DoD to Investigate Special Operations Compliance with War Crimes Laws
A U.S. soldier provides security near a blockade on a road toward Manbij, Syria, June 20, 2018. (Timothy R. Koster/U.S. Army)
27 Jan 2021
The Pentagon Inspector General has announced plans to evaluate how well U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command are following rules aimed at preventing war crimes.
In a memo issued Monday, the IG said that the investigation will focus on the commands’ efforts to carry out Defense Department directives aimed at reducing potential law of war violations when conducting operations.
The evaluation would also determine whether the two commands reported alleged war crimes in accordance with DoD policy, the IG said.
Excerpt from ‘Call Me Commander’ by Jeff Testerman and Daniel M. Freed Jeff Testerman and Daniel Freed January 27 Call Me Commander by Jeff Testerman and Daniel M. Freed.
When Lt. Commander Bobby Thompson surfaced in Tampa in 1998, it was as if he had fallen from the sky, providing no hint of his past life. Eleven years later, St. Petersburg Times investigative reporter Jeff Testerman visited the rundown duplex Thompson used as his home and the epicenter of his 60,000-member charity, the U.S. Navy Veterans Association. But something was amiss. Thompson’s charity’s addresses were just maildrops, his members nonexistent and his past a black hole. Yet, somehow, the Commander had stood for photos with President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain, and other political luminaries. The USNVA, it turned out, was a phony charity where Thompson used pricey telemarketers, savvy lawyers, and political allies to swindle tens of millions from well-meaning donors.
Pentagon To Probe Middle East, Special Forces Law of War Violations Amid Biden Review
On 1/26/21 at 5:11 AM EST
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector General is launching a review of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command to probe the recent record of both in following Pentagon law of war requirements, which will include a review of whether CENTCOM and SOCOM violations have been properly reported.
The Inspector General review comes amid a change of command at the Pentagon, with President Joe Biden s new secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, asserting his control over the military with a series of reforms.
Raw determination fueled the military career of Onofrio “Niffy” Andrews, 87. Growing up in Bristol during the Great Depression, times were challenging and his family, like many others, was facing financial struggles.
Niffy was one of five boys in the Andrews family. He dropped out of school, first at age 16 because he wanted to go to work, and then, again, a year later. That time, he forged the signatures that would enable him to enlist. He was ready to leave Bristol, make a clean break with his past and chart a new course to success in the Air Force.
Although he lacked a formal education, Niffy had more than just street smarts. Once he arrived for duty, Andrews underwent aptitude testing and he fared well in all areas. His first assignment was as a radio intercept operator where he copied Russian code for the United States Air Force Security Service. He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands for the first year, then moved to Texas before volunteering for an assignment
By Daily Mail Reporter and Reuters Reporter PUBLISHED:17:14 EST, 10 October 2012| UPDATED:17:15 EST, 10 October 2012 Oops: Florida Gov Rick Scott accidentally gave out phone sex number instead of the state’s meningitis hotline Florida Gov Rock Scott sent thousands… Read More ›