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Its findings show "a vast (Pentagon supply chain) protection racket run (through Host Nation Trucking contracts) by a shadowy network of warlords, strongmen, commanders, corrupt Afghan officials, and perhaps others," undermining Washington's war-winning strategy by "funding the insurgency."
The investigation learned the following:
-- mainly warlords protect America's supply chain, contracted by Host Nation Trucking (HNT);
-- they run a protection racket - specifically, "extortion, bribes, special security, and/or protection payments;"
-- the latter, in turn, go to insurgents to ensure safe passage;
-- corrupted Afghan officials extort millions, the largest NHT private security provider saying it has to pay $1,000 - $10,000 monthly in bribes to "nearly every Afghan governor, police chief, and local military unit (through) whose territory supplies pass," HNT reporting the same thing;
-- Afghanistan's logistical nightmare undermines DOD's counterinsurgency (COIN);
-- the Pentagon lacks effective oversight of its supply chain and security contractors protecting it; and
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