Military
Soldier’s suicide illustrates problems in military psychiatric care
Tapping into hundreds of pages of medical records, Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel told the story of Iraq vet James Weigl, who committed suicide soon after his return to Wisconsin. Kissinger’s reporting identified numerous mistakes and missed warning signs – by the Army and the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee. For example,…
Read MoreConsultancies a cash-cow for retired military
A USA Today investigation found that the Pentagon has hired “at least 158 retired admirals and generals…to offer advice under an unusual arrangement. Most of the retired officers, one to four stars in rank, have been paid hundreds of dollars an hour by the military even as they worked for companies seeking Defense Department contracts.”…
Read MoreJobs linked to aircraft production complicate attempted budget cuts
The Boeing C-17 is a $250 million aircraft used by the military to transport troops and supplies. Despite the Pentagon asserting it has plenty of C-17s in its fleet, Congress continues to approve funding for additional planes, according to a report by Ben Elgin and Keith Epstein of BusinessWeek. The 2010 budget has $2.5 billion…
Read MoreCost of U.S. Army aviation accidents on the rise
A report by Michael Fabey shows that aviation accidents have been much costlier in 2009 according to an Aerospace Daily analysis of Army Combat Readiness/Safety Center data. “The average cost per accident or incident for this calendar year was about $220,178 as of July 28, the last date for which data were provided, compared to…
Read MorePrivate security firm bought weapons on Iraqi black market
An investigation by T. Christian Miller and Aram Roston for ProPublica shows that Triple Canopy, the top private security contractor in Iraq, “swapped booze for weapons and supplies from the U.S. military” and purchased arms on the Iraqi black market. Previously undisclosed documents reviewed by ProPublica point to continued difficulties for the by the U.S…
Read MoreArmy ends practice of profiling journalists covering war efforts
Stars and Stripes (Washington, D.C.) reporter Kevin Baron reports that less than a week after the paper first revealed that the Pentagon was routinely profiling journalists, the Army decided to cancel the program. “The U.S. military is canceling its contract with a controversial private firm that was producing background profiles of journalists seeking to cover…
Read MoreMilitary suicides a mounting problem
An article by Erica Goode of The New York Times reports on the mounting number of soldiers committing suicide, detailing the stories of four soldiers from the 1451st Transportation Company. “The four suicides, in a unit of roughly 175 soldiers, make the company an extreme example of what experts see as an alarming trend in…
Read MoreReport shows missteps by Army left troops vulnerable in Afghanistan
Hal Bernton and Cheryl Phillips of The Seattle Times reported on an unreleased study that concluded Army missteps directly contributed to one of the bloodiest battles in the Afghanistan war. Army historian Douglas Cubbison “noted suspect decisions by commanders, who allowed an understaffed platoon to plant itself in hostile territory without adequate support.” Nine soldiers…
Read MoreViolence follows some soldiers home from war
A two-day series by Dave Phillips of The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette retraces the steps of soldiers who have returned from war and ended up incarcerated for crimes they committed upon their return to civilian life. Ten soldiers from Fort Carson’s 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team have “been arrested and accused of murder, attempted…
Read MoreMany Pentagon contractors go unnamed
“The Pentagon’s unnamed contractors placed 14th on the Defense Department’s ranking of top contractors for 2008, according to an Aerospace Daily analysis of an independent national database of government contracting data,” reports Michael Fabey. The analysis also showed that all work associated with these unnamed contractors was completed in either Iraq or Afghanistan. The Federal…
Read More