ALBRIGHT FINDS GUNS FOR OLD AMMUNITION

The State Department, which sent millions of rounds of 50-year-old
ammunition to Colombia despite warnings it was unsafe for the new machine
guns aboard anti-drug helicopters, has now located 50-year-old guns to use
with the outdated ammo.

A pending decision to send to Colombia the Browning M-2 weapons -
single-barrel machine guns used by U.S. infantry troops in World War II and
Korea - has angered the House Committee on Government Reform. It wants
hearings to investigate the State Department's "inability to prosecute an
effective war on drugs in Colombia."

"The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement has failed miserably in its effort to maintain an effective
campaign against well-armed narco-terrorists in Colombia," said Committee
Chairman Dan Burton in a letter yesterday to Secretary of State Madeleine K.
Albright.

The Indiana Republican described the shipment of 17 million rounds of 1952
Korean War ammunition to Colombia and the planned use of the World War II
machine guns as part of an "ongoing string of blunders which have hampered
the effectiveness" of Colombia's anti-drug effort.

Mr. Burton told Mrs. Albright he intended to call witnesses to as-yet
unscheduled hearings, and was hopeful "they will be willing to testify
without the issuance of a subpoena."

Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, New York Republican and chairman of the House
International Relations Committee, described the use of outdated ammunition
and weapons as "bad policy."

"Sending bad weapons to fire bad ammunition isn't the way to fight a war on
drugs where our vital national interests are at stake, as in the case of
Colombia today," said Mr. Gilman.

The Browning M-2 machine guns were offered to Colombian National Police
(CNP) this month after the State Department discovered that the outdated
.50-caliber ammunition could be used in them, House investigators said.

But the investigators questioned the reliability of the weapons, saying they
can fire only 500 rounds per minute, compared with 2,000 rounds by the newer
multibarrel GAU-19/A Gatling guns aboard Black Hawk helicopters now assigned
to Colombia's drug eradication program. In addition, the older guns were
described as less accurate.

Also, they said that the barrel of the Browning M-2 will melt during
prolonged periods of fire, and that the weapon frequently jams, rendering it
useless.

The .50-caliber ammunition was forwarded earlier this year to the CNP for
use in the GAU-19/A Gatling guns. According to government records, the
ammunition was approved by the State Department despite a written warning by
the manufacturer of the guns, General Dynamics Armament Systems, that
.50-caliber ammunition made before 1983 "is suspect and should not be used
in the GAU-19/A machine gun."

General Dynamics' technical manual, under the heading "WARNING," said the
deterioration of the outdated ammunition could result in lower muzzle
velocity and increase action time resulting in "hang fires" that could cause
"possible injury to personnel as well as affecting performance and
reliability."

The manual said only .50-caliber ammunition made after 1983 should be used
"in order to maintain gun performance and reliability." The ammunition was
manufactured by Twin Cities Arsenal and sent by the government to Colombia
in boxes bearing a date of Aug. 20, 1952.

House investigators challenged the reliability of the ammunition last month
and, according to records, were told at an April 20 briefing it would not be
dangerous if fired at a slower rate - about half the weapon's maximum rate
of fire.

Colombia's military chief, Gen. Fernando Tapias, has downplayed reports the
ammunition he received was old and potentially dangerous, saying no one had
been injured so far during its use.

"We haven't had any incidents, any problems," Gen. Tapias told reporters
last week in Colombia. "The ammunition we have received is perfectly
usable."

The general conceded, however, his troops must fire the ammunition at a
slower rate than possible with newer ammunition because of the potential for
a mishap, but declared it still met his requirements.

Mr. Burton also told Mrs. Albright the CNP faced an ammunition shortage,
having less than 2,000 rounds of "usable and safe .50-caliber ammunition."

He said the Colombian police would have to resort to rationing, creating
"potentially life-threatening and dangerous situations for CNP officers and
Black Hawk helicopter crews."