TOPICS
TOPICS
Senator urges suspension of Iraq publicity contracts
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., on Thursday sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates asking him to suspend $300 million in contracts for civilians to produce pro-American news stories, entertainment programs and public service ads in Iraq until the Senate Armed Services Committee and the next administration review the contracts.
Webb's letter follows a Washington Post story detailing the Pentagon's decision to award four firms a combined $300 million for public information campaigns in Iraq.
"At a time when this country is facing such a grave economic crisis, and at a time when the government of Iraq now shows at least a $79 billion surplus from recent oil revenues, in my view it makes little sense for the U.S. Department of Defense to be spending hundreds of millions of dollars to propagandize the Iraqi people," Webb wrote.
His letter underscores continued congressional concerns over military contracts for information operations. The fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill requires the next Defense secretary and president to submit a report to Congress on strategic communications and public diplomacy initiatives.
"The contracts being let seem to fly in the face of this clear statement of congressional concern," Webb wrote.
COMMENTS
- So there's a "$79 billion surplus from recent oil revenues"?? Um, is there another country called 'Iraq' out there we don't know about? FJ Posted October 17, 2008 11:39 AM
- This is a top priority project. Informed public can change if they see positive progess being made. I agree Iraq should flip the bill now that they are turning a profit. But it must go on uninterupted or the new culture will loose valuable ground. Neil Werenskjold Posted October 16, 2008 11:56 AM
- Right on, Jim Karol. You hit the nail on the head! SPECIALIST Posted October 16, 2008 9:23 AM
PROMO RIGHT: GBC
Advancing the business of government through analysis, insight and the sharing of best practices.
SPONSORED RESEARCH
Achieving a Greener Federal Government IBM
Federal Cybersecurity: Securing the Nation's Information IBM
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: New Requirements for Tracking and Reporting Federal Workforce Data Kronos
Managing the Stimulus: A Candid Survey of Federal Program Managers Accenture and Microsoft
Improving Collaboration and Productivity in 21st Century Government: The Role of Communication for Government Executives Cisco
Transparency - Is the Government Ready? Study Shows Government Control Must Shift to Comply with New Directives BearingPoint, Cisco Systems, Inc. and Red Hat
A Whole of Government Approach: The Role of Mission Integration in the Federal Sector Booz Allen Hamilton
Developing Efficient Records Management Strategies Pitney Bowes Government Solutions
