Today's Article
A recent DoD study
reveals that
meaningful oversight
of its far-reaching
intelligence apparatus
virtually has ceased to
exist.
reveals that
meaningful oversight
of its far-reaching
intelligence apparatus
virtually has ceased to
exist.
The American Spark
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Bush, Congress Fail To Provide Pentagon Intelligence Oversight
By Cliff Montgomery - June 13th, 2008
Though Bush Administration intelligence operations remain wildly controversial, a recent study from a top
Defense Department (DoD) official reveals that meaningful oversight of the Pentagon's far-reaching
intelligence apparatus has virtually ceased to exist.
Thanks to government limitations on oversight resources, the Pentagon has "not been able to perform planned
audits and evaluations in key intelligence disciplines such as Imagery Intelligence, Measurement and
Signature Intelligence and Open Source Intelligence," a DoD Inspector General (IG) audit reported to
Congress in March.
The huge growth in America's war budget "from less than $300 billion to more than $600 billion," thanks to
Bush's fruitless nation-building of Iraq, as well as the war on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and elsewhere, has
"strained" the DoD Inspector General's office.
While Pentagon activity apparently has doubled, IG office staffing has remained "nearly constant," stated the
study.
"As the delta between the resources of the [Defense] Department and the DoD IG grows, it will continue to
stretch our resources and affect our ability to be an effective oversight function and control for the Department
of Defense, and could ultimately impact our ability to provide adequate coverage of services related to the
GWOT [Global War On Terrorism]," added the audit.
The Inspector General report states that oversight of intelligence operations has been reduced in such key
areas as:
National Security Agency Operations Security and Information Security Programs;
National Intelligence Program/Military Intelligence Program funding;
Service Intelligence Component activities;
National Reconnaissance Office activities, especially major acquisitions;
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency programs;
DoD Counterintelligence Field Activity Programs;
Operations and Support Special Access Programs; and others.
Though the report clearly discusses an important matter--our government's apparent refusal to provide a
strong oversight of our armed forces' secret activities--neither the Pentagon nor Congress saw fit to publish
the explosive study for the American people.
The DoD Inspector General study instead was first released to the public by The Project on Government
Oversight (POGO), a top government watchdog group.
"The Pentagon's top cop is outgunned and it's high noon," POGO National Security Investigator Nick
Schwellenbach declared in a May 27th press release.
"It's stunning that we've been spending so much for so long with so little oversight," he added.
POGO hopes to increase the authority and oversight powers of agency inspectors general.
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!
By Cliff Montgomery - June 13th, 2008
Though Bush Administration intelligence operations remain wildly controversial, a recent study from a top
Defense Department (DoD) official reveals that meaningful oversight of the Pentagon's far-reaching
intelligence apparatus has virtually ceased to exist.
Thanks to government limitations on oversight resources, the Pentagon has "not been able to perform planned
audits and evaluations in key intelligence disciplines such as Imagery Intelligence, Measurement and
Signature Intelligence and Open Source Intelligence," a DoD Inspector General (IG) audit reported to
Congress in March.
The huge growth in America's war budget "from less than $300 billion to more than $600 billion," thanks to
Bush's fruitless nation-building of Iraq, as well as the war on al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and elsewhere, has
"strained" the DoD Inspector General's office.
While Pentagon activity apparently has doubled, IG office staffing has remained "nearly constant," stated the
study.
"As the delta between the resources of the [Defense] Department and the DoD IG grows, it will continue to
stretch our resources and affect our ability to be an effective oversight function and control for the Department
of Defense, and could ultimately impact our ability to provide adequate coverage of services related to the
GWOT [Global War On Terrorism]," added the audit.
The Inspector General report states that oversight of intelligence operations has been reduced in such key
areas as:
National Security Agency Operations Security and Information Security Programs;
National Intelligence Program/Military Intelligence Program funding;
Service Intelligence Component activities;
National Reconnaissance Office activities, especially major acquisitions;
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency programs;
DoD Counterintelligence Field Activity Programs;
Operations and Support Special Access Programs; and others.
Though the report clearly discusses an important matter--our government's apparent refusal to provide a
strong oversight of our armed forces' secret activities--neither the Pentagon nor Congress saw fit to publish
the explosive study for the American people.
The DoD Inspector General study instead was first released to the public by The Project on Government
Oversight (POGO), a top government watchdog group.
"The Pentagon's top cop is outgunned and it's high noon," POGO National Security Investigator Nick
Schwellenbach declared in a May 27th press release.
"It's stunning that we've been spending so much for so long with so little oversight," he added.
POGO hopes to increase the authority and oversight powers of agency inspectors general.
Like what you're reading so far? Then why not order a full year (52 issues) of the The American Spark
e-newsletter for only $15? A major article covering an story not being told in the Corporate Press will be
delivered to your email every Monday morning for a full year, for less than 30 cents an issue. Order Now!