Generals Sign Secrecy Letter on Budget

[unhappycamper]

Generals Sign Secrecy Letter on Budget
February 26, 2009
Associated Press

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."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/generals-sign-secrecy-letter-on-budget.html?col=1186032310810



uhc comment: So much for transparency.

[pleah]

1. WTF! Where is the transparency?

I sick to death of the "secrecy".