WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- Nearly 200,000 U.S.-supplied rifles and pistols meant for Iraqi security forces are unaccounted for in Iraq , according to a report to Congress . Loose record-keeping caused the Pentagon and the U.S. command in Iraq to lose track of about 110,000 AK-47 rifles and 80,000 pistols provided to the new Iraqi national police and army , the Government Accountability Office told Congress . The investigative arm of Congress , the GAO also found that 250,000 pieces of body armor and helmets ca n't be accounted for . The report also says a review of the 2007 property books shows continuing problems with missing and incomplete records . The report , issued July 31 , follows an October accounting by the Defense Department 's special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction , which put the number of weapons missing at close to 500,000 . Auditors were unable to determine whether the weapons -- which included heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers -- were stolen , being used by insurgents or still in the hands of Iraqi units . A Pentagon official in Baghdad , who asked not to be identified , said some of the weapons went back to Iraqi forces and some were destroyed . But he conceded some of them may be missing . Asked whether they ended up in the hands of insurgents , he said there was no hard data , but `` anything is possible . '' Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Monday he is not aware of any reports that show U.S. weapons designated for Iraqi security forces have been found in the hands of insurgents . The missing weapons mostly dated back to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein 's rule , and none had serial numbers , the official said . Coalition commanders have tightened procedures for tracking the weapons , including using biometric data from Iraqi soldiers and police -- and since June , Iraqi units have been issued U.S.-made M-16 and M-4 rifles , which are electronically tracked , the official said . Officials with the U.S. training command blamed insufficient staff and the lack of a `` fully operational distribution network '' for the poor record-keeping , the GAO report states . Coalition trainers did not keep centralized records of the equipment they issued to Iraqi police and troops before December 2005 , and the coalition `` has not consistently collected supporting documents that confirm when the equipment was received , the quantities of equipment delivered , or the Iraqi units receiving the equipment . '' The report said the U.S. commander in charge of training Iraqi forces reported about 185,000 AK-47 rifles , 170,000 pistols , 215,000 items of body armor , and 140,000 helmets were issued to Iraqi security forces as of September 2005 , while the accounting books from the U.S. military contained records for only about 75,000 AK-47 rifles , 90,000 pistols , 80,000 items of body armor , and 25,000 helmets . The GAO recommended the Pentagon set accountability standards for the training program and make sure it has adequate staff and technology to oversee the program . The GAO also recommended the Secretary of Defense determine what DOD accountability procedures should apply to the program and ensure sufficient staff , functioning distribution networks , and proper technology are available to meet the requirements . The Defense Department concurred with the recommendations and has begun a review `` to ensure proper accountability is in place for the Iraq train-and-equip program , '' the report states . Pentagon officials said Monday the accounting systems should be `` continuously improved upon and refined . '' According to the report the United States has provided $ 19.2 billion to develop the Iraqi security forces and the United States has asked for another $ 2 billion to continue training and equipping Iraqi troops . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Dan Rivers in Baghdad contributed to this report .
Pentagon : not aware of presence of insurgents with U.S.-issued weapons . U.S. lost track of 110,000 AK-47 ##s , 80,000 pistols for Iraqi security forces . Training Command blames lack of staff for the problem . Defense Department agrees to improve oversight procedures .