» 2010 » December Ms Sparky

Gladly pay you on Tuesday for a CHU today – DynCorp’s pay problems continue

Posted on: December 21st, 2010 at 4:19 am — by Forseti

U.S. contractor jailed in Afghanistan, accused of owing money to vendors

Josh Boak – Washington Post Staff Writer – December 20, 2010 – The Afghan government this weekend jailed a 75-year-old U.S. citizen whose firm, Red Sea Engineers and Constructors, has received about $500 million in contracts over the past three years.

Roy Carver, Red Sea’s chief executive, was charged with owing money to Afghan vendors that provided supplies to his construction firm, said his daughter and son-in-law, Roberta Carver-Carson and Denis Carson. They said the source of the problem is late payments by another U.S. firm, Falls Church-based DynCorp International, that had subcontracted work to Red Sea. DynCorp spokeswoman Ashley Burke said that Red Sea was not paying its own Afghan workers, who then walked off the job site. To keep construction going, she said, DynCorp began paying the Afghan employees directly. Afghan officials could not immediately be reached for information on the case. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Monday confirmed the arrest.

After Carver had a meeting at the Afghan attorney general’s office, police escorted him to jail at the Kabul Governor’s House Compound.

Red Sea employs 1,200 Afghans and constructs the cylindrical steel-panel buildings that are commonly found at military camps in Afghanistan, according to the company’s Web site.

Carver’s arrest comes as the United States has been pressuring the Afghan government to reduce corruption. This month, the United States banned the Afghan company Watan Group from receiving future contracts. Cousins of Afghan President Hamid Karzai run the Watan Group’s security guard subsidiary.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP-Dyncorp, Reports & Investigations. Tags: DynCorp*, Red Sea, Roy Carver, Watan Group. 15 Comments »

BG Scott D. Chambers sacked for sexual harassment

Posted on: December 20th, 2010 at 5:38 pm — by Ms Sparky

US Air Force Brigadier General Scott D. Champers

Report: Former Hill commander acted inappropriately toward females

Matthew D. LaPlante – The Salt Lake Tribune - December 20, 2010 – The former commander of Hill Air Force Base’s 75th Air Base Wing made repeated comments to female subordinates that call into question his “judgment, values and maturity,” according to a report by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense.

The investigation was prompted by complaints arising since Brig. Gen. Scott Chambers began his duties as commander of the joint Defense Logistics Agency’s Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia, a job from which he has since been dismissed.

The inspection does not include any allegations stemming from Chambers’ time at Hill, where for most of 2006 and 2007 he led a unit that provides security, medical care, housing and other on-base services for tens of thousands of airmen and civilians. The report may, however, shed light on his service during that time. Airmen and their families complained that Hill’s leaders, including Chambers, were unresponsive to their concerns about issues that included the cleanup of chemically tainted soils near base housing, the presence of mold in older base housing and the rise in suicides among Hill’s work force.

Air Force leaders initially declined requests to view the investigation report but provided a copy to The Salt Lake Tribune within hours of a formal Freedom of Information Act request.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in A Soldiers Story, Rape, Hazing, Discrimination & Harassment, Reports & Investigations. Tags: Brig. Gen. Scott D. Chambers, Defense Logistics Agency*, DLA Troop Support*, DLA*, Hill Air Force Base, Sexual Harassment. 5 Comments »

Dissecting DynCorp’s statements about the “Dancing Boy”

Posted on: December 20th, 2010 at 10:26 am — by Ms Sparky

The April 11, 2009 incident of DynCorp and their “dancing boys” was fist published by The Washington Post in July 2009. It wasn’t until Wikileaks published a State Department cable (PDF) between U.S. Assistant Ambassador Mussomeli and Afghanistan Minister of Interior (MoI) Hanif Atmar that things started getting ugly for DynCorp. After the State Department memo was made public, The Guardian in the UK was the first to publish anything on it. Based on that article MsSparky.com we published a post on Dec 3. David Isenberg published his article in the HuffingtonPost on Dec 6. After that point the main stream media and other bloggers jumped on board and started publicizing this highly offensive behavior.

I guess I’m not surprised that DynCorp has steadfastly denied any wrong doing and just chalked it up to “poor judgment” on the part of their employees regarding their “dancing boy” incident in Afghanistan. To top it all off, the State Department has jumped into the prevarication with them.

I totally understand that DynCorp Corporate can not have total control over every decision their managers make around the world. Managers are going to make poor decisions. It just happens. What aggravates me and what most people find disturbing are the attempts to “spin” the facts of the incident into something totally innocuous.

Below is an email communication from DynCorp Chief Compliance Officer Joe Kale to DynCorp employees. I’m going to point out the “spin” in Mr. Kale’s communication. My comments are in bold BLUE italics. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Why Do We Do That? Leave Cookies For Santa

Posted on: December 19th, 2010 at 9:18 am — by Ms Sparky

This is the 7th in a series of “Why Do We Do That?” Christmas 2010 Posts.

My family doesn’t have a lot of Christmas traditions that date back generations. We just kind of wing it every year. But, there is one tradition that is considered to be so sacred the mere consideration of NOT performing this ritual on Christmas Eve can bring tears to the eyes of children and panic to the heart of adults. This is the tradition of putting out cookies and milk for Santa.

Last year, with all the Christmas festivities, putting out milk and cookies on the “special Santa cookie plate” was not thought of until just before bedtime. Oh No!!! No carrots for the rein deer! I tried to convince my 6 year old grandson that reindeer eat lots of different things. They in fact LOVE celery, which I had a bunch of. NOPE! That would not due. Carrots! You put out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer! My grandson was convinced if the reindeer did not get a snack at our house, it could ruin Christmas for everyone. So, off my husband went looking for fresh carrots at 9pm on Christmas Eve. Interestingly enough, he ran into another Dad making a midnight run for carrots as well! Needless to say I’m well stocked in carrots this year. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Miscellaneous. Tags: Christmas, Christmas 2010, Christmas Traditions, Cookies for Santa, Why Do We Do That?. 4 Comments »

Where DynCorp goes drunken debauchery follows & other news

Posted on: December 19th, 2010 at 8:40 am — by Forseti

Defense Contracting an Ethics Free Zone?

Contractors behaving badly mean headaches for US
RICHARD LARDNER – (AP) – WASHINGTON – December 19, 2010 – At two in the morning on Sept. 9, 2005, five DynCorp International security guards assigned to Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s protective detail returned to their compound drunk, with a prostitute in tow. Less than a week later, three of these same guards got drunk again, this time in the VIP lounge of the Kabul airport while awaiting a flight to Thailand.

“They had been intoxicated, loud and obnoxious,” according to an internal company report of the incident, which noted that Afghanistan’s deputy director for elections and a foreign diplomat were also in the lounge. “Complaints were made regarding the situation.” DynCorp fired the three guards.

Such episodes represent the headaches that U.S. contractors can cause in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere. They are indispensable to the State Department’s mission overseas, handling security, transportation, construction, food service and more. But when hired hands behave badly – or break the law -they cast a cloud over the American presence.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act describe previously undisclosed offenses committed by more than 200 contract employees in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries between 2004 and 2008. They were working under a broad State Department security services contract shared by DynCorp of Falls Church, Va.; Triple Canopy of Reston, Va.; and the company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide – Xe Services of Moyock, N.C. (Click HERE for article)

More examples of contractor headaches at a glance
Associated Press – December 19, 2010 – Documents obtained by The Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act describe previously undisclosed offenses committed by more than 200 contract employees of the State Department in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries between 2004 and 2008. They were working under a broad security services contract shared by DynCorp of Falls Church, Va.; Triple Canopy of Reston, Va.; and the company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide – Xe Services of Moyock, N.C.

Some examples of the offenses:

(Read the rest of the story here…)

The Grinch has stolen Christmas dinner for some Fluor employees in Afghanistan (updated 12/25/2010)

Posted on: December 18th, 2010 at 6:41 am — by Ms Sparky

I have had several complaints from around Afghanistan that by the time many American expats from Fluor were allowed to go to the Dining Facility (DFAC) at 4pm on Thanksgiving Day there was little to no food left. Some were issued Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s) for their Thanksgiving dinner, some just opted out of any meal all together.

I was told supply trucks from Pakistan may have been delayed around Thanksgiving and not all the food was delivered to the DFAC’s in time for the Thanksgiving feast. I suppose this could be true. I know trucks delivering food in Iraq were delay or destroyed due to attacks on convoys. It could also be poor planning on the part of the DFAC contractors. Americans tend to pig out at Thanksgiving and it’s possible the contractor just didn’t make enough food.

Either way, hard working, dedicated, American expats who are in Afghanistan to support their families and support the troops DID NOT get a well deserved Thanksgiving dinner.

Now let talk about Christmas Dinner. That’s a little different story for American Expats employed by Fluor at Camp Marmal in Afghanistan. Camp Marmal is located in Northern Afghanistan near the borders of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

According to Wikipedia, the camp hosts the staff of the German Armed Forces in Afghanistan, Regional Command North of the ISAF, as well as the Quick Reaction Force (QRF). There could be others as well.

There are three Dining Facilities (DFACs) at Camp Marmal, a German DFAC, a Norwegian DFAC and an American DFAC.

According to my sources, members of the Afghan Army has been invited to dine with US Military personnel in the American DFAC on Christmas Day. Due to the increased number of invited guests, the American Expats who are employed by Fluor and possibly other companies have already been told they WILL NOT be allowed to have Christmas dinner in the DFAC on Christmas Day at all. As a matter of fact it would appear, another Holiday meal of MRE’s are in their future. I also have reports that Fluor management is telling the employees to just keep quiet about it or go home to the States and have dinner.

I can’t even imagine how demoralizing this is for those hard working dedicated Americans at Camp Marmal. They are away from their families and now the have been sucker punched by the very people they are there to support? Which officer came up with this hair brain idea? Could you not have invited the Afghan Army to dinner on some other day? Like Meatloaf Day or something? Why Christmas? Do Afghan Muslims celebrate Christmas?

Unconfirmed reports state, in the spirit of Christmas generosity, the German’s at Camp Marmal have extended a Christmas Dinner invitation to the approximately 100 Americans who have been ousted by their own on one of the Holiest of Christian holidays.

I have contacted Fluor Corporate for a statement for this post, to date they have decline to respond.

I am attempting to contact Major General Hans Werner Fritz who is reported to be the commander of RC-North as well as leader of the German ISAF contingent and his deputy commander U.S. Army Colonel Sean Mulholland for statements as well. If anyone has contact information for these two or other base commanders, I would appreciate it if you sent them.

I can’t even describe how this total lack of regard for these hard working Americans disturbs me. Please share your personal Fluor experiences on this Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner issue. Did you run out of food? Was your dinner awesome? Are Americans being “uninvited” at other camps?

I’m sure Fluor management at Camp Marmal who are implementing this policy will spend more time trying to ferret out and punish whistleblowers than trying to get their people a Christmas dinner. I guess that will just add to the story if CNN or FOX picks it up.

I am so sorry you are being treated this way. This is the season of giving and generosity. And as an electrician who worked in Iraq for two years, I think this treatment would directly reflect my attitude and personal commitment to the decision maker and those who support this ridiculous mandate. “I’m sorry, no parts!”

Merry Christmas

Ms Sparky

Updated December 21, 2010: I just heard Christmas Dinner appears to be back on for Fluor expats at Camp Marmal. official notice has gone out at Camp Marmal. Breakfast will be served for expats until 830 and then they are not allowed back into the DFAC until 1345 for dinner, same as Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving though the Afghan commander was late for dinner so they never got to actually enter until after 1500 and nothing was left. I sent another email to Fluor Corporate for a statement on this matter and they have again declined to respond. Please let me know how Christmas Dinner goes so I can update the people who really care about you! ~ Ms Sparky

Updated December 25, 2010: I hadn’t planned on working on Christmas Day but I just got word the Fluor employees at Camp Marmal in Afghanistan were allowed into the DFAC and received their much deserved Christmas dinner. This makes me very happy. To whoever made the decision that allowed this to happen….thank you! Merry Christmas! ~Ms Sparky

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP-Fluor, Rants. Tags: Afghanistan, Camp Marmal, Christmas, Christmas 2010, Col. Sean Mulholland, Fluor*, Maj. Gen. Hans Werner Fritz. 47 Comments »

If Dyncorp wins contract it’s “dancing boys” for everyone!

Posted on: December 17th, 2010 at 1:41 pm — by Ms Sparky

Army Set to Award Mega-Contract to Train Afghan Cops

Spencer Ackerman – December 16, 2010 – NATO allies still haven’t provided all of the troops they promised to train Afghanistan’s nascent police force. When in doubt, contract it out.

Before the New Year, the Army will finally award a much-delayed $1.6 billion-with-a-b contract for a private security firm to supplement that NATO training command’s efforts to professionalize Afghan cops. That bid touched off a bureaucratic tempest between Blackwater/Xe Services and DynCorp, which held an old contract for the same job, as well as the State Department and the Army.

But not for much longer. The Army’s Contracting Command is in “the very final stages” of selecting the firm for the bid, Col. John Ferrari of the NATO training command tells Danger Room. “We’re expecting an announcement before the end of December, sometime in the next week or two.”

The contract is for “mentoring, training, and logistics services” to backstop Ferrari’s efforts, placing security contractors in embedded positions with the Afghan interior ministry and police units themselves, according to the terms of the bid. More than 80 firms have registered as “interested vendors” on the federal website announcing the contract. NATO is trying to build a 134,000-strong Afghan police force by October, and it’s short 900 trainers promised by U.S. allies.

The deal has been a bureaucratic and corporate tangle. In 2009, hoping to expedite the training of Afghan cops, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, then the commander of the Afghan war effort, managed to move the contracting deal from its home at the State Department’s Bureau of Narcotics and Law Enforcement — an agency criticized for weak oversight — into the Army. Only the Army element in control was the obscure Counter-Narcoterrorism Technology Program Office, an organization with unclear competency in police training, and it announced that only five corporations could bid on the contract, including Blackwater.

Enter DynCorp — which wasn’t one of the firms invited to bid. In December, DynCorp filed an objection to the bureaucratic switchover with the Government Accountability Office, a move that had the added benefit for the company of stopping the re-award and boxing out the competition. It also allowed Senator Carl Levin, a Blackwater critic, to register his incredulity that the Army would consider Blackwater for a contract to train Afghan cops shortly after Levin’s staff found Blackwater guards on a different contract illicitly taking weapons from the U.S. military intended for Afghan police.