In March, word broke that the U.S. Army had given an ammunition contract worth as much as $300 million to a company led by a 22 year-old and a licensed masseur. Not surprisingly, the bullets, meant for the Afghan army, turned out to be useless.
So, just a few days after the* New York Times *revealed this embarrassment, the U.S. Army Materiel Command put out the word that it was looking for a new supplier for the "non-standard" ammunition, meant for the Afghans' Soviet-made weapons. Today, the Army found one, in old-school ammo-maker Alliant Techsystems, or ATK.
Under the $87 million contract, the firm "will provide the technical and supply chain management expertise necessary to mitigate supply chain risks that could impede, or prevent, the continuous flow of compliant non-standard ammunition to our Afghan allies. ATK will utilize capable international manufacturers and distributors with the ability to supply non-standard small, medium, large caliber ammunition and rockets," according to a company statement.
Masseurs, however, were not mentioned in the press release.
