Contractor woes may plague Iraq withdrawal

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Expiring contracts with truck suppliers could hamper the draw-down of U.S. troops from Iraq, the Government Accountability Office in Washington says.

A GAO report contends that with many Iraq contractor's deals set to run out next year just as the U.S. military is at the height of its withdrawal of 50,000 troops, finding new contractors on the run could be "daunting," the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported Wednesday.

"Executing the rapid movement of troops and equipment out of Iraq will require significant truck assets," the report said. "Transitioning the mission to a new contractor and requiring the new contractor to provide 23,000 trucks and crews could be daunting."

The GAO predicted not as many troops would be available for patrols if they were instead needed to oversee multiple Iraqi contractors, and noted that U.S. commanders have yet to determine out how many contractors will be needed during the withdrawal.

Stars and Stripes said U.S. Army officials in Kuwait and the United States could not comment when asked about the issues raised in the GAO report.