Faulty Lube Said at Fault For Iraq Weapons Failures
The military is reportedly changing gun lubricants following a lengthy investigation by WABC News in New York that found a lubricant supplied to soldiers in Iraq apparently does not work under desert conditions. Gun Week reported months ago, following the ambush involving Pvt. Jessica Lynch that complaints had surfaced about jammed weapons.
Under scrutiny is a lubricant identified as CLP. According to the WABC report, which aired in mid-November, this lubricant was blamed for attracting grit, a condition that ultimately led to jammed weapons.
Lynch, according to the report, said her rifle jammed almost immediately after being ordered to "lock and load."
The Army suggested that poor individual weapons maintenance by soldiers may contribute to the malfunctions.
Experts interviewed by the news agency disagreed. WABC quoted Lt. Col. Robert Kovacic (USA-ret.) who said that the weapons "would stop and jam." He said, "Those weapons if properly lubricated will work better than anybody else's. But they have to be properly lubricated. CLP is not the proper lubrication."
Instead, soldiers are now using a different lubricant, according to the report. This product is called Militec. Initially, the station said, the military curiously cancelled all troop orders for Militec. However, orders for the new lubricant apparently started going through some time in October.
