Pentagon throws away $1.2B in ammunition

$1.2 billion worth of ammunition is to be destroyed by the Pentagon, not because of safety regulations or other protection-related issues but because of an out-dated inventory system.

The Pentagon has been trying, unsuccessfully, for decades to reunite all the armed forces into a single database system. The result is that only the Army shares the standard Pentagon system, while the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps have their own systems.

The direct consequence is a build-up of huge amounts of waste as one branch may have excess ammunition while another branch is in need of fresh supplies and has to order them.

If changes were to be made and institute a system for all the different service branches to share data efficiently, billions of dollar might be saved.

‘Despite years of effort, the Army, Navy, and Air Force still don't have an efficient process for doing something as basic as sharing excess bullets,’ declared Sen. Tom Carper, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Pentagon officials recognize the immediate need for a common data-sharing system and plan to make it a priority for the near future.

The American institution manages a stock of $70 billion worth of ammunition.