Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Pentagon reportedly wasted $64M on aircraft modification program

Federal Times: WASHINGTON ― An office within the Pentagon wasted at least $64.8 million on a program to modify a Drug Enforcement Agency to perform advanced surveillance operations in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense inspector general.

The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counternarcotics and Global Threats spent the money on ATR 42-500 aircraft modifications under the Global Discovery Program. The program involved the DEA and DoD, who were jointly spending $86 million on the modifications.

According to The Washington Post, the modified aircraft remained inoperable for seven years after its purchase. And the DEA is yet to use it in Afghanistan-based missions.

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