Non-Subscriber Extract
US lawmakers warn against 'drift' in counter-IED fight
By Nathan Hodge
23 September 2008
As the US Department of Defense looks to create a permanent establishment for combating improvised explosive devices (IEDs), US legislators are questioning the military's long-term strategy.
The Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) began in 2003 as a 12-man US Army task force in Iraq. Over five years, it has grown into an organisation that employs 3,600 people, while the US Congress has provided nearly USD14 billion in counter-IED funding, most of it through emergency budget supplements.
US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has made 'institutionalising' JIEDDO a top priority. While JIEDDO has touted its success in reducing casualties from roadside bombs, some legislators are concerned that the organisation may be in danger of losing its focus as it becomes an entrenched bureaucracy.
Representative Vic Snyder, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's oversight and investigations panel, said in a 16 September hearing he was concerned that the organisation may shift focus to other asymmetric threats.
Image: An IED discovered by US forces in Baghdad (US Army)