UK:Chilcot Report On Iraq War Due To Be Released

Jeremy Corbyn Labour coup designed to stop him 'calling for Tony Blair's head' after Chilcot report, says Alex Salmond
'It would be a mistake to believe that Chilcot and current events are entirely unconnected. The link is through the Labour Party'
Independent
Ashley Cowburn Political Correspondent
July 4, 2016


Alex Salmond has appeared to suggest the internal Labour party coup against Jeremy Corbyn is connected with the publication of the long-awaited Chilcot report into the Iraq war.

His comments come just three days before the publication of the inquiry into the 2003 Iraq war. Earlier reports have suggested Mr Blair, the former Prime Minister, and his contemporaries will be savaged in an “absolutely brutal” verdict.

In an article for the Herald, the former Scottish First Minister wrote: “It would be a mistake to believe that Chilcot and current events are entirely unconnected. The link is through the Labour Party”

“I have been puzzling as to exactly why the Parliamentary Labour Party chose this moment to launch their coup against Jeremy Corbyn and just what explains the desperation to get him out last week. It can hardly be because of a European referendum where [Mr] Corbyn’s campaigning, although less than energetic, was arguably more visible than that of say the likely big political winner Teresa May?”
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From The Guardian
Tony Blair faces calls for impeachment on release of Chilcot report

The Chilcot report is due to be released on Wednesday 6 July.

Photograph: Chris Jackson/PA

“The reason is 179 British war dead, 150,000 immediate dead from the Iraq conflict, the Middle East in flames, the world faced with an existential crisis on terrorism – these are just some of the reasons perhaps he should understand why people don’t hold him in the highest regard."

“[MPs] believe you cannot have a situation where this country blunders into an illegal war with the appalling consequences and at the end of the day there isn’t a reckoning. There has to be a judicial or political reckoning for that.”

It means individual soldiers could be prosecuted for war crimes but not Blair.

The ICC, based in The Hague, has begun a preliminary examination of claims of torture and abuse by British soldiers, after receiving a dossier from human rights lawyers acting for alleged Iraqi victims.

Report Claims VA Spending Billions Improperly

VA improperly spent $6 billion annually, senior official says 
Washington Post
By Lisa Rein and Emily Wax-Thibodeaux
May 14, 2015

“Doors are swung wide open for fraud, waste and abuse,” he writes in the March memo, which was obtained by The Washington Post. He adds, “I can state without reservation that VA has and continues to waste millions of dollars by paying excessive prices for goods and services due to breaches of Federal laws.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs has been spending at least $6 billion a year in violation of federal contracting rules to pay for medical care and supplies, wasting taxpayer money and putting veterans at risk, according to an internal memo written by the agency’s senior official for procurement.

In a 35-page document addressed to VA Secretary Robert McDonald, the official accuses other agency leaders of “gross mismanagement” and making a “mockery” of federal acquisition laws that require competitive bidding and proper contracts.

Jan R. Frye, deputy assistant secretary for acquisition and logistics, describes a culture of “lawlessness and chaos” at the Veterans Health Administration, the massive health-care system for 8.7 million veterans. read more here

Fort Carson hospital commander removed

Fort Carson hospital commander removed, post investigating "inappropriate behavior"
The Gazette
By Dave Philipps
Published: September 5, 2013

Col. John McGrath, commander of Fort Carson's Evans Army Community Hospital, has been removed from command over allegations that he engaged in what the post called inappropriate behavior.

A Fort Carson spokeswoman confirmed that he is under investigation but would not release further information.

An email sent to Evans staff Wednesday said, "There have been allegations made against Col. McGrath and an investigation is ongoing. He is in a suspended status until the investigation is complete. The Army takes all allegations seriously and this is a normal process that all Soldiers would go through."
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Army colonel in Japan suspended; civilian deputy reassigned

Army colonel in Japan suspended; civilian deputy reassigned
Stars and Stripes
By Seth Robson
Published: June 18, 2013

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The U.S. Army has suspended more officials at its Tokyo headquarters pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged misconduct, officials say.

The Army confirmed this week that Col. Eric D. Tilley, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Japan, has been suspended and that his civilian deputy, Jeffrey Wertz, has been “temporarily detailed to other duties locally.”

“Col. Tilley was suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged misconduct,” garrison spokesman Slade Walters said in an email. “I don’t have any specific information on allegations or ongoing investigations. No additional details are available at this time.”
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Arizona National Guard under investigation

Allegations against Ariz. Guard uncovered
By Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Posted : Sunday Oct 14, 2012

A five-month investigation of National Guard conduct and culture by The Arizona Republic has uncovered a systemic patchwork of criminal and ethical misconduct that critics say continues to fester in part because of leadership failures and lax discipline.

According to interviews with military officers and records obtained by The Republic, Arizona Army National Guard members over the past decade engaged in misbehavior that included sexual abuse, enlistment improprieties, forgery, firearms violations, embezzlement, and assaults.

The wrongdoing, most of which has not been previously disclosed, was concentrated among military recruiters who often visit high schools in search of teenage recruits. National Guard investigators found that non-commissioned officers, known as NCOs, engaged in sexual misconduct, collected recruiting fees to which they were not entitled, forged Guard documents, and committed other offenses such as hunting the homeless with paintball guns.

Investigators asserted that National Guard commanders failed to hold subordinates accountable, in part because many supervisors also engaged in unethical behavior. Many high-ranking officers contend an atmosphere of disdain for discipline persists.

After The Republic shared its findings with Gov. Jan Brewer’s office, she announced plans for a wide-ranging inquiry directed at Arizona military operations by a high-ranking National Guard officer from another state.
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