VOA标准英语2009年-US Lawmakers Voice Concerns About Afghanistan,

U.S. lawmakers are describing as "disturbing" a report from the Government Accountability Office that says the Defense¹ Department has been unable to account for tens of thousands of weapons supplied to Afghanistan's security forces. There are also concerns voiced in congressional hearings about the situation in Afghanistan and future U.S. strategy.
　
US soldier with NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) patrols Farah province (file)

The GAO report says the Defense Department failed to maintain adequate inventory² controls for 36 percent, or about 87,000 of 242,000 weapons supplied during a four-year period ending in June 2008.

The weapons include assault rifles, machine guns, pistols, mortars³ and rocket-propelled grenade launchers supplied to Afghanistan's army and police.

The Defense Department could not provide serial⁴ numbers for about 46,000 of these weapons, and kept no reliable records for about 135,000 weapons obtained for Afghan forces by 21 countries or donors⁵.

Charles Johnson of the non-partisan Government Accountability Office was the first witness before the House National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.

"Lapses⁶ in accountability occurred at all phases of the supply chain, including when the weapons were obtained, transported to Afghanistan and stored at two central storage depots⁷ in Kabul," he said.

Johnson says the Defense Department failed to provide clear guidance to U.S personnel about procedures in handling weapons for Afghan security forces.

The Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, or CSTCA, is responsible for receiving, storing and distributing weapons for Afghan forces.

The GAO report also found compromised accountability in how weapons were transported to Afghanistan, poor security at storage facilities, and no routine physical inventories⁸ conducted until July 2008.

Lawmakers say the findings raise disturbing questions about weapons that may have fallen into the hands of Taliban or al-Qaida forces, who staged attacks in Kabul this week.

"What if we had to tell those families [of American soldiers] not only why they were in Afghanistan, but why their son or daughter died at the hand of an insurgent⁹ using a weapon purchased by U.S. taxpayers¹⁰. But that is what we risk if we were to have tens of thousands of weapons we provided, washing around Afghanistan [and] off the books," said Committee chairman Democratic Representative John Tierney.

Principal Deputy Inspector¹¹ General at the Pentagon, Thomas Gimble, outlines some of the steps the military has taken to correct problems.

"They also initiated¹² formal procedures to ensure that serial numbers on weapons provided Afghan security forces are recorded in the DOD small arms, light weapons serialization program," he said.

In this hearing and another in the House Armed Services Committee, lawmakers and witnesses renewed concerns about the overall situation in Afghanistan.

Mark Schneider, Senior Vice¹³ President, International Crisis Group, says President Obama inherits a chaotic¹⁴ situation made worse by a disorganized U.S. and allied¹⁵ strategy.

"Strategic incoherence and inadequate¹⁶ coordination¹⁷ here in Washington, in Kabul, within the U.S. military, between the military and civilian¹⁸ government agencies, and between the U.S. and its international partners in Kabul are fatal to success in confronting the Taliban insurgency¹⁹," he said.

Drawing a contrast with Iraq, General Jack²⁰ Keane, a former Army Vice Chief of Staff, says President Obama faces important decisions about how to proceed in Afghanistan.

"It is not just resources. We threw lots of resources at the problem in Iraq. Resources are crucial, I am not diminishing their importance, but it is how we use the resources, how we employ the troops. We had 150,000 troops and we were employing them the wrong way in Iraq and that is why for three years we were failing," he said.

President Obama has ordered a complete review of U.S. policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan, with his special envoy²¹ Richard Holbrooke holding talks in the region.

A Defense Department report in January said U.S.-led forces lacked the numbers and resources required to control the south of the country and effectively combat a strengthening insurgency.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

3 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

4 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

5 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lapses   

n.失误，过失( lapse的名词复数 )；小毛病；行为失检；偏离正道v.退步( lapse的第三人称单数 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He sometimes lapses from good behavior. 他有时行为失检。 来自辞典例句
• He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. 他可以宽恕突然发作的歇斯底里，惊慌失措，恶劣的莫名其妙的动作，各种各样的失误。 来自辞典例句

7 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

8 inventories   

n.总结( inventory的名词复数 )；细账；存货清单（或财产目录）的编制

参考例句：

• In other cases, such as inventories, inputs and outputs are both continuous. 在另一些情况下，比如存货，其投入和产出都是持续不断的。
• The store must clear its winter inventories by April 1st. 该店必须在4月1日前售清冬季存货。

9 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

10 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

11 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

12 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

13 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

14 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

15 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

16 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

17 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

18 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

19 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

20 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

21 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。