“Waging War, Wasting Funds:” New Report Exposes Federal Gov’s Massive Transfer of Military Equipment/Tech to Local Police Through Obscure Purchase Program

WASHINGTON, DC — A new report from Women for Weapons Trade Transparency (W2T2), a program of the Center for International Policy, reveals that the federal government’s obscure 1122 Program has quietly funneled over one hundred million dollars worth of military-style equipment to local US law enforcement, with minimal transparency or accountability.

Created three decades ago to support “counter-drug, homeland security, and emergency response” efforts, the 1122 Program allows state and local governments to obtain law enforcement equipment at a discount through federal procurement channels. W2T2’s investigation—the most comprehensive to date—finds that the program has become a backdoor pipeline using taxpayer funds to funnel vast quantities of military-style hardware and surveillance software into police departments.

“Women for Weapons Trade Transparency’s report rings the alarm: our tax dollars are being weaponized against us under the guise of ‘domestic terrorism,’” said Nancy Okail, President and CEO of the Center for International Policy. “As talk of a ‘war from within’ grows louder, W2T2 exposes how this rhetoric fuels real assaults on democracy and civil rights.”

The report, “Waging War, Wasting Funds,” warns: “Lawmakers, including federal and state legislators and city council representatives, must act with the urgency that this moment requires to prevent a catastrophically violent takeover of civil society by police, federal agents, and corporations profiting from exponentially increasing surveillance, criminalization, and brute force.”

Women for Weapons Trade Transparency, a program of the Center for International Policy, filed 125+ public records requests and obtained $126.87 million in purchasing data from 13 states, 4 cities, and 2 counties. Its report found that top users of the program include Colorado ($32.5 million), Kansas ($24.2 million), Virginia ($19.8 million), Georgia ($12.8 million), California ($12.1 million), and Texas ($11.2 million). Over 95% of participating agencies were police departments or sheriff’s offices. W2T2 found that 63% of spending went to vehicles, 4.8% went to 16 Lenco BearCat armored cars costing $6 million, and $8 million was spent on surveillance technologies.

“The 1122 Program diverts public money from essential community needs and public goods into military-style equipment for local police,” said Rosie Khan, co-founder of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency. “The $126.87 million spent on militarized police equipment and surveillance technology could have instead provided housing support for 10,000+ people for a year, supplied 43 million school meals, or repaired roads and bridges in dozens of communities.”

The report finds that “[L]ocal police have been given more avenues to arm themselves with military-style equipment during an era of heightened arrests, forced removals, and crackdowns on free speech. These disturbing political shifts have undermined the crucial work of coalitions for police accountability.”

W2T2 calls on Congress to sunset the 1122 Program by repealing the legal authority for it granted under 10 U.S.C. § 281(d). The report also recommends: 

• A mandatory federal audit and public inventory of all equipment acquired through the program.
• Implementing a moratorium on future military equipment transfer programs. 
• Supporting state and local withdrawal from participation in the 1122 Program.
• Redirecting these resources toward housing, healthcare, education, and community response efforts. 

The full report can be viewed here. 

The authors are available for an interview to discuss the findings – please contact Prapti Ajmera, [email protected].

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About Women for Weapons Trade Transparency

Women for Weapons Trade Transparency, a program of the Center for International Policy, is a women-led, non-profit organization committed to producing quality research on weapons sales and advocating for transparency of the international weapons trade, global demilitarization, and just and sustainable policies.

About the Center for International Policy

The Center for International Policy is a woman-led, progressive, independent nonprofit center for research, education, and advocacy working to advance a more peaceful, just, and sustainable U.S. approach to foreign policy.