What bearing, if any, the Commission on Wartime Contracting’s report will have on the future of the Missouri National Guard’s Agribusiness Development Teams is unclear.
Of the ADTs, the Commission’s report only suggests their work goes beyond the Department of Defense’s core mission. It says other parts of the overall U.S. ag mission in Afghanistan have become ripe for abuse and waste.
Senator Claire McCaskill says a program that was spending a million dollars a day on vouchers for wheat seed and fertilizer was singled out. She says her office will continue studying the report, and what it might mean for the future of ADTs.
Adjutant General Stephen Danner says the Teams’ mission is unlike those programs in that it doesn’t give farmers money. He says his men and women are hands on in teaching Afghan farmers and policy makers about modern ag practices and technology.
General Danner says he has heard of no determination when the ADT mission will end, and notes the next team is already being developed for deployment next year.