SENATOR COLLINS QUESTIONS WOLFOWITZ & MYERS ON LACK OF BASIC SUPPLIES FOR TROOPS IN IRAQ

Washington, DC – Senator Susan Collins today questioned Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, about why American troops in Iraq still appear to be in need of basic supplies, such as water, radios, and ammunition. During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which Senator Collins is a member, Senator Collins expressed outrage about the lack of supplies and equipment, as she read from emails the she has received from Maine troops in the field.

Senator Collins read from an email that was sent by a Maine service member, saying, "We have tried to get ammo from other sources and through our proper chain of command. In this case we''ve been told to get Iraqi weapons and ammo as backup weapons. We've done this, but nobody''s very confident with this plan. We have very little training in their weapons. We are not qualified with the AK-47. We've not sighted these weapons and they're not as reliable as our American weapons." Two other emails from Maine troops highlighted their concerns about the lack of water and working radios for their units.

"In each case, these soldiers are telling me that they went up the chain of command and just couldn't get what they needed. I have received a sufficient number of similar reports from our troops that I have to believe there's some sort of logistics problem," Senator Collins told Secretary Wolfowitz and General Myers. "This isn't a question of money. You know that we in Congress will give you all that you need to make sure that our troops who are serving so bravely have everything they need to accomplish their dangerous mission as safely as possible. Why are we still having these problems with such basic supplies, not to mention safety equipment, like the up-armored Humvees and body armor?" General Myers promised Senator Collins that he would look into these specific problems in order to address them and agreed that the chain of command should be able to respond to the troops needs without lawmakers' intervention.

Senator Collins has repeatedly urged Department of Defense (DoD) leaders to act immediately to ensure that all efforts were being made to provide necessary supplies and protective gear for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has expressed frustration to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for what appears to be repeated delays in action on the part of DoD. She initially raised the issue of shortages of body armor and fortified Humvees for military personnel in Iraq during a Senate Armed Services hearing in March 2004. She questioned military leaders again at a hearing in May 2004. Senator Collins then addressed her concerns directly to Secretary Rumsfeld in a letter she sent last December.

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