Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst berated Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday for the Pentagon’s failure to properly ship military equipment to a key U.S. ally, which resulted in the equipment becoming seriously compromised.

The Pentagon made several shipments of military equipment to Taiwan between November 2023 and March, but because the shipments were not delivered properly, more than 67% of the equipment suffered water damage, according to a Department of Defense (DOD) watchdog report released in September. Ernst told Austin in a letter on Wednesday that the failure to ensure quality delivery was an “embarrassing debacle,” disrespectful to our ally and a waste of hundreds of thousands of U.S. taxpayer dollars, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“These failures are particularly alarming, not only because of Taiwan’s critical role as a key security partner but also because they could impact the confidence of other U.S. allies and partners that rely on timely and reliable defense support,” Ernst told Austin in the letter. “If such issues persist, they could erode trust in U.S. defense commitments globally, undermining the security relationships the U.S. has worked to strengthen.”

We found that the DoD did not effectively or efficiently implement accountability and quality controls for items delivered to Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority. Read our latest report: https://t.co/pbWEVzN3Oj pic.twitter.com/JZCwzowEN9

— DoD Office of Inspector General (@DoD_IG) September 12, 2024

Between November 2023 and March of this year, the Pentagon delivered 504 pallets worth of equipment to Taiwan, 340 of which suffered water damage during the shipment process, according to the DOD watchdog report. Approximately 120 of the pallets contained body armor plates and tactical vests that were covered in mildew and mold.

Taiwan had also claimed in December 2023 that it had received 2.7 million ammunition rounds from the Pentagon, some of which were expired or not packed properly, according to the watchdog report.

A breakdown in communications, lack of organization and failure to uphold quality standards resulted in the compromised shipments, according to the report. It cost over $730,000 to clean or replace the equipment.

“This situation presents not only operational risks for Taiwan but also a broader strategic risk to U.S. credibility… these failures could severely undermine Taiwan’s confidence in the United States at a time when the region faces growing security challenges,” Ernst wrote to Austin. “With ongoing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. cannot afford to weaken its commitments or lose the trust of critical partners and allies.”

Ernst demanded that Austin answer what steps were taken to ensure similar equipment shipments to U.S. allies meet quality standards, what oversight measures are in place during the delivery process and where the $730,000 spent on cleaning and replacements was sourced from.

In a separate document obtained by the DCNF, Ernst’s office drew a contrast between the “international incompetence” of the Biden-Harris administration’s move to send shoddy equipment to Taiwan while American adversaries around the globe enjoy profits under the administration’s policies. Specifically, Ernst’s office pointed to the administration’s decision to send over $1 billion to a U.N. Palestinian agency linked to terrorism and leave $7 billion worth of military equipment behind for the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021.

Ernst gave her monthly “Squeal Award” to the Pentagon in October, a sarcastic award meant to call out government agencies for wasting money, according to the document obtained by the DCNF.

“The Biden-Harris administration sent equipment that a thrift shop wouldn’t accept and ammunitions that are as lethal as an unloaded water gun to a key partner in the crosshairs of Communist China,” Ernst told the DCNF. “This amateur-hour incompetence by the White House is exactly why the world is on fire.”

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Republished with permission from Daily Caller News Foundation