Some U.S. special forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan may be at higher risk than usual of injury and death because the Pentagon has not equipped their units with enough helicopters to transport them safely around the countries, say six current and former military officials. Two of those officials, all of whom asked for anonymity fearing retaliation by Pentagon brass, tell NEWSWEEK that the roughly 800 Green Berets in the Afghanistan-Pakistan theater engaged in what are known as “white” missions—recruiting and training local antiterrorist militias—have only three Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to move them around combat zones infested with snipers and roadside improvised explosive devices. By contrast, Green Berets assigned to “black” ops commando units hunting high-value terrorist targets are much more generously equipped. The white forces, assigned to vital but unglamorous counterinsurgency missions, are the Pentagon’s “bastard stepchildren,” says one of the officials. The helicopter shortage is so acute, say three of the officials, that requests for helicopters for white Green Beret airlift are rejected 80 percent of the time; some commanders no longer bother asking. (Link)(Emphasis mine)
One F-22 Raptor jet fighter: $350 million.PENSACOLA, Fla. — A former government contractor at Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle is scheduled for sentencing in federal court Tuesday after pleading guilty in June to destroying corporate records and other charges.
Theodore Sumrall faces 25 years in prison and more than $500,000 in fines if convicted of two counts of destroying records and helping a supervisor at the Eglin lab conceal his connection to Sumrall’s company.
Sumrall is among several criminal defendants cooperating with federal prosecutors who are looking into alleged wrongdoing by defense contractors with ties to U.S. Representative John Murtha. The Pennsylvania Democrat is chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
