Comments on: Budget Gag Orders Stopped Leaks: Gates

By: Jeff Stachewicz, Counsel

Jeff Stachewicz, Counsel — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 22:38:04 +0000

Will Obama “Openness & Transparency” finally shed light on government contractors performance? A request filed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act seeking the rating scores of government contractors has finally reached the Office of the Under Secretary at the Department of Defense for final review and decision. During the past several years FOIA Group, Inc., a Washington based information firm, has repeatedly attempted to secure these ratings under FOIA, but met strong resistant from the Bush Administration bureaucracy. This resistant, according to FOIA Group Counsel Jeff Stachewicz, was due to the potential embarrassment of poor performing contractors continuing to receive major awards, particularly involving Iraq. These awards often exceed several hundreds millions dollars. There is no reason for the federal government to hide these ratings, Mr. Stachewicz stated. Equivalent type of performance ratings, often on the same companies, are maintained and published by State governments. Stachewicz points out that they are seeking only the rating scores, not detailed comments or discussion. Mr. Stachewicz noted that the timing of the final decision could not be better, in the new age of the President’s transparency and openness policy. Why shouldn’t the public have the right to know how contractors are performing using our tax dollars? DoD is expected to make a final decision within a few weeks.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:16:39 +0000

This is much ado about nothing–when I worked on Army budget issues in the Pentagon in the 90s, all budget-related documents were classified SECRET–I bet they still are.

The NDAs I think are meant to remind people not to leak classified information outside the DoD until the numbers are final, to preclude the usual piecemeal leaking of data about programs that then get politicians and contractors and other folks, including those inside the rest of the government excited and who then start defending their turf. Gates is right–this doesn’t stifle dissent, it frees people to speak their minds and consider other options.

By: Michael Lilly

Michael Lilly — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:03:00 +0000

It sounds like political correctness is in if the powers that be find it to their liking.

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 11:38:12 +0000

Jane Doe,
Guess you picked a bad day to give up crystal meth? LOL

By: Jane Doe

Jane Doe — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:46:25 +0000

Maybe Darby Conley can sign a NDA on his way to sensitivity classes or does that not FIT into the new STIMULUS plan? What would truly be SHOCKING and a MIRACLE would be if JUSTICE made a come back. Specifically for “unspeakable” heinous crimes against innocent American Civilians, including children, used as lifelong guinea pigs used for political/defense/monetary agenda’s which produce BILLIONS from the suffering and destruction of innocent lives, compounded by media psychopaths that add insult to injury with double entendre jokes or threats.
But that would probably be asking too much in the LAND OF THE FREE. Maybe they can get BO the portugeese dog to go fetch the Constitution. I’m sure that would make a real SPLASH for those DIE HARD ghosts of Our Founding Fathers.

http://comics.com/get_fuzzy/2009–04-21/
http://comics.com/get_fuzzy/2009–04-22/
http://comics.com/get_fuzzy/

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:02:08 +0000

I love how Gates claims that this was a collaborative effort with buy-in from all the services. I’m wondering how he reconciles that with “sign-or-resign” NDA.

****

mike: If someone cuts you off in traffic, you honk. You don’t follow him back to his house and then burn the place down with him and his whole family trapped inside. It’s a question of proportionate response; and with no significant conventional force, there is no possibility of proportionate response.

Unless you subscribe to the attitude that all those goo–uh, ASIANS ought to take care of their own problems and we don’t need whi–uh, AMERICANS getting involved.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:28:22 +0000

Actually, RH53D Sea Stallions were used. The USN’s version of the H53 platform, which the USN used for minesweeping.

By: mike

mike — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:48:12 +0000

MaCH/RH-53D Sea Stallion Helicopter
Mag 1… I stand corrected on the sea kings, I meant Sea Stallions, eight of them, read your history. Your anger is frightening and your military mind set is what Americans should be wary of. The US did not even have a standing army through out its history, read the history of AMERICA. WE ONLY KEPT THE COAST GUARD CONTINOUSLY. After WWII we have a continuous Air Force, Army, Marines, etc., to defend agianst possible communists. Keeping a huge pentagon with thousands of redundant systems and programs of power point charts does not make america strong, we the people do. We spend more than the next 14 countries in the world together do and 11 of them are our allies. Why?

By: Mag 1

Mag 1 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:09:46 +0000

SAE KINGS, What sea Kins, they were not involved. If your knowledge on this matter is as screwed up as your imput thus far you better start all over YDS.
CH 53’s were the helios used in the operation. By the way former pres carter was against using forec to protect the LZ’s. He was really concerned about the safety of the operators involved.
Almost as concerned as former pres clinton was when his comment about troop losses at Mog ” How could you do(let ) this(happen) to me“
I pray for our comrades under the current admin daily

By: onefrnk

onefrnk — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:17:03 +0000

Now you know the rest of the story!!!

It was Carter’s decision to mount such a weak response to Iran in the first place. The helicopter’s crashing were just icing on the cake. Much like the under-supported Army in Mogadishu in 1993. Dem president’s are minimalists when it comes to military responses and it ends up hurting our troops.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:45:03 +0000

Jimmy Carter era? The Desert rescue? It was not Jmmy Carter who messed that up. The facts are is the the Procurement office messed up the mission. Factual history is that the wrong filters were purchased for the SEA KING helicopters, the contractor, who was located in Florida near Tampa warned the PMO that they were buying the wrong filters and the PMO ignored them. The mission at the time for Sea Kings were sea rescue and land rescue. The contractor suggested a better filter to block the desert sand from messing up the helicopters and the acquistion side of the military would not listen. The helicopters would not operate without sand filters. NOW YOU KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY!!!

By: Rhyno327

Rhyno327 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:23:48 +0000

I do agree, our closest allies should have access to the F-22. Japan, for one is maybe the closest to China, and wants them. The Brits? They have pretty much been there when we needed them, and I believe if they want them, should get them. Again, its $ thats blocking it. If we sell them, that means more Raptors in the air against a potential opponent-CHINA.

By: Tim H.

Tim H. — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:31:06 +0000

Gutting our conventional capability only makes it more likely that a future conflict will go nuclear. If we don’t have sufficient numbers of F-22s, bombers, and other aircraft to hold the enemy and/or push them back into their own territory, decision makers will be forced to escalate. We knew that a Soviet invasion of western Europe would go nuclear real quick because we lacked the conventional forces to hold back the inrushing tide. 183 first line 5th generation fighters (F-22s), 19 B-2s, and a dwindling number of legacy fighters and bombers are not going to be able to do the job. Gates has said that the Generals and Admirals are always planning to fight the last war — unfortunately, Mr. Gates isn’t planning to fight any wars.

By: HARRY HUDAK

HARRY HUDAK — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:18:05 +0000

Ahhhhh.…The Jimmy Carter era all over again. Remember the “Desert Rescue”? Made possible by judicious Defense spending for three years. You remember the “Peace Dividend”, right?

By: RFL

RFL — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:57:37 +0000

Having closed the debate, the Sec Def missed many opportunities to develop alternative courses which could maximize a positive outcome; notably, he had the opportunity to export 60 F 22s to Japan and possibly 20 to Australia; but by terminiating the F-22 program as he has no such option existsl by buyin two more years of F-22s that would be 40 for the US he ends up with possibly 120 F22s more in the Pacific; and such an announcement after the N Koreans lobbed missiles towards us would have had an effect; and continuing to deny deployment to the middile east as part of our exit and engagement strategy to deal with Iran as we “withdraw” from Iraq would demonstrate strategic leadeship as opposed to this sideshow on “defense cuts” to sustain our occupation forces.

By: Bill R. .

Bill R. . — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 05:29:50 +0000

Clasic case of mushroom therapy — left in the dark and fed a bunch of shit. Mr. Gates does not want the details of his reforms public ‚because anyone with half a brain is going to say ” WHAT The HELL”. In terms of national security , I do not know about you but I am not worried about insurgents attacking us here at home. I also understand that the ground pounders need some help but the rape and pillage of the Air Force and possibly the Marines is apalling!!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:05:41 +0000

Mike, Thx for the civics lesson but you miss the point. It is the duty of the CJCS/VJCS and Service Chiefs to provide military advice and obey orders. If the advice is ignored or discarded on a vital national security issue(s), then it would be the duty said officer(s) to resign as a matter of good faith and honor. Evidently, either Adm Mullen & Co agree with Obama or they are lackeys. None of us has access to "tank" conversations, so we cannot determine ground truth. That said, if Gen Schwartz agrees with the Obama agenda, then he should do as he has done; but CSAF should not be surprised to receive a "Weapon's School debrief" from others in the Air Force and Defense community. The "right" to issue that "debrief" is our right...1st Amendment.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:59:06 +0000

The chain of command is the heart of the military. Without it there would be revolution after revolution in this country. The military obeyed orders just as the neo-con hero Ollie North did under Reagan. PEO and PMO offices need to stay out of the Congressional marks and let the SecDEF do the job that the President appointed him to do. Decisions made with the approval and thumbs up for the changes should be what makes it, not the whims of those who seek their “money”

By: mulehead

mulehead — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:41:02 +0000

What is Mr Gates tryin to hide?

By: aldo boselli

aldo boselli — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:00:33 +0000

FUBAR