Pentagon to Reimburse Troops for Safety Equipment, at Urging of Dodd and Senate
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6-Only hours before the Senate spoke out unanimously on the subject, the Department of Defense announced a program to reimburse troops for safety equipment they purchased for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon was more than seven months late. Congress ordered the reimbursement program nearly a year ago and required the Pentagon to institute the program by Feb. 25 of this year.
Senator Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) led the renewed call for action, introducing an amendment to a defense spending bill Wednesday afternoon that would shift authority on this issue away from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and into the hands of military unit commanders.
“The United States government has few higher priorities than the safety and well-being of U.S. troops deployed in harm’s way,” Dodd told the Senate. “In my view, that starts with equipping them with the gear they need to operate safely and successfully.” He added: “We shouldn’t have to introduce legislation for this to happen.”
The new Pentagon guidelines allow reimbursement for helmets, ballistic eye protection, hydration systems, tactical vests and a variety of body armor. The maximum reimbursement is $1,100 and in most cases items become government property. To qualify, the purchase had to have occurred between Sept. 10, 2001, and Aug. 1, 2004.
But Dodd said this list is not sufficient, leaving off such things as additional Humvee armor and radios. He accused the Department of Defense of “dragging their feet” and called the list of reimbursement items one more example of that.
Dodd told the Senate about “Gordon,” a Connecticut father who purchased equipment for his son fighting in Iraq.
“Gordon is a good American,” Dodd said. “He is a former mayor of a small town in Connecticut and a Vietnam veteran. . A loyal Republican, Gordon is not looking for government handouts or to be challenging the president of the United States. He just wants his son to be safe. That is why last month he contacted the online store Diamond Back Tactical and ordered combat gear for his son totaling $683.36.”
Undersecretary of Defense David S.C. Chu announced the guidelines on the same day the Senate unanimously passed Dodd’s proposal. Pentagon officials had previously opposed the program, calling it “unmanageable” and “an open-ended financial burden.”
