
Beginnings Program (ANBP). Unserviceable ammunition is
supposed to be taken by HALO Trust, a State Department-funded
international humanitarian demining and weapons abatement
NGO, to central demolition sites and destroyed. (Note: HALO
Trust has two temporary storage facilities - one in Kunduz
and one near Bagram. End Note.)


5. (SBU) HALO Trust representatives cited two incidents in
the past year in which low-ranking ANA officers had
threatened HALO personnel for attempting to destroy
unserviceable ammunition. The first incident occurred at the
main ANA ammunition facility in Khairabad when an ANA
Lieutenant drew a pistol on a HALO Trust Afghan supervisor
attempting to remove unserviceable ammunition from the depot.
The second more serious incident occurred at the facility in
Mazar-E-Sharif, where two ANA officers reportedly beat a HALO
Trust Afghan technical supervisor for trying to remove
unserviceable ammunition from an ANA vehicle. (Note: HALO
Trust representatives believe that this ammunition
subsequently was sent to Khairabad, from which it later was
distributed to ANA personnel in the South. End Note.)


6. (SBU) Dyncorp International, also working for State
Department on a weapons and ammunition disposal contract,
contacted polmiloff February 5 and said that one of their

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Afghan ammunition supervisors in Herat received a cell phone
call from an individual claiming to be a member of the ANA.
The caller threatened to kill the Dyncorp supervisor and
kidnap his son for destroying Afghan ammunition. (Note: The
local Dyncorp office has reported the incident to Afghan
authorities, and Dyncorp has provided extra security for the
individual who received the threat. End Note.)

NATO SENDS DELEGATION TO REVIEW ANSF AMMUNITION MANAGEMENT
AND CONSIDER ASSISTANCE OPTIONS


7. (SBU) A NATO delegation visited Afghanistan February 5-9
and inspected the MOD Khairabad depot as well as other
weapons abatement projects in the Kabul region. Per CSTC-A,
the delegation will issue a report recommending that NATO
assist the ANSF on the following projects: removing spilled
fuel from SCUD missiles in the Panjshir (Note: According to
the delegation, NATO has the capability to send an
experienced team to perform an environmental cleanup of the
contaminated area. End Note.),delivering improved lighting
and other surveillance equipment to improve security at the
Khairabad depot, and performing renovation to the flooring of
MOD ammo bunkers at Khairabad to support addition of storage
pallets.


8. (SBU) Post understands that a second NATO delegation will
visit Afghanistan soon to assess the level of cooperation
between the GoA and implementing partners (ANBP, HALO Trust,
and Dyncorp Weapons Removal and Abatement teams) with a view
to identifying further areas for NATO assistance with ANA
weapons/ammunition stockpile management.

COMMENT


9. (C/REL ISAF) Post shares CSTC-A's concern over what
appears to be MOD policy - or at least practice -- of
stockpiling large quantities of unserviceable ammunition, as
well as mixing unserviceable with serviceable ammunition.
Beyond simple mismanagement, one explanation for this problem
may be the "hoarding" mentality that has arisen in
Afghanistan, after decades of war. Weapons caches strewn
around the country have long been viewed as a security
blanket. A more cynical explanation would be that some ANA
personnel may be trafficking in faulty ammunition, though
post has not seen evidence of this. These possible
explanations are not mutually exclusive.


10. (C/REL ISAF) Whatever the motivation, this practice poses
a threat to the safety of ANSF personnel and U.S. ammunition
handlers, in terms of accident potential during
storage/shipment, but also to ANSF personnel who receive this
faulty equipment. Additionally, space at the MOD's current
facilities is becoming more scarce. This presents a
significant logistical problem for the ANSF in operations
against the Taliban. Additionally, the ANSF could face
serious morale problems which could undermine faith in Afghan
commanders if soldiers are harmed while using faulty
ammunition. This is the last thing the ANSF needs while
preparing for offensive operations against the Taliban. The
reports of ANA officers allegedly abusing NGO technical
supervisors involved in the removal of unserviceable
ammunition are of particular concern. (Note: HALO Trust
management reported the incidents to senior MOD officials and
the ANA officers were reprimanded. HALO Trust told PolmilOff
that the two incidents were isolated and this type of
behavior from ANA is not the norm. Still, HALO Trust
maintains that ANA officers involved with stockpile
management will not agree to destroy ammunition without
orders from their superiors. End Note.)


11. (SBU) The Ammo Working Group has sent a letter by all the
members including the Afghan chair, General Hotak, to Deputy
Minister of Defense for Logistics, Armaments, and Procurement
Baz Mohammad Jawhari urging him to issue guidance to ANA
personnel on ammunition management and better cooperation
with NGOs involved in the destruction orders of unserviceable
ammunition. Post will closely monitor this issue and
coordinate with CSTC-A to take further action if needed. END
COMMENT
NEUMANN