Defense and Security

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Congress Passes Defense Base Act Insurance Reforms

Following a May 15, 2008, Committee hearing revealing that the top four insurers made nearly $600 million in excess profits from coverage provided under the Defense Base Act (DBA) program, Congress passed legislation requiring that the Department of Defense develop a more cost-effective strategy for obtaining DBA insurance for agency contractors.

Defense Department Agrees to Cooperate with Investigation into Sexual Assault in the Military

Defense Department officials notified Committee staff that Secretary Gates has agreed to comply with the Committee’s subpoena and make Dr. Kaye Whitley available to testify.

Committee Exchanges Correspondence with U.S. Ambassador to Albania Regarding AEY Investigation

Chairman Waxman responds to a letter received from U.S. Ambassador John Withers regarding the Committee’s inquiry into the conduct of the Ambassador and Embassy officials.

Committee Approves Tillman Report

A Committee report on the investigations into the death of Corporal Patrick Tillman and the capture of Private Jessica Lynch discloses important new details about the incidents, but could not resolve “the key issue of what senior officials knew” because “the investigation was frustrated by a near universal lack of recall.”

Chairman Waxman Requests Information on Increase in Military Personnel Waivers

In a letter to Under Secretary of Defense Chu, Chairman Waxman requested documents related to the recent sharp increase in the number of personnel conduct waivers, which allow the enlistment of U.S. service members who would otherwise be precluded by recruitment standards, and released the number of waivers granted for specific criminal felonies in FY 2006 and FY 2007.

Committee Announces Hearing on DOD’s Acquisition System

Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Ranking Minority Member Tom Davis today announced the full Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the National Security and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee will hold a joint hearing Tuesday, April 22, regarding the recent GAO report entitled Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs. The Committee has invited GAO to testify.

Chairman Waxman Releases Report on Information Security Breach at TSA's Traveler Redress Website

At the request of Chairman Henry Waxman, Committee staff have been investigating how TSA could have launched a website that violated basic operating standards of web security and failed to protect travelers’ sensitive personal information. As this report describes, these security breaches can be traced to TSA’s poor acquisition practices, conflicts of interest, and inadequate oversight.

One Year Later: Have TSA Airport Security Checkpoints Improved?

The Committee examined whether TSA’s airport security checkpoints have improved over the last year. The hearing reviewed the findings of an investigation conducted by GAO into the effectiveness of airport security checkpoints.

Undercover GAO Investigation Exposes Vulnerabilities in Airport Security

An undercover GAO investigation of airport security checkpoints succeeded in passing through TSA screening checkpoints undetected with liquids and other materials that could be combined to make a dangerous improvised explosive device.

Waxman Questions National Guard Education Benefit Denials

Chairman Waxman asks Secretary Gates to provide information regarding the denial of education benefits to members of the Minnesota National Guard.

Evidence of Tax Evasion by Blackwater

New documents suggest that Blackwater may have engaged in significant tax evasion, failing to withhold and pay millions of dollars in Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, and related taxes, and sought to conceal its conduct from Congress and law enforcement officials.

Waxman Expresses Concern Over State Department’s Handling of Blackwater Shooting

Today Chairman Waxman wrote to Secretary Rice following reports that a Blackwater contractor, who was fired after he shot and killed an Iraq security guard, was hired by Combat Support Associates, another private contractor, to work in the region two months later.  A letter was also sent to the President of Combat Support Associates requesting information about the former Blackwater contractor.

Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan

On October 2nd, the Oversight Committee held a hearing to examine the mission and performance of private military contractor Blackwater USA in Iraq and Afghanistan. Erik Prince, the owner of Blackwater, testified as well as three State Department officials.

New Questions About Blackwater Actions in Iraq

Previously undisclosed information reveals (1) Blackwater has engaged in 195 “escalation of force” incidents since 2005, an average of 1.4 per week, including over 160 incidents in which Blackwater forces fired first; (2) after a drunken Blackwater contractor shot the guard of the Iraqi Vice President, the State Department allowed the contractor to leave Iraq and advised Blackwater on the size of the payment needed “to help them resolve this”; and (3) Blackwater, which has received over $1 billion in federal contracts since 2001, is charging the federal government over $1,200 per day for each “protective security specialist” employed by the company.

Incident Reports Fault Blackwater in Fallujah Ambush

According to incident reports and eyewitness accounts written after the March 2004 ambush and mutilation of four Blackwater employees in Fallujah, Blackwater ignored multiple warnings, cut essential personnel from the mission, and sent an unprepared team “into the hottest zone in Iraq in unarmored, underpowered vehicles.”

Committee Invites Blackwater Chairman to Testify

Chairman Waxman has asked Erik Prince, Chairman of the Prince Group and Blackwater USA, to testify before the Oversight Committee on October 2, 2007, regarding the mission and performance of Blackwater and its affiliated companies in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Chairman Waxman’s Statement on Blackwater USA Controversy

Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a statement this afternoon following the press accounts that Iraq had revoked the license of U.S. contractor Blackwater.

The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew

On Wednesday, August 1, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing to examine what senior Defense Department officials knew about U.S. Army Corporal Patrick Tillman’s death by fratricide.

Committee Requests Specific Tillman Documents from the White House

Today Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis sent a letter to the White House requesting specific documents related to the death of U.S. Army Corporal Patrick Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

Committee Inquires on Disciplinary Action

The Oversight Committee has asked General Ham whether disciplinary action was taken following Lt. Col. Kauzlarich's denigrating remarks questioning the Tillman family's faith.

Chairman Waxman Requests Documents Related to the Development of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

Chairman Waxman wrote to the Department of Defense and General Dynamics asking for documents related to the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), an amphibious assault vehicle currently being developed by the Marine Corps. Both governmental assessments and press reports have reported serious problems in the development of the EFV, including cost overruns, schedule delays, design and technology hurdles, and poor reliability.

Former Head of Walter Reed Hospital Testifies Before National Security Subcommittee

On March 5, 2007, the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs held a hearing today on the conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Subcommittee heard testimony from affected soldiers, family members, and military officials.

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