"As a result of this difference in focus, there are serious concerns
that U.S. counter-terrorism assistance, provided to assist the ROYG [Yemeni
government] in combating Al Qaida, has been diverted for use in the war
against the Houthis," the report said.
"This potential misuse of security assistance underscores the importance
of enhancing the current end-use monitoring regime for U.S.-provided
equipment," the report, titled "Following the Money in Yemen and Lebanon:
Maximizing the Effectiveness of U.S. Security Assistance and International
Financial Institution Lending," said. "Indeed, the existing end-use
monitoring protocols in place have revealed discrepancies between U.S.
records of security assistance and those that are in the possession of
Yemeni defense forces."
Officials said the U.S. military has been assigned to track assistance
to Yemen. They said the effort included the Defense Department's Defense
Security Cooperation Agency and the U.S. embassy's Office of Military
Cooperation. The military has requested the deployment of reservists for
six-month tours to monitor U.S. aid.
"Past problems resulting from a lack of coordination underscore the
importance of unity of effort among all U.S. agencies," the Senate report,
dated January 2010, said.
The need for monitoring has become acute amid a significant increase in
U.S. military aid to Yemen. Washington has approved more than $150 million
in military and security aid for 2010 as the Pentagon oversaw an offensive
against Al Qaida.
"Moreover, in the most recent round of inspections, the FMF officer
found that much equipment was unaccounted for," the report said. "There were
also significant discrepancies between DSCA's data on the quantity that had
been provided and that which was in the Yemeni forces' inventories."
The Senate reported the diversion of U.S. night-vision equipment from Al
Qaida to the Shi'ite war near the border with Saudi Arabia. The night vision
goggles and other equipment were acquired by Yemen through the U.S. 1206
program, reserved for urgent counter-insurgency assistance.
"The reported use of night-time raids in Saada raises questions about
whether the 1206-funded night-vision equipment has been used in these
raids," the report said.
Another concern was that the Yemen Air Force was using U.S. military
equipment in air strikes against Shi'ite rebels. The report said the
suspected diversion led to a U.S. embassy decision to suspend further aid on
fuel-related equipment to the Air Force.
"Likewise, concerned about the possibility of the Yemeni Air Force using
propellant activated devices in aerial campaign in the north, the embassy
has put a hold on the provision of this equipment to the Yemeni armed
forces," the report said.
In what has compounded the problem, the report said, U.S. military
representatives in Sanaa remained uncertain over whether Washington had
actually banned U.S. aid to quell the Shi'ite rebellion. Regardless, U.S.
diplomats were said to have urged Yemeni leaders not to divert assistance
for the war against Al Qaida.
"The USG should develop a more robust end-use monitoring regime for
Yemen, and for any other country where there is ongoing armed conflict in
which U.S.-provided CT resources could be diverted," the report said.