OTTAWA, Canada - The Canadian Forces have experienced serious security breaches with military equipment being shipped back from Afghanistan, CBC News has learned.Chris Alexander, parliamentary secretary to the minister of defense, told Power & Politics host Evan Solomon Tuesday that 10 containers had been broken into and that equipment was missing when the containers from Afghanistan were opened in Canada.
Rather than containing the expected military equipment, the containers were filled with rocks and sand, presumably to mimic the weight of the missing supplies so the breach would go undetected.- The Department of National Defence confirmed Tuesday that various military hardware and gear was missing from containers being transported to Canada from Afghanistan by chartered sea vessel, and said a full investigation is underway.
- A Defence spokesperson told CBC News in a statement the missing equipment is "non-critical."
- The department also said no uniforms were missing from any of the containers inventoried so far. "Equipment in these containers would consist of items such as tires, tools and tents," Lt.-Cmdr. John Nethercott said.
- The job of shipping the supplies back to Canada was contracted to Montreal company A.J. Maritime after the Canadian base in Kandahar was closed last November.
- A.J. Maritime said 448 Canadian shipping containers remain in Afghanistan, while 182 have been returned to Canada and 40 are currently in transit.
According to Public Works, the total loss expected for the Department of National Defence for the year 2010-11 due to loss or property damage is $4.7 million. However, it is not known how much of those losses is a result of theft.Military investigators are trying to determine where the supply chain is vulnerable to pilfering and security breaches. The situation is further complicated by blockades of NATO supply crossings at the Afghan-Pakistan border and tensions with militants in the area.
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