Lockheed Contractor Must Repay $27.5M for Overcharging Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
Defense One
Charles S Clark
December 22, 2014
A defense contractor producing products and services for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed on Friday to repay the government $27.5 million to settle overbilling charges brought under the False Claims Act.
The Justice Department announced on Friday that Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems overbilled the Pentagon for work performed by employees who “lacked required job qualifications” but whose work was billed at the rate for qualified ones, allegedly to inflate profits.
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Showing posts with label Lockheed Martin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lockheed Martin. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Families want names added to Vietnam Memorial Wall
Listing on Vietnam Wall sought for troops killed in 1962 plane crash
Stars and Stripes
By Matthew M. Burke
Published: July 24, 2013
Before departing for Vietnam 51 years ago, Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond “Bill” Myers left behind his ID, dog tags and a gold ring he had never taken off before. He told his brother-in-law that he had a bad feeling about the mission and didn’t think he would be coming home. He asked him to watch over his wife and children after he was gone.
Myers then boarded a military-chartered Flying Tiger Airline Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft at Travis Air Force Base in California. After several stops, the plane disappeared over the Pacific and the 93 American soldiers, three South Vietnamese military men and 11 crewmembers onboard were never heard from again. They were declared dead less than two months later.
Myers’ son, Tommy Joe — like the families of the other lost Americans — has no answers about his father’s fate. Adding to that pain is how his father and the others have been forgotten. Their names are not on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and no government agencies — Army, Air Force, Defense Department, National Archives, State Department, CIA — admit to possessing records related to the soldiers and their mission. None could provide Stars and Stripes with a list of the deceased, although they are mentioned in a Civil Aeronautics Board crash report from 1962.
read more here
Stars and Stripes
By Matthew M. Burke
Published: July 24, 2013
Before departing for Vietnam 51 years ago, Army Sgt. 1st Class Raymond “Bill” Myers left behind his ID, dog tags and a gold ring he had never taken off before. He told his brother-in-law that he had a bad feeling about the mission and didn’t think he would be coming home. He asked him to watch over his wife and children after he was gone.
Myers then boarded a military-chartered Flying Tiger Airline Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft at Travis Air Force Base in California. After several stops, the plane disappeared over the Pacific and the 93 American soldiers, three South Vietnamese military men and 11 crewmembers onboard were never heard from again. They were declared dead less than two months later.
Myers’ son, Tommy Joe — like the families of the other lost Americans — has no answers about his father’s fate. Adding to that pain is how his father and the others have been forgotten. Their names are not on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and no government agencies — Army, Air Force, Defense Department, National Archives, State Department, CIA — admit to possessing records related to the soldiers and their mission. None could provide Stars and Stripes with a list of the deceased, although they are mentioned in a Civil Aeronautics Board crash report from 1962.
read more here
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Entire F-35 fleet grounded over engine issues
Entire F-35 fleet grounded over engine issues
Army Times
By Aaron Mehta
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 22, 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Pentagon has suspended all test flights for the entire Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet due to engine problems.
The move came nine days after the Pentagon cleared the F-35B jump-jet variant, designed for the U.S. Marines, to resume tests after a monthlong suspension. Both suspensions are due to problems with the engines. It also comes at a time when the program is facing increased scrutiny from lawmakers and senior DoD officials.
Unlike the last suspension, which was only for the B variant, this suspension affects all three variants: the F-35A Air Force conventional takeoff version, the F35-B for the Marines, and the F35-C carrier variant for the Navy.
“On Feb. 19, 2013, a routine engine inspection revealed a crack on a low pressure turbine blade of an F135 engine installed in a [conventional takeoff] test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif,” wrote Kyra Hawn, Joint Program Office (JPO) spokeswoman, in a statement.
read more here
Army Times
By Aaron Mehta
Staff writer
Posted : Friday Feb 22, 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Pentagon has suspended all test flights for the entire Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fleet due to engine problems.
The move came nine days after the Pentagon cleared the F-35B jump-jet variant, designed for the U.S. Marines, to resume tests after a monthlong suspension. Both suspensions are due to problems with the engines. It also comes at a time when the program is facing increased scrutiny from lawmakers and senior DoD officials.
Unlike the last suspension, which was only for the B variant, this suspension affects all three variants: the F-35A Air Force conventional takeoff version, the F35-B for the Marines, and the F35-C carrier variant for the Navy.
“On Feb. 19, 2013, a routine engine inspection revealed a crack on a low pressure turbine blade of an F135 engine installed in a [conventional takeoff] test aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif,” wrote Kyra Hawn, Joint Program Office (JPO) spokeswoman, in a statement.
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Saturday, November 24, 2012
National Guardsman Demoted by Lockheed Martin After Deployment
Veteran says Lockheed demoted him after deployment
Posted Friday, Nov. 23, 2012
Star Telegram
BY BOB COX
FORT WORTH -- Capt. Gary Ward shipped off to Afghanistan with his Army National Guard unit in April 2011, confident that after returning from active duty he could return to his job at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
A 16-year Army and National Guard veteran, Ward had worked at Lockheed's Fort Worth division since 2005 as a buyer on the F-35 program.
Lockheed, which has hundreds of employees deploy for active service each year, had always supported Ward's military commitments, including leaves for training. He was given his job back in 2009 after he returned from a yearlong tour in Iraq.
But not this time. When he showed up for work on June 4, Ward says, he had no desk, telephone or computer, and no duties. No one had a plan for what he was supposed to do.
"I walked in the first day and they didn't welcome me back, they didn't say anything. They pointed to an empty cubicle and told me to sit there," Ward said.
After discovering that the accounts he previously handled had been permanently assigned to other buyers, Ward asked the department supervisor what he was to do.
"He just shrugged his shoulders and walked off," said Ward. "They had six weeks notice I would be returning and they had done nothing to prepare to take me back."
That wasn't the reception Ward expected from the largest U.S. defense contractor, a company that routinely runs patriotism-rich television commercials that end with the tag line, "We Never Forget Who We're Working For." After eventually being reassigned to a lesser job, he decided to resign.
Ward, 45, is a divorced father of two daughters, Allyson, 5, and Samantha, 7. His marriage fell apart from the strain of the 2008-09 Iraq deployment, Ward said. Now the Afghanistan employment cost him his job with Lockheed.
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Posted Friday, Nov. 23, 2012
Star Telegram
BY BOB COX
FORT WORTH -- Capt. Gary Ward shipped off to Afghanistan with his Army National Guard unit in April 2011, confident that after returning from active duty he could return to his job at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
A 16-year Army and National Guard veteran, Ward had worked at Lockheed's Fort Worth division since 2005 as a buyer on the F-35 program.
Lockheed, which has hundreds of employees deploy for active service each year, had always supported Ward's military commitments, including leaves for training. He was given his job back in 2009 after he returned from a yearlong tour in Iraq.
But not this time. When he showed up for work on June 4, Ward says, he had no desk, telephone or computer, and no duties. No one had a plan for what he was supposed to do.
"I walked in the first day and they didn't welcome me back, they didn't say anything. They pointed to an empty cubicle and told me to sit there," Ward said.
After discovering that the accounts he previously handled had been permanently assigned to other buyers, Ward asked the department supervisor what he was to do.
"He just shrugged his shoulders and walked off," said Ward. "They had six weeks notice I would be returning and they had done nothing to prepare to take me back."
That wasn't the reception Ward expected from the largest U.S. defense contractor, a company that routinely runs patriotism-rich television commercials that end with the tag line, "We Never Forget Who We're Working For." After eventually being reassigned to a lesser job, he decided to resign.
Ward, 45, is a divorced father of two daughters, Allyson, 5, and Samantha, 7. His marriage fell apart from the strain of the 2008-09 Iraq deployment, Ward said. Now the Afghanistan employment cost him his job with Lockheed.
read more here
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Marine Cpl. Ricky Slocum welcomed back home in Orlando
Marine gets surprise welcome at Orlando airport
Posted: Sep 10, 2012
My FOX Orlando
By Chase Cain, Reporter
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO)
After almost a year in Afghanistan, a local Marine was expecting to make a quiet return home, he thought. Instead, he got a day to remember.
The First Academy (TFA) Wounded Warrior Club and retirees from Lockheed Martin helped organize this welcome home for Marine Cpl. Ricky Slocum, and everyone from veterans to high school students brought their signs and flags to the airport on Sunday.
"They could be doing a lot of different things, but they chose to fight for me being able to go to school and do what I do on the weekends, without fear of something bad happening to me," said Sam Goudy. "So, it's really the least I could possibly do for them."
The group eventually caught up with the 23 year-old Marine in baggage claim.
"I honestly didn't expect this," said a surprised Slocum. "I'm shocked!" Greeted with hugs, gifts, and heartfelt thanks, Slocum added, "I'm blessed. I really am. I've been away from home for a long time, and I'm glad to be back in my country"
And as for his friends still serving overseas, Slocum says, "Just pray for them. Just keep them in your prayers. That's all."
A simple request this crowd was happy to fulfill.
For subscribers of Wounded Times, Cathy Haynes is in this report!
Posted: Sep 10, 2012
My FOX Orlando
By Chase Cain, Reporter
ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO)
After almost a year in Afghanistan, a local Marine was expecting to make a quiet return home, he thought. Instead, he got a day to remember.
The First Academy (TFA) Wounded Warrior Club and retirees from Lockheed Martin helped organize this welcome home for Marine Cpl. Ricky Slocum, and everyone from veterans to high school students brought their signs and flags to the airport on Sunday.
"They could be doing a lot of different things, but they chose to fight for me being able to go to school and do what I do on the weekends, without fear of something bad happening to me," said Sam Goudy. "So, it's really the least I could possibly do for them."
The group eventually caught up with the 23 year-old Marine in baggage claim.
"I honestly didn't expect this," said a surprised Slocum. "I'm shocked!" Greeted with hugs, gifts, and heartfelt thanks, Slocum added, "I'm blessed. I really am. I've been away from home for a long time, and I'm glad to be back in my country"
And as for his friends still serving overseas, Slocum says, "Just pray for them. Just keep them in your prayers. That's all."
A simple request this crowd was happy to fulfill.
For subscribers of Wounded Times, Cathy Haynes is in this report!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Lockheed Martin recognized for support of veterans and reservists
Lockheed Martin Receives U.S. Navy Reserve and Department of Veterans Affairs Recognition for Workplace Support
BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy Reserve and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) recently recognized Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) for outstanding support of U.S. Navy Reservists on active duty and veterans with disabilities.
On July 6, U.S. Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink, met with Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens to thank the Corporation for supporting Navy Reservists in its workforce. Debbink presented Stevens a certificate of appreciation for outstanding employer support and expressed gratitude to the Corporation's employees for helping Reservists carry out their service's mission.
"This certificate of appreciation is more than words," Debbink said. "We do not take your support for granted. It's really important for us thank the 136,000 Lockheed Martin employees for their support."
"It's gratifying for our company and employees to receive this accolade," said Stevens. "We have a great desire and capacity to support deployed Reservists and their families, and we do our very best to ensure that veterans and Reservists benefit from a supportive and inclusive environment. Our employees have the highest regard for Reservists and their contributions to our company and to the community," he said.
According to the U.S. Navy Reserve, Lockheed Martin is one of the nation's top employers of Navy Reservists. Almost 250 Lockheed Martin employees serve in the Navy Reserve. Currently, the Corporation has more than 1,200 Reservists from all the service branches, about 400 of whom are on current military leave.
The DVA honored the Corporation with a 2010 Private Sector Employer of the Year Award for the company's exemplary dedication to hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities. The award was presented during the DVA's annual conference in Chicago on July 14. Ruth Fanning, director of Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Service with the Veterans Benefits Administration, presented the award to Lockheed Martin Worldwide Media Relations Vice President Nettie Johnson.
In accepting the award Johnson said, "It's an honor to receive this award on behalf of Lockheed Martin. Approximately 30,000 veterans who are part of our Corporation bring experience and knowledge from their military service that is extremely beneficial in helping us to best serve our armed forces."
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.5 billion.
PR Newswire
BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy Reserve and the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) recently recognized Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) for outstanding support of U.S. Navy Reservists on active duty and veterans with disabilities.
On July 6, U.S. Chief of Navy Reserve and Commander, Navy Reserve Force, Vice Adm. Dirk Debbink, met with Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens to thank the Corporation for supporting Navy Reservists in its workforce. Debbink presented Stevens a certificate of appreciation for outstanding employer support and expressed gratitude to the Corporation's employees for helping Reservists carry out their service's mission.
"This certificate of appreciation is more than words," Debbink said. "We do not take your support for granted. It's really important for us thank the 136,000 Lockheed Martin employees for their support."
"It's gratifying for our company and employees to receive this accolade," said Stevens. "We have a great desire and capacity to support deployed Reservists and their families, and we do our very best to ensure that veterans and Reservists benefit from a supportive and inclusive environment. Our employees have the highest regard for Reservists and their contributions to our company and to the community," he said.
According to the U.S. Navy Reserve, Lockheed Martin is one of the nation's top employers of Navy Reservists. Almost 250 Lockheed Martin employees serve in the Navy Reserve. Currently, the Corporation has more than 1,200 Reservists from all the service branches, about 400 of whom are on current military leave.
The DVA honored the Corporation with a 2010 Private Sector Employer of the Year Award for the company's exemplary dedication to hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities. The award was presented during the DVA's annual conference in Chicago on July 14. Ruth Fanning, director of Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment Service with the Veterans Benefits Administration, presented the award to Lockheed Martin Worldwide Media Relations Vice President Nettie Johnson.
In accepting the award Johnson said, "It's an honor to receive this award on behalf of Lockheed Martin. Approximately 30,000 veterans who are part of our Corporation bring experience and knowledge from their military service that is extremely beneficial in helping us to best serve our armed forces."
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.5 billion.
PR Newswire
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Pilot in F-22 crash worked for Lockheed Martin
Pilot killed in F-22 crash in California desert
The Air Force's $140 million supersonic jet was on test mission
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An F-22A Raptor, the Air Force's top-of-the line fighter jet, crashed Wednesday in a remote area of the Mojave Desert, killing a test pilot for prime contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.
The jet crashed at 10 a.m. about 35 miles northeast of Edwards, a vast unpopulated area of flat desert.
The pilot was David Cooley, 49, a 21-year Air Force veteran who joined Lockheed Martin in 2003, the company said in a statement. The company did not release any details of the accident or say whether or not Cooley attempted to eject.
go here for more
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29881713/
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
8,763 vets died waiting for benefits
What is Lockheed Martin doing with dealing with claims for veterans? Is this more of the outsourcing we saw that failed our veterans? Walter Reed was outsourced and we saw what our wounded troops had to deal with. What other claims are being done by contractors instead of government employees and who gave the administration the right to outsource these services? Congressman Finler is upset over US flags being made in China but he should be more upset over a defense contractor deciding the fate of our veterans!
Report: 8,763 vets died waiting for benefits
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 15, 2008 14:56:15 EDT
The title of the House committee report sums up what happened: “Die or Give Up Trying: How Poor Contractor Performance, Government Mismanagement and the Erosion of Quality Controls Denied Thousands of Disabled Veterans Timely and Accurate Retroactive Retired Pay Awards.”
The report by the majority staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform domestic policy panel, released Tuesday, concluded that at least 28,283 disabled retirees were denied retroactive pay awards because rushed efforts to clear a huge backlog of claims led program administrators to stop doing quality assurance checks on the claims decisions.
And of the original 133,057 potentially eligible veterans, 8,763 died before their cases could be reviewed for retroactive payments, according to the report.
At issue are the Concurrent Retirement and Disability Payments and Combat-Related Special Compensation programs, approved by Congress in 2003 and 2004 to allow large numbers of disabled retirees to receive full concurrent military retirement pay and veteran’s disability compensation.In February, the backlog was said to be “more than 39,000” cases. Jonas said she had been assured that the backlog would be cleared by April.
That did not happen, according to the subcommittee report, because Lockheed Martin, the contractor hired in July 2006 to compute the complex retroactive pay awards, had difficulty making the computations fast enough to eliminate the backlog quickly. The complexity of the computations also hindered Lockheed Martin’s ability to develop software to automate the process.go here for more
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/military_concurrent_receipt_071508/
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Iraq veteran remembered by police, Air Force, Navy and many more
Family Mourns Former Montgomery Police Officer, Air National Guardsman, War Veteran
Updated: May 12, 2008 10:54 PM EDT
A former Montgomery man was looking for not just a way out but a way up when he left our city.
On the way, he served our country as a police officer, a Navy man, as an Air Force mechanic, and he saw action in Iraq not once but three times.
His life is over, but not his legacy. It's a legacy his family says should inspire others.
The family's tape player is showing an image and a time young Jermichael Barnett might remember best.
It's from Christmas 2006, and Michael Barnett was doing what he did best - work on something.
"He'd always strive go go higher," said Barnett's younger brother, Fred.
It seems Barnett had an itch only constant change could scratch. Right out of school, he joined the Navy, then local police.
Then he joined the Air Force and found himself fighting against Iraq, not once but three times.
"When the planes would come back, they'd come back to him because he worked on the planes, they'd be full of bullet holes, so he knew houw tough it was," Fred Barnett said.
In the past couple of years, Michael Barnett settled in the Atlanta area, working as an airplane mechanic for Lockheed Martin, and as a welder on the side.
When he wasn't working, he coached his son's baseball team.
"He loved being respected. He loved wearing a respectable uniform," said his brother.
It all came to a tragic end last Wednesday, when a driver turned left in front of Barnett's motorcycle.
He never had a chance to slow down.
"Thrown off the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene," said Mr. Barnett.
go here for more
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8313849
Updated: May 12, 2008 10:54 PM EDT
A former Montgomery man was looking for not just a way out but a way up when he left our city.
On the way, he served our country as a police officer, a Navy man, as an Air Force mechanic, and he saw action in Iraq not once but three times.
His life is over, but not his legacy. It's a legacy his family says should inspire others.
The family's tape player is showing an image and a time young Jermichael Barnett might remember best.
It's from Christmas 2006, and Michael Barnett was doing what he did best - work on something.
"He'd always strive go go higher," said Barnett's younger brother, Fred.
It seems Barnett had an itch only constant change could scratch. Right out of school, he joined the Navy, then local police.
Then he joined the Air Force and found himself fighting against Iraq, not once but three times.
"When the planes would come back, they'd come back to him because he worked on the planes, they'd be full of bullet holes, so he knew houw tough it was," Fred Barnett said.
In the past couple of years, Michael Barnett settled in the Atlanta area, working as an airplane mechanic for Lockheed Martin, and as a welder on the side.
When he wasn't working, he coached his son's baseball team.
"He loved being respected. He loved wearing a respectable uniform," said his brother.
It all came to a tragic end last Wednesday, when a driver turned left in front of Barnett's motorcycle.
He never had a chance to slow down.
"Thrown off the motorcycle and pronounced dead at the scene," said Mr. Barnett.
go here for more
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8313849
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