Independent investigation is always needed...

Page 1A June 6, 2002

GAO reviews Guard conduct Investigators look into punishments -- or lack thereof
By Dave Moniz and Jim Drinkard
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- Congressional investigators have started the first stage of a sweeping investigation to determine whether the National Guard is up to the task of helping defend the USA against terrorism.

The General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, is looking into whether the military has appropriately punished misconduct by hundreds of National Guard personnel, including some of the Guard's highest-ranking commanders.

The investigation, ordered by the House Armed Services Committee, comes as the 460,000-member Guard is taking on new responsibilities in the nation's war on terrorism. It follows disclosures in USA TODAY that the Guard's top commanders in at least 13 states had mostly gone unpunished in misconduct cases over the past decade.

USA TODAY also found that National Guard generals were twice as likely to break military rules as their active-duty counterparts.

The GAO is reviewing more than 600 cases of alleged misconduct by Guard officials probed by federal inspectors general over the past five years. The allegations range from sexual harassment to misuse of funds. Investigators hope to learn how many senior officers were punished for misconduct, and if they were not, why not.

Reps. John McHugh, R-N.Y., and Vic Snyder, D-Ark., asked the agency to review the cases to ensure that the military justice system is effective in preventing misconduct and in preserving the Guard's effectiveness at a time when it is being increasingly relied on for homeland defense.

One official close to the investigation said the GAO will ask for the full files on the cases, rather than the one-page summaries already turned over by the Pentagon. In addition, the official said, states will be asked to provide documentary proof of any punishment they say was carried out.

The probe is part of a broader investigation that will include:

* Whether the process for federal review of top Guard commanders in each state, known as adjutants general, is sufficient to ensure that they are qualified to hold their military commands.

* Whether the military is taking steps to make sure the Guard has enough soldiers to carry out its job. Many state Guard units have had problems recruiting, and there is evidence that they have faked reports to show more troops than they actually have.

* Whether Guard whistleblowers who report charges of waste, fraud and abuse are protected from reprisals by senior officers.