Chairman's Letter to the Editor of Seapower Magazine
on the subject of government contractors, published by the Navy League of the United States, October 2007

Dr. J. Phillip London
1100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22201

August 6, 2007

Ms. Amy Klamper
Seapower
2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200
Arlington, VA 22201

Dear Ms. Klamper,

After reading your article "Hold Them Accountable" in the July 2007 issue, I felt I had to respond. Your piece takes an unwarranted accusatory tone against government contractors.

Contractors do a valuable service for our military and government by filling in mission-critical gaps, particularly under exigent wartime circumstances. Contractors can only follow the rules and laws set forth by the government and, rightly, do not have any decision-making role in the process. While the government may not have been prepared to manage the large number of contractors and related contract administration issues, the contractors themselves cannot and should not be uniquely blamed for these problems. A number of these issues have been with us through the Regan, Bush and Clinton administrations, as well as today. In fact, most contracting process changes and the emphasis on outsourcing came during the 1990's under the Clinton administration.

Furthermore, any legislation proposed to manage or hold contractors accountable must be passed with fairness and the rule of law in mind, not as some sort of retroactive punishment or overreaction to the actions of a very few. Quite appalling is Peter Singer's suggestion that contractors voluntarily give up their constitutional rights solely because of their choice of employer. His lack of any experience in the military or as a government contractor – or even in American civics – is sadly obvious.

Contractors should also not be vilified by unsubstantiated allegations. For example, the abuses at Abu Ghraib are often cited in arguments against contractors – as you have on page 15. Yet it was army soldiers who were not only in the infamous photos, but also convicted for those crimes. In fact, nearly a dozen government investigations have concluded that interrogations did not lead to the abuses. The report by Vice Admiral Albert Church stated, "On average, contractors were more experienced than military interrogators and this advantage enhanced their credibility with detainees and promoted successful interrogations. There is no link between approved interrogation techniques and detainee abuse."¹

Your accusations and innuendos (allegations) that contractors engaged in illegal activities at Abu Ghraib is not substantiated as far as CACI International Inc. is concerned. The company position is presented fully on its website at www.caci.com. It has consistently rejected and refuted the distortions and misrepresentation that have appeared in the media since April 2004.

Further, I find your article quite remiss in not noting the fanaticism of the jihadist terrorists we face in Iraq and around the world. Regrettably, the tone of your work comes off both naïve and condescending. Security forces, private, military or other government, face a vicious, treacherous enemy that observes no restrictions, conventions, or uniformed military combatant codes. More laws or regulations to monitor government contractors and their personnel, even if needed and enacted, will not change the evil face and behavior of this nihilist enemy. By not incorporating this view into your article you present a political perspective rather than a constructive message for improving the situation.

I have proudly spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves, as well as more than three decades serving the U.S. government in the private sector. I can credibly say that contractors have become a necessary and valuable part of our government's operations, without which our government and the American people would be far less served. Thousands of highly skilled, dedicated and patriotic Americans work in contractor corporations. Any commentary that fails to acknowledge this fact does a disservice to the American people. I trust your future commentary will be more even handed and respectful of our fellow Americans.

Sincerely,

J.P. London
U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1959

cc: John A. Panneton, National President

[1] Church, III, Vice Admiral Albert T. "Unclassified Executive Summary of report by Vice Admiral Albert T. Church, III." March 10, 2005 http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2005/d20050310exe.pdf.