Navy intel chief doesn’t have a clearance
ROS sends us a link from the Navy Times which reports that the Navy Intelligence chief, Vice Admiral Ted “Twig” Branch, lost his security clearance last November, pending an investigation into possible misconduct. No charges have been filed and there are none in sight according to the article;
If classified information is being discussed at a meeting, the director of naval intelligence has to leave the room.
If Branch drops by a subordinate’s office, the space must be sanitized of any secrets before he enters.
Branch can’t attend morning intelligence briefs, or sit with the other services’ intel chiefs when they meet with Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, said a naval intelligence source, who spoke on background because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
So, that makes sense – “Twig” Branch is as effective as the rest of the perfumed princes in the Puzzle Palace. His deputy, Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, the director of intelligence operations, has had his clearance suspended as well. It’s all related to “inappropriate conduct” charges in the Glenn Defense Marine Asia bribery scandal investigation.
If they want, I still have my TS clearance that I’m not using and I can fill in for them for half of their pay.
Category: Navy
Huh? One would think that having a clearance would be a prerequisite for being the G2/Deputy.
Sounds about right for a government operation, all the more so under the Glorious Leader’s administration.
Actually, ANY officer is required to hold at least a secret. Intel Chief? I’d expect a bit higher than that. Shit, more people lose jobs to clearance revocations than the economy, in my circles. Finances and Booze being the big winners there. Guess it’s about the stars.
Actually, DOHA has the last say, and the case could well be in appeal – which is time consuming – but if THEY janked his clearance, I don’t see why he isn’t on the ultra fast track to retirement pay.
W
T
F
F’ing morons.
Whiskey
Tango
Foxtrot?
*Checks calendar*
Nope, not April Fool’s Day. What gives? Seriously, if I lost my clearance, my BC would be getting dismissal paperwork drawn up. How is this clown still in uniform? A Vice-Admiral without a clearance?
although I don’t have a cool intel name like twig, I’m available. Someone claims that I have “our nation’s highest security clearance” so I must have it. They can run with that.
http://thetruthaboutsocnetlies.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/john-giduck-does-not-hold-our-nations-highest-security-clearance/
Plus, my squaw works for a major defense contractor and we have high level foreign intelligence officials over to the house. I wonder if that’s having any effect on her clearance.
anyway, head of Intel likely pays better than my last job as a fluffer at an Ebola camp.
sincerely
John “Faker 6” Giduck
Either allow them to do their damn jobs, or remove them and appoint someone temporarily until they’re either charged or cleared.
FFS how difficult is it to use even a shred of common sense?
The term “football bat” keeps rolling around my head for some reason.
And yet one of my Warrant Officers lost his clearance and they removed him from his job the same day. And he was a damned Maintenance Officer. WTF?
This motherf*cker has his 20. Go! Now.
I have a long list of airmen who would love to know how you skate by on something like this. They are the ones who lost their clearance for poor credit or a DUI arrest. I don’t get it, we have an AF CMSgt who did jail time and still got promoted to MSgt, SMSgt, and finally CMSgt. We have a Vice Admiral who is in Intel who lost his clearance; yet we are throwing people; some of them damn good people who made a stupid mistake once, out of the service because they had a DUI four years ago.
Yea but he always wears his reflective belt and thinks all the rest of us are over paid. So nothing to see here folks.
Second there is no special treatment for Brass, I repeat there is no special treatment for Brass. If I say it a third time will you believe me then.
I’ve always believed “Alice In Wonderland” was a fairy tale, but with stories like this, I’ve really begun to wonder what rabbit hole I fell into — and when.
Dunno about which rabbit hole, Pinto Nag. But I think I can tel you when: 20 January 2009, approximately 12:05PM EST.
Remember, some Pigs are more Equal than others.
Wow, nothing like dumb and dumber to (sic) to point out yet more inanity amongst senior ranks who are now rendered even more useless than they are under normal conditions. So who is actually in charge of that unit that can attend meetings and provide direction in lieu of the two senior officials being currently suspended from a clearance while remaining in their offices with pay at their current rank?
It’s starting to look like the officer class really is a reinvention of the old aristocracy in the military system.
Of two minds about this. (1) Innocent until proven guilty and (2) Suspended, not revoked.
The Navy should have reassigned him to a non-sensitive position pending final resolution.
Yep.
Besides, at this point he’s a 3 star … he might have done something stupid, but that doesn’t mean he’s a security risk.
ForstyCPO: agreed. Unfortunately, I’m not sure there are a whole lot of O9 slots in any service where routine access to classified info isn’t a necessity.
Yep, should have been reassigned to a “special assistant” position pending investigation…of course means reverting to his permanent rank of RADM after 60 days. Ted’s 4 star buds at the 5 sided palace decided he doesn’t deserve that indignity…
“Sir, please cover your ears and hum Anchors Aweigh, loudly. Thanks.”
Sign outside of conference room.
“By Order of Vice Admiral T. Branch: Until further notice, don’t tell me anything and leave me out of it.”
With a sign bearing those last words he next announces that he will run for the POTUS job?
So this tells you that neither the admiral nor his lackey do anything significant if they can continue doing it without a clearance in an intelligence directorate. Or am I misunderstanding something again?
So lemme get this. A Vice Admiral of Intel can’t be around any military intel. That about it? Swell, just swell! By the way, for a Vice Admiral, doesn’t he have a rather…small rake of fruit salad to sport?
Sparks: in the Navy, it’s reasonably common for an officer/NCO to wear only their top-3 decorations while in khakis. His bio on Wikipedia indicates his top-3 decorations are the LOM (x6!), the DMSM (x1), and the MSM (x2). That’s what he appears to be wearing in the photo above.
No big deal. Few of the folks being supplied all that intel could pass a security clearance anyway.
I’ve had TS clearance since I got out of the Corps. That would be “Tough Shit” clearance.
These guys should be on WTF clearance right about now.
In a related story, effective today all Gunner’s Mates will no longer be allowed to work on firearms and weapons systems, all Machinist’s Mates will be assigned duties in the sail loft and all Aviation Boatswain’s Mates will be transferred to the submarine force.
Carry out the POD!
That is all!
This was posted on CDR Salamander’s blog today, as well. I thought I had mistakenly gone to The Duffle Blog.
Whiskey,
Tango,
Foxtrot,
OVER!
I echo WTF. You can’t enter a SCIF without a TS [not without everybody going down to NIPR level work. How is he supposed to manage his people if he can’t see, review and approve of what his people are doing?
Our tax dollars at work…
Admiral Branch was my Captain on the USS Nimitz 2004-2006. He’s a good guy that took care of his crew, and did a fantastic job executing his mission in support of OIF. Unfortunately, he is under investigation to see if he has any ties to the DOD contracting scandal in Singapore a few years back, but until I see some solid evidence pointing to his involvement, I see no reason for him to be forced out of his career that he has dedicated so much of his life to.
Forcing him out and asking him to leave the room when classified matters are discussed are two different things. It is rather silly, is it not, for a Vice Admiral who is in charge of intel not to have a security clearance. at least he ought to be in a job where he is more useful thatn a potted plant.