Pentagon Doesn't Know How Much It's Spending

WASHINGTON - How well is the Defense Department keeping track of the billions of dollars spent in Iraq and Afghanistan? The answer—not too well—has a familiar ring. The Washington Post recently reported, "The Pentagon has no accurate knowledge of the cost of military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan or the fight against terrorism, limiting Congress's ability to oversee spending, the Government Accountability Office concluded." … In October 2003, the Center released the first-ever systematic investigation of the companies doing work in Iraq and Afghanistan. We found that the government seemed to have little idea of how many contractors were in the two countries or what they were doing. "Based on the findings, it did not appear that any one government agency knew the total number of contractors or what they were doing," we noted. "Congressional sources said they hoped such a full picture would emerge from the General Accounting Office, which has begun investigating the postwar contracting process amid allegations of fraud and cronyism."