(Forge Books) is about the turf wars between the Pentagon and the CIA and the privatization of national security.
According to the Associated Press, State Department investigators of the September 16h Blackwater Nisoor Square shooting have granted limited immunity to Blackwater operators who were present at the incident. The Mainstream Media reports missed the fact that the State Department's investigators are from the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the very bureau of the State Department that contracts with Blackwater for the services in question and that is responsible for operational control of those missions. Regardless of whether that's a good or bad idea, it's one that smacks of a serious conflict of interest.
This is a milestone in government outsourcing. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time a contracting agency has ever granted legal immunity to a contractor or contractors employees faced with potential criminal penalties.
As their contract monitors, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security would have known if the Blackwater operators were doing their jobs as prescribed by contract with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and via the very aggressive Mission Fire Plan-- a plan that allowed point-and-spray marksmanship--or lack thereof. My suspicion is that Diplomatic Security knew that Blackwater operators were working within established State guidelines, even though this resulted in significant loss of live and perhaps this was a diplomatic way out. Regardless, it should raise red flags for everyone concerned with government accountability in in the new age of national security outsourcing.
Why don't you look up "Garrity Warning" and "Kalkines Warning" first before you trumpet the same accusations being made by the AP?
The type of immunity granted the Blackwater contractors was only in regard to the statements they made to DS investigators immediately after the incident. Offering these types of warnings to government employees is STANDARD CONDUCT in all internal governmental investigations and is not prima facie evidence of some grand conspiracy.
Posted by: Vance | November 02, 2007 at 17:17
Agreed that limited immunity is standard conduct, but a government investigative bureau offering limited immunity to its own contractors is unprecedented.
In no way am I implying a conspiracy, but rather a lack of accountability and a very dangerous precedent in government outsourcing.
RJH
Posted by: R J Hillhouse | November 04, 2007 at 22:29