Paying those who are aiding the enemy

Former Rocky Mountain News writer Bridget Johnson breaks an important story today about the US Defense Department continuing to pay Afghan contractors who are aiding the enemy:

The inspector general has referred 43 cases to the Defense Department where the CENTCOM commander flagged an Afghan contractor as “actively supporting the insurgency” or where the Commerce Department found a contractor to be “engaging in activities contrary to the national security interests of the U.S.”

“Unfortunately, the Army suspension and debarment official decided that these designations were not adequate grounds for suspension or debarment and rejected all 43 cases,” Aloise continued. “We do not understand why the Army permits deadly enemies and their sympathizers to get federal dollars which can be used to buy the means to kill our troops.”

“Federal contract officials don’t bother to make site visits, fail to keep proper documentation, fail to enforce standards, and fail to ensure work is done before accepting it,” he added. “People, companies, and agencies need to be held seriously accountable for stupid decisions, dereliction of duty, corrupt behavior, and subpar performance. Otherwise, we simply foster the expectation that additional waste, fraud, and abuse will be tolerated in the future.”

Everyone wants the investment in reconstruction “to succeed in creating a stable and sustainable economy and government in Afghanistan,” Aloise stressed.

“But unless we are prepared and resolved to withhold funding when circumstances warrant, it is hard to see how the Afghan government can be adequately incentivized to pursue real reform.”

Read more here.