The U.S. Army’s estimation of the number of firearms that have been lost or stolen is far below that of the estimation found in a new report.
According to a new Associated Press (AP) report, “The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes.”
The outlet reported the Army’s “pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade,” when the AP launched an investigation into the military’s weapons accountability.
Army officials reportedly pushed back against the release of the information for years and proceeded to offer information that contradicted internal records.
The AP reports, “Military guns aren’t just disappearing. Stolen guns have been used in shootings, brandished to rob and threaten people and recovered in the hands of felons. Thieves sold assault rifles to a street gang.”
The information Army officials cited suggests only a couple of hundred firearms disappeared during the 2010s. The internal memos obtained by the outlet show the number is “many times higher.”
The publication noted after it first published its investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing the Pentagon needs to reinstate regular reporting.
The Pentagon said in a statement to the AP it “looks forward to continuing to work with Congress to ensure appropriate oversight.”
When Army Secretary Christine Wormuth was challenged by Blumenthal on her branch’s release of information, she replied, “I’d be happy to look into how we’ve handled this issue.”
Wormuth also claimed she would be “open to” a new reporting requirement.
The outlet explains, “Poor record-keeping in the military’s vast inventory systems means lost or stolen guns can be listed on property records as safe.”
The report continues, “Security breakdowns were evident all the way down to individual units, which have destroyed records, falsified inventory checks and ignored procedures.”
The AP reported “the total from the records provided – 230 missing rifles or handguns during the 2010s – was a clear undercount.”
The investigation discovered at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms were lost or stolen during the 2010s.
“Because some armed services have suppressed the release of basic information, AP’s total is a certain undercount,” the report reads.
Government records “covering the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force show pistols, machine guns, shotguns and automatic assault rifles have vanished from armories, supply warehouses, Navy warships, firing ranges and other places where they were used, stored or transported,” as the AP reports.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday, “I saw the reports as well … I was, frankly, shocked by the numbers that were in there.”
According to Milley, the service report numbers given to him as of Thursday morning on the missing firearms “are significantly less numbers than are reported” in the AP report.
“That’s not to say it’s zero, but it’s much less. So, I need to square the balance here. I owe you a firm answer,” he said.