We learn this from today’s New York Times about America’s efforts to support the Afghan government in the war on terror:

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces.

Since then, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials.

Truly unfortunate.  But even more so considering this isn’t the first time we’ve under-supported the Afghans’ munition needs.

Readers of “Charlie Wilson’s War” might remember this passage on page 158

By the time Avrakotos came into the picture, the procurement operatives were buying just about any Lee-Enfield .303 ammunition available on the world market.  The Agency had already slipped more than 100,000 of these World War I-vintage rifles to the Afghans.

Well, at least we’re beyond World War I-era weapons to the Afgans.  Circa early Vietnam War is a bit more reasonable, eh?