» 2011 » April Ms Sparky

We have an acronym for that and other news

Posted on: April 17th, 2011 at 6:01 am — by Forseti

Pentagon Issues Bitchy Acronym Memo (PIBAM)
Spencer Ackerman – (Danger Room) - April 15, 2011 – Anyone who has dealt with the military learned early on that our men and women in uniform don’t speak English, they speak Acronym. Full fluency typically corresponds with time spent on a headquarters staff, where the only thing officers like more than acronyms is PowerPoint, and the only thing they like more than PowerPoint is a PowerPoint filled with acronyms.

And if there’s one thing defense bureaucrats like, it’s telling people to RTFM on the correct usage. (You can Google that one if you don’t already know it.)

Apparently, officers briefing Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently deluged the Pentagon chief with an impenetrable and inelegant downpour of acronyms — obviously without consulting our guide to the best of them. Because last fall, his staff instructed practically the entire Defense Department on the right and wrong ways to use acronyms. OMG. (Click HERE for article)

DOD Launches New Helpline to Support Victims of Sexual Assault
(DoD) – April 15, 2011 – The Department of Defense today launched its newest initiative to support victims of sexual assault. Using DoD Safe Helpline, service members can “click, call or text” for victim support services for themselves or others. The free, anonymous and confidential resource can be accessed worldwide, 24-hours a day, every day, to connect with live sexual assault support professionals.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Guilty plea in the shooting of Lucas “Trent” Vinson

Posted on: April 15th, 2011 at 5:42 am — by Ms Sparky

Lucas "Trent" Vinson

Schofield soldier admits guilt in slaying of contractor in Iraq

The veteran and medic, who also assaulted three other workers, will serve a 26-year term

William Cole – (Star Advertiser) – April 15, 2011 – A Schofield Barracks soldier pleaded guilty this week in military court to murdering a civilian contractor in Iraq and was sentenced to 26 years in prison, officials said yesterday.

Spc. Beyshee O. Velez, 32, a medic and three-time Iraq war veteran, was days away from leaving the country when he shot contractor Lucas “Trent” Vinson on Sept. 13, 2009, at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in northern Iraq.

Vinson, 27, worked for the Houston-based company KBR at COB Speicher with his father, Myron “Bugsy” Vinson, and an uncle. KBR provided troops with services such as housing, meals, mail delivery and laundry.

As part of a plea deal, Velez, of Cleveland, was found guilty of the murder of Vinson “by recklessly pointing his loaded M-4 carbine at Mr. Vinson, who died when the weapon discharged,” the 25th Infantry Division said.

The agreement required a sentence not in excess of 28 years in prison, officials said.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, LOGCAP III - KBR, Lucas Trent Vinson-KBR, U.S. Army. Tags: Beyshee Velez, Camp Speicher, Civilian Deaths, KBR, Leesville, Lt. Col. Kwasi Hawks, Lucas Vinson. 10 Comments »

Ex-employee of N.J. defense contractor pleads not guilty to sharing military secrets

Posted on: April 15th, 2011 at 2:21 am — by Forseti

JOSEPH AX – The Record - April 14, 2011 – An Illinois man pleaded not guilty Thursday to presenting secret military information he obtained through his position at a New Jersey technology company at conferences in China last year.

Sixing Liu has been charged with illegally exporting defense-related data and with lying to authorities. He is being held on $750,000 bail, said his lawyer, Valerie Wong.

Wong said Liu, who has lived in the United States. for at least 17 years, is a legal resident and has a wife and children. She accused the government of playing politics because of his nationality.

“I think the government is going to have a pretty hard time proving the case,” she said, asserting that Liu did not intend to disseminate any information.

Liu worked as an engineer for Space & Navigation, a division of L-3 Communications, an aerospace and military technology provider. The company has contracts with the Department of Defense. Space & Navigation moved its headquarters to Budd Lake from Teterboro in 2003, according to its website.

The indictment claims Liu brought a laptop computer to conferences in China last year and delivered talks on his work, violating federal laws by exporting military material without permission. He is also accused of lying to customs agents at Newark Liberty International Airport when he returned in November. (Click HERE for article)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, Politics. Tags: L-3 Communications, Sixing "Steve" Liu. No Comments »

U.S. Army Contractor Pleads Guilty to Assault in Relation to Stabbing at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan

Posted on: April 14th, 2011 at 2:22 am — by Forseti

Brehm was working at the air terminal when he got into an argument with a British citizen who was working for the U.S. Agency for International Development. ~Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON – (DoJ) – April 12, 2011 – A U.S. Army contractor pleaded guilty to assault today in relation to stabbing another individual with a knife at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
Sean T. Brehm, 44, of Capetown, South Africa, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Anthony J. Trenga to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. At sentencing, scheduled for July 8, 2011, Brehm faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

According to court documents, the stabbing took place on Nov. 25, 2010. At the time of the stabbing, Brehm was working as a contractor for DynCorp International LLC, a U.S. Army contractor in Afghanistan. According to court documents, the stabbing resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim and the victim underwent emergency surgery immediately following the incident.

(Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Civilian Contractors, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, LOGCAP-Dyncorp. Tags: DynCorp*, Kandahar, LOGCAP, Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), Sean Brehm, USAID. 4 Comments »

Navy takes action against fraud, meanwhile the Army is…?

Posted on: April 13th, 2011 at 3:09 am — by Forseti

ASFT scandal prompts Navy to review contract practices

U. S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus

John E. Mulligan – (PROJO) – Journal Washington Bureau – WASHINGTON – Appril 12, 2011 - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has convened a special team to review the Navy’s procurement practices in the wake of an alleged $10-million kickback scheme involving a Middletown defense contractor.

Mabus last month took the unprecedented step of canceling all the outstanding contracts of the firm, Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow, which has closed and filed for bankruptcy.

“We will not accept any impropriety, kickbacks, bribery or fraud,” Mabus told reporters this week at a convention near Washington, sponsored by the Navy league. Mabus, a former prosecutor, said the case of ASFT, a Georgia-based technology firm that did business with Newport’s Naval Undersea Warfare Center “got my attention.”

The company’s owner, Anjan Dutta-Gupta and a veteran Navy program manager at NUWC, Ralph Mariano, were charged in February with bribery in the alleged kickback scheme. After the Navy suspended its contracts, the company shut down, laying off more than 100 employees, most of them in the Newport area. (Click HERE for original article)

Posted in Civilian Contractors, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, Reports & Investigations. Tags: Advanced Solutions for Tomorrow (ASFT), Anjan Dutta-Gupta, NAVSEA, Ralph Mariano, Ray Mabus. 1 Comment »

KBR, Named in Sex Lawsuits, Called One of Top 50 Companies For Women In Magazine Poll (ABC News)

Posted on: April 11th, 2011 at 8:33 pm — by Ms Sparky

KBR employee Anna Mayo, Age 26 Photo taken after brutal attack in Iraq-Anna's deserves justice. (Courtesy of Kelly Law Firm)

Has you might recall MsSparky.com first blogged about this unfathomable “award” on April 7th. (read HERE) Then main stream blogs Mother Jones, Houston Press, Huffington Post, Jezebel picked it up. Then countless smaller watchdog blogs like The Truth Has Changed picked it up. Now ABC has picked it up. One would think John R. Miller, III – Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Equal Opportunity Publications (no joke) would be tired of this negative publicity and just remove KBR from the list. What self respecting company would even want to be on the same list as KBR? I do know in fact John Miller is tired of my emails, which I may just publish on MsSparky.com!

A personal message to Mr. John Miller “All you have to do is remove KBR from the list. Return any monies paid and bump everyone else up one. Easy as that!”

Company Facing Lawsuits For Alleged Sexual Assaults Voted Top Employer For Women

KBR, Named in Sex Lawsuits, Called One of Top 50 Companies For Women In Magazine Poll

By HANNA SIEGEL (ABC News)
April 11, 2011

KBR, a company that has been sued repeatedly for alleged sexual assaults and harassment of female employees, has been voted one of the best companies for women to work for by a magazine aimed at female engineers.

Woman Engineer named the Houston-based contracting company number 46 in the 2011 version of the magazine’s annual list of the top 50 best workplaces. Winners were chosen by readers who responded to a survey, and the magazine will publish the full list later this month.

KBR has extensive contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Attorney Todd Kelly, who has so far represented five former KBR employees who have alleged sexual assault or harassment, told ABC News that in all about 40 women have contacted his office about alleged incidents that occurred while they were working overseas for KBR or at one of its facilities. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Posted in Anna Mayo vs KBR, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Jamie Jones vs KBR, LAWSUITS, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR, LOGCAP IV - KBR, Media Coverage, Rape, Hazing, Discrimination & Harassment. Tags: Franken Amendment*, Jamie Leigh Jones, Jim Schneider, Todd Kelly, Tracy Barker, Woman Engineer Magazine. 2 Comments »

A few bad apples and other news

Posted on: April 10th, 2011 at 5:02 am — by Forseti

While police searched for the “Tweed Creeper,” Col. Williams was carrying on his normal, high flying life. Hours before the first sexual assault, he joined in a fun filled air force publicity stunt. Days later, he met with Canada’s defense minister. And the day after the Comeau murder, he stopped by a charity event on the base. ~Name, Rank and Serial Killer -48 Hours Mystery, CBS News

Former Employee of U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Stealing Nearly $250,000
WASHINGTON – (DoJ) – April 8, 2011 - A former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va., to 42 months in prison for stealing nearly $250,000 intended for the payment of shipping and customs services for the embassy, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride for the Eastern District of Virginia.

(Read the rest of the story here…)