U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghan wars lack equipment: poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A lack of armored vehicles, weapons and other equipment is hampering missions of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Pentagon's watchdog agency said in a survey released on Tuesday.

Equipment shortages have been a near-constant issue since the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, with some soldiers using improvised armor to protect vehicles from rocket-propelled grenades and high-velocity rounds.

"Service members were not always equipped to effectively complete their missions," said a summary of the survey, based on interviews last year with some 1,100 troops by the Department of Defense's inspector-general.

Beyond armored vehicles, soldiers ran short of weapons operated by teams of troops, electronic countermeasure devices and communications gear, the summary said.

The full report remains classified. The summary did not say how widespread the problem was but described internal controls to ensure troops had the correct equipment as "not adequate."

Some soldiers resorted to borrowing and trading equipment with comrades to get what they needed, the survey found.

Among those suffering shortages were troops on missions they did not normally do -- such as training local security forces, reconstruction and bomb disposal -- which required equipment they did not usually have.

"Service members performed missions without the proper equipment, used informal procedures to obtain equipment and sustainment support, and canceled or postponed missions while waiting to receive equipment," the summary said.

Lt. Col. Brian Maka, a Department of Defense spokesman, said officials would work on the issues raised by the survey.

"We understand the importance of ensuring that all service members be properly equipped," he said.

President George W. Bush wants to send 21,500 extra soldiers to Iraq to bolster the 134,000 already there and clear Baghdad of Muslim insurgents, but he faces strong opposition from Democratic Party foes who now control Congress.

More than 3,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the nearly four-year-old war.