A U.S.-funded, half-billion-dollar program designed to add cargo planes built in Italy to the Afghan air force has been reduced to $32,000 in scrap metal at Kabul International Airport, and a U.S. government watchdog wants to know why.

John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, sent letters to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Air Force Secretary Deborah James last week inquiring about an ill-fated program that purchased 20 G222 aircraft for the Afghan military at a cost of $486 million. The program was terminated in March 2013 over concerns that the cargo planes were not being used or properly maintained and repaired.

Of those 20 planes, 16 fell into disrepair at Kabul International Airport and were turned over to the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency, which shredded them into scrap metal. The resulting material then was sold to an Afghan construction company at 6 cents per pound, totaling $32,000. The remaining four planes are being stored at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Sopko traveled to Kabul in November and saw the planes firsthand. A picture dated in August of this year and included with his correspondence shows aircraft remnants.

“I am concerned that the officials responsible for planning and executing the scrapping of the planes may not have considered other possible alternatives in order to salvage taxpayer dollars,” he wrote to James.

Sopko has asked James to provide more information on whether officials pursued a more lucrative solution than to scrap and sell the metal. He also asked Hagel for notice before anything happens to the four remaining planes at Ramstein.

Marine Corps Maj. Brad Avots, a Defense Department spokesman, says the G222 program was only meant to serve as an interim solution to the Afghan air force's need for cargo planes. The fleet was unable to fulfill its mission, he says, so the program was discontinued.

"The Department of Defense recently completed disposal of aircraft located in Kabul, Afghanistan, to minimize impact on drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan," Avots tells U.S. News in an email.

The Pentagon is looking for new ways to dispose of the remaining four planes in Germany.

"Working in a wartime environment such as Afghanistan brings with it many challenges, and we continually seek to improve our processes," Avots says. "We also are focused on building the capability and capacity of our Afghan partners to improve accountability and help instill sound financial management practices in daily operations while reducing the risk of fraud, waste and abuse."

The episode represents a daunting challenge facing President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw U.S. service members from Afghanistan by the end of 2016. The Afghan security forces are trained, equipped and paid for almost exclusively through U.S. support, and still rely on American partners for key capabilities such as logistics, intelligence, air support and – perhaps most critically – equipment maintenance.



Sopko’s office pointed out last summer the Afghan air force was facing similar problems related to maintaining its Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter fleet, considered an essential tool for combat medevac and search and rescue operations.

Army Gen. John Campbell, the new commander for coalition forces in Afghanistan, said in early October that Afghan forces are now leading all combat missions. The shift allows allied partners to focus on building up the Afghan military’s critical support skills before leaving.

Training the Afghans to maintain their equipment remains a key focus, he said.

“They do have some shortfalls that we’ll continue to work on, and that’s what part of Resolute Support is,” he said, referring to the new name for combat operations after Operation Enduring Freedom technically ends this December. “We’ll work very hard on their aviation, on their intelligence, on their sustainment.”