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Lawmaker: Army program needs more oversight
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/NEWS/usaedition/2013-02-20-HTS-reaction_ST_U.htmLawmaker: Army program needs more oversight
By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY,
Posted 10h 43m ago
Washington — The Army needs to justify the continuation of a $250million program to send social scientists to the battlefield because of problems outlined in a report by USA TODAY, a congressman said in a letter to Army Secretary John McHugh on Tuesday.
The Pentagon has lost the ability to objectively assess the value of Human Terrain System teams and other programs, said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
"I would like to know whether the Army is considering expansion of the Human Terrain System, as well as any justification for continuing the program in light of severe and detrimental cuts to military operations," Hunter said in the letter.
Problems come to light with programs such as Human Terrain teams, he said, only when Congress or the media ask probing questions. Military officials lose objectivity when they've been involved with programs for years, Hunter said.