Private Housing, Security for Defense Department Employees in Afghanistan

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is investigating the compressed natural gas station in Afghanistan that cost the U.S. taxpayers $43 million, as much as $42.5 million more than it should have, and the $800 million Pentagon task force that oversaw the construction.  The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction is releasing a letter to the Secretary of Defense regarding the security and housing expenditures of the task force, called the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations.  Grassley made the following comment on the letter.

“I hope this inquiry is the beginning of much more insight into how this task force operated. So far, the Defense Department hasn’t been forthcoming with task force documents.  The concerns raised in SIGAR’s letter don’t inspire confidence that the task force took care with spending.  For example, the assertion that task force employees had to have outside housing and security to set an example for private companies sounds like U.S. Grade A baloney.  I look forward to learning more about how the task force operated and what, if any, results it achieved in exchange for spending $800 million.”

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