Teng + TFPOWER, we’re putting hundreds of additional people in harms way because we “might” prevent one or two others from getting electrocuted? And the taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions for this?

First, our troops shouldn’t be in Afghanistan and we should bring them home. But they are and we need to support them. The Army has chosen to use O&M Contractors like KBR, Fluor and Dyncorp to do this work. There was nearly 8 years of NO oversight of these contractors. That’s the Army’s fault. Unfortunately soldiers and civilians have died because due to electrical shock. Very sad. These same soldiers and civilians could have died via a mortar or suicide bomber, but they didn’t. As an electrician I feel that one electrocution death or chock injury is one too many. We have an obligation to make sure the O&M work is done correctly. Yes, it costs too much. Yes, this oversight is virtually non existent. Yes, TENG is not qualified. The Army’s head is on the block for that. But I believe that as long as we have one soldier or civilian serving the US in Afghanistan then we should do what is necessary to provide them with safe living and working conditions. Unfortunately because people are trying to kill in Afghanistan, we have to put people in harms way to do that.

I appreciate what you do. I appreciate the risk you face to make sure our sons, daughter, mother’s, father’s are not electrocuted. What you are doing now and the standards you are setting may make impact the safety of my grandson who is bound and determined to be a soldier.

And that Green Beret’s name is SSG Ryan Maseth. I just published a post on their case. His mother, Cheryl Harris is the reason there is even a Task Force SAFE or Task Force POWER at all. She is determined to make sure no other soldier or civilian dies from contractor incompetence.

Be safe!

I agree there are a lot of good folks that had previous LOGCAP / Middle East experience, I like to think I’m one, but you haven’t said one thing that refutes the matter-of-fact behavior of Teng and management like Billy.

How did this whole project even start to begin with, why are we here? Because a green beret, along with some other troops, got killed in Iraq. Who was responsible for that? KBR! Who was in management at KBR during that time? William Black! Billy was involved in all that, he was one of the people responsible for those deaths and covering up KBR involvement.

How ass backwards is it that the guy who messed up the power systems to begin with would then be rewarded and paid even more money to manage the process of inspecting them up to code? The whole point of TFPOWER and Teng is congressional oversight. Congress passed a mandate wanting independent verification of O&M work. And to lead that effort they hire not only the guy that helped mess up the systems to begin with, but a man that is in bed with the O&M contractors.

The issue isn’t with electricians with LOGCAP experience, it’s with the management and how things are being run. It goes against the whole point of us being here.

And you talk about losers? Whos a loser? If we’re losers, well, we’re working on the same project buddy. I’ll tell you who the losers are. The US military and the taxpayers! How much is being spent on just Teng’s contract, not even including TFPOWER at large? Just Teng? I’ve heard about 100 million. It is said that this project is worth more to Teng than all of its other projects combined. People back home are starving, we’re looking at a 1.7 trillion deficit for just this year. WTF are we doing out here? Look how ineficient our work is. We do 1/3 or 1/4 of as much work as we could be doing in the same amount of time… and all the people that wanted to fix this were fired and/or silenced. Because it’s a cost+ contract, the longer things take, the better for Teng. And even with the work we do, most of it is frankly pointless. The LSSs are what really matter. Probably 80% of the deficiences we find are insignificant trivial nonesense that you could find in most homes in the USA. But it’s technically against the NEC, so we flash it.

How many people have died from the electrical systems in Afghanistan? Zero! How many years was this war going on before Teng showed up and started inspecting? 8, years before Iraq even became a war.

So, come on, lets get real. Nobody can claim it’s thanks to us that nobody has been killed so far. Frankly, we’re just plain lucky nobody has gotten electrocuted since the build up.

But what is the cost? TFPOWER costs who knows how much. Teng by itself is about 100 million. When you break it down by truly dangerous life threatening deficiencies, not all flashes, but the ones we electricians would actually fix if we found it in our own house, taxpayers are spending what, like $50,000 on each problem we find? Maybe more! Whereas an electrician in the states would cost a couple hundred to FIND & FIX the same problem! The argument could also be made that we’re endangering more lives than we’re even saving. Teng + TFPOWER, we’re putting hundreds of additional people in harms way because we “might” prevent one or two others from getting electrocuted? And the taxpayers are spending hundreds of millions for this? Yeah, that is rationale.

Don’t get me wrong, I like being here and having a job and making several times what I could back in the states. And I think there is a legitimate reason for us to be here, but it’s just all out of proportion. You could basically get rid of all our management, all the engineers, all the CAD guys, cut the number of inspectors in half, and we could have blitzed the truly critical areas, the LSSs, inspecting and repairing at the same time, and the whole process would have been done in a matter of months for probably a tenth (or less) the cost with the exact same practical end result. I know the new contract trims some of the fat, but the big problems are all still there. Same song, different verse.

Yes I do
I have wrote to my congressman that is on the armed service commity and I think these people that
feed your site are just venting. Thank god that they the mil in Afghanistan have droped the
union electrician’s and I hope that all of the UN solders are ok
PS please drop me from your site
Thanks
Foy

I suspect Teng’s success is almost entirely the result of political grafts. Who’s in the white house right now? Who is the new mayor of Chicago? Based on the definition of insanity I will have to say you’re all crazy for expecting anything different from Teng in Afghanistan. Sounds like the same company I’m reading about in all these other stories.