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Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
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Archangel
Feb 26, 2009, 12:04:53 AM2/26/09
to
Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
year their spoken word was not enough.
Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
military's fiscal plan.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
said Wednesday.
The entire Joint Chiefs of Staff signed, promising not to leak
information while the budget was being put together. Gates also signed,
as did all the high-ranking civilian defense officials working on the
budget document, Morrell told a Pentagon press conference.
"He wants to create an environment in which the best possible budget can
be built," Morrell said of Gates. "And he believes the only way to do
that is to make sure that we are doing this in utter and complete
secrecy until that budget is rolled out."
President Barack Obama plans to submit his budget to Congress on Thursday.
Keeping the secret until the budget proposal is ready and whole allows
people to offer their honest opinions without fear of them becoming
public, Morrell said of Gates' reasoning.
"He thinks that by having people pledge not to speak out of school, if
you will, on these matters while they are a work in progress, that
you'll create a climate in which you can ultimately produce a better
product, because people can speak candidly with the confidence that it
will not be leaked," Morrell said.
Officials across the federal government also have been known to leak
information on a wide range of subjects ahead of time in hopes of
sabotaging proposed actions they don't like.
The letter defense officials signed was a one-page agreement not to talk
about "planning, programming, and budgeting system documents and
databases, and any other information, pre-decisional or otherwise,
concerning the administration's deliberations" on the budget.
The three-paragraph letter ends: "I pledge that I will not divulge the
budget-related information covered under this agreement to any
individual not authorized to receive it and under no circumstances will
I disclose such information outside the Department of Defense and other
agencies directly involved in the defense planning and resource
allocation process."
Asked how the new requirement to sign the letter squares with Obama's
call for greater openness in government, Morrell said: "I do not believe
that the president's call for a greater transparency means that we
should get rid of classification of materials that are highly sensitive."
A defense official later clarified to reporters that Morrell had
misspoken and that the budget is not classified.
WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
year their spoken word was not enough.
Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
military's fiscal plan.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
said Wednesday.
The entire Joint Chiefs of Staff signed, promising not to leak
information while the budget was being put together. Gates also signed,
as did all the high-ranking civilian defense officials working on the
budget document, Morrell told a Pentagon press conference.
"He wants to create an environment in which the best possible budget can
be built," Morrell said of Gates. "And he believes the only way to do
that is to make sure that we are doing this in utter and complete
secrecy until that budget is rolled out."
President Barack Obama plans to submit his budget to Congress on Thursday.
Keeping the secret until the budget proposal is ready and whole allows
people to offer their honest opinions without fear of them becoming
public, Morrell said of Gates' reasoning.
"He thinks that by having people pledge not to speak out of school, if
you will, on these matters while they are a work in progress, that
you'll create a climate in which you can ultimately produce a better
product, because people can speak candidly with the confidence that it
will not be leaked," Morrell said.
Officials across the federal government also have been known to leak
information on a wide range of subjects ahead of time in hopes of
sabotaging proposed actions they don't like.
The letter defense officials signed was a one-page agreement not to talk
about "planning, programming, and budgeting system documents and
databases, and any other information, pre-decisional or otherwise,
concerning the administration's deliberations" on the budget.
The three-paragraph letter ends: "I pledge that I will not divulge the
budget-related information covered under this agreement to any
individual not authorized to receive it and under no circumstances will
I disclose such information outside the Department of Defense and other
agencies directly involved in the defense planning and resource
allocation process."
Asked how the new requirement to sign the letter squares with Obama's
call for greater openness in government, Morrell said: "I do not believe
that the president's call for a greater transparency means that we
should get rid of classification of materials that are highly sensitive."
A defense official later clarified to reporters that Morrell had
misspoken and that the budget is not classified.
Archangel.
Change you can believe in.
cillu
Feb 26, 2009, 12:25:10 AM2/26/09
to
"Archangel" <Arch...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Xpppl.8179$%54....@nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com...
Here's the link:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hF8az86seaD0xAv7MyQCVe5IErlwD96IR9H00
Sam
Feb 26, 2009, 12:47:45 AM2/26/09
to
"cillu" <ckl...@s.yjkhhhljahd> wrote in message
news:YIppl.131405$pp1....@en-nntp-06.dc1.easynews.com...
I can't help but wonder just what Obama wants keep secret.
lorad
Feb 26, 2009, 2:10:27 AM2/26/09
to
On Feb 25, 9:04 pm, Archangel <Archan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
> WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
> year their spoken word was not enough.
> Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
> keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
> military's fiscal plan.
> Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
> time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
> sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
> said Wednesday.
> Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
> WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
> year their spoken word was not enough.
> Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
> keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
> military's fiscal plan.
> Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
> time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
> sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
> said Wednesday.
This is no doubt due to the recent gen Petraeus blindsiding of Obama's
stated Iraq intentions.
The 'good guy' military guys held out for years against the Bush
neocon anschluss but eventually their ranks were replaced by Bush
rabie dog types who would quite happily undercut Obama policy.
(they've turned political)
By requiring them to sign secrecy agreements they will be dissuaded
from playing poliics again.
Beam Me Up Scotty
Feb 26, 2009, 10:22:54 AM2/26/09
to
shielding it's self pretty well.
Beam Me Up Scotty
Feb 26, 2009, 10:26:20 AM2/26/09
to
lorad wrote:
> On Feb 25, 9:04 pm, Archangel <Archan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
>> WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
>> year their spoken word was not enough.
>> Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
>> keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
>> military's fiscal plan.
>> Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
>> time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
>> sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
>> said Wednesday.
>
> This is no doubt due to the recent gen Petraeus blindsiding of Obama's
> stated Iraq intentions.
>
> On Feb 25, 9:04 pm, Archangel <Archan...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
>> WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
>> year their spoken word was not enough.
>> Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
>> keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
>> military's fiscal plan.
>> Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the rule, requiring for the first
>> time that each military and civilian official helping prepare the budget
>> sign a non-disclosure statement, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell
>> said Wednesday.
>
> This is no doubt due to the recent gen Petraeus blindsiding of Obama's
> stated Iraq intentions.
>
Yet when Colin Powell undercut the Republicans it was OK....
Archangel
Feb 26, 2009, 4:52:39 PM2/26/09
to
Yea right, what's next? The good old loyalty oath. I can hardly wait.
Scotius
Apr 12, 2009, 11:32:54 PM4/12/09
to
On Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:04:53 -0800, Archangel <Arch...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
wrote:
>Top U.S. Generals Forced to Sign Secrecy Agreement
>WASHINGTON -- They long ago pledged honor and duty to country, but this
>year their spoken word was not enough.
>Top Pentagon generals and admirals had to sign a letter promising to
>keep defense budget details secret if they wanted to work on the
>military's fiscal plan.
They shouldn't have done it. They couldn't have just fired
them all. That would have ignited a political firestorm.
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