Iraq had nearly $7 billion in pending Foreign Military Sales (FMS) with the United States at the end of fiscal year 2012, but it is unclear whether Congress will approve those requests, according to the Pentagon’s special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction (SIGIR),
SIGIR Stuart Bowen said in his final report, released in March, that Iraq specifically had 47 cases requested, with a U.S. response in process, as of Sept. 30, 2012. Bowen also said in his report that Iraq was developing requests for 27 cases worth $3.2 billion when FY ’12 ended.
 |
| Special Inspector General for Iraq (SIGIR) Stuart Bowen. Photo: SIGIR. |
Bowen said last week at a Defense Writers Group breakfast in Washington he believed the backlog was due to supply, not demand from Iraq.
“Iraq wants everything. Whether we’re going to sell it to them is a (different) question,” Bowen said. “There are a lot of ongoing pending decisions about whether waivers will be granted on sales of certain items and that is a congressional question…and I think the answer may increasingly be no.”
The FMS program, administered by the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), facilitated contracting for the purchase of military equipment sales and construction services in Iraq since 2005. SIGIR public affairs liaison David Isenberg said Friday AH-64 Apache helicopters were among the glut of FMS sales that had yet to be processed. Through September 2012, the FMS program executed 237 FMS cases funded by Iraq for about $9.4 billion.
The FMS program also executed 259 “pseudo-FMS” cases funded by the United States through the Iraq Security Forces Fund (ISFF) for about $3.6 billion, which Bowen, in his report, called an “unusual innovation.” From 2005 through 2012, these pseudo-FMS cases purchased aircraft, naval vessels, police vehicles, tanks and armored personnel carriers. Peak expenditures, amounting to almost $800 million, occurred in the fourth quarter of FY ’09, purchasing helicopters, vehicles, weapons and spare parts through these cases.
The Army said the ISFF funds construction, force protection, training, equipping, life support and sustainment of Iraq security forces. ISFF funds can also be used as quick response funds, combat service support to Iraq security forces and for foreseeable or recurring (non-quick response funds) requirements. CSS to ISF is in support of last resort requirements and requires a strong justification, according to the Army.
The FMS program in Iraq executed 496 separate cases, including both FMS and pseudo-FMS cases, valued at a combined $12.8 billion.