17 March 2010
Linking JIEDDO to US Death Squads:
Chinese Publication Seeks Guidance from HTS Program Manager
"According to several government and civilian sources, [Michael] Furlong's
operation was funded under a $24.6 million contract by the Defense Department's
Joint IED Defeat Organization [JIEDDO], which was set up early in the Iraq
war to combat insurgents' roadside bombs. His operation was part of a larger
military information program, called Capstone", Karen DeYoung, Washington
Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/15/AR2010031504151.html
by John Stanton
Cultural Operations Research - Human Terrain System (COR-HTS) -- now simply
HTS -- was originally funded by the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat
Organization (JIEDDO). Coincidently, JIEDDO was formerly under the command
of Steve Fondacaro, who now runs the turbulent HTS program. JIEDDO received
a punishing audit by the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO described JIEDDO as an ad hoc organization that did not identify,
track or report all contractor personnel, and sorely lacked accounting controls.
Those activities allegedly have found their way into the HTS program.
If the Washington Post is correct on its JIEDDO findings, JIEDDO may have
been the place to bury Furlong's program.
Who can say? It's speculation. Then again, this is Washington, DC-Catch 22
on the Potomac.
Sanlian Lifeweek
Pu Shi, a journalist for Sanlian Lifeweek Magazine in Beijing, has
requested contact information for HTS personnel. The purpose is to explore
issues associated with the alleged US government sponsorship of a private
contractor assassin program allegedly run by Robert Furlong formerly of STRATCOM.
Contractors perform every military task imaginable (even Personnel Recovery)
so what's the rub with hiring them to kill/capture undesirables?
At any rate, Pu Shi found this email address cioran123[at]yahoo.com (mine)
in a message string at Men's Journal. "I found this email address
at this website In the hope of finding Dr. Steve Fondacaro and staff [at]
HTS. Please forward the email to Dr. Steve Fondacaro at your convenience."
Famed journalist/author Robert Young Pelton had written an article on the
Human Terrain System in February 2009 for MJ that caused a bit of
controversy and a considerable amount of discussion. Steve Fondacaro, Program
Manager of HTS, and Montgomery McFate, Senior Social Scientist, were incensed
about the story and wrote to Men's Journal questioning Pelton's
professionalism. One point of contention was Pelton's assertion that the
information collected by HTS could be used for a variety of purposes by US
Army Brigade Commanders. One such use of that information is as intelligence
that ultimately makes its way into the Kill Chain.
//www.mensjournal.com/armyresponse
Pelton was absolutely correct on that point.
Pu Shi requested an interview with "Dr." Steve Fondacaro and "staff" at HTS.
That request was received on 16 March 2010 at roughly 6:45 PM (Eastern).
I responded by pointing out that using me as a circuit to get to Mr. Fondacaro
was ill-advised. But I did provide Pu Shi with the link to the Contact section
of the HTS.mil website. I also offered other resources on HTS (pro-con) and
suggested looking at the Washington Post's coverage of the Furlong matter.
Four Questions for HTS Management
"To whom it may concern, I am a Chinese journalist working with Sanlian
Lifeweek, one of the most widely circulated weekly magazines in China with
300,000 readers per week in more than 30 Chinese big cities. It is published
by Sanlian Publishing House of China Publishing Group. Sanlian Publishing
House was founded in the 1930s and is one of China's largest publishing houses
of long history. One of our topics this week is Mr. Michael D. Furlong's
private intelligence network and the role private contractors play in
intelligence gathering in Afghanistan. We would really appreciate if he could
kindly share your opinions with us. The interview questions are as follows,
for his reference:
1. How and why has the former Army official, Michael D. Furlong's private
security network come into the attention of C.I.A. and the media? Does the
surface of this episode imply some of the problems with intelligence work
in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
2. Mr. Furlong is said, according American officials, to be using the
network to gather intelligence to target militants and the location of insurgent
camps, and the information was then sent military units and intelligence
officials for possible lethal action in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And the
top military told the N.Y.Times that the intelligence collection is originally
intended to gain a deeper understanding of the country and society. How is
intelligence gathering targeted at militants and targeted at understanding
a country different? How do you think Mr. Furlong's work can be identified
as tracking and killing militants?
3. What role do private contractors and companies play in intelligence
gathering in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and by large, in wars? Where is
the line between the field of professional contractors and journalists and
the field of military intelligence?
4. It seems that there have been frictions between the army and the
freelancers in Afghanistan for long. What is behind these frictions?
Our press time is on Sunday midnight (we are 12-13 hours ahead of you).
We would really appreciate if he could accept our interview. Thank you very
much and we anticipate your reply!"
A Thousand Flowers Blossom From JIEDDO/HTS Efforts
This item appeared in a 2009 publication by the Rapid Reaction Technology
Office titled Experimentation and Rapid Prototyping in Support of
Counterterrorism. Note that many aspects of HTS are being used for
intelligence purposes. Many within HTS have argued all along that HTS is
an intelligence effort.
Quoting directly from the publication:
SKOPE is a joint intelligence cell with the National Geospatial-Intelligence
Agency (NGA), SOCOM, and the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM). It began
with a specific request for sensors to help narrow the search space for
terrorists and terror groups. The RRTO recommended the development of the
SKOPE approach and was the sole funding source for the initial operating
capability of the analytic cell. Currently the RRTO is developing new tools
in response to specific requests from commanders based on the success and
experience with this operational capability.
The SKOPE cell applies all-source, multi-intelligence analysis linked to
a spot on Earth. Through its application of human terrain analysis, SKOPE
incorporates aspects of the Human Terrain System (HTS), a new proof-of-concept
program run by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and serving the
joint community. The near-term focus of the HTS program is to improve the
ability of the military to understand the highly complex, local sociocultural
environment in areas of deployment. In the long term however, it is hoped
that HTS will assist the U.S. government in understanding foreign countries
and regions prior to an engagement within a region. According to the Army
Web site, the HTS program represents the first time that social science research
and advising have been done systematically, on a large scale, and at the
brigade level.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12612.html
John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in political and national
security matters. Reach him at cioran123[at]yahoo.com
John Stanton's Human Terrain System articles:
http://cryptome.org/0001/hts-stanton.htm
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