Senator McCaskill Questions Chairman of the Joint Chiefs on Contracting in Afghanistan

Senator expressed concerns regarding oversight of contractors and security risks in war zone

September 15, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Continuing her fight for better oversight of federal government contracting, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today questioned Admiral (ADM) Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on whether lessons learned from Iraq are being applied to contracting practices in Afghanistan.

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At ADM Mullen’s re-nomination hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), McCaskill highlighted several potential sources of waste, fraud and abuse with lucrative contracts in Afghanistan and argued that in addition to wasting taxpayer dollars, failure to provide adequate oversight of contracting in a war zone can pose serious security risks to our troops in the worst cases.

She pointed to the recent scandalous photographs that have emerged of security personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, saying that scandals of this nature are not only a security risk for the embassy but also provide fuel for our enemies who want to vilify the United States and the good work of our troops. The U.S Embassy in Kabul case is one that McCaskill has doggedly pursued. In June, McCaskill’s Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight investigated the State Department contract for security personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Today, she asked ADM Mullen to investigate whether any similar situation may exist amongst any Department of Defense (DOD) contracts in Afghanistan.

“We had those pictures that, frankly not only is it a matter of embarrassment for us in terms of the security of our embassy but as you well know, those pictures circulate quickly among our enemies and it contributes to an image of America that doesn’t help us in terms of fighting this war,” McCaskill said.

Additionally, she expressed concern about the record number of local contractors in Afghanistan – now the highest level ever in any conflict fought by the United States. McCaskill asked ADM Mullen whether the military was intentionally encouraging the hiring of local, Afghan contract employees in Afghanistan as opposed to third party nationals, as was largely the policy in Iraq. She cited that in March the number of Afghan contract workers (approximately 52,000) was nearly equal to the U.S. troop level, which hovered at about 52,000 in March but is now climbing towards 68,000.

“If we’re fighting Taliban, the thing that worries me is – they’re good, they’re smart – I just want to make sure we’re having enough clearance here,” McCaskill said.

She continued, “I mean these people are coming into our bases. They’re doing the food. They’re constructing – and we had bad things happen with electricity and showers in Iraq. I’m glad we’re using Afghans, but it does concern me on the security end that we’re taking the steps necessary to make sure that we inadvertently are not inviting the enemy up close and personal.” (For more information on faulty electrical wiring endangering our troops in Iraq, click here).

In response, ADM Mullen suggested that it has been military guidance to hire local workers who had the necessary skills as part of the strategic effort to boost the economic independence of the Afghan people. However, he also noted that military leadership on the ground are aware of the threat risk and have a vetting system in place to ensure the safety of our American troops. Explaining that her cynicism and lack of confidence have come from the gross contracting errors and waste that have occurred in Iraq, McCaskill asked ADM Mullen for additional information related to the vetting process of local contractors.

Lastly, McCaskill also asked Mullen about the development of the Logistical Civil Augmentation Program (LOGCAP), a massive contracting program that she has followed since joining the SASC in 2007. She has repeatedly suggested that a lack of competition and accountability on LOGCAP have resulted in waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Most recently, McCaskill sent a letter in May 2009 to Secretary Gates to outline her concerns with what appeared to be continued failure to award competitive contracts with LOGCAP. (See the section on Monopoly LOGCAP Contracts)

Today, McCaskill asked ADM Mullen to describe basic inner workings of the LOGCAP infrastructure and oversight within DOD as it relates to activities in Afghanistan. Mullen assured McCaskill that the lessons learned as a result of contracting failures in Iraq were being applied to the conflict in Afghanistan and promised to follow-up with specifics of the oversight process.

“I can only say as a result of obviously some very difficult lessons from Iraq, we’re applying them directly in Afghanistan and there is a great deal more both focus on this and numbers of people assigned to make sure these contracts are not just let fairly but executed as we want them to be,” ADM Mullen said.

Source: Senator Claire McCaskill