Via the BBC: US admits delay to Iraqi weapons

The US-led coalition in Iraq has failed to deliver nearly two-thirds of the equipment it promised to Iraq’s army, the US Defence Department has said.

The Pentagon said only 14.5m of the nearly 40m items of equipment ordered by the Iraqi army had been provided.

The US military commander in charge of training in Iraq has asked for help in speeding up the transfer of equipment.

On Wednesday, Iraq’s ambassador to the US said the delays were hindering the fighting capacity of its armed forces.

The excuse for the delays? Export licenses and changes in the orders:

It said some deliveries had been delayed by the export licensing process, while others had been affected by changes in orders.

This is yet another example of the failure of the administration to execute its policy goals in Iraq. How can we be this far behind in this vital area of equipping the people who are supposed to be taking over the security of the country? And here we are just over a month from when the big report on the status of the Iraqi situation is supposed to be issued and we have only delivered roughly a third of the promised equipment to the Iraqi military. Of the tasks at hand, one would think that this would be one of the easier ones.

It hardly inspires confidence, shall we say. Further, it raises serious questions about how seriously any statements about Iraqi troop readiness should be taken.