IED detectors near brink in Pentagon budget - Washington Times: "The Pentagon is eyeing cuts in a war office thought to be untouchable: the organization that devises ways to foil the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Officials say the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) has done good work in developing jammers and detection equipment to neutralize the enemy's use of roadside bombs.
But observers inside and outside the Pentagon say JIEDDO has become unwieldy, with too many private contractors and duplicate programs. Congressional reports have called for stricter Pentagon oversight of JIEDDO's far-flung programs.
"JIEDDO has managed to spend billions over the last three years without any significant improvement in defenses against bombs," said a Pentagon official who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about policy.
Daniel Goure, an analyst at the Lexington Institute, a pro-defense think tank, said he had heard that cuts for the department were planned, but did not know how deep they would be."
