DIVEST AND PROSPER
fees, was staggering. For example, the cost of storing one armored personnel carrier is $350 per year; multiply that by tens of thousands, and the result is a sig- nificant cost for the Army.
Add to that the cost of making the equip- ment storage-ready—draining fluids and removing hazardous materials—which can range from a few thousand dollars per unit to tens of thousands of dollars per unit. Ultimately, a DA decision to demilitarize, or tear down the equipment, can tack on another several million dol- lars, said Williams. “And that’s just in one instance, not the hundreds of cases that would accrue over the years.”
Two years ago, the Iraqi Army obtained 1,026 EDA-declared M113A2 armored personnel carriers through USASAC’s FMS program. Tese M113A2s collected
The EDA process comes with USASAC’s “total package approach,” which includes not only the equipment, but also refurbishment, training, facilities, spare parts, publications, maintenance, logistics support and other services to ensure that a capability performs appropriately.
dust for nearly two decades at a West Coast depot before the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama refurbished them at the Iraqi Army’s request. Williams said this type of case also accomplishes the USASAC mission of building part- ner capacity, supporting combatant command engagement strategies and strengthening U.S. global partnerships.
“Tis was a win-win situation for both the Iraqis and the U.S. because, in the Iraqis’ case, they went from a nonexistent
armored capability in 2010 to plans for six divisions,” said now-retired COL Sammie Hargrove, then USASAC’s U.S. Central Command regional operations director, in a 2013 interview. “For the U.S., we divested ourselves of 1,026 M113s. Demilitarizing that many vehicles can be cost-prohibitive.” Te estimated U.S. cost avoidance was $31 million.
Williams noted that one of the biggest complaints about the old EDA process was that it was slow and cumbersome.
“Once Army equipment was declared excess, we’d get notice from the DA G-4. Ten we’d have to get permission from the State Department to survey the equipment out to foreign countries. Ten, we’d survey it out to maybe 60 or 70 countries, based on which countries the State Department tells us are eligible,” said Williams. “You can see that this pro- cess burns up a lot of time.”
Talks begin in earnest once partner nations express interest in the equipment. USASAC personnel and partner nations negotiate price, availability, refurbishment, training, parts packages and many other factors. Finally, a partner nation is selected and a letter of acceptance is issued.
PUTTING PEN TO PAPER Then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Qatari Minister of State for Defense Affairs Hamad bin Ali al Attiyah sign letters of offer and acceptance for Apache helicopters and Patriot and Jav- elin missile systems at the Pentagon on July 14, 2014. Thanks to the revamp of the EDA business model, the number of FMS cases like this one has increased dramatically, as has the dollar value. (DOD Photo by PO2 Sean Hurt)
THE NEW MODEL According to Williams, USASAC approached the DA G-3/4/8 and asked to be involved at the start of the process. As a result of that request, MG Mark McDonald, USASAC’s commander, and
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Army AL&T Magazine October-December 2015
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