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| Terror Networks |
| U.S. Military Botches Online Fight Against Islamic State |
| 2017-01-31 |
| [Bloomberg] Tampa, Fla. (AP) -- On any given day at MacDill Air Force Base, web crawlers scour social media for potential recruits to the Islamic State group. Then, in a high-stakes operation to counter the extremists' propaganda, language specialists employ fictitious identities and try to sway the targets from joining IS ranks. At least that's how the multimillion-dollar initiative is being sold to the Defense Department. A critical national security program known as "WebOps" is part of a vast psychological operation that the Pentagon says is effectively countering an enemy that has used the internet as a devastating tool of propaganda. But an Associated Press investigation found the management behind WebOps is so beset with incompetence, cronyism and flawed data that multiple people with direct knowledge of the program say it's having little impact. Several current and former WebOps employees cited multiple examples of civilian Arabic specialists who have little experience in counter-propaganda, cannot speak Arabic fluently and have so little understanding of Islam they are no match for the Islamic State online recruiters. It's hard to establish rapport with a potential terror recruit when -- as one former worker told the AP -- translators repeatedly mix up the Arabic words for "salad" and "authority." That's led to open ridicule on social media about references to the "Palestinian salad." Four current or former workers told the AP that they had personally witnessed WebOps data being manipulated to create the appearance of success and that they had discussed the problem with many other employees who had seen the same. Yet the companies carrying out the program for the military's Central Command in Tampa have dodged attempts to implement independent oversight and assessment of the data. Central Command spokesman Andy Stephens declined repeated requests for information about WebOps and other counter-propaganda programs, which were launched under the Obama Administration. And he did not respond to detailed questions the AP sent on Jan. 10. The AP investigation is based on Defense Department and contractor documents, emails, photographs and interviews with more than a dozen people closely involved with WebOps as well as interviews with nearly two dozen contractors. The WebOps workers requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the work and because they weren't authorized to speak publicly. The information operations division that runs WebOps is the command's epicenter for firing back at the Islamic State's online propaganda machine, using the internet to sway public opinion in a swath of the globe that stretches from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa. Early last year, the government opened the bidding on a new counter-propaganda contract -- separate from WebOps-- that is worth as much as $500 million. Months after the AP started reporting about the bidding process, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service told the AP that it had launched an investigation. NCIS spokesman Ed Buice said the service is investigating a whistleblower's "allegations of corruption" stemming from how the contract was awarded. The whistleblower's complaint alleges multiple conflicts of interest that include division officers being treated to lavish dinners paid for by a contractor. The complaint also alleges routine drinking at the office where classified work is conducted. The drinking was confirmed by multiple contractors, who spoke to AP and described a frat house atmosphere where happy hour started at 3 p.m. One of the most damning accusations leveled by the whistleblower is against Army Col. Victor Garcia, who led the information operations division until July 2016, when he moved to a new assignment at Special Operations Command, also in Tampa. The whistleblower contended that Garcia successfully steered the contract to a team of vendors that included a close friend's firm. The whistleblower requested anonymity for fear of professional retribution. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 translators repeatedly mix up the Arabic words for "salad" and "authority." That's led to open ridicule on social media about references to the "Palestinian salad." Fred's text substitution engine should definitely steal that one. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2017-01-31 22:28 |
| #2 Colleague of mine is out of Huntsville. Says he thinks he knows the only native Arabic speaker in town and she tutors his kids. Clearly a better location for .GOV contracting than for language talent. |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2017-01-31 11:19 |
| #1 Army-After London based job for Vic? Any questions ? In this screen grab of a photo from a Facebook posting, Col. Victor Garcia, left, who served as the senior officer overseeing CENTCOM’s counter-propaganda program from 2013 to mid-2016, poses on vacation with his friend Simon Bergman at Gilbert’s Resort in Key Largo, Fla. The photo was removed from Facebook shortly after it was posted on Sept. 16, 2016. Two weeks later, a $500 million contract was awarded to a team of companies that included Bergman’s firm M&C Saatchi. A whistleblower complaint filed with Central Command’s inspector general said the photo created a “clear impression and perception of impropriety.” AP Photo Link Another mid-town London based firm and an extra $500m that CENTCOM just happened to have lying around. Alright, I think I've got it. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2017-01-31 09:57 |