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FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Joni Ernst sent a letter demanding answers after a government report found the Defense Department (DOD) sent body armor covered in mildew and equipment from the 1980s to Taiwan.
The Pentagon inspector general found the U.S. had sent “wet and moldy body armor” to Taiwan to shore up its defenses ahead of an impending invasion from China, then spent an additional $730,000 trying to remedy the mistake.
“Delivering outdated and damaged military equipment to Taiwan is no way to treat a friend. Unfortunately, undercutting our partners and emboldening adversaries has become a staple of the Biden-Harris foreign policy doctrine,” Ernst, the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate, said in a statement.
“Make no mistake, Beijing is laughing at, and taking full advantage of, the leadership failures of this administration. We need to bring back competency and strength in the White House to restore trust in our allies and partners while striking fear in our adversaries.”
CHINA HOLDS LIVE-FIRE DRILLS NEAR TAIWAN, IN ANOTHER SHOW OF FORCE
More than 340 out of 504 pallets of equipment sustained water damage as they sat at Travis Air Force Base in California. The U.S. Army didn’t facilitate delivery for two months after receiving the equipment.
The base did not have proper storage facilities, according to the report, and the pallets were exposed to blowing rain, fog, humidity and heat.
Of the 340 pallets, 120 were sent to Taiwan containing more than 3,000 mildewed body armor plates and 500 wet and moldy tactical vests.
The inspector general’s office observed the pallets had “visible mold spores, wrapped in plastic that had trapped water, facilitating further deterioration and mold growth.”
Images of moldy equipment given to Taiwan provided by the American Institute in Taiwan via a Defense Department Inspector General’s report September 2024.
Taiwan authorities spent weeks trying to air out the gear, according to the report.
U.S. personnel told the…
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