US Military Not Always Reporting Troops’ Exposure to Burn Pits, Pentagon Finds

Its inspector general concludes the Department of Defense’s current reporting requirements don’t cover non-DOD burn pits burning non-DOD waste.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Frances Gavalis tosses unserviceable uniform items into a burn pit at Balad Air Base, Iraq, on March 10, 2008. Military uniform items turned in must be burned to ensure they cannot be used by opposing forces. U.S. Department of Defense, Public Domain

The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has concluded that the department hasn’t done enough to document when U.S. troops have been exposed to non-DOD-controlled burn pits during deployments.

The U.S. military has used burn pits—designated open-air areas for burning waste—to dispose of their trash during deployments to the Middle East and Africa throughout the past three decades.