F-35 Fighter Jet, World's Costliest Weapons Program, Failed to Hit Readiness Marks for 6 Years, Watchdog Finds
WASHINGTON — All versions of the F-35, the world’s costliest weapons program, have failed to meet minimum combat readiness rates for six straight years, according to the watchdog agency for Congress. That’s despite the Army, Navy and Marine Corps spending $12 billion, or about 21%, of $57.2 billion for aircraft operations and maintenance appropriated by […]
Biden Pushed Army's Gaza Pier over Warnings It Would Undercut Other Aid Routes, Watchdog Says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden ordered the construction of a temporary pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier this year even as some staffers for the U.S. Agency for International Development expressed concerns that the effort would be difficult to pull off and undercut the effort to persuade Israel to open “more efficient” land […]
Army's Pier System Now Faces Second Watchdog Review After Troubled Gaza Mission
Following the seemingly bungled Army mission establishing a pier off the Gaza Strip to deliver aid to the region, the Pentagon’s internal watchdog has launched an investigation into the service’s capabilities to conduct such a mission. The Department of Defense’s Office of Inspector General earlier this month announced that it’s investigating how the military runs […]
Small Fraction of Soldiers Experiencing Sexual Harassment Filed Complaints, Pentagon Watchdog Finds
After the alleged sexual harassment and gruesome slaying of Spc. Vanessa Guillén in 2020, Army leaders pledged to create a culture that protects the service’s junior troops — particularly women in the ranks. But four years later, it may still be struggling to understand the scope of the problem. A report from the Pentagon’s inspector […]
Troops Still Aren't Getting Enough Sleep, and the Defense Department Isn't Taking Responsibility, Watchdog Says
Service members still aren’t getting enough sleep, in large part because there’s no coherent Pentagon effort to remedy the problem, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office released this week. The GAO found that fatigue among service members “appeared to be more the rule than the exception,” with active-duty troops sleeping less […]
Pentagon Complied with COVID-19 Waiver Rules According to Watchdog But Services Moved Slowly
A Pentagon watchdog review of the military’s COVID-19 vaccine exemption process found that each of the branches largely complied with policies and, in some cases, even went beyond what was required to consider service members’ requests for religious accommodation. While rejecting a number of accusations that the services hadn’t properly reviewed waiver requests, the Pentagon’s […]
Army Watchdog Should Investigate Handling of Soldier Who Killed 18 in Mass Shooting, Maine Senators Say
Maine’s two senators are requesting the Army’s inspector general investigate the deadly shooting there by a member of the Army Reserve two weeks ago that killed 18 people. The lawmakers, Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an Independent, want to know whether the service followed policy and whether any reforms are necessary after […]
Army, Navy and Marine Corps Sexual Harassment, Bullying, Hazing Response Under Investigation by Pentagon Watchdog
The Defense Department’s inspector general has launched reviews of the Navy and Marine Corps’ sexual harassment complaint process, as well as the Army’s handling of harassment prevention and response to determine whether the services are effectively managing their efforts to protect service members. While it is unclear why the Pentagon’s top watchdog is looking into […]
