US agency asks DoD to improve data accuracy of military equipment sent to Ukraine

March 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made recommendations on Wednesday to the Department of Defense to help ensure U.S.-origin equipment was being tracked and used appropriately in Ukraine.

The GAO said in a report that DoD military equipment to Ukraine were sometimes taking weeks to be delivered and that the department does not have clear guidance for tracking these deliveries. It also added the DoD's data may not be accurate.

To ensure all the equipment were being tracked and used correctly, the GAO suggested eight recommendations to the DoD, including that the department should improve the accuracy of delivery data and evaluate its end-use monitoring approach in Ukraine.

It also asked the DoD to develop a process that would help regularly assess and improve the accuracy of the delivery data as well as come up with written guidance that would document roles and responsibilities.

The DoD agreed with five of the recommendations and partially agreed with two others. However, it disagreed with the agency's recommendation that it should clarify guidance for documenting alleged end-use violations.

(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)