Electrocuted in Iraq

Last week, we published a CongressDaily report on a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing about how shoddy electrical wiring in facilities in Iraq is leading to the deaths and injuries of soldiers. The New York Times picks up on the story today, reporting that a 2007 Army survey showed that "electrical problems were the most urgent noncombat safety hazard for soldiers in Iraq."

The survey found “a safety threat theaterwide created by the poor-quality electrical fixtures procured and installed, sometimes incorrectly, thus resulting in a significant number of fires.”

The paper reviewed internal documents and found "dozens of memos, e-mail messages and reports" showing that procurement experts at the Army, the Defense Contract Management Agency and other agencies have long acknowledged that electrical problems are a major safety threat.