Two senior intelligence analysts at US Central Command say the military has forced them out of their jobs because of their skeptical reporting on US-backed opposition groups in Syria.
Three sources with knowledge of the incident told The Daily Beast.
It’s the first known instance of possible reprisals against CENTCOM personnel after analysts accused their bosses of manipulating intelligence reports about the US-led campaign against Daesh in order to paint a rosier picture of progress in the war.
One of the analysts is the top analyst in charge of Syria issues at CENTCOM. He and a colleague doubted militants’ capabilities and their commitment to US objectives in the region. The analysts have been effectively sidelined from their positions and will no longer be working at CENTCOM, according to two individuals familiar with the dispute, and who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The analysts’ skeptical views put them at odds with military brass, who last year had predicted that a so-called “moderate opposition” would make up a 15,000-man ground force. An initial $500 million program to train and arm those militants failed spectacularly. And until the very end, Pentagon leaders claimed the operation was more or less on track. Lawmakers called the plan a “joke” when Gen. Lloyd Austin, the CENTCOM commander, finally testified last September that there were just “four or five” American-trained militants in Syria.
That analysts are now raising red flags around reporting on Syrian opposition groups suggests that, at least from the analysts’ perspective, there is a broader systemic problem than was previously known.
The Pentagon inspector general and a congressional task force are investigating allegations of doctored intelligence reports about Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the Takfiri “ISIS” group].
The working environment at CENTCOM has been described as “toxic” and “hostile.” As The Daily Beast previously reported, more than 50 CENTCOM analysts have said that senior officials gave more scrutiny and pushback on reports that suggested US efforts to destroy Daesh weren’t progressing. Analysis that took a more optimistic view of the war effort got comparatively less attention from higher-ups.
In a separate development, the head of Iraq analysis at CENTCOM, Gregory Hooker, is being reassigned to a position in the United Kingdom, three sources knowledgeable of the transfer told The Daily Beast.
“[They] are scared all the time,” one official told The Daily Beast.
Investigators from the congressional task force have met with analysts at both CENTCOM headquarters and, last month, in Washington, half a dozen sources with knowledge of the meetings said.
At CENTCOM’s intelligence unit, there’s growing anticipation for the results of the Military Department inspector general’s investigation. Some have said they hope it will hold those they feel are responsible for altering reports, but there’s also concern that the findings will seek to downplay the severity of the problem and won’t lead to any significant changes.
At least one change is in the works. Last week, the Pentagon announced that Maj. Gen. Mark R. Quantock, currently the intelligence director of the US-led military effort in Afghanistan, will take over as the head of intelligence at CENTCOM. Two officials described Quantock as a “straight shooter” who could help relieve tensions at the command headquarters.
Source: Daily Beast, Edited by website team
04-04-2016 | 14:05
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