US Army Human Terrain System in Disarray
Millions of Dollars Wasted, Two Lives Sacrificed*
by John Stanton
John Stanton is a Virginia-based writer specializing in national security and political matters. His latest book is Talking Politics with God & the Devil in Washington, DC. Reach him at cioran123[at] yahoo.com. * Part II of this subject to follow at a later date.
According to sources, United States Army brigade commanders privately believe that the US Army’s TRADOC Human Terrain System (HTS) program is a “joke” and completely unnecessary. The HTS program is publicly supported by brigade military commanders, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, only because it is a “pet project” of the currently
politically popular US Army General David Petraeus.
BAE Systems, the prime contractor on the project, has repeatedly been pressured by the HTS program manager and his staff to hire individuals who are not field-experienced ethnographers/anthropologists, but rather Google-fed political and social scientists. In two cases, pre-security clearance award investigations revealed that one candidate recommended for hire by senior staff was a felon. The other candidate had health problems that would have compromised the functions of a deployed Human Terrain Team (HTT). BAE Systems has been the punching bag for the poor decision-making of HTS program managers and advisors.
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The Airbus A330 MRTT (multi-role tanker-transport) seen here in RAAF markings – being tested before the addition of the air refueling package.
In addition to the Australian order (5 airplanes), Airbus is currently working on these additional orders;
- UK (RAF) – 14 aircraft (delivery in 2011, as a lease (similiar to the original Boeing 767 proposal to the USAF)
- UAE – 3 aircraft (MOU signed in 2007)
- Saudi Arabia – 3 aircraft (MOU signed in 2008)
I will have to hand it to the Airbus engineer’s – for their plane – they used the wing from the A340 (which was designed for 4 engines). The refueling pods (for the probe and droque system – that everyone BUT the USAF uses) will be attached on the wings were the outboard engines would have gone.
When the Soviet Union started to disintegrate – the US and its Allies spend millions (if not billions) of dollars to shore up the Soviet nuclear arsenal. This was so the arsenal – and the scientists who created it – would not go to work for unfriendly countries.
But in light of recent security and accountability issues with our own Nuclear Arsenal – maybe we need to stop spending that money overseas (besides – doesn’t Russia have all of that $$$ from oil and gas sales that it is using to modernize its own forces) and spend it own beefing up our own security?
Recent issues;
- B-52 flies from Minot AFB, ND to Barksdale AFB, LA w/ live nukes (5 Colonels get relieved)
- Minot AFB (home of the B-52 that flew w/ the nukes) failed its annual nuclear security review (contibuting to the Sec of AF and AF COS to be dismissed)
And now comes the latest – that US nukes stored in Europe – have the same sort of security issues that inspectors found at Minot.
I think the upcoming election – should be the least of our worries.
Unless you have been hiding under a rock or completely oblivious to Defense mattters, you know that the GAO overturned the landmark KC-X aerial refueling (tanker) contract that the US Air Force awarded to the Northrup-Grumman/EADS (Airbus) team.
Recap:
The Air Force has needed to replace the KC-135 (based on the original Boeing 707 prototype) for the last 10 years. But the controversy around this contract was thrown into the spotlight right after 9/11 (2001).
Boeing proposed a lease of converted 767′s to the US Air Force at a reduced rate (Boeing would benefit by keeping its 767 production line open, and the Air Force would get needed planes). But the scrutiny of this deal – by none other than Republican Presidential contender, John McCain – killed this deal, and resulted in the resignations/indictments of several Air Force and Boeing officals.
When the Air Force was forced to put the contract out for bid, there was a surprise bidder. EADS (Airbus) in partnership w/ Northrup-Grumman. Initially – no one thought NGA had a chance.
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(from the AP – and found on the SF Chronical web page)
(06-16) 23:22 PDT Colorado Springs, Colo. (AP) –
The Pentagon understated the vulnerability faced by the nation’s air and space defense command before it relocated to Colorado’s Peterson Air Force Base, a newspaper reported Monday.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command moved from its longtime cave-complex home inside Cheyenne Mountain to Peterson in May. On March 3, military leaders reported to Congress that an assessment of a building at the air base that serves as the nation’s homeland security nerve center found “several physical security problems.”
But The Gazette of Colorado Springs said it obtained a classified document that was even more critical. According to the document, the assessment found “the existing security system at Peterson AFB … would fail if attacked by even a low level threat.”
The assessment was contained in a draft report by the Government Accountability Office as part of an ongoing GAO review of the March 3 report to Congress. That report never informed Congress whether security measures could ensure a maximum level of security at Peterson, as required.
The Peterson command center where NORAD started operating on May 28 requires a Protection Level 1, reserved for “those assets whose loss, theft, destruction, misuse or compromise would result in great harm to the strategic capability of the United States,” the Gazette reported.
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