GRAPHIC VERSION

THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 3010 DEFENSE PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC 20301-3010

The Honorable Walter B. Jones
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Jones:

This letter responds to your June 23, 2004, inquiry to Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. You expressed concern that MILITEC-1, a small arms lubricant and metal conditioner, was not being made available to Service personnel Serving in the Iraqi theater.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) purchases lubricants, cleaners, and preservatives, such as MILITEC-1, on behalf of the Armed Services. DLA's purchases are limited to those items that the Armed Services have approved for use on military hardware. In October 2003, the Army approved MILITEC-1 for general use in combat. Since that approval, demand for MILITEC-1 exceeded what DLA had anticipated. From October 2003 to the present, DLA has received over 600 requests for nearly 5,300 units (of various-sized containers) of MILITEC-1.

Initially, delivery of these units to the field had been delayed due to problems with the product's packaging and marking. These problems have been resolved. I am pleased to report that DLA has satisfied all outstanding customer requests for MILITEC-1 and has begun building an inventory of the product to satisfy future requests.

I trust this response addresses your concerns.

Sincerely,