American troops at two bases in the Middle East were put at risk because of improperly stored munitions, the Defense Department’s internal watchdog agency has said.
Investigations by the Pentagon Inspector General’s office found that the weapons at the Army’s Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar weren’t stored in accordance with approved limits on net explosive weight, according to two separate reports released Thursday.
As of last March, more than 20 million munitions valued at more than $1.8 billion were being stored at Al Udeid, according to the IG, which did not provide the figures for Camp Arifjan.
The reports made several recommendations at both bases and most have been resolved. However, the IG is still calling on officials at Camp Arifjan to ensure appropriate units conduct annual inspections of munition storage facilities, and for officials at Al Udeid to review NEW limits for their facilities at least once every quarter.
