Dem demands details on spending for Syrian rebel program

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is pressing the Pentagon for details on how it spent the $500 million approved by Congress to train and equip Syrian rebels amid questions about some contracts.

“Recent news reports have raised questions about some of the contracts awarded by US Special Operations Command to support the [New Syrian Forces],” the Missouri Democrat, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter.

{mosads}McCaskill’s letter comes after BuzzFeed reported last month that a contracting company tried to sell the United States rocket-propelled grenades that were more than 30 years old. According to the report, the U.S. government rejected the equipment, which delayed the train-and-equip program. The Pentagon, though, pushed back against that allegation.

In the wake of that report, McCaskill is asking Carter to hand over information on all contracts related to the Syrian effort, which she said will “assist me in my oversight responsibilities.”

For any equipment that didn’t meet U.S. military requirements, she wants to know why and what actions did the U.S. government take.

According to BuzzFeed, the U.S. government also allowed for 700 anti-tank missiles to be purchased for the Syrian rebels from the Belarus government, even though that normally is not allowed under U.S. policy.

McCaskill’s letter is the latest sign of trouble for the train-and-equip program, which is the subject of growing frustration in Congress.

A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to top administration officials last week, saying the program needs to be shut down and the administration needs to “look for alternative ways forward.”

The Pentagon announced last week that it had temporarily stopped receiving new recruits at training sites, but pushed back against suggestions the program had been suspended.

Previously, McCaskill and Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) sent a letter to Carter last month about the administration’s review of the program, asking to be briefed on how it will be changed.