Death squads wet work
Financial investigations into Slush funds dog special ops command
WASHINGTON — The military command leading the global war on terrorism faces three financial misconduct investigations and pointed questions from Congress about its spending.
In the latest embarrassment for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), a retired Army officer who oversaw special projects was indicted this week on charges he tried to bribe a civilian worker at the command. Retired colonel Thomas Spellissy pleaded innocent to the charges. The former civilian worker, William Burke, pleaded guilty last month and is cooperating with prosecutors.
SOCOM directs the operations of the elite but shadowy forces — such as Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs — on the front lines against terrorism. The command's budget and prominence have soared in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The financial investigations come as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is pressuring the command to fight terrorism more aggressively. Last month, Rumsfeld visited SOCOM and then sent a former commander, retired Army general Wayne Downing, to study the command and suggest improvements.
SOCOM's deputy commander, Vice Adm. Eric Olson, told The Tampa Tribune that Rumsfeld wanted SOCOM "to be able to adjust rapidly enough to stay ahead of our enemies."
Any fraud or mismanagement at SOCOM is particularly troubling given the importance of its mission,, said David Williams of the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.
"We're not procuring pencils here. This has real life and death implications," he said. "The more money you waste, the less money you have for real needs, for real ammunition, for real communications."
The command's recent issues include a probe into allegations of influence peddling and cronyism against top officials, including Army Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, its commander. In addition, the Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating a $20 million pool of money that Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said was a hidden "slush fund" to spend on items not included in the command's budget.
Ken McGraw, a command spokesman, says the challenges are unrelated and most of the investigations were started by officials at the group located at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa.
The command's budget has increased by more than a third since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to more than $6 billion a year. Because it buys specialized equipment for special operations forces, SOCOM has unique authority to buy that materiel without going through the purchasing programs of the Army, Air Force or Navy. Much of that spending is classified. (CIA gets 44 Billion minimum )
The sharp increase in funding and secretive nature of special operations forces is a "recipe for waste, fraud and abuse," said Keith Ashdown of the independent watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"I don't know how people wouldn't feel uncomfortable with the idea that money is being wasted there and it's not being used for the war on terror and protecting the homeland," Ashdown said.
Several congressional committees are questioning spending practices not only at SOCOM, which has unique independence to buy its own gear, but throughout the Defense Department.
The Pentagon's Inspector General's office has started the most recent investigation into cronyism and alleged wrongdoing by Brown. This probe was started by an anonymous letter, given to investigators earlier this month, that accused Brown of directing contracts to friends and former commanders.
Those allegations "lacked merit and basis in fact," McGraw said in a statement.
Separately, federal prosecutors are continuing the bribery investigation involving weapons- and equipment-buying decisions for the nation's special operations forces.
Burke pleaded guilty to accepting $3,000 in January in exchange for favoring companies that wanted to sell weapons and equipment to special operations forces.
Burke worked at SOCOM since 1999 for the Sentel Corp. and headed the command's office overseeing testing and evaluation of specialized weapons and equipment for U.S. commandos.
His recommendations went to Rumsfeld's office; companies he ranked highly had a better chance of supplying the command, while those Burke left off his recommendation list would be ignored.
Sentel said in a statement that other company officials had no idea of Burke's crimes and said he had not worked for Sentel since June.
Spellissy created a company called Strategic Defense International months before he retired last year. His indictment says Spellissy signed up clients wanting to do business with the command and paid a bribe to Burke.
Strategic Defense International also was set to win a sole-source consulting contract from the command in December 2004, military documents show.
The command then abruptly reversed course, saying in a Dec. 21 notice that it discovered Spellissy's company wasn't the only one which could provide the service.
Finally, the Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Pentagon to explain a budgeting ploy that left $20 million parked in the command's budget to be used for unrelated programs that have never been detailed.
Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said the Pentagon didn't give the panel enough information about why no criminal charges were filed.
In a letter to the Pentagon seeking more information, Warner and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., noted that while the criminal investigation is closed, the Pentagon's administrative investigation continues.
Nelson said "there needs to be an adequate explanation. If there is a slush fun, parking money, that is contrary to the law."
WASHINGTON — The military command leading the global war on terrorism faces three financial misconduct investigations and pointed questions from Congress about its spending.
In the latest embarrassment for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), a retired Army officer who oversaw special projects was indicted this week on charges he tried to bribe a civilian worker at the command. Retired colonel Thomas Spellissy pleaded innocent to the charges. The former civilian worker, William Burke, pleaded guilty last month and is cooperating with prosecutors.
SOCOM directs the operations of the elite but shadowy forces — such as Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs — on the front lines against terrorism. The command's budget and prominence have soared in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The financial investigations come as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is pressuring the command to fight terrorism more aggressively. Last month, Rumsfeld visited SOCOM and then sent a former commander, retired Army general Wayne Downing, to study the command and suggest improvements.
SOCOM's deputy commander, Vice Adm. Eric Olson, told The Tampa Tribune that Rumsfeld wanted SOCOM "to be able to adjust rapidly enough to stay ahead of our enemies."
Any fraud or mismanagement at SOCOM is particularly troubling given the importance of its mission,, said David Williams of the Washington-based watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.
"We're not procuring pencils here. This has real life and death implications," he said. "The more money you waste, the less money you have for real needs, for real ammunition, for real communications."
The command's recent issues include a probe into allegations of influence peddling and cronyism against top officials, including Army Gen. Bryan "Doug" Brown, its commander. In addition, the Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating a $20 million pool of money that Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said was a hidden "slush fund" to spend on items not included in the command's budget.
Ken McGraw, a command spokesman, says the challenges are unrelated and most of the investigations were started by officials at the group located at MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa.
The command's budget has increased by more than a third since the 9/11 terrorist attacks to more than $6 billion a year. Because it buys specialized equipment for special operations forces, SOCOM has unique authority to buy that materiel without going through the purchasing programs of the Army, Air Force or Navy. Much of that spending is classified. (CIA gets 44 Billion minimum )
The sharp increase in funding and secretive nature of special operations forces is a "recipe for waste, fraud and abuse," said Keith Ashdown of the independent watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"I don't know how people wouldn't feel uncomfortable with the idea that money is being wasted there and it's not being used for the war on terror and protecting the homeland," Ashdown said.
Several congressional committees are questioning spending practices not only at SOCOM, which has unique independence to buy its own gear, but throughout the Defense Department.
The Pentagon's Inspector General's office has started the most recent investigation into cronyism and alleged wrongdoing by Brown. This probe was started by an anonymous letter, given to investigators earlier this month, that accused Brown of directing contracts to friends and former commanders.
Those allegations "lacked merit and basis in fact," McGraw said in a statement.
Separately, federal prosecutors are continuing the bribery investigation involving weapons- and equipment-buying decisions for the nation's special operations forces.
Burke pleaded guilty to accepting $3,000 in January in exchange for favoring companies that wanted to sell weapons and equipment to special operations forces.
Burke worked at SOCOM since 1999 for the Sentel Corp. and headed the command's office overseeing testing and evaluation of specialized weapons and equipment for U.S. commandos.
His recommendations went to Rumsfeld's office; companies he ranked highly had a better chance of supplying the command, while those Burke left off his recommendation list would be ignored.
Sentel said in a statement that other company officials had no idea of Burke's crimes and said he had not worked for Sentel since June.
Spellissy created a company called Strategic Defense International months before he retired last year. His indictment says Spellissy signed up clients wanting to do business with the command and paid a bribe to Burke.
Strategic Defense International also was set to win a sole-source consulting contract from the command in December 2004, military documents show.
The command then abruptly reversed course, saying in a Dec. 21 notice that it discovered Spellissy's company wasn't the only one which could provide the service.
Finally, the Senate Armed Services Committee wants the Pentagon to explain a budgeting ploy that left $20 million parked in the command's budget to be used for unrelated programs that have never been detailed.
Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said the Pentagon didn't give the panel enough information about why no criminal charges were filed.
In a letter to the Pentagon seeking more information, Warner and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., noted that while the criminal investigation is closed, the Pentagon's administrative investigation continues.
Nelson said "there needs to be an adequate explanation. If there is a slush fun, parking money, that is contrary to the law."
posted by professor rat at 1:04 AM
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