Government follies – ship refurb, Bergdahl retrial, illicit software purchase.

 

Well, as I write this Wednesday I see headlines of Joe Biden riding his bicycle again. He really is a typical American – has an off-road capable bike yet never, ever rides it on anything but paved paths. Reminds me of all the folks who bought big 4WD and AWD SUVs who never go further off-road than missing the driveway when they back up.

First up in the rest of the world – Military.com reports that after two years and $200,000,000 thrown at it, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer is unable to leave port still.

The most notable upgrade was a new deck that would be able to support the new F-35B Lightning II strike fighter. However, the ship also received work on its hull as well as tank and mechanical work and “other shipboard improvements,” according to BAE’s statement.

(Cmdr. Arlo Abrahamson, Navy spokesperson – ed.) confirmed that the Boxer completed this maintenance period “in mid-2022, undergoing upgrades and modernizations to the ship” while other Navy statements highlighted the fact that this overhaul lasted “more than two years.”

After the maintenance period, the ship briefly put to sea in June 2022. Images posted online show the ship at sea with an F-35B fighter flying near the ship’s deck. However, it appears that’s the only time the ship managed to set sail since leaving the shipyards.

Abrahamson said that after this cruise, the “Boxer executed additional maintenance requirements in preparation for its sea trial period,” but those sea trials have yet to take place.

“The ship expects to begin sea trials in the near future as part of its workup cycle for deployment,” Abrahamson said. Military.com

Nice to see our tax dollars effectively spent.

Moving along to politics, it is reported that several prominent Republican veterans want Bowe Bergdahl retried.

Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla.; Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas; Jake Ellzey, R-Texas; Ryan Zinke, R-Mont.; and Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., demanded an immediate review of the case, saying the nullification of the sentence “dishonors those who served and died alongside Bergdahl.”   Military.com II

As a non-lawyer I would guess that since the judge vacated the previous decision, no double jeopardy applies. Now, there are some interesting side facets – would he collect back pay and have his former rank reinstated?  But at least the judge also ruled against one of the more notorious allegations, that there was undue command influence due to Trump and McCain speaking against Bergdahl.

No matter what, good on the lads for at least asking. One wonders where other Republican veterans were like Joni Ernst?

And I’ll close with my favorite story of the week to date.  The NY Times (“All the news that fits, we print”) reported that some Federal agency directly breached White House policy to buy software from a company selling software loaded with powerful surveillance tools. So the White House ordered the FBI to investigate!

The agency in question not only brazenly disobeyed the government’s official policy, but had also used a front company to facilitate the deal, suggesting that it knew what was happening was not exactly kosher.

For years, the NSO Group has been tied to spying scandals all over the world. In November of 2021, the company was blacklisted by the U.S. government and placed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, a roster of foreign firms that have been deemed as working contrary to American interests.

However, five days after the White House announced this policy change, a secretive federal contractor called Riva Networks finalized a deal with NSO to acquire a geolocation tool known as “Landmark.” The tool was supposed to help federal law enforcement triangulate the locations of specific mobile users. Riva had previously worked with the FBI to acquire a spying tool called “Phantom” that could reportedly hack any phone in the U.S. Gizmodo

Well, they found out who. And who was it that did the end run? Why, of course….the FBI. They, of course, claimed they knew nothing of its capabilities and as soon as the news was broken, they broke the contract. Yeah… Read the article. It’s fun, and more than a bit pitiful. Sure seems the FBI has reverted to its laughingstock status days again, doesn’t it?

 

 

 

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Government Incompetence, Navy