Pentagon Destroys Surplus Goods

The Pentagon is scrapping millions of dollars of gear it has traditionally resold to surplus dealers, Time reports. The army claims that sorting passels of helmets, boots, and sleeping bags is too onerous, while suppliers are concerned the move is the vestige of an effort to keep old jet parts out of Iranian hands.

The surplus dealers, who also count the army as a major client, are pressuring Congress to act on the Pentagon’s new refusal to separate dangerous goods from material that is safe for resale. Even before the latest controversy, the dealers were lobbying for fewer jet parts to be junked. (More fighter jet stories.)