WASHINGTON (AP) – After examining hundreds of combat support and reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan, the U.S. military estimates $360 million in U.S. tax dollars has ended up in the hands of people the American-led coalition has spent nearly a decade battling: the Taliban, criminals and power brokers with ties to both.
The losses underscore the challenges the U.S. and its international partners face in overcoming corruption in Afghanistan. A central part of the Obama administration’s strategy has been to award U.S.-financed contracts to Afghan businesses to help improve quality of life and stoke the country’s economy. Read the rest here: http://apne.ws/qBGZ5M

CHINA AND PAKISTAN ARE DENYING reports that the Pakistanis gave the Chinese a peek at the stealth technology on a U.S. helicopter before returning the wreckage to the United States. http://bbc.in/q6L1rL

THE AIR FORCE HAS IMPOSED a civilian hiring freeze, following similar moves by the Army and Marine Corps, Stars and Stripes reports today. “We are operating in a very challenging fiscal environment and are focused on meeting mission requirements with a reduced budget.” Lt. Gen. Darrell Jones, the Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services, said when last week’s 90-day hiring freeze began. http://1.usa.gov/nGe16E

THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION unveiled a plan Tuesday to infuse the biofuels industry with $510 million in the next three years while working with private companies to produce fuel for military and commercial transport. The Navy, which plans to cut its use of fossil fuels in half by 2020, will need 8 million barrels of biofuel to achieve that goal, and wants to ensure the plants are in places where the service can access the fuel, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said during a conference call with reporters. “We want this biofuel industry to be geographically diverse across the United States,” he said. See the POLITICO Pro story here (subscription required): http://politico.pro/qDjSbp

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