…In April 2003, Dyncorp dropped its appeal against the verdict, and three days later announced an award by the US state department for a contract to police Iraq…
…”These crimes are perpetrated by individual men who rape and torture girls on mission, then go home to their wives. And it’ll carry on until there’s a knock at the door and they find themselves getting arrested in front of the wife and kids.” ~ Ed Vulliamy – Has the UN learned lessons of Bosnian sex slavery…
Soldier faces hearing at Afghan base over suicide
Associated Press – (Wall Street Journal) – KABUL, Afghanistan – January 15, 2012 – An American soldier charged with abuse that led to the suicide of a 19-year-old fellow soldier in Afghanistan is facing a preliminary hearing Sunday on a base in the country, the military said.
The hearing came as two more members of the international force in Afghanistan died of what NATO described as “non-battle-related” injuries.
Spc. Ryan J. Offutt is charged with offenses including maltreatment, involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide in the death of Pvt. Danny Chen, the military statement said. Offutt is one of eight infantrymen charged in connection with the suicide.
Chen shot himself in a guardhouse Oct. 3 in Afghanistan after what investigators say were weeks of racial slurs, humiliation and physical abuse.
Offutt, 32, of Greenville, Pa. was charged in December along with seven others in the same unit. He joined the Army in 2006 and served 14 months in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan. An attorney for Offutt could not immediately be contacted. (Click HERE for article)
DISA Obscures Contract Award to SAIC
Bob Brewin – (Nextgov) – January 13, 2012 – The Defense Information Systems Agency awarded SAIC a $7.5 million, 12-month sole source contract to continue to support the Joint Global Command and Control System (GCCS-J), according to what seems to me a deliberately obscure FedBizOpps notice posted Wednesday.
The description of the award did not even mention GCCS-J, instead it referred only to a sole source “Deployment & Sustainment” contract, which did not identify the awardee.
Clicking on the Justification and Analysis link reveals that the award is for continuing work on GCSS-J and that only SAIC — the current contractor — has the “specialized expertise” to do the work under a task order that expires Jan 15.
That link did not provide the dollar value of the contract, which DISA spokeswoman Laura Williams provided after a query from Nextgov. (Click HERE for article)
Former Dow Research Scientist Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Stealing Trade Secrets and Perjury
(DoJ) – WASHINGTON – January 13, 2012 – A former research scientist was sentenced late yesterday to 60 months in prison for stealing trade secrets from Dow Chemical Company and selling them to companies in the People’s Republic of China, as well as committing perjury, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Donald J. Cazayoux Jr. for the Middle District of Louisiana.
