"Almost $12.8 million in equipment purchased to meet urgent needs in support of the counterinsurgency strategy is sitting unused in storage... without a clear plan for installation," said the report by Inspector General John Sopko. The equipment was dispatched in March, but has been stored at a US Army Corps of Engineers base in the southern city of Kandahar on wooden palettes as they ponder what to do with it, pending a clear installation plan.
A further concern is that the manufacturer's two-year warranty on the electricity meters could run out before the equipment is installed. Since 2009, the US has spent some $88 million to help improve and modernise the Afghan power grid, and a further $157 million are pledged between 2013-2016.