The Pentagon will destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition such as bullets and missiles meant for U.S. military forces.

According to a Government Accountability Office report, a portion of the ammunition that will be destroyed is still viable but because the Defense Department has had a problem sharing inventory data effectively with the branches of the military, there's no telling how much is still usable, USA Today reported.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman, said the problem with the system has resulted in the waste of millions of dollars worth of excess ammunition.

"There is a huge opportunity to save millions, if not billions of dollars if the (Pentagon) can make some common-sense improvements to how it manages ammunition," Carper said. "Despite years of effort, the Army, Navy and Air Force still don't have an efficient process for doing something as basic as sharing excess bullets. This Government Accountability Office report clearly shows that our military's antiquated systems lead to millions of dollars in wasteful ammunition purchases."

The Army and Pentagon, which oversees an ammunition stockpile worth $70 billion, said in a statement that they plan to make an automated process a priority in future budgets, Today reported.

One anonymous senior military officer told USA Today that during the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, U.S. troops faced limited ammunition supplies for .50-caliber machine guns and 9mm handguns.

"We simply cannot afford this type of waste and ineffectiveness," Carper said. "The (Pentagon) has a responsibility to efficiently manage its ammunition stocks, not only because it is important to be fiscally responsible, but also because our antiquated ammunition inventory systems can shortchange our war fighters and compromise their ability to complete their mission."

The defense study found a number of data that represents ineffectiveness within the military.

Despite decades of developing a single database, the Army is the only branch that uses the standard Pentagon format, according to USA Today.

"The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps operate with formats that are obsolete," according to the study.

An annual conference held between the four services allows the branches to swap and trade its ammunition surpluses but any ammunition left over disappears from the books, which means an unknown portion of usable ammunition goes to the scrap heap.