Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Wayne Madsen Report
Wayne Madsen Report: "More details emerge on Col. Ted Westhusing's 'suiciding' in Iraq."
January 23, 2006 -- More details emerge on Col. Ted Westhusing's "suiciding" in Iraq. Days before his supposed suicide by a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound in a Camp Dublin, Iraq trailer, West Point Honor Board member and Iraqi police and security forces trainer Col. Ted Westhusing reported in e-mail to the United States that "terrible things were going on Iraq." He also said he hoped he would make it back to the United States alive. Westhusing had three weeks left on his tour of duty in Iraq when he allegedly shot himself in June 2005.
It is noteworthy that after Westhusing's death, two top Army generals, both responsible for training Iraqi forces, General Dave Petraeus, the Commander of the Multi National Security Transition Command Iraq (MNSTCI), and Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, the Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, were quickly transferred without much fanfare to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Fort Hood, Texas, respectively.
U.S. Army cover-up of Colonel Westhusing's death: Highlighted by fabricated evidence and quick transfers of senior officers
Informed sources report that Westhusing was prepared to blow the whistle on fraud involving US Investigations Services (USIS), a Carlyle Group company, when he died. [See Jan. 14 story below]. He had also discovered links between USIS principals and clandestine events involving the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan-Bush I administrations. Westhusing has also linked USIS to the illegal killing and torture of Iraqis. USIS personnel whom Westhusing was investigating had the keys to his trailer. In addition, Westhusing's personal bodyguard was given a leave of absence shortly before the colonel's death.
The U.S. Army's official report on Westhusing's death contained a number of falsehoods, according to those close to the case. Most importantly, the Army report stated that Westhusing had electronically communicated an interest in obtaining hollow point bullets. The bullet which killed Westhusing was a hollow point. However, the Army's statement was false, according to an informed source. In addition, the Army combed Westhusing's service record and interviewed a number of colleagues in order to concoct a story that would make suicide appear plausible.
California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer is reportedly trying to get the Senate to investigate Westhusing's death. However, with the Republicans in firm control, it appears that murder of senior U.S. military officers is also something the GOP is more than willing to cover up.
January 23, 2006 -- More details emerge on Col. Ted Westhusing's "suiciding" in Iraq. Days before his supposed suicide by a "self-inflicted" gunshot wound in a Camp Dublin, Iraq trailer, West Point Honor Board member and Iraqi police and security forces trainer Col. Ted Westhusing reported in e-mail to the United States that "terrible things were going on Iraq." He also said he hoped he would make it back to the United States alive. Westhusing had three weeks left on his tour of duty in Iraq when he allegedly shot himself in June 2005.
It is noteworthy that after Westhusing's death, two top Army generals, both responsible for training Iraqi forces, General Dave Petraeus, the Commander of the Multi National Security Transition Command Iraq (MNSTCI), and Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, the Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, were quickly transferred without much fanfare to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and Fort Hood, Texas, respectively.
U.S. Army cover-up of Colonel Westhusing's death: Highlighted by fabricated evidence and quick transfers of senior officers
Informed sources report that Westhusing was prepared to blow the whistle on fraud involving US Investigations Services (USIS), a Carlyle Group company, when he died. [See Jan. 14 story below]. He had also discovered links between USIS principals and clandestine events involving the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan-Bush I administrations. Westhusing has also linked USIS to the illegal killing and torture of Iraqis. USIS personnel whom Westhusing was investigating had the keys to his trailer. In addition, Westhusing's personal bodyguard was given a leave of absence shortly before the colonel's death.
The U.S. Army's official report on Westhusing's death contained a number of falsehoods, according to those close to the case. Most importantly, the Army report stated that Westhusing had electronically communicated an interest in obtaining hollow point bullets. The bullet which killed Westhusing was a hollow point. However, the Army's statement was false, according to an informed source. In addition, the Army combed Westhusing's service record and interviewed a number of colleagues in order to concoct a story that would make suicide appear plausible.
California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer is reportedly trying to get the Senate to investigate Westhusing's death. However, with the Republicans in firm control, it appears that murder of senior U.S. military officers is also something the GOP is more than willing to cover up.
Big Brass Blog
Big Brass Blog
That’s Newsweek’s cover story this week, and it’s all about how boys are falling behind girls in school.
That’s Newsweek’s cover story this week, and it’s all about how boys are falling behind girls in school.
Wharf
I drive past this spot often, and always thought the view through these trees might make a nice sunset silhouette. The problem is that this is the spot where tourists launch rental kayaks in to Kealakekua Bay, and it's often crowded. This was taken on Sunday, and quite a few tourists and locals were hanging out, so I figured out where I'd shoot from, and then parked my truck there. I then set up my tripod in the bed of the truck, which let me shoot over most of the commotion in the parking area.
Marta and several friends happened by, and we enjoyed the sunset as I took the occasional shot. My last hurdle was making sure no one leaned on the truck as I was shooting.
Marta and several friends happened by, and we enjoyed the sunset as I took the occasional shot. My last hurdle was making sure no one leaned on the truck as I was shooting.
Chossudovsky 9/11 Speech (2004)
20040714-wed1400.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)
'Lecture given at the International Citizen's Inquiry in Toronto 2004. Chossudovsky (professor of economics, University of Ottawa) reasserts the 'facts' surrounding 911, exposes the fabricated terror alerts issued by the US government and shows how Al-Qaida are an important US intelligence asset and have been since 1979.'
09/11/2001
'Lecture given at the International Citizen's Inquiry in Toronto 2004. Chossudovsky (professor of economics, University of Ottawa) reasserts the 'facts' surrounding 911, exposes the fabricated terror alerts issued by the US government and shows how Al-Qaida are an important US intelligence asset and have been since 1979.'
09/11/2001
Statement of September 11th Advocates Regarding Release of Usama Bin Laden Audiotape
Statement of September 11th Advocates Regarding Release of Usama Bin Laden Audiotape
Blogger Thoughts: This comment isn't anti-female. I'd be calling them idiots if they are male as well.
Blogger Thoughts: This comment isn't anti-female. I'd be calling them idiots if they are male as well.
Repost: FBI peers criticize discipline of agent�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
FBI peers criticize discipline of agent�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper
FBI peers criticize discipline of agent
By Jerry SeperTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished November 28, 2005
FBI agent Richard B. Marx spent a year atop 1.8 million tons of debris from the World Trade Center towers, searching for September 11 evidence at the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, N.Y. For his devotion to the grungy job, he earned the gratitude of victims' families, the respect of his peers, a nomination as the federal employee of the year -- and a 10-day suspension and letter of reprimand from his superiors. The reprimand bars him from a major part of his job -- collecting evidence for use in court. The FBI suspended Mr. Marx after the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said he "lacked candor" in answering questions during an investigation into whether agents took evidence from the Fresh Kills site as souvenirs. Evidence that the inspector general thought was missing, which led to the inquiry, turned out to have been sent to museums nationwide and to FBI headquarters in Washington, all on orders of Congress. The disciplining of Mr. Marx has outraged many rank-and-file agents, and several current and former high-ranking FBI officials have demanded a criminal investigation into what they say was an "unprofessional and unethical" Justice Department investigation. "The Department of Justice owes it to Richard Marx and others who may in the future fall prey to such a gross abuse of authority that this injustice be investigated," said Special Agent-In-Charge Jeffrey A. Lampinski, now retired after 25 years with the bureau. "In short, it became 'personal' to these investigators that they punish Agent Marx as well as slur the FBI." FBI Supervisory Special Agent Michael Carbonell, who heads a violent crime task force in Philadelphia that includes Mr. Marx, said that during his 25 years with the bureau, he has never seen an agent "treated in such a horrendous manner." "What boggles my mind is that the very people who were conducting an investigation that carries serious penalties for those deemed at fault didn't know that what Mr. Marx was doing in removing some items from the landfill was mandated by Congress. This is absolutely astounding." Mr. Lampinski and Mr. Carbonell say they have tried without success for more than a year to get an independent investigation, making the request in letters to the Justice Department, the FBI and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the bureau. But inspector general spokesman Paul Martin said that the office "conducted a thorough and professional investigation" and that contrary to complaints by Mr. Marx's supervisors and others, the inquiry was handled "appropriately." "We submitted our report to the FBI, which reviewed the evidence, including responses from Marx and his supervisors, and took appropriate action," Mr. Martin said. "We believe the complaints about our investigation are unwarranted." The 'Giglio letter' Mr. Marx was accused of misconduct in his management of the Fresh Kills site. In a lengthy but extensively redacted report, they said he "lacked candor" in interviews about the landfill operation, which "constituted misconduct that warrants discipline." In a Dec. 17, 2003, memo to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said Mr. Marx could not recall in interviews whether he told any FBI employees that they could take mementos, could not recall whether anyone from the FBI had asked whether they could take mementos and had no recollection of giving any items to FBI employees, including his superiors. FBI spokesman Richard J. Kolko declined to comment, saying it was a matter involving the inspector general's office and the bureau's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) "that already has been resolved." Mr. Lampinski said that even though OPR investigators concluded that the facts presented by the inspector general's office in the Marx case did not warrant administrative action, that ruling was rejected by the FBI hierarchy, including Mr. Mueller and FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole. In a June letter, Mr. Pistole said a 10-day suspension was warranted and ordered a letter of reprimand, known as a "Giglio letter," be given to Mr. Marx, meaning he could not collect evidence or testify in court without being "rehabilitated" by a prosecutor, a process most federal attorneys avoid. Mr. Marx, whose father spent 30 years as an FBI agent and whose mother worked in the bureau's fingerprint section, declined to comment on the suspension or the investigation. But in a June 22 letter to Mr. Mueller, he denied any wrongdoing and called the inspector general's report "unfairly biased and slanted to do me harm." "I love my job and the work I am assigned. ... I am accused of something I did not do," he said. Misguided probe Initially, investigators in Chicago focused on accusations that Mr. Marx took 400 pounds of debris from the landfill, including an elevator wheel, airplane spare tires, a firetruck door, four police cruiser doors, melted guns, airplane pieces, lampposts, street signs, flags and a World Trade Center observation deck plate. Later, after a leak of the probe to the press, some members of Congress, including Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, publicly referred to agents at the World Trade Center site as "grave robbers." But, Mr. Carbonell said the investigators' concerns were misguided, because items removed from Fresh Kills by Mr. Marx were held at the evidence recovery unit at the FBI's Philadelphia field office before being sent to museums nationwide, including the Smithsonian and the New York Historical Society, and for use in the FBI walking tour in Washington. Mr. Carbonell said the recovered items were sent under a law passed by Congress calling for World Trade Center debris to be saved for their historical value and placed in museums and other public venues. He said investigators were given a list of all the landfill items that had been "bagged and tagged" by Mr. Marx for later shipment to museums, FBI headquarters and elsewhere. Mr. Lampinski said Mr. Marx's actions were corroborated in affidavits by several FBI officials and in a "memorandum of interview" by New York Police Department Deputy Inspector James Luongo. "Given their patently false conclusions regarding the personal use of World Trade Center items and their entirely baseless charges of lack of candor and misconduct, I can only conclude the IG investigators ... were bent on destroying Special Agent Marx's reputation in the law enforcement and forensic communities based on a personal animus for both Marx and the FBI," Mr. Lampinski said. The New York Police Department, the New York Port Authority Police, several FBI supervisory personnel and various national museums, historical societies and universities, along with family members and friends of those lost in the September 11 attacks, have publicly voiced their support for Mr. Marx. A specialist in evidence recovery, Mr. Marx was sent to Fresh Kills shortly after the September 11 attacks to develop a system for processing tons of World Trade Center debris. His recovery system has since been adopted by several law-enforcement and emergency response agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As site manager, he oversaw more than 1,000 recovery specialists from 24 law-enforcement agencies, processing more than 1.8 million tons of debris. The remains of 188 of the World Trade Center victims were identified and returned to their families. "I was saddened and shocked that the only FBI letter I received acknowledging my work at Fresh Kills was from Mr. Pistole reprimanding me and giving me time off," Mr. Marx said in his letter. "I come from a proud FBI family ... and all I ever wanted to do was represent the bureau in a positive light."
09/11/2001
FBI peers criticize discipline of agent
By Jerry SeperTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished November 28, 2005
FBI agent Richard B. Marx spent a year atop 1.8 million tons of debris from the World Trade Center towers, searching for September 11 evidence at the Fresh Kills Landfill in Staten Island, N.Y. For his devotion to the grungy job, he earned the gratitude of victims' families, the respect of his peers, a nomination as the federal employee of the year -- and a 10-day suspension and letter of reprimand from his superiors. The reprimand bars him from a major part of his job -- collecting evidence for use in court. The FBI suspended Mr. Marx after the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said he "lacked candor" in answering questions during an investigation into whether agents took evidence from the Fresh Kills site as souvenirs. Evidence that the inspector general thought was missing, which led to the inquiry, turned out to have been sent to museums nationwide and to FBI headquarters in Washington, all on orders of Congress. The disciplining of Mr. Marx has outraged many rank-and-file agents, and several current and former high-ranking FBI officials have demanded a criminal investigation into what they say was an "unprofessional and unethical" Justice Department investigation. "The Department of Justice owes it to Richard Marx and others who may in the future fall prey to such a gross abuse of authority that this injustice be investigated," said Special Agent-In-Charge Jeffrey A. Lampinski, now retired after 25 years with the bureau. "In short, it became 'personal' to these investigators that they punish Agent Marx as well as slur the FBI." FBI Supervisory Special Agent Michael Carbonell, who heads a violent crime task force in Philadelphia that includes Mr. Marx, said that during his 25 years with the bureau, he has never seen an agent "treated in such a horrendous manner." "What boggles my mind is that the very people who were conducting an investigation that carries serious penalties for those deemed at fault didn't know that what Mr. Marx was doing in removing some items from the landfill was mandated by Congress. This is absolutely astounding." Mr. Lampinski and Mr. Carbonell say they have tried without success for more than a year to get an independent investigation, making the request in letters to the Justice Department, the FBI and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the bureau. But inspector general spokesman Paul Martin said that the office "conducted a thorough and professional investigation" and that contrary to complaints by Mr. Marx's supervisors and others, the inquiry was handled "appropriately." "We submitted our report to the FBI, which reviewed the evidence, including responses from Marx and his supervisors, and took appropriate action," Mr. Martin said. "We believe the complaints about our investigation are unwarranted." The 'Giglio letter' Mr. Marx was accused of misconduct in his management of the Fresh Kills site. In a lengthy but extensively redacted report, they said he "lacked candor" in interviews about the landfill operation, which "constituted misconduct that warrants discipline." In a Dec. 17, 2003, memo to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III, Inspector General Glenn A. Fine said Mr. Marx could not recall in interviews whether he told any FBI employees that they could take mementos, could not recall whether anyone from the FBI had asked whether they could take mementos and had no recollection of giving any items to FBI employees, including his superiors. FBI spokesman Richard J. Kolko declined to comment, saying it was a matter involving the inspector general's office and the bureau's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) "that already has been resolved." Mr. Lampinski said that even though OPR investigators concluded that the facts presented by the inspector general's office in the Marx case did not warrant administrative action, that ruling was rejected by the FBI hierarchy, including Mr. Mueller and FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole. In a June letter, Mr. Pistole said a 10-day suspension was warranted and ordered a letter of reprimand, known as a "Giglio letter," be given to Mr. Marx, meaning he could not collect evidence or testify in court without being "rehabilitated" by a prosecutor, a process most federal attorneys avoid. Mr. Marx, whose father spent 30 years as an FBI agent and whose mother worked in the bureau's fingerprint section, declined to comment on the suspension or the investigation. But in a June 22 letter to Mr. Mueller, he denied any wrongdoing and called the inspector general's report "unfairly biased and slanted to do me harm." "I love my job and the work I am assigned. ... I am accused of something I did not do," he said. Misguided probe Initially, investigators in Chicago focused on accusations that Mr. Marx took 400 pounds of debris from the landfill, including an elevator wheel, airplane spare tires, a firetruck door, four police cruiser doors, melted guns, airplane pieces, lampposts, street signs, flags and a World Trade Center observation deck plate. Later, after a leak of the probe to the press, some members of Congress, including Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, publicly referred to agents at the World Trade Center site as "grave robbers." But, Mr. Carbonell said the investigators' concerns were misguided, because items removed from Fresh Kills by Mr. Marx were held at the evidence recovery unit at the FBI's Philadelphia field office before being sent to museums nationwide, including the Smithsonian and the New York Historical Society, and for use in the FBI walking tour in Washington. Mr. Carbonell said the recovered items were sent under a law passed by Congress calling for World Trade Center debris to be saved for their historical value and placed in museums and other public venues. He said investigators were given a list of all the landfill items that had been "bagged and tagged" by Mr. Marx for later shipment to museums, FBI headquarters and elsewhere. Mr. Lampinski said Mr. Marx's actions were corroborated in affidavits by several FBI officials and in a "memorandum of interview" by New York Police Department Deputy Inspector James Luongo. "Given their patently false conclusions regarding the personal use of World Trade Center items and their entirely baseless charges of lack of candor and misconduct, I can only conclude the IG investigators ... were bent on destroying Special Agent Marx's reputation in the law enforcement and forensic communities based on a personal animus for both Marx and the FBI," Mr. Lampinski said. The New York Police Department, the New York Port Authority Police, several FBI supervisory personnel and various national museums, historical societies and universities, along with family members and friends of those lost in the September 11 attacks, have publicly voiced their support for Mr. Marx. A specialist in evidence recovery, Mr. Marx was sent to Fresh Kills shortly after the September 11 attacks to develop a system for processing tons of World Trade Center debris. His recovery system has since been adopted by several law-enforcement and emergency response agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. As site manager, he oversaw more than 1,000 recovery specialists from 24 law-enforcement agencies, processing more than 1.8 million tons of debris. The remains of 188 of the World Trade Center victims were identified and returned to their families. "I was saddened and shocked that the only FBI letter I received acknowledging my work at Fresh Kills was from Mr. Pistole reprimanding me and giving me time off," Mr. Marx said in his letter. "I come from a proud FBI family ... and all I ever wanted to do was represent the bureau in a positive light."
09/11/2001
windy sunset after a storm
This has nothing to do with today's photo, but I just want to thank you all for your birthday greetings yesterday, whether by your photo-cards or in comments on my shot for Bine. It was my first one on Flickr, and it was delightful to get good wishes from all over the world.
I'm still not out from under my workload, and won't be for a while, so please understand why I'm not visiting and commenting.
This was taken from my front yard on January 13. I'd been at my computer, working, and looked out to see the trees bending wildly in the wind, and all of sudden the most amazing light appeared as the lowering sun broke through the parting clouds. I rushed outside and shot this and was pleased that it does give a sense of the remarkable light. (This is the house across the street from mine; my house is a ranch style.)
Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot. If you do, I will delete the comment. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.
I'm still not out from under my workload, and won't be for a while, so please understand why I'm not visiting and commenting.
This was taken from my front yard on January 13. I'd been at my computer, working, and looked out to see the trees bending wildly in the wind, and all of sudden the most amazing light appeared as the lowering sun broke through the parting clouds. I rushed outside and shot this and was pleased that it does give a sense of the remarkable light. (This is the house across the street from mine; my house is a ranch style.)
Reminder: Please do not post notes on my photo or any images in your comments unless they are germane to my shot. If you do, I will delete the comment. I welcome your input, but please express yourself in text only, or provide a link to your image. Thank you.
Repost: FPI 2005: Pentagon doles out up to $300 million for 'psyops'
FPI 2005: Pentagon doles out up to $300 million for 'psyops'
Pentagon doles out up to $300 million for 'psyops'
WP/The Olympian
8.19.2005
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon awarded three contracts last week, potentially worth up to $300 million over five years, to companies it hopes will inject more creativity into its psychological operations efforts to improve foreign public opinion about the United States, particularly the military.
"We would like to be able to use cutting-edge types of media," said Col. James Treadwell, director of the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, a part of Tampa-based U.S. Special Operations Command. "If you want to influence someone, you have to touch their emotions."
He said SYColeman Inc. of Arlington, Va., Lincoln Group of Washington, D.C., and Science Applications International Corp. will help develop ideas and prototypes for radio and television spots, documentaries, or even text messages, pop-up ads on the Internet, podcasting, billboards or novelty items.
Treadwell's group was established last year and includes a graphic artist and videographer, he said. It assists "psyops" personnel stationed at military headquarters overseas.
Col. Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Special Operations Command, which runs the Army's Special Forces, Navy SEALs and other elite combat units, said the contractors might help the military develop commercials in Iraq, for example, illustrating how roadside bombs meant for soldiers also harm children and other innocent civilians.
The companies declined to comment.
The contracts come as the Bush administration has been criticized for its uncoordinated efforts to repair the United States' post-Iraq image problems abroad, particularly in the Muslim world. The State Department, for instance, has been slow to mount a new public diplomacy program headed by former White House aide Karen Hughes. Vice President Dick Cheney said in March that public diplomacy "has been a very weak part of our arsenal."
A Government Accountability Office report in April noted that the Pentagon had been pressing initiatives on "strategic communications" to fill "the planning void left by the lack of strategic direction from the White House." A September 2004 Defense Science Board report concluded that the "U.S. strategic communication must be transformed."
"The department is always looking for ways to improve our communication efforts, and we are working closely with the State Department to support their public diplomacy initiatives where appropriate," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said in response to questions about how the new psyops program fits into an administration plan.
Some previous Defense Department efforts in the field have been controversial. In 2002, the Pentagon abandoned its Office of Strategic Influence after reports surfaced, which the Pentagon denied, that it would disseminate inaccurate information to foreign media.
After other agencies were criticized for hiring journalists to promote their policies, the Pentagon asked its inspector general to review its use of Fairfax, Va.-based Anteon International Corp. to run Web sites aimed at audiences in the Balkans and North Africa. The Web sites, known as the Southeast European Times and Magharebia, include articles from journalists paid by the Pentagon through the company, as well as articles translated from U.S. newspapers. That review is ongoing.
Treadwell said there is no connection between the Office of Strategic Influence and the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, adding: "I have never approved a product that was a lie, (or) that was intended to deceive."
SYColeman, a unit of L-3 Communications, is a government-services company with about 1,100 employees, most in the Washington region. According to its Web site, Lincoln Group provides communications services and strategic planning. San Diego-based SAIC, which has 16,000 employees in the Washington region, is among the Pentagon's largest contractors. Its work includes playing a major role in the Army's $100 billion modernization effort and a failed program to create a computerized case-management system for the FBI.
posted by GREG ERICSON at 5:31 AM
09/11/2001
Pentagon doles out up to $300 million for 'psyops'
WP/The Olympian
8.19.2005
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon awarded three contracts last week, potentially worth up to $300 million over five years, to companies it hopes will inject more creativity into its psychological operations efforts to improve foreign public opinion about the United States, particularly the military.
"We would like to be able to use cutting-edge types of media," said Col. James Treadwell, director of the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, a part of Tampa-based U.S. Special Operations Command. "If you want to influence someone, you have to touch their emotions."
He said SYColeman Inc. of Arlington, Va., Lincoln Group of Washington, D.C., and Science Applications International Corp. will help develop ideas and prototypes for radio and television spots, documentaries, or even text messages, pop-up ads on the Internet, podcasting, billboards or novelty items.
Treadwell's group was established last year and includes a graphic artist and videographer, he said. It assists "psyops" personnel stationed at military headquarters overseas.
Col. Sam Taylor, a spokesman for the Special Operations Command, which runs the Army's Special Forces, Navy SEALs and other elite combat units, said the contractors might help the military develop commercials in Iraq, for example, illustrating how roadside bombs meant for soldiers also harm children and other innocent civilians.
The companies declined to comment.
The contracts come as the Bush administration has been criticized for its uncoordinated efforts to repair the United States' post-Iraq image problems abroad, particularly in the Muslim world. The State Department, for instance, has been slow to mount a new public diplomacy program headed by former White House aide Karen Hughes. Vice President Dick Cheney said in March that public diplomacy "has been a very weak part of our arsenal."
A Government Accountability Office report in April noted that the Pentagon had been pressing initiatives on "strategic communications" to fill "the planning void left by the lack of strategic direction from the White House." A September 2004 Defense Science Board report concluded that the "U.S. strategic communication must be transformed."
"The department is always looking for ways to improve our communication efforts, and we are working closely with the State Department to support their public diplomacy initiatives where appropriate," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said in response to questions about how the new psyops program fits into an administration plan.
Some previous Defense Department efforts in the field have been controversial. In 2002, the Pentagon abandoned its Office of Strategic Influence after reports surfaced, which the Pentagon denied, that it would disseminate inaccurate information to foreign media.
After other agencies were criticized for hiring journalists to promote their policies, the Pentagon asked its inspector general to review its use of Fairfax, Va.-based Anteon International Corp. to run Web sites aimed at audiences in the Balkans and North Africa. The Web sites, known as the Southeast European Times and Magharebia, include articles from journalists paid by the Pentagon through the company, as well as articles translated from U.S. newspapers. That review is ongoing.
Treadwell said there is no connection between the Office of Strategic Influence and the Joint Psychological Operations Support Element, adding: "I have never approved a product that was a lie, (or) that was intended to deceive."
SYColeman, a unit of L-3 Communications, is a government-services company with about 1,100 employees, most in the Washington region. According to its Web site, Lincoln Group provides communications services and strategic planning. San Diego-based SAIC, which has 16,000 employees in the Washington region, is among the Pentagon's largest contractors. Its work includes playing a major role in the Army's $100 billion modernization effort and a failed program to create a computerized case-management system for the FBI.
posted by GREG ERICSON at 5:31 AM
09/11/2001
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)