WikiLeaks probe: Army commanders were told not to send Manning to Iraq

[kpete]

Source: McClatchy

* Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2011

WikiLeaks probe: Army commanders were told not to send Manning to Iraq

WASHINGTON — Investigators have concluded that Army commanders ignored advice not to send to Iraq an Army private who's now accused of downloading hundreds of thousands of sensitive reports and diplomatic cables that ended up on the WikiLeaks website in the largest single security breach in American history, McClatchy has learned.

Pfc. Bradley Manning's direct supervisor warned that Manning had thrown chairs at colleagues and shouted at higher ranking soldiers in the year he was stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., and advised that Manning shouldn't be sent to Iraq, where his job would entail accessing classified documents through the Defense Department's computer system.

But superior officers decided to ignore the advice because the unit was short of intelligence analysts and needed Manning's skills, two military officials familiar with the investigation told McClatchy.

The commanders hoped they could address Manning's discipline problems in Iraq, the officials told McClatchy, but then never properly monitored him. The result was a "comedy of errors" as one commander after another assumed someone else was addressing Manning's problems, one official said. Both officials spoke anonymously because they weren't authorized to discuss the investigation.







Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/01/27/107575/probe-army-commanders-told-not.html#ixzz1CHER0B2D

[Broderick]

1. shrug

[bongbong]

2. USA! USA! USA!

We have the bestest army officers in the world!

[Sonoman]

3. Situation Normal, All Fucked Up

Same song, different verse.

If the Average Joe had any idea just how fucked up the military lines of communication are and how much incompetence is built into the Chain of Command....

Oh, well.

Sonoman

[molly77]

4. Don't believe it.

[SkyDaddy7]

5. Why not?

Obviously Manning was not Ok with what we were doing over there he said as much. I think this does not hurt Manning, he can't really be any worse shape than he is in, but this shows just how incompetent our military is! Manning should not have been deployed...Just like many of the soldiers who should have been stopped from deploying for the 3rd, 4th or more time after telling their commanders they were having mental issues...Only to come home & kill themselves...And sometimes others.

[Robb]

6. Sounds like some retroactive CYA to me.

Anyone in the chain of command who has "I told you so" documentation is coming forward to get off the hook for any blame leading up to the leak.

I can't see this helping, or hurting, Manning.

[Hydra]

9. It's a little hard to hurt Manning at this point

All the documents that came out of Wikileaks, whether they came from him or not, basically reminds everyone that the US Gov't the last person to ask for accurate information :evilgrin:

[Kingofalldems]

7. Don't believe it--throwing chairs likely to get one court martialed

[DBoon]

8. or promoted to an executive at Microsoft

ask Ballmer