Posted on 10/04/2007 10:59:55 AM PDT by xzins
By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - The United States must deliver weapons to Iraq more quickly, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday, in the wake of an announcement that the Iraqis have ordered $100 million in military equipment from China.
He agreed that there are concerns that it is harder for the U.S. military in Iraq to track weapons purchased from countries other than America. In many cases, the Iraqis cannot account for weapons, which often end up in the hands of insurgents.
Speaking to reporters, Gates said the issue also came up at his meeting with Chilean Defense Minister Jose Mario Goni just prior to a news conference.
"This is an issue that we have to look into and see what we can do in the United States to be more responsive and be able to react more quickly to the requests of our friends," Gates said. "Unfortunately the (foreign military sales) program was set up in a way that was not intended to provide sort of emergency or short term supplies, as in the case of Iraq and we're trying to figure out how to do that better."
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said in an interview that Iraq ordered the Chinese military equipment for its police force in part because the U.S. is not delivering the arms fast enough.
Gates said he is not particularly worried that the Iraqis turned to China to get the equipment, but is more generally concerned about the slow pace of the U.S. process.
He noted that the United States has already delivered about $600 million worth of equipment to the Iraqis, and has another $2 billion to $3 billion on order.
Gates said the U.S. has opened offices in Baghdad for the military sales, so that officials can have day-to-day dialogues with the Iraqis and "get their requirements more quickly and get them processed more quickly."
"This is a concern for us and is something we have to devote some attention to," said Gates, who was in Chile as part of a five-day, five country swing through South and Central America.
The Pentagon sent a team of investigators to Iraq in August because of the growing number of cases of fraud and other irregularities in contracts involving weapons and supplies for Iraqi forces.
And the Government Accountability Office said earlier this year that the Pentagon cannot fully account for $19.2 billion worth of equipment provided to Iraqi security forces.
The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said it had reviewed records of the U.S. unit running the program to train and equip Iraqi forces and couldn't account for what happened to least 190,000 weapons. U.S. officials acknowledged that some might have fallen into the hands of insurgents, but also blamed some of the problems on bad record keeping.
In other comments Thursday, Gates said he talked with Goni about ways to strengthen the U.S. military relationship with Chile. The two men met for about 45 minutes at the ministry of defense, and Gates is scheduled to meet later with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
The two defense chiefs talked about cooperating more on removing land mines, having more joint military exercises, and working to improve regional security - including issues such as drug trafficking and gang warfare.
Goni said they also talked about Chile's ongoing role in peacekeeping missions, including its current operations in Haiti. The two men signed an agreement that allows members of the armed services of each nation to have access to the other country's medical care and training.
Gates has visited defense and government leaders in El Salvador and Colombia this week, and is scheduled for stops in Peru and Suriname. It is his first trip to the region as defense chief, but he has been in Chile twice before, including a 1990 visit with then-President George Bush.
This article is incredibly full of lies. Lies, lies and more lies.
If Talibani has ordered weapons from China, then Talibani has gone out of his way to embarrass this country.
If true, his time is up, so far as I’m concerned.
Talabani’s relative is apparently Iraq’s ambassador to China. The Chinese are also well-known for using bribery to win contracts.
Buying weapons from China kinda changes the term ‘shooting lead’.
Even if Mao-tse-tung were his great-grandfather, he’d have to know that ordering from China would embarrass our country.
France makes weapons, England makes weapons, Canada makes weapons, .....
There’s an endless list of countries, other than China, that make weapons.
Ordering them from Al Qaeda would have been worse.
Iraq is going to need tank divisions to keep out the Persian hordes that are coming as soon as Hillary retreats.
Jesus we have some unthinking people posting here today.
First: Saddam’s Iraq RAN on Chinese and Russian weapons. The entire country of Iraq is familiar with the reliability and operation of AK47’s, and most police & soldiers in Iraq are STILL using the AK47 simply because they are prevalent and the country is awash in AMMO for them already. For the country to switch to American firearms would be tantamount to telling the US Military they would be switching from the M16 to another weapon made by someone else with no significant advantages or disadvantages noted but what the heck, let’s switch anyway...........
It would make no economic or policy sense.
Hurts the pride, but I’ll agree with that. Go with what you know.
I think people are a little starry-eyed about the Kurds. We need to understand that our interests are not necessarily completely congruent. (Talabani is probably looking to see if he can get Chinese support for the Kurdish cause). At the same time, we should acknowledge that there is one respect in which we will always disappoint them - we will probably not stand for an independent Kurdish state.
Without getting your rear in trouble, why is the article full of crap?
From my experience while there the media is itself poorly informed and also actively engages in twisting events to fit their agenda, whatever that may be. So while I know the media can’t be trusted, I today don't have first hand knowledge since I'm out of the loop as a civilian.
The AK shoots 7.62 mm short rounds. There are many sources other than China. All of the former eastern bloc countries could use the business and would not cause one to wonder if Talibani were trying to embarrass this country.
Country Variant(s)
Albania Unknown.Others
Tip C (Type C) Sniper Rifle
Bulgaria AKK (Type 3 AK-47), AKKS (Type 3 with side-folding buttstock)
AKKMS (AKMS) AKKN-47 (fittings for NPSU night sights)
AK-47M1 (Type 3 with black polymer furniture)
AK-47MA1/AR-M1 (same as -M1, but in 5.56 mm NATO)
AKS-47M1 (AKMS in 5.56 mm NATO), AKS-47MA1 (same as AKS-47M1, but semi-automatic only)
AKS-47S (AK-47M1, short version, with East German folding stock, laser aiming device)
AKS-47UF (short version of -M1, Russian folding stock), AR-SF (same as -47UF, but 5.56 mm NATO)
AKS-93SM6 (similar to -47M1, cannot use grenade launcher)
RKKS, AKT-47 (.22 rimfire training rifle)
China Type 56 Rifle (not Carbine)
Finland Rk-62
German Democratic Republic MPi-K (AK-47), MPi-KS (AKS), MPi-KM (AKM), MPi-KMS72 (AKMS);
Egypt AK-47, MISR 7.62 (AKM), Maadi
Hungary AK-63D/E, AKM-63, AMD-65, AMD-65M, AMMSZ, AMP, NGM 5.56
Iraq Tabuk (M70B1, and M70AB2)
Tabuk sniper rifle (M70B1 with 23.6-inch barrel, optics, different stock)
India India’s Ordnance Factory Board made a clone of the AK-47, known as the AK-7
Iran KLS (AK-47), KLF (AKS), KLT (AKMS)
Morocco AK-47, MISR 7.62 (AKM), Maadi
North Korea Type 58A (Type 3 AK-47), Type 58B (stamped steel folding stock), Type 68A (AKM-47) Type 68B (AKMS)
Pakistan Reverse engineered by hand and machine in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal areas
Poland kbk AK/pmK (AK-47), kbk AKS (AKS), kbk Ak PNG60, kbk AKM (AKM), kbK AKMS), kbk wz. 88 Tantal (AK-74 with special side-folding stock), kbk wz. 96 Beryl
Romania AI (AK-47), AIS (AKS), AIM, AIMS (AKM, AKMS), AIR
Yugoslavia and Serbia M64 (AK-47 with longer barrel), M64A (grenade launcher)
M64B (M64 w/ folding stock), M70, M70A, M70B, M77, M21
USA Civilian versions of the AK-47 are being produced in the US
Vietnam Chinese Type-56
Venezuela
Bump to your post #8.
Plus the Chinese make a pretty decent AK... we used to be able to get the semi-auto version in the US too...
If Talibani has ordered weapons from China, then Talibani has gone out of his way to embarrass this country.
What? Is he crazy? and risk lead poisoning? Also, ever hear of the chinese exploding trick? This is pure nuts!
The Iraqi MoD (Army) is switching to M4/M16s.
- 19 Sep 2006
http://www.dsca.osd.mil/PressReleases/36-b/2006/Iraq_06-69.pdf
- 25 Sep 2007
http://www.dsca.mil/PressReleases/36-b/2007/Iraq_07-64.pdf
Those two samples of Iraqi purchases via US FMS total 2.75 Billion USD. They are just two of many purchases by the GoI using their money to arm their troops.
This Chinese purchase is for Iraqi MoI (Iraqi Police) and is a for 500 million.
Colt is backlogged to 2010 for new orders.
That is why the Iraqi MoI (Police) went with China.
Iraqi MoD’s (Army) purchases from Colt are a major part of that backlog...
IIRC, the U.S. is China’s largest trading partner. Allied nations like Japan and South Korea account for much of Chinese exports as well.
Related link:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm
BTTT
IIRC, the U.S. is China’s largest trading partner. Allied nations like Japan and South Korea account for much of Chinese exports as well.
China is doing very well for itself considering most of the things it exports kill people. Mummmm. Maybe there is a method to their madness.
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