Pentagon Notes

From today’s press gaggle with Colonel David Lapan

Missing Sailor

There is no update on the whereabouts or status of a sailor who went missing in Afghanistan last Friday while driving an SUV through a particularly dangerous portion of the country.

The sailor is still classified as Dustwun (Duty Status-Whereabouts Unknown), and will remain so until there is firm evidence indicating otherwise. According to Lapan, the recent claim from the Taliban that he is in their possession is not viable enough to change this.

Boy Scout Jamboree

Defense Secretary Robert Gates attended the centennial Boy Scout Jamboree in Fort Ap Hill, Virginia Wednesday.

In his prepared remarks, Gates discusses hiking with his son’s Boy Scout troop when he was the CIA Director, and comments that the presence of several black vans and armed security officers may have hindered the experience.

Gates became an Eagle Scout at 15. There is no word from the Pentagon on whether a picture of him in uniform will be made available to reporters.

Suicide Prevention Report

On Thursday, General Peter Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, will hold a press briefing on the Army’s Health Promotion/Risk Reduction/ Suicide Prevention Report.

Sessions Praises House For Passing SPEECH Act

A day after the House passed legislation aimed at promoting free speech, the bill’s co-author, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) issued a statement, praising Congress for doing so:

“Free speech is a bedrock principle of our Republic, essential to our continued liberty. The passage of the SPEECH Act further cements that legacy and strengthens free speech protections for all Americans. It will ensure that American writers cannot be penalized by foreign libel judgments that do not comply with American law, removing a dangerous chilling effect on the exercise of First Amendment rights. It will also give Americans who have been subject to foreign libel judgments the opportunity to petition an American court and have their name cleared. This is an important bipartisan achievement and a reminder that Congress’ job is not to control and diminish free speech—including political advocacy—but to allow for the robust competition of ideas.”

The bill, entitled the “Securing the Protection of our Enduring and Established Constitutional Heritage (SPEECH) Act” is now headed to President Obama for his signature.

-Alexa Gitler

Army Intel Analyst Seen As Main Suspect In WikiLeaks

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon is focusing on jailed 22-year-old Army Pfc. Bradley Manning as the main suspect in a major scandal in which thousands of secret U.S. military documents related to the war in Afghanistan wound up on the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.

In June, Manning was charged with eight violations of the U.S. Criminal Code for “allegedly illegally transferring classified data,” including a video taken in 2007 that showed U.S troops reigning gunfire from an Apache helicopter upon civilians in Iraq. That video was posted on WikiLeaks earlier this summer.

It is believed that while serving, Manning may have accessed a worldwide military classified internet and e-mail system to download tens of thousands of documents in order to post them to WikiLeaks.

The Army is considering whether he should face the military equivalent of a trial over the charges. Currently, Manning, a resident of Potomac, Md., is being held by the U.S. military in Kuwait while his unit begins to rotate back to the United States…

- Alexa Gitler

Anti-Illegal Immigrant Group Proposes "Safe Departure" Checkpoints

Fox News is reporting that the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is pressuring the White House and the Homeland Security Department (DHS) to establish “safe” checkpoints along parts of the U.S./Mexico border.

ALIPAC believes this will persuade illegal immigrants to leave the U.S. without having to take more perilous routes through the desert, or pay cartels.

Neither the White House nor DHS has issued a statement in response…

- Brandon Kosters

BP Reports $17 Billion Loss In Second Quarter

BP lost more than $17 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2010, the company is reporting. Incoming CEO Robert Dudley, however, is optimistic about the future of the oil giant.

The New York Times quoted Dudley as saying he does “not underestimate the nature of the task ahead, but the company is financially robust, with an enviable portfolio of assets and professional teams that are among the best in the industry.”

Since announcing that Dudley, who will become the company’s first ever American CEO, will take over, BP has also announced that $32.2 billion has gone toward dealing with the Gulf spill disaster, and that the company plans to sell up to $30 billion in assets to limit the financial damage in order to ensure financial stability for the coming months…

- Alexa Gitler